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DiskWars is a new war game from Fantasy Flight Games that straddles the miniature war and collectible card game markets. The rules are easy without being simplistic, the strategy is engaging without being overwhelming, and the game is flexible enough to create simple skirmishes and epic battles.

DiskWars armies are composed of cardboard disks which are sold in boxes of eight "flats." A flat is a cardboard square that contains several disks or counters which must be punched out for use in the game. The cardboard is sturdy and the art ranges from mediocre to impressive.

Currently, there are eight different boxes, each representing one army: Undead, Knights, Elves, Orcs, Dwarves, Acolytes, and the enigmatically named Uthuk Yllan. Each army box contains five flats of disks associated with the army, plus three random flats of independent disks. Thus, all of the Undead armies come with the same five basic flats plus three more which are randomly determined. For better or for worse, this turns DiskWars into a collectible game where you will have to buy multiple boxes in order to obtain every disk in the set. Fantasy Flight has produced 80 total flats, making the task somewhat expensive but not impossible.

Game play in DiskWars is filled with clever mechanics and an excellent balance between straight-forward rules and strategic depth. Before the game, each player builds an army by choosing creatures and spells and adding the Army Cost of each disk. A 50 point army is rather small while a 150 point army will make for a long game.

Each turn, players "activate" three of their disks so they can move, cast spells, or use special abilities. This activation segment continues from player to player until everyone has activated all the disks they desire. Thus, no one army moves entirely before another moves. Deciding which disks to activate first and planning reactions to other moves constitute a large portion of the game's strategy.

Movement is an ingenious system where disks flip end over end a number of times equal to or less than their Movement score. Thus, there is no need to whip out a ruler for every move. Also, curving, cornering, and reversing are handled easily: If you can physically do it by flipping the disk, then it is a legal move. This elegant system is the first mechanic that draws even non-wargamers into the battle.

Spells are held in a central spell book accessible by all sorcerers in your army. Each is represented by a disk and is discarded after use. Magic ranges from healing, speed, and direct damage to resurrection, magic walls, and the hilarious Death Ball, where the player tosses the spell disk onto the battle from a foot away and damages any creature on which the spell lands.

After all of the army disks have been activated, archers may now fire missiles. Because archers can not move and fire in the same turn, players often have to think a turn or two ahead to place them effectively. The missile mechanic is another amusing twist on wargaming. Players set several small cardboard arrows on a disk, then hold the disk a foot above the intended target. They flip the disk over and any creature disks on which the arrows land are damaged. Thus, friendly fire is handled at the same time as normal fire.

After all missile fire is resolved, hand-to-hand combat begins. During movement, whenever a disk touches another disk, it must stop. The disk on top becomes the attacker and the disk on the bottom becomes the defender. More disks can pile on, so that a disk may have multiple attackers or defenders and chains of attackers and defenders can appear. Combat is handled from the top disk down. Each disk has an Attack number, a Defense number, and an Toughness number. The attacker compares its Attack number to the defender's Toughness number. If the Attack number is equal or higher, the defender is killed. At the same time, if the defender's Defense number is equal to or greater than the attacker's Toughness number, then the attacker is killed as well. Attacks from other creatures and from missiles will lower a disk's Toughness number, so multiple attackers can gang up to kill powerful warriors.

Positioning disks to create multiple attacks and setting up advantageous chains of attackers and defenders comprise the second largest strategic challenge of DiskWars. Because the movement system is so easy to use, players have many options to consider as opponents draw close.

The final segment of a turn consists of cleaning up various counters in preparation for the next turn. Essentially, creatures heal completely each turn, so damage is only recorded temporarily. If you are unable to kill a disk, it will come back at you full-force next turn.

Disks also have a host of special abilities. Some disks have multiple lives, some can attack multiple times, others regenerate, and some can affect the statistics of other disks. These abilities affect strategy in numerous ways and can tip the scales of battles when used wisely.

The goal of a DiskWars game, besides achieving Woodstock '99 levels of carnage, depends on the scenario you are playing. DiskWars comes with several scenario descriptions which are mainly based on King of the Hill goals. Fantasy Flight Games promises more on their web site. The rules are flexible enough to support many types of battles. DiskWars can handle even sillier games such as running around a race track or capturing flags.

The negatives of DiskWars are few. Instead of a booklet, the rules are printed on one, large sheet of paper. I looked like Dagwood struggling with a roadmap on the train the other day. Although the rules are written well, they do contain a couple of minor discrepancies which will probably be cleared up in a FAQ. Finally, my group ran across one or two disks that seemed very under-costed. I worry that these will become valuable, leading to a Magic-like price gouging for the powerful singles.

