Star Wars Board Games: trading card game
Star Wars Unlimited: How a Round Works
Star Wars Unlimited is a trading card game from Fantasy Flight Games, first released on March 8, 2024. Each player leads a Star Wars army of units and tries to destroy the opponent's base. The game suits two players who enjoy deck building and quick, back-and-forth turns.
- 2024
- 2-4 players
- Ages 12+
- trading card game
- Fantasy Flight Games
Designers: Danny Schaefer
Players take one action at a time until a base falls. Here's how a round goes.
Star Wars Unlimited has a simple rhythm: players take one action at a time, then reset together before the next round. The eight steps below cover a round from the first action through regroup. If you're comparing Star Wars games, the Star Wars board games page covers them all.
Take the initiative to go first next round, but you give up your chance to act again this round.
A quick look at one round of Star Wars Unlimited
Each round has two phases: action, then regroup. Follow the steps below to see how they work.
A missing aspect icon adds 2 extra resources to the cost.
- Step 1:
Action phase: The player with the initiative counter goes first. Players then alternate, taking one action at a time.
- Step 2:
Play a card from your hand by exhausting resources equal to its cost. Units and upgrades stay in play; events take effect and go to the discard pile.
- Step 3:
Attack with a ready unit by exhausting it and choosing an enemy unit in the same arena or the opponent's base. Both units deal damage equal to their power at the same time.
- Step 4:
Use an action ability, take the initiative, or pass. Taking the initiative puts you first next round, but ends your actions for this round.
- Step 5:
The action phase ends when one player passes and the other passes or takes the initiative.
- Step 6:
Regroup phase, step 1: Both players draw 2 cards.
- 7Step 7:
Regroup step 2: Starting with the player who has the initiative, each player may place one card from their hand face down as a resource.
- 8Step 8:
Regroup step 3: Ready every exhausted card in play, including units, resources, and your leader. The next round begins.
The round summary leaves out setup, costs, and how a leader joins the fight, details that can trip up new players. The next section covers all six setup steps, each type of action, and the card keywords. For a card game from the same galaxy that uses dice, see Star Wars: Destiny.
Star Wars Unlimited rules, explained
Setup
Put your base into play facing your opponent's. Place your leader face up below it, turned sideways. Each base starts with 30 HP.
Randomly choose who starts with the initiative and give that player the initiative counter. Set the other counters and token cards aside.
Shuffle your deck and draw 6 cards. You may mulligan once: shuffle your hand back into the deck and draw 6 new cards. You must keep the new hand.
Choose 2 cards from your hand and place them face down near your base. These are your resources.
With the two-player starter, each player takes one of the two included decks and uses the playmat to lay out the cards. Then the first action phase begins.
Turn by turn
Play a card
Reveal a card from your hand and exhaust resources equal to its cost. A unit enters play exhausted. An upgrade attaches to a unit and is defeated if that unit leaves play. An event resolves, then goes to the discard pile.
Attack with a unit
Exhaust a ready unit and choose a target in the same arena: an enemy unit or the base. Ground units can’t attack space units. If a unit attacks another unit, it takes damage equal to the defender’s power. Attacks on a base deal no damage back.
Action abilities and the initiative
Some cards have Action abilities with a cost in brackets. An Epic Action can be used once per game. Take the initiative to claim the counter and act first next round. You can’t take another action during this phase.
Your leader
Your leader starts on its non-unit side, with an ability you can use right away. Once you control enough resources, use its Epic Action to deploy it: flip it, ready it, and move it to the ground arena at no resource cost.
Aspects and the penalty
Your leader has 2 aspect icons, and your base has 1. A card with an icon you don’t have costs 2 extra resources for each missing icon. That’s why most decks stick to their leader and base colors.
Regroup
Draw 2 cards, optionally add one as a resource, then ready everything. You can skip the resource and keep the card in hand, but the quickstart recommends adding one each round until your leader can deploy.
End of the game and scoring
There are no points to score. A game ends when a base takes damage equal to its 30 HP; that base’s owner loses. Premier is played as a best-of-three match, so the first player to win two games takes the match. If you run out of cards, take 3 damage to your base for each card you can’t draw.
Key rules
Ground and space arenas
Combat happens in two arenas. Ground units fight in the ground arena, and space units fight in space. They can’t attack each other, but both can attack a base.
Sentinel
Enemy units in the same arena as your Sentinel can’t attack your non-Sentinel units or your base. They have to attack a Sentinel unless they have Saboteur.
Shields and Overwhelm
A Shield token prevents all damage to a unit, then is defeated. Overwhelm sends excess damage from an attack on a unit to the enemy base instead of letting it go to waste.
Raid, Restore and Ambush
Raid adds power while attacking, and Restore heals your base when the unit attacks. Ambush lets a newly played unit ready and attack an enemy unit right away.
Deckbuilding
A Premier deck needs 1 leader, 1 base and at least 50 other cards. You can include up to 3 copies of any card. The Comprehensive Rules allow a sideboard of up to 10 cards.
Tips for your first game
- As the quickstart suggests, take a mulligan if your first hand has no unit costing 1 or 2.
- Add a card as a resource during each regroup phase until your leader can use its Epic Action.
- Before choosing an attack target, check each arena for a Sentinel.
- Units and resources enter exhausted. A unit played this round can’t attack until it readies, unless it has Ambush.
- If you build your own deck, aim for about 30 to 40 units, as the quickstart suggests.
Attack a Sentinel before other units in its arena.
