Even before the release of this summer’s Transformers movie, a small but vocal chunk of the RPG community has been clamoring for Hasbro/WotC to put out games featuring those toys that many of us grew up with. The GI Joe CCG came and went, but this summer it’s Optimus Prime’s turn. Wizards of the Coast has released a Constructible Strategy Game with the Transformers license. One pack contains everything that you need to play – one Autobot, one Decepticon, a card for counters and trackers, and a fold-out rules sheet/instructions for assembling the models.
The Models
Each model comes on two cards, with a third card containing the stats for the robot for and the vehicle form. The models are double sided themselves, with one side containing the robot side and the other containing the vehicle side. I have had some experience putting together similar models for Wizkids pirate ships, but the process took me en minutes to get everything together. The two things that hampered me were the quality of the cards as well as the instructions on the rules sheet.
The cards are on different cardstock that the plastic cards It felt thinner, so I was a little apprehensive of shoving things together, lest Bumblebee make his way into action with a busted arm. The instructions were sometimes difficult to read, especially with the complexity of the robot models. My other playtester, a non-gamer, got frustrated a couple of times trying to slot everything together. The models on the instruction sheet are numbered, but the numbers don’t correspond to anything on the models, so you have to spend a minute or two eyeballing which instructions go with which model that you’re putting together.
Once everything was together, the models looked decent. WotC worked hard on making sure that you see as little of the opposite model as possible, but it works better on some models than others. It’s no different than the toys, but on this smaller scale it can leave one guessing if a piece if a robot face or a front grill.
The Game
Each robot has a double sided stat card. Each side has three attacks color coded to that side; one red, one green, one blue. In addition to the same, some pieces have special abilities that go with specific attacks, like more damage in certain situations, or the ability to transform afterwards. Hit points are tracked along the side of the card. The robots stats can change when it transforms, and each side tracks damage separately.
The game works like this: the attacker puts the color of the attack he wants to use in his hand. The defender chooses a color to defend with. They both reveal simultaneously, and if the attacker’s color beats the defender’s color (Red beats green, green beats blue, blue beats red) , the attack hits. If they reveal the same color and tie, they draw again. If a second tie occurs, the piece with less hit points inflicts a critical hit to its opponent. The last robot standing wins.
That’s pretty much the whole game. There’s a small bit about switching between long-range and short-range, which can effect the special abilities on the cards, but the game is pretty much a ‘hit me, hit you back’ slug fest. It was frustrating that assembling the pieces took longer than a game did. We tried a game or two just using rock-paper scissors (since the game as written was already so close) and actually found that a bit more enjoyable, since someone was getting damaged every turn and at least something was happening. The game got a little deeper when more than one piece was on a side, but even those games quickly devolved into ganging up on the piece with the most health and taking it out as soon as possible. Using the RPS variant, that strategy became less viable, as that beefy piece could hit back every round and mow down the gang. Either way, this isn’t a game we’ll be playing anytime soon.
Pros:
Get Them Hooked Early: The simplicity of the game makes it a good way to pass the time with a young child that loved the movie.
New Coat of Paint: The concept is novel, and some of the models look pretty good.
Good Vs. Evil: Each pack contains one Autobot and one Decepticon. It’s good to get one good guy and one bad guy.
Cons:
Nothing Beats Good Old Rock: The game is Rock-Scissor-Paper with a few special abilities thrown in. There’s nothing here to prevent fans with the toys to whip up their own rules in ten minutes.
Autobots, Transf….Ah, Forget It: The models are tricky, especially the robot ones. While flipping the card back and forth is easy, transforming the model takes a while.
Punch drunk: Once the pieces are punched out of the cards, getting them back in is a bear. Your best bet is to transport them assembled.
The Ratings:
Style: 2-The models look ok, but aren’t quite up to the competition’s standards. The game gets repetitive quickly.
Substance: 1-This is a kid’s game, and not a very good one. Anybody looking for depth will be sorely disappointed.
The Bottom Line: The game is too basic for grownups, but the models may be too complex for kids.
Great for: Your little sibling, your friend with the “Optimus Prime Died for Your Sins” shirt
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