Superb WWII deckbuilder Undaunted heads for a sci-fi spin-off in next year’s Undaunted 2200: Callisto

The Undaunted series is one of the best runs of board games in recent years, following up on excellent 2019 debut Undaunted: Normandy - which melded the tactical positioning and manoeuvres of classic wargames with the flexible, approachable cardplay of deckbuilding games like Dominion - with superb sequels set during World War II’s North African campaign, the battle of Stalingrad and the airborne Battle of Britain. Having battled its way through so much of WWII, the Undaunted series is now headed to the far-flung future in an upcoming sci-fi spin-off.

Undaunted 2200: Callisto, as the name implies, is set not close to a hundred years in the past, but almost two centuries into the future. Set upon Jupiter’s second-largest moon (the third biggest in our whole solar system, if you’re curious), which gives the game its subtitle, the upcoming board game replaces the conflict between the Axis powers and Allies with a battle between the conglomerate of corporations that own the moon’s base and the mining collective responsible for working there.

In place of previous Undaunted games’ soldiers and early 20th-century vehicles will be private security forces, operating repurposed mining vehicles and military mechs - the game’s cover artwork shows bipedal robots blasting guns that will be familiar to any Armored Core, Adeptus Titanicus or Metal Gear Solid fans.

Undaunted publisher Osprey Games describes the upcoming instalment as a standalone big-box game, indicating a level of content closer to the souped-up Undaunted: Stalingrad than the tighter offerings of Normandy and North Africa. Inside the box will be touted upgrades to the components and UI of previous games, with series illustrator Roland MacDonald returning to depict the new sci-fi setting.

Undaunted designers Trevor Benjamin and David Thompson will adapt their deckbuilding framework - which sees each side controlling their available troops across tile-based maps using the cards in their unique deck, rolling for ranged attacks while pursuing different victory conditions based on the individual scenario - while adding various new gameplay elements. The game’s description references the need to traverse the difficult lunar terrain, take control of advantageous high ground and seize control of resources in order to overcome your opponent.

Undaunted 2200: Callisto will include a solo mode and team-based variant for four people in addition to head-to-head play for two players, with each session lasting up to an hour. The game will appear at this week’s Essen Spiel convention in Germany ahead of a planned release date in 2024.