DiskWars offers an elegant system of rules, fun and clever mechanics, and enough strategic depth to engage new gamers and satisfy veterans. The game is tainted by Wizards of the Coast's marketing strategy, but, so far, the good outweighs the bad.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

DiskWars
Author: Tom Jolly, Christian T. Petersen, & Tod Gelle Category: War Game Company/Publisher: Fantasy Flight Games Line: DiskWars Cost: $9.95 Page count: n/a ISBN: 1887911-79-0 SKU: DW01 - 08 Playtest Review by Brad Weier on 08/02/99. Genre tags: Fantasy Diceless	DiskWars is a new war game from Fantasy Flight Games that straddles the miniature war and collectible card game markets. The rules are easy without being simplistic, the strategy is engaging without being overwhelming, and the game is flexible enough to create simple skirmishes and epic battles. DiskWars armies are composed of cardboard disks which are sold in boxes of eight "flats." A flat is a cardboard square that contains several disks or counters which must be punched out for use in the game. The cardboard is sturdy and the art ranges from mediocre to impressive. Currently, there are eight different boxes, each representing one army: Undead, Knights, Elves, Orcs, Dwarves, Acolytes, and the enigmatically named Uthuk Yllan. Each army box contains five flats of disks associated with the army, plus three random flats of independent disks. Thus, all of the Undead armies come with the same five basic flats plus three more which are randomly determined. For better or for worse, this turns DiskWars into a collectible game where you will have to buy multiple boxes in order to obtain every disk in the set. Fantasy Flight has produced 80 total flats, making the task somewhat expensive but not impossible. Game play in DiskWars is filled with clever mechanics and an excellent balance between straight-forward rules and strategic depth. Before the game, each player builds an army by choosing creatures and spells and adding the Army Cost of each disk. A 50 point army is rather small while a 150 point army will make for a long game. Each turn, players "activate" three of their disks so they can move, cast spells, or use special abilities. This activation segment continues from player to player until everyone has activated all the disks they desire. Thus, no one army moves entirely before another moves. Deciding which disks to activate first and planning reactions to other moves constitute a large portion of the game's strategy. Movement is an ingenious system where disks flip end over end a number of times equal to or less than their Movement score. Thus, there is no need to whip out a ruler for every move. Also, curving, cornering, and reversing are handled easily: If you can physically do it by flipping the disk, then it is a legal move. This elegant system is the first mechanic that draws even non-wargamers into the battle. Spells are held in a central spell book accessible by all sorcerers in your army. Each is represented by a disk and is discarded after use. Magic ranges from healing, speed, and direct damage to resurrection, magic walls, and the hilarious Death Ball, where the player tosses the spell disk onto the battle from a foot away and damages any creature on which the spell lands. After all of the army disks have been activated, archers may now fire missiles. Because archers can not move and fire in the same turn, players often have to think a turn or two ahead to place them effectively. The missile mechanic is another amusing twist on wargaming. Players set several small cardboard arrows on a disk, then hold the disk a foot above the intended target. They flip the disk over and any creature disks on which the arrows land are damaged. Thus, friendly fire is handled at the same time as normal fire. After all missile fire is resolved, hand-to-hand combat begins. During movement, whenever a disk touches another disk, it must stop. The disk on top becomes the attacker and the disk on the bottom becomes the defender. More disks can pile on, so that a disk may have multiple attackers or defenders and chains of attackers and defenders can appear. Combat is handled from the top disk down. Each disk has an Attack number, a Defense number, and an Toughness number. The attacker compares its Attack number to the defender's Toughness number. If the Attack number is equal or higher, the defender is killed. At the same time, if the defender's Defense number is equal to or greater than the attacker's Toughness number, then the attacker is killed as well. Attacks from other creatures and from missiles will lower a disk's Toughness number, so multiple attackers can gang up to kill powerful warriors. Positioning disks to create multiple attacks and setting up advantageous chains of attackers and defenders comprise the second largest strategic challenge of DiskWars. Because the movement system is so easy to use, players have many options to consider as opponents draw close. The final segment of a turn consists of cleaning up various counters in preparation for the next turn. Essentially, creatures heal completely each turn, so damage is only recorded temporarily. If you are unable to kill a disk, it will come back at you full-force next turn. Disks also have a host of special abilities. Some disks have multiple lives, some can attack multiple times, others regenerate, and some can affect the statistics of other disks. These abilities affect strategy in numerous ways and can tip the scales of battles when used wisely. The goal of a DiskWars game, besides achieving Woodstock '99 levels of carnage, depends on the scenario you are playing. DiskWars comes with several scenario descriptions which are mainly based on King of the Hill goals. Fantasy Flight Games promises more on their web site. The rules are flexible enough to support many types of battles. DiskWars can handle even sillier games such as running around a race track or capturing flags. The negatives of DiskWars are few. Instead of a booklet, the rules are printed on one, large sheet of paper. I looked like Dagwood struggling with a roadmap on the train the other day. Although the rules are written well, they do contain a couple of minor discrepancies which will probably be cleared up in a FAQ. Finally, my group ran across one or two disks that seemed very under-costed. I worry that these will become valuable, leading to a Magic-like price gouging for the powerful singles. DiskWars offers an elegant system of rules, fun and clever mechanics, and enough strategic depth to engage new gamers and satisfy veterans. The game is tainted by Wizards of the Coast's marketing strategy, but, so far, the good outweighs the bad. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 4 (Meaty)