Review of World of Warcraft Miniatures Game

Note: I wrote this review while frustrated and annoyed by various aspects of the game, most notably its Organized Play system. Some of my frustrations (okay, many) show through. I will say that I like several elements of the game, and will continue to play, but I feel that I must warn you that parts of this review are not favorable and may not accurately reflect my true thoughts on the game once I’ve had a few more weeks to think about it.

When I watched a demo of the World of Warcraft Miniatures Game at GenCon