Undaunted Callisto 2200 Review

Review by Lincoln Hoppe: The Game Bard

If you’ve never played a game from the Undaunted series by David Thompson and Trevor Benjamin, and you like deck building and tactical war games…. you are missing out.

And if you’re not interested in the WWII theme, but like sci-fi and Mechs, you absolutely need to play Undaunted Callisto 2200.

If you’re already a fan of the Undaunted series, I think getting this game is a no-brainer, as it keeps most of the same brilliant deck building mechanics, allowing you to experience the Undaunted universe in a thematically new way.

If you’re looking for a vastly different mechanical experience from Undaunted set in WWII, Callisto 2200 doesn’t take on that challenge.

What it does is give you more of the same great gameplay mechanics… with a new Sci-Fi theme, new ways to play (including 4 player and solo play right in the box) and many smaller enhancements.

For an example of a smaller enhancement, Callisto 2200 comes with 4 full-size foldable double-sided gameboard maps instead of the tile assembly system from previous incarnations. While I never had a problem with the tile system (other than setup and takedown time), the big maps feel great. Like the improvement that I didn’t even know that I wanted. But I guess I did.

As for other enhancements:

A few mech standees offer a welcome addition to the flat combat counters we’re used to in the undaunted series, and which Callisto still has. Many people have requested minis in the past, which yes, would be fun, but are just not necessary in my opinion. That said, the standees offer an additional imposing presence of mech and a 3D addition to the table presence.

A new elevation mechanic is really fun. There are different elevations in addition to the usual cover bonuses on the board which change the attack dice you roll: D8s, D10s, and D12s

If your attacking from an elevated position you roll D12s. If you’re attacking from the same elevation, you roll D10s. And if your attacking from below your target, you roll D8s.

Slightly asymmetric decks, new abilities for combatants, the addition of non-combatants and other tiles used in certain missions keep things fresh and interesting… while not making drastic changes to the gameplay.

Undaunted is Deckbuilding at it’s finest. While there are many fantastic deck builders out there, this one just feels different. I’m not putting down other deck builders as inferior; Dune Imperium, Lost Ruins of Arnak, Dominion and Robot Quest Arena are some of my favorites and all offer exceptional gameplay. What I’m saying is that the way deckbuilding integrates into the Undaunted system is very special. And Callisto 2200 is a thematically juicy addition to the series.

Undaunted Callisto 2200 is simply a brilliant game. An excellent balance of some new bells and whistles, while also not messing drastically with a game that wasn’t broken in the first place.

by Lincoln Hoppe

Review copy provided by Osprey Games

Board Game Geek Links:

Publisher: Osprey Games

Designed by: Trevor Benjamin, David Thompson

Board Game Geek Page: Undaunted Callisto 2200

My Board Game Geek Page: Lincoln Hoppe