Good morning! While at the Galactic Championship this past weekend, we sat down with Game Designer Logan Giannini and discussed his journey from designing Escape rooms, puzzles, board games, and now Star Wars Unlimited! You can watch the interview on youtube below, or scroll down further to read a transcript of the interview.

Justin:
What’s up, YouTube? I’m here with Logan Giannini, new game designer for Star Wars Unlimited since, I guess, early spring, right?

Logan:
It feels weird to keep saying “new.” As my coworker Elijah keeps reminding me, it’s been about nine months. We all came in around November of 2024. So it still feels very new, but it’s been a little while.

Justin:
You’ve been on a few streams already, so people roughly know who you are.. But can you give a brief introduction? Walk us through your resume as a designer?

Logan:
Sure! My name again is Logan Giannini. I’m on the Star Wars Unlimited team as a designer. Before this, I worked at a company called Chip Theory Games as a full-time game designer. Prior to that, I was in the escape room world—designing and running a local escape room business.

Mixed into all that, I also founded and ran a puzzle company for about eight years. We made at-home escape room-style games—challenging puzzles you could enjoy at your own pace since you’re not confined to an hour in a room.

Justin:
What are your hobbies?

Logan:
I just named all of them! Who has room for hobbies?

Previously, I played tons of board games and trading card games. I also love reading, world-building, and cinema. But my full-time hobby for the past two and a half years is being a dad to my daughter.

Justin:
That’s great! Beyond the usual job prospects, what drew you specifically to designing Star Wars Unlimited?

Logan:
For the past four or five years, I was a full-time game designer and thought I already had my dream job. I was making games full time, paying the bills, and felt very fulfilled.

Then I saw the listing for Star Wars Unlimited, and a voice in my head went, “Oh, no, that’s the dream job.” Designing a trading card game? That’s what I wanted all along.

Trading card games were some of my earliest serious gaming experiences. I had been out of it for over a decade, but that job listing brought me back. I dove into the game while going through the application process, quickly got hooked, and hoped more and more that I’d land the job.

Justin:
Did you make it to any showdowns or Planetary Qualifier events before getting hired?

Logan:
Not really, aside from one local showdown. It was pretty small. I had a Han Solo “Worth the Risk” deck from the Spark of Rebellion and Shadows of the Galaxy era. I’d been doing really well at weekly events with Vigilance—some undefeated nights even.

But when I showed up to the showdown, everyone was running Tarkin Town. I had anticipated Boba Fett decks, but none were there. That’s how it goes sometimes.

Justin:
I know your work at Chip Theory was more board game focused. How has that experience translated to designing for SWU?

Logan:
It’s very different in some ways and very similar in others. I’ve always liked designing around decision points—forks in the road where your choices create ripple effects.

Star Wars Unlimited is very methodical. I love that. It’s not slow in a bad way—it’s deliberate. Every decision matters. Even the order of your actions matters. That was a big shift for me when I first started playing. I was used to games where your hand dictated everything. In Unlimited, it’s all about action economy.

Justin:
How do you approach replayability in board games, and how does that carry over to TCGs?

Logan:
In board games, it’s about breadth and depth. How much content you offer, and how variable that content is.

In TCGs, much of that variety comes from deck construction. But keeping that variety interesting depends on balance. That’s where our developers do amazing work.

If one deck dominates, people just play that, and the interesting decisions disappear. What’s exciting right now is how much diversity we’re seeing in tournament play. The Galactic Championship field is incredibly diverse—it’s thrilling.

Justin:
With your puzzle background, do you think you prefer high-complexity design?

Logan:
Yes and no. High challenge is great when it’s rewarding—but it has to draw you in gradually. If it’s too difficult too soon, people bounce off.

Unlimited does a great job being beginner-friendly while letting the complexity scale with your understanding.

Justin:
Is your day-to-day different between designing puzzles, board games, and a TCG?

Logan:
Absolutely. I used to work on 5–7 games at a time. Now I work on a small part of one big game. The focus is much more magnified. You’re tinkering with very specific pieces, which is quite different.

Justin:
Do you still get to scratch that puzzle-design itch with SWU?

Logan:
A bit. It comes through in unusual or “curious” card designs. Cards that make you think, “What can I do with this?” There’s a puzzle element there—but unlike traditional puzzles, there’s not always one right answer.

Justin:
Would combo design fall into that?

Logan:
Yes, definitely. Especially those cards that take big swings and challenge you to make them viable. That’s the fun of it.

Justin:
You’ve designed for very different experiences. What’s the biggest challenge designing for a massive license like Star Wars?

Logan:
The responsibility to the fans. Everyone loves something in the Star Wars universe, and we want to make sure there’s something for everyone.

Justin:
Any lesser-known Star Wars stories or characters you’re excited to include?

Logan:
I probably shouldn’t say this on camera, but when I started, I wasn’t a deep dive Star Wars fan. I loved it, but didn’t know everything.

The last nine months have been me catching up—watching shows, reading novels. Everything I experience gets me excited to bring new elements into the game.

Justin:
What’s your favorite way to play SWU?

Logan:
I know you’re expecting Twin Suns, but I’m going to say Premiere. I had burned out on competitive games years ago, but Unlimited brought that spark back. I’m older now, and it’s fun again. It gave me something I didn’t realize I missed.

Justin:
Have you played much Trilogy format?

Logan:
Not a lot. When I joined, Trilogy was mostly done. I didn’t have a big hand in that one, so I haven’t gotten to play it much. But I do like the ban phase for adding gameplay variation, even though I personally prefer just rolling with the deck I built.

Justin:
Is there a gameplay mechanic from another game you’d like to adapt to SWU?

Logan:
So many games I played were from 10–15 years ago. But I think resourcing mechanics are fascinating. A lot of games have struggled with that. Unlimited has a fantastic system.

I especially love those turns where you don’t resource and instead play your whole hand. Those little decision points—draw or deploy?—are simple but brilliant.

Justin:
Do you have a favorite card?

Logan:
Endless Legions.

It’s a double command event for 14 resources. You reveal units from your resource zone and play them for free. It’s the ultimate puzzle card. I’ve played it a few times—it ends games. But usually, if I win with it, I probably could’ve won earlier without it. Still, I love what it represents.

Justin:
You’re still a ways from lead designing a set. Can you tell us anything about what you’re working on?

Logan:
I’m co-designing Set 12 with MJ. That’s about all I can say right now, but I’m super excited about it.

Justin:
What’s your favorite aspect of the game to design?

Logan:
Probably Command. It’s straightforward and core to the identity of Unlimited. I love playing units and interacting with other units. I’m not much for control-style decks—I want to get stuff on the board.

Justin:
What kind of player do you like designing for?

Logan:
Everyone. That’s the joy of designing a full set—you can put something in for each kind of player. I do enjoy designing with Twin Suns in mind—thinking of how a card can do something extra cool in that format without breaking Premiere.

Justin:
What’s your favorite art piece in the game?

Logan:
Right now, it’s the regular leader art for Mother Talzin by Axel Hutt. I just got it signed—it looks amazing with that blue signature.

Justin:
Any teasers for future SWU designs?

Logan:
Just keep an eye out for how some cards may play across multiple formats—Premiere and Twin Suns especially.

Justin:
Any final thoughts?

Logan:
Look out for Set 12—it’s going to be amazing. It may be a few years away, but we’re in it for the long haul. We love this game, and we’re not going anywhere.

Justin:
Love it. Thanks for joining us today. We’ll catch you later!

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Many thanks to Logan for sitting down with us. Any interesting tidbits you enjoyed from what he shared?