The rules show how a game runs, but there's more to its Star Wars feel than the mechanics. Here you'll find who made the game, how its art differs from film stills, and which corner of the saga each set explores. We also list the cards used as examples in the official quickstart.
The game and the Star Wars saga behind it
Units and resources ready again during the regroup phase.
The game
Design and release
Fantasy Flight Games publishes Star Wars: Unlimited. The quickstart credits Daniel Schaefer as lead game designer. The first set, Spark of Rebellion, came out on March 8, 2024. Wikipedia notes that the cards use original art rather than film stills.
Editions and reprints
Main sets come out about three times a year. Shadows of the Galaxy followed in July 2024, Twilight of the Republic in November 2024, and Jump to Lightspeed in March 2025. Later sets reach into 2026. Under the Comprehensive Rules, Premier allows only cards with one of the two most recent rotation symbols.
The film or series it covers
The full Star Wars saga is here. Each set has its own focus: the Galactic Empire versus the Rebel Alliance in Spark of Rebellion, the Clone Wars in Twilight of the Republic, and starships in Jump to Lightspeed.
Leaders include major figures like Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. Units feature characters, vehicles and fighters, while combat plays out in two arenas: ground and space.
Scenes and story beats in the game
- 1
The quickstart shows two example bases: the Command Center on the Death Star and the Administrator's Tower in Cloud City.
- 2
Quickstart examples include Leia Organa, Grand Moff Tarkin, Yoda, the Alliance X-Wing and the TIE/ln Fighter.
- 3
Vader's Lightsaber is an upgrade card. Vanquish is an event card that defeats a non-leader unit.
- 4
Twilight of the Republic focuses on military conflicts between the Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems.
What comes in the Star Wars Unlimited two-player starter
- Two-player starter with two ready-to-play decks: one led by Luke Skywalker, the other by Darth Vader
- Each deck has 50 cards, plus a double-sided leader card, a base card and token cards
- 2 playmats with card layout guidance and handy rules reminders
- Counters, including an initiative counter, damage counters and epic action counters
- A quickstart rulebook
A starter box is only the entry point, because new sets arrive about three times a year and each one has its own theme. Each item below says what it covers. If you prefer a deck-building game without boosters, see the Star Wars deck-building game.
Take the initiative to go first next round, but you give up your chance to act again this round.
Star Wars Unlimited sets, formats and starter decks
Spark of Rebellion 2024
The first set, released March 8, 2024, with 252 cards themed on the conflict between the Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance.
Shadows of the Galaxy 2024
Released July 12, 2024, with 262 cards focused on smugglers, scoundrels and scavengers of the Outer Rim, especially bounty hunters.
Twilight of the Republic 2024
Released November 8, 2024, with 257 cards covering the Republic against the Confederacy, including heroes and villains of the Clone Wars.
Jump to Lightspeed 2025
Released March 14, 2025, with 257 cards about starships, pilots and space battles.
Legends of the Force 2025
Released July 11, 2025, with 264 cards about Force users such as Jedi and Sith.
Secrets of Power 2025
Released November 7, 2025, with 264 cards about operatives, officials, saboteurs and schemers.
A Lawless Time 2026
Released March 13, 2026, with 264 cards about heists, raids, outlaws and criminal masterminds.
Ashes of the Empire 2026
Released July 17, 2026, with 264 cards about the Battle of Endor and the years that followed it.
Homeworlds 2026
Listed for October 9, 2026, with 272 cards.
Star Wars Unlimited FAQs
How do you play Star Wars Unlimited?
Players alternate taking one action, such as playing a card, attacking with a unit or passing. Once both players pass, they draw 2 cards, add a resource and ready their cards. The first base to take 30 damage loses.
How do you win Star Wars Unlimited?
Bring the opposing base down to 0 HP by attacking it with your units. Each base starts at 30 HP. Premier is a best-of-three match, so you have to win two games.
How many cards are in a Star Wars Unlimited deck?
A Premier deck has 1 leader, 1 base and at least 50 other cards, with no more than 3 copies of any card. Twin Suns decks use 2 leaders, 1 base and at least 80 other cards.
What are aspects in Star Wars Unlimited?
Aspects are the colored icons on cards: Vigilance, Command, Aggression, Cunning, Heroism and Villainy. Your leader and base provide icons you can use at no extra cost. A missing icon costs 2 extra resources.
What happens in the regroup phase in Star Wars Unlimited?
Each player draws 2 cards, then may place one card from their hand face down as a resource. All exhausted cards, including units, resources and your leader, then become ready.
What comes in the Star Wars Unlimited two-player starter?
Inside are two 50-card decks, one for Luke Skywalker and one for Darth Vader, plus leader, base and token cards, two playmats, counters and a quickstart rulebook.
What does Sentinel do in Star Wars Unlimited?
While you control a Sentinel in an arena, enemy units there cannot attack your non-Sentinel units or your base. Saboteur lets a unit ignore Sentinel.
What is the Twin Suns format in Star Wars Unlimited?
Twin Suns is a multiplayer format. Each deck has 2 different leaders, 1 base, at least 80 other cards and only one copy of any card.
A missing aspect icon adds 2 extra resources to the cost.
Attack a Sentinel before other units in its arena.
Sources
- Fantasy Flight Games: Star Wars: Unlimited Quickstart Rules (PDF) cdn.xzone.sk
- Star Wars: Unlimited Comprehensive Rules v8.0 (PDF) cdn.starwarsunlimited.com
- Wikipedia: Star Wars: Unlimited en.wikipedia.org
- Star Wars: Unlimited official site starwarsunlimited.com