The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Before I begin, I should note that this review is based on reading the game rules and thinking about the game and its tactics. I have yet to actually play the game; if I manage to find opponents and try the game out, I may publish another review which directly addresses the playability of the wargame.

Compact Warrior is an inexpensive wargame of medieval/fantasy man-to-man combat, recently released by a small company called Microtactix. It is not a roleplaying game, although it could be (and will be) used as a tactical combat system for a roleplaying game. With some creativity, a gamer could build a roleplaying game himself out of the combat system presented here. The game is played on a board which consists of a grid of 1" squares. Game pieces may be any standard 25mm miniature figures or standup cardboard figures (such as Cardboard Heroes from Steve Jackson Games). This game seems to be aimed at the now-empty niche once filled by Metagaming's Melee.

A "special edition" PDF of Compact Warrior is (at the time of this writing) available for download on Microtactix's web site (microtactix.gamingoutpost.com). The special edition includes all of the rules and a few sample game pieces. If you spend the $9 to purchase the commercial version, you get the rules in a 8.5"x5.5" 24-page booklet. The booklet is light on art; but for the front and back covers, it only contains that necessary to explain the rules. The booklet has the semi-professional feel of being the result of desktop publishing, but the text is clearly typeset and presented, and the presentation is clean and clear enough so as not to get in the way of understanding the rules. You also a couple of (blank) 8.5"x11" game boards, a plethora of weapon cards, and a good sample of very nicely drawn (with black and white line drawings) 25mm cardboard figures which may be cut out and folded to stand up as game pieces.

The rules themselves are concisely and well written. They start with a lightweight set of character creation rules. The skill-based character creation system could easily run an entire roleplaying game, but for the purposes of this game Compact Warrior only gives passing mention to skills that are unlikely to be useful in a man-to-man combat. From there, the book dives directly into combat rules. The combat system is satisfyingly complex, yet easy to grasp. There are enough maneuvers and options to allow players to do most anything that an actual warrior might do during a combat. One nice feature is that being within close striking range of an enemy limits your actions, making position and movement an important tactical consideration in the game. Combats played with this system should be tactically satisfying, not just a boring trading of blows.

One of the most appealing features of the game is that it is potentially infinitely expandable-- and Microtactix, it seems, will be infinitely expanding it. Not only have they already released a sorcerous supplement for it, but they plan to publish both a roleplaying game and a battlefield miniatures game that should be completely compatible with Compact Warrior! I wish Microtactix luck; it could be exciting if their uber-game system lives up to its billing.

Aside from Microtactix's planned expansions, it should be possible for gamers to quickly design settings and scenarios for Compact Warrior battles. The game is not linked to any particular "official" game map. Indeed, I hope to see sites popping up on the web with particularly interesting map layouts and scenarios for people to play.

I do have a handful of complaints about the game. One is that I am not happy about their choice of using a square grid rather than a hex grid for the map. This is probably just personal preference, but in my opinion a hex grid is cleaner and makes fewer compromises of geometry and consistency for a tactical wargame. Second, after reading through the rules, a handful of questions remained which really ought to have been directly addressed in the rules set. A couple of these are questions as to whether a given action would be allowed under the rules. The rest are cases where the rules appear slightly broken to me; as best I can determine, there are some cases where it is a disadvantage to win initiative for a turn.

All in all, Compact Warrior is well worth the $9 it costs. If you miss Melee, if you like microgame wargames, or if you want to take a break from angst and heady story-driven roleplaying, check out Compact Warrior. Roleplaying gamers in particular who like the tactical challenges of combat (go on, you can admit it, we're all friends here) will find that this is a product almost perfect for them. The few flaws mentioned above make me rate this game a 4 rather than a 5, but all in all it's an excellent man-to-man tactical combat system.

Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Compact Warrior
Author: Greg Poehlein and Guy McLimore Category: Board Wargame Company/Publisher: Microtactix Line: Compact Combat Cost: $8.95 Page count: 24 ISBN: n/a Capsule Review by R. Knop on 06/17/99. Genre tags: Fantasy Historical	Before I begin, I should note that this review is based on reading the game rules and thinking about the game and its tactics. I have yet to actually play the game; if I manage to find opponents and try the game out, I may publish another review which directly addresses the playability of the wargame. Compact Warrior is an inexpensive wargame of medieval/fantasy man-to-man combat, recently released by a small company called Microtactix. It is not a roleplaying game, although it could be (and will be) used as a tactical combat system for a roleplaying game. With some creativity, a gamer could build a roleplaying game himself out of the combat system presented here. The game is played on a board which consists of a grid of 1" squares. Game pieces may be any standard 25mm miniature figures or standup cardboard figures (such as Cardboard Heroes from Steve Jackson Games). This game seems to be aimed at the now-empty niche once filled by Metagaming's Melee. A "special edition" PDF of Compact Warrior is (at the time of this writing) available for download on Microtactix's web site (microtactix.gamingoutpost.com). The special edition includes all of the rules and a few sample game pieces. If you spend the $9 to purchase the commercial version, you get the rules in a 8.5"x5.5" 24-page booklet. The booklet is light on art; but for the front and back covers, it only contains that necessary to explain the rules. The booklet has the semi-professional feel of being the result of desktop publishing, but the text is clearly typeset and presented, and the presentation is clean and clear enough so as not to get in the way of understanding the rules. You also a couple of (blank) 8.5"x11" game boards, a plethora of weapon cards, and a good sample of very nicely drawn (with black and white line drawings) 25mm cardboard figures which may be cut out and folded to stand up as game pieces. The rules themselves are concisely and well written. They start with a lightweight set of character creation rules. The skill-based character creation system could easily run an entire roleplaying game, but for the purposes of this game Compact Warrior only gives passing mention to skills that are unlikely to be useful in a man-to-man combat. From there, the book dives directly into combat rules. The combat system is satisfyingly complex, yet easy to grasp. There are enough maneuvers and options to allow players to do most anything that an actual warrior might do during a combat. One nice feature is that being within close striking range of an enemy limits your actions, making position and movement an important tactical consideration in the game. Combats played with this system should be tactically satisfying, not just a boring trading of blows. One of the most appealing features of the game is that it is potentially infinitely expandable-- and Microtactix, it seems, will be infinitely expanding it. Not only have they already released a sorcerous supplement for it, but they plan to publish both a roleplaying game and a battlefield miniatures game that should be completely compatible with Compact Warrior! I wish Microtactix luck; it could be exciting if their uber-game system lives up to its billing. Aside from Microtactix's planned expansions, it should be possible for gamers to quickly design settings and scenarios for Compact Warrior battles. The game is not linked to any particular "official" game map. Indeed, I hope to see sites popping up on the web with particularly interesting map layouts and scenarios for people to play. I do have a handful of complaints about the game. One is that I am not happy about their choice of using a square grid rather than a hex grid for the map. This is probably just personal preference, but in my opinion a hex grid is cleaner and makes fewer compromises of geometry and consistency for a tactical wargame. Second, after reading through the rules, a handful of questions remained which really ought to have been directly addressed in the rules set. A couple of these are questions as to whether a given action would be allowed under the rules. The rest are cases where the rules appear slightly broken to me; as best I can determine, there are some cases where it is a disadvantage to win initiative for a turn. All in all, Compact Warrior is well worth the $9 it costs. If you miss Melee, if you like microgame wargames, or if you want to take a break from angst and heady story-driven roleplaying, check out Compact Warrior. Roleplaying gamers in particular who like the tactical challenges of combat (go on, you can admit it, we're all friends here) will find that this is a product almost perfect for them. The few flaws mentioned above make me rate this game a 4 rather than a 5, but all in all it's an excellent man-to-man tactical combat system. Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 4 (Meaty)