If you haven't been, Adepticon is a wonderful time. From product announcements, paint competitions, and endless halls of gaming, it's a perfect microcosm for the miniature painting hobby. We took some time to catch up with one of our favorite people in the industry, Will Shick, the VP of Creative Development and Strategy for Atomic Mass Games, took time to sit with us and give us some detailed answers about what's coming for Marvel Crisis Protocol, Star Wars: Legion, and Star Wars: Shatterpoint. This is the first of 3 posts, and for this one, let's dive into Legion!
Mandalorians and Jedi Council mean your forces will expand in many different ways.
GT: Skirmish mode...do you see other game modes emerging with Legion being the core model system?
WS: We are always looking for new ways to bring value and exciting play opportunities to all the game systems we work on. With the grand scale Full Scale War game mode closing in on completion, which allows players to enjoy truly epic games of 2000 points or more, we are beginning to shift our focus towards the small scale with a return to our skirmish game mode Special Operations. After that, who knows where we might go next. There is tons of potential to explore using the base game as the foundation to build from.
GT: SpecOps is getting some attention and a revamp. Will it utilize the F.A.S.T. system?
WS: The Fusion Assembly System (F.A.S.T.) is something we really want to flex across all the game lines for our intro products like starters or core sets. While nothing has been set in stone for Special Operations, if we were to offer a two player core set or some other type of introductory offering using our press fit, no glue required F.A.S.T. assembly would align perfectly with our vision for it.
GT: Rollout of reprint expansions - is there a limit per month, is it a pipeline thing, or is it also the time when units are getting updated?
WS: There are numerous factors that go into reprints and reissues. A big part of it is pipeline capacity. Not the bandwidth of the factory but with reissues specifically, just how many products retailers can bring in and support. Sometimes, if we know a reprint or reissue is on the horizon and we have it tagged internally for development updates that may also contribute to the timeline. But typically a reprint or reissue being on the schedule pushes the development discussion up the timeline rather than the other way around.
GT: Is the inclusion of Epic part of the decision to introduce air support?
WS: Nope, Full Scale War had no influence on the Starfighters being created. In fact the starfighters were begun well before we began developing the Full Scale War rules. We knew from the outset of working on the 2nd edition of Legion that we wanted to find a way to integrate true flying vehicles into the standard game experience. The fact that starfighters and Full Scale War pair like chocolate and peanut butter was just a serendipitous confluence of development timelines.
The roadmap for Star Wars: Legion is vast for 2026 and with 2027 getting Starfighters!
GT: With the introduction of Mandalorians and the ability to build your own clan, will we see that mechanic in the other factions? IE: build out Saw Gerrea's Rebels, Mon Mothma's Rebels, or even clone divisions?
WS: I don’t expect we will see many other opportunities to create something completely unique like we were able to do with the Mandalorian Clans. But, I do hope that between the release of the customizable Commanders and Operatives, Tours of Duty, and now the Mandalorian Clans I think it is pretty clear that we are always looking for opportunities to add more player opportunities for hobby and personal expression within the Star Wars Galaxy.
That said, we absolutely will see more and more sub-factions via Legion’s Battle Force system to explore the unique corners of the Star Wars Galaxy that we see across media. Things like Saw’s Rebels, the Hutt Cartel, or the 212th Wolfpack are great examples of things that the Battle Force system gives us the structure to bring into the game.
GT: With the future addition of airships, will we see larger ground vehicles as well? Hailfire Droid, AT-TE, etc.?
WS: I wouldn’t say that the arrival of the starfighters directly correlates with seeing larger ground vehicles. But from a sculpting and engineering standpoint working on these incredible kits has given us the tools to explore the larger side of Star Wars in plastic in the future. A key component to larger minis though is figuring out how they can reasonably function in the game given the overall table size, how movement works, and points. All challenges that are quite exciting from a development standpoint.
GT: From a production standpoint, and now with 'Master of the Brush' announced, will there be more retail options for scenic/dioramas, similar to MCP/Shatterpoint?
WS: We would certainly love to explore more of that space for Legion. Those types of hobby forward projects are always a huge blast to work on and see come to life. That said, there are only so many hours in the day, so it really comes down to finding the right opportunities to fit something like that into the schedule.
Star Wars: Legion is set to have an exciting year of growth. Stick with Gaming Trend for news, tutorials, and gameplay of Star Wars: Legion!
