Star Wars Shatterpoint: Core Set

Everything a table needs to start, in one box. Sixteen character miniatures, twelve pieces of terrain, attack and defense dice, measuring tools, unit stat, order and mission cards, a rulebook and an assembly guide, which is enough for two people to open a single purchase and play without owning anything else.

The roster leans on Clone Wars headliners, Maul, Asajj Ventress, Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano among them, and covers light and dark side squads at the same time. In practice a household can build two strike teams out of this box and only start buying squad packs when the play group grows or a particular character becomes a must-have.

Assembly is the honest catch. Miniatures and terrain arrive unbuilt and unpainted, and sixteen characters plus twelve scenery pieces is a genuine hobby project before the first game begins.

Who should not start here: nobody, really. Squad packs assume you already own the rulebook, the dice and the tools, so a collection begun with expansions alone will sit on a shelf unplayable.