Star Wars Rivals is the sci-fi giant’s latest lightsaber stab at a collectible tabletop game
On the way from Funko Games, but without Funko Pops.
Star Wars is getting another collectible tabletop game - and it’s out soon.
Star Wars Rivals follows in the wake of various collectible and expandable games set in the galaxy far, far away over the last few decades, including card-and-dice game Star Wars: Destiny (RIP), Eric Lang’s living card game Star Wars: The Card Game and Star Wars: The Trading Card Game - designed by Magic: The Gathering creator Richard Garfield, no less.
This time, it’s Funko Games’ turn to adapt the sci-fi behemoth into a game designed with endless expansions and releases in mind.
Star Wars Rivals splits its two players onto the opposing Light and Dark sides of the Force, with the ability to build a team of famous faces from across the movies and their extended universe.
The players will be competing to take control of location cards in the middle of the table. Control the most locations and you’ll win.
To do so, players will be able to use each character’s three unique action cards, which combine into a single deck of cards. Gameplay also includes dice-rolling, although Funko is yet to detail exactly how the game plays from turn to turn.
As you’d expect from the company best known for Funko Pops, Star Wars Rivals will include dozens of models across its $20 Premier starter set - which includes Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Clone Wars’ Asajj Ventress and Clone Commander Cody, along with 12 locations, a die, cards and all the tokens and gubbins you need to play - and individual $5 character booster packs, which come with each character’s miniature, ability cards and die; an extra location; and additional tokens. The booster packs can be freely combined with the Premier set, or thrown together into custom squadrons of characters.
The miniatures won’t be Funko’s signature big-headed Pops, instead opting for a new stylised, cartoony take on characters ranging from the latest trilogy’s Finn and Rey (Poe is absent) to C-3PO, Emperor Palpatine and Boba Fett. A number of characters also have transparent blue hologram variants - including Leia, Yoda, Snoke and Ahsoka Tano - alongside their regular figures.
Rivals isn’t Funko’s first shot at an expandable tabletop game, following its Funkoverse series of skirmish-battle board games - including standalone sets and expansions featuring miniature Funko Pops based on everything from Marvel and Jurassic Park to Space Jam and the Golden Girls.
Star Wars Rivals will see a limited pre-release at Star Wars Celebration this weekend, ahead of its release in some Walmart stores in the US on - you guessed it - May the 4th. After that, it’ll be widely available from June. (Disclaimer: Dicebreaker is owned by Star Wars Celebration organiser ReedPop.)