Today I thoroughly enjoyed this learn-to-play event with my brother Cal and the many friendly folk at Guf Werribee.
See Cal’s YouTube short.
Here’s another one.
Halo: Flashpoint
Mantic Games have done a superb job bringing the frenetic action of Halo to the tabletop.
Everything felt right from the shields that recharge to the rocket launchers that absolutely wreak havoc. We may have made the sounds, too.
The I-go-you-go activations are sweet and the grid layout (no tape measures required) kept the pace fast and dynamic.
Those weapon drops encourage players to grab the cool loot which is a brilliant incentive to maintain a mobile strategy rather than camp all day.
Command dice push the elite nature of commanding super soldiers of the United Nations Space Command. Depending on what you roll at the beginning of the round, being able to move an extra square, stealing priority or even getting a sneaky extra shot or close combat attack can swing the battle. And yeah, think twice about strolling into close quarters if your opponent has a special action up their sleeve …
Being a video game adaptation, when soldiers die they can respawn on their next activation.
Can’t wait for a rematch, haha.
I’ll be on the lookout for that Spartan Edition! I do have a special container for the counters so it only makes sense that I use it …
Warcrow
Corvus Belli have delivered a compelling medieval fantasy wargame with an original IP which is quite reminiscent of Star Wars: Legion when comparing aspects of the ruleset.
After all, I am a sucker for proprietary dice and streamlining play by using the leader of a squad as the point for measuring is efficient and most welcome.
I thought it was neat seeing how the dice symbols correlate (or didn’t) with abilities on the unit cards.
As a narrative gamer, I enjoyed the end-of-round triggers like that snow storm that slowed some of the troops down. The scenario we tried was the first in a series of linked missions, too, so if we kept going the outcome of that first battle would influence the setup of the next one. Pretty cool!
I highly recommend not sending your lone healer away to duel a big, scary monster though. It didn’t end well for my guy (surprise, surprise).
Something we didn’t see in action was the magic but I hear it can be very volatile.
Flicking through the core rulebook there is plenty of lore and art to enjoy.
Tabletop enthusiasts really are spoilt for choice right now. Warcrow is awesome. And so is the measurement tool door prize!
Kill Team
What a massacre.
The slaughter was real my dudes.
And the funny thing about this particular bout was how surprised we were with how everything went horrendously wrong (or gloriously right) in that definitive second turning point.
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.
This demonstration was a simple loot and kill match where we both ran teams at half the normal size. This allowed for a quick match with plenty of interesting developments to support the ‘learning’.
I deployed Night Lords (cowardly Chaos Space Marines) while Cal brought Imperial Navy Breachers.
Early on, it was looking like a one-sided battle as my marine with meltagun instantly melted a trooper.
Felt bad, man.
It was serious overkill and set the scene for three overpowered Heretic Astartes to paint the kill room red with the entrails of their enemies. When you factor in their capability to potentially shoot or fight in close combat twice that prospect is, at least on paper, very probable.
In reality, though, something different happened.
Those savvy breachers expended all their resources on various strategic ploys and elite trooper synergies to burst through the bulkhead door, pour on the firepower AND DESTROYED TWO OF MY GUYS.
And it went further downhill from there for the Night Lords but not before the last marine standing with lightning claws claimed another two lives.
Bloody brutal. But hilarious. And so much damn fun.
Hurry up and paint your Yaegirs, Cal, I’m eager to get more games in.
It was fantastic to re-learn Kill Team and those Mini Myths and Guf branded barricades and equipment will be a fine addition to our home setup.
A special thanks to Bam, Chris, Nathan, Chae and everyone else at Guf Werribee for another fun event.
From Chae’s perspective
Here’s the scoop from the other side of the table.
Cal’s take
But wait, there’s more!
Fumble Rumble prizes
Remember that Blood Bowl event? Now, when I won that wooden spoon they weren’t joking. It is now a fine addition to the bookshelf.
And for being awarded ‘Best Opponent’ I scored these Nurgle dice.
Until next time ...
Awesome writing brother. Had a great time!