Sniper Elite: Operation Kraken expansion preview—Infiltration by land or by sea

Coming to Gamefound May 13th, 2025, Operation Kraken is an expansion to the highly rated Sniper Elite board game. This expansion will add two new maps, each with its own unique mechanics. Whether the Defenders are patrolling the streets of the Norman Village in their new vehicles or the Sniper is crawling through the vents of the experimental Super Carrier, there's plenty of new content for fans of the game!

Norman Village

The new Norman Village map features wide open space with only a few buildings for cover, even more so than the Launch Facility map from the base game, divided primarily by a road circling the center. Defenders can use their new vehicles to quickly travel along the road, Sweeping and Spotting along the way as they try to locate the Sniper. The vehicles even offer extra armor to protect the driver from the Sniper's shots and are immune to loadout cards like the S-Mine and the Trench Gun.

But watch out, if the Sniper does succeed then both the driver and the vehicle are destroyed, and the Defenders have no way to re-deploy the lost vehicle!. The Sniper also has the benefit of more flexibility when deploying, with two starting space options per sector to choose from, and a few clever areas to hide from the patrolling vehicles.

Super Carrier

The second new map feels like the complete opposite of the first. Instead of a large and open map, the Super Carrier is tight and restrictive, with reinforced walls that units can't Shoot or Spot through. This map is actually three floors of the same ship, from the easy-to-navigate top deck to the cramped confines of the bottom level. Units will need to use the limited ladder spaces to move between floors towards the objectives, and the Defenders will have to choose between gaining Intel to hone in on either the Sniper's sector or their floor. Defenders also have the ability to lock the doors in this map, preventing anyone from getting in or out of key rooms.

Luckily, the Sniper has a few ways to deal with those locks. The Sniper can always just shoot the locks, which has the downside of being quite obvious to the Defender, but there are two loadout cards exclusive to this map for some alternative modes of entry. Bolt Cutters can secretly unlock a door for the Sniper, hidden until the Defender tries to unlock it themselves. Meanwhile, Explosive Entrance can "manufacture" a new doorway in any wall the Sniper decides to remodel. The Sniper also gets to use vents in addition to the typical ladders, giving them some much-needed mobility in the tight map. Unlike the Norman Village, however, the Sniper has exactly one starting space here, making those first turns even more crucial than typical.

Solo

Fans of Dávid Turczi & Noralie Lubbers' solo mode from the base game are in luck, as there will be new cards for both maps, letting players enjoy all the new content regardless of player count.

The prototype maps are an absolute blast to play and feel like an absolute must-have for any fan of the base game looking for more variety. The maps feel well-balanced, with clear thought given to each team's options in both the new mechanics and the map layout. The Super Carrier is my personal favorite, creating my tensest moment in the game as the Sniper—slipping past several Defenders in a corridor and tricking them into believing I shot my way up to the next level. Speaking personally, I can’t wait to get my hands on the finished product!

Operation Kraken will be available to back along with the Escalation campaign expansion and a reprinting of the base game, Eagle Nest expansion, and the Deluxe Upgrade. Follow the project on Gamefound here to be notified when the project goes live.