Review of Vor: The Maelstrom

Every now and again there comes along a game that looks great on the shelf, but you're not sure if you should get or not. This is ever so much more true for miniature wargames, since if the game flops the system will lose its support and never have many miniatures produced for it. Vor looked great on the shelf. It looked great on my desk. It still looks great, and so does its future. If you've been curious about buying it then stop reading now and go get it, let me tell you that it is worth every cent. But, for those of you who need a presentation of the highs and lows, then by all means, read on...

Vor is a miniature wargame set in Earth's near future. There are two main super-powers left on Earth: The Union, a fusion of North America and the U.N.; and the Neo-Soviets, a hyper-militaristic group who want to bring back the glory of the old Soviet Union. These powers have been in conflict for years and just as the this new Cold War got very very hot, the unimaginable happened. A cosmic anamoly called the Maelstrom sucked Earth in and things would never be the same again. The Maelstrom is a vast cosmic whirlpool in which planets slowly (and sometimes not so slowly) spiral to their doom. It is here that the Union, the Neo-Soviets, and countless other races battle each other for survival of thier species.

The Races: Here's a brief run-down of the major races locked in the Maelstrom:

The Union: High tech and well organized human military which originated from the fusion of North American military with the U.N. Not just your vanilla "Space Marine" force either.

The Neo-Soviets: With little money and little hope, Soviets join the military in the hopes of a better life. The Neo-Soviets use chemical warfare and mutants to turn the tides of war.

The Growlers: Hulking brutes of beasts, these are one of the most interesting armies in Vor. With little more intellignece than a pack mentality the sole purpose of this resilient race is to EAT BREED EAT BREED.

The Zykhee: When their reliance on technology almost wiped them out, the Zykhee changed to a simpler, monastic life, but defend their worlds with viscous force (and really wicked staves!).

The Pharon: Undead and loving it, these creatures seek to rebuild the empire they lost with their original death.

The Shard: One of the most interesting races, these creatures evolved so far that they became pure energy, until the Maelstrom drew them in and now they encase themselves in crystalline bodies to avoid being sucked into the Maw. They will do anything to escape the Maelstrom.

Mashers: Barbarians with hyperactive nervous sytems, these beings can power high-tech weapons by mashing them into their bodies. Conversion freaks will have a ball with this race.

Golem: Massive beings locked in power armor who only know war as a way of life. They intend to enslave everything they can.

Ceru: Once slaves of the Golem, these technologically advanced beings escaped and enjoy their newfround freedom in the Maelstrom.

Cutom Force Creation (!?!?!): See Below

The Fluff:

The fluff is very good, some of the better fiction I've seen in rule-books and much more engrossing than the fiction behind Warhammer 40,000 (which tends to rely more on its history than introducing anything new these days). The fluff takes up the first 72 pages of the rulebook, complete with 20 pages, front and back, of color artwork describing each of the game's 9 major races. Included in the fluff, and quite possibly the most intersting section is the details of some of the denizens of the Maelstrom. It has stats for many creatures you can include in your game to introduce a little randomness. Also included in this sectio is a bit of the geography of the Maelstrom, highlighting the major "sites."

The System:

The system is another highlight of Vor. It takes the best of some of the most inovative systems, integrates it into one, and puts its own little spin on it. The system is d10 based and relies on Movement Points. These points can be spent to move, attack, jump, etc. etc. This means that instead of having a movement phase, followed by a shooting phase, followed by a (insert verb here) phase, you can mix as you will. Move, shoot, then move dash into cover, the way it should be. The system is fast, furious, and fun. In most tests you simply ahve a goal number, which is modified by various factors, that must be rolled under.

The system is also very flexible. It can be used equally well for skirmish games, or for large scale battles, as you can play by either activating individual models and activating squads. This adds great playability to the games as you only need a few models to get into the action.

Another highlight is the random terrain generation table. Many games have tried this, but Vor might be the first one that got it right. I could give a long dissertation on how this adds a lot of fun to the game, but I won't bore you, especially since using it is optional, but rest assured it generates some of the most interesting gameplay effects I've seen. It certainly enhances the background, as you do actually feel like you're playing in a place where the laws of physics were turned upside down.

Custom Force Creation!!!!!:

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, you read correctly: rules for custom force creation. The book includes preliminary rules so that you can design your own force! That means that if you already have miniatures of some type, you have an army! I've seen people play with counters (seen in game of Magic: The Gathering) as a blob army. The rules aren't exhaustive, but they do cover a lot of ground, and there will be a book coming out soon with the complete rules used by the designers. Imagine, a company which not only says "you don't have to play with our miniatures" but encourages you not to! This is one of the highest points of the rulebook.

The Boxed Set:

Included in the boxed set are:

1 Rulebook

1 Scenario Book

Templates

8 Union Grunt + 1 Union Sgt.

3 Growler Pups

3 Growler Onehorns (big!)

1 Growler Bull (HUGE!)

The Miniatures:

Ral Partha is sculpting the miniatuers for Vor and is doing a fine job. The Growler miniatures in the boxed set are amazing (and gigantic), though I am not too impressed with the Union minis. That may just be my taste though. I own quite a few Zyhkee miniautures and they are very good.

Overall: I am very impressed with Vor. It is a great game that maintains a sense of fun while still having detailed combat. The system is easy to pick up and works well with both large battles and skirmish battles. Custom Force Creation is innovative, if a bit incomplete, and the game has a lot of backing from FASA and fans which should add to its longevity.

Cons: While most rules are clear, some are hard to decipher (applications of Knockdown and Dodging for one). There is no index in the rulebook, which is a big no-no in my book, though there is a decent summary sheet included. The Union minis are pretty bland.

I highly recommend this game. It has a great sense of humor and fun while not becoming another bear and pretzels game. I will be playing this game for a long time to come.

One last thing-----the Union and Growler forcebooks have both recently been released and are of a very high quality. I'll put up a review after I've had some more time to look through them.

Recommeded sites for futhre investigation:

http://www.thewarp.net/ --wargame site with a review of the game and a few battle reports.

http://www.homestead.com/themaelstrom/page1.html ---the game designer's site, filled with info on the game and several high-quality battle reports.

Lucias Meyer

Style: 5 (Excellent!)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)