Author: Bill King
Company: Target Games
Format: Trade Paperback
Overview: Warzone exemplifies some of the best and worst aspects in a sci-fi miniatures game. Warzone is right now probably the biggest compedator to 40K. It has most of the same traits in a game that one would associate with 40K. Sadly the creators took a great system of rules and combined it with the worst aspects of Warhammer 40K.
If you like the dark feel of 40K then warzone won't seem all that different. The background involves a variety of different belligerent forces caught up in dire life and death struggles where no quarter is asked or given. Most people wear large shoulder pads and carry big guns. Unfathomably evil gods plot humanities destruction, attacking humans openly aswell as corrupting society from within. A long time ago an unimaginably powerful human arose and fought back the powers of darkness. Now after his death a religion based around him enables the humans to battles the dark gods and thier followers with amazing psychic powers.
The background for the game is quite detailed and has been fleshed out by not only a role playing game set in the same world but a series of board games. The writers seam to have been forced to incorporate many of the most common aspects of 40K into the history and setting. I'm left wondering how the story may have differed had they been given more license?
Pros: The first thing that struck me when I picked up the rule book for the first time was its amazingly high production value. Every glossy page is filled with colored illustrations, pictures, and charts. Every weapon and most of the equipment in the book has its own illustration. There are also illustrations and pictures of painted miniatures throughout the rules. Providing you with many fine examples of how to paint all of your units. The book is filled with the outstanding artwork of Paul Bonner and others. I'm sure the success of the game is do in no small part to the powerful images and rich format of the book. I have seen RPGs and other games come and go that were good solid games but suffered from unattractive artwork and presentation. Miniatures gamers being a some what visually oriented are especially effected by this.
The rules themselves are very straight forward yet give you more control than any other system I can think of. When a squad moves each individual in that unit can perform a variety of actions. One trooper may take careful aim at the enemy firing a few precise shots, while his squad mate fires a series of wild bursts. Melee attacks, movement, ranged fire, and other things are all covered by different actions. This clever system allows you to move a miniature from behind cover, fire a shot, and then have him move back into cover in one round. Mixing various actions can let you do some nice things but you can also spend all of a individuals actions on the same thing. This allows models to move very quickly or lay down a great volume of fire.
The initiative system along deserves special note. Players trade off activating units until every unit has gone and the turn is over. The twist is that you can activate either your own units or the enemys! If you activate your opponents unit then they move them but you got the advantage of determining when.
Cons: If you thought that special characters and elite units were over powered in 40K wait till you try Warzone. Target Games has adopted that tried and true system of "Escalation", constantly releasing more supplements that change the balance of the game. Elite units already out number conventional units about two to one in the basic book. Each new supplement book has more elite and specialized units that gain new strengths and abilities. Ultra powerful unique individuals are introduced as well. Games played using forces from these supplements will usually involve watching the few most powerful squads and individuals dominate the game. Any squads of basic troops in these games will have little impact on the battle and will quickly be eradicated, often in a single turn!
Miniatures: The miniatures from Heartbreaker for Warzone are very nice. Unfortunately for some reason they decided to make them even larger than the 28mm miniatures that have become the new standard. This is one of the things that keeps me from investing heavily in these attractive figures. You won't be able to use them along with the other miniatures you have that are 28mm. Not unless the drastic difference in size doesn't bother you.
Interestingly enough the miniatures share a similar problem to the rules. I'm sure that it is no accident the warzone miniatures share all of the most distinctive characteristics of 40K minis. Warzone figures have huge shoulder pads, round slotta bases, over sized knives/swords, thick stocky builds, very big guns, and even bigger heavy weapons just like 40K miniatures. Except that warzone scuptors went over board when creating these characteristics. Perhaps the worst offenders are the impossibly large multi-barrel weapons that many of the warzone miniatures carry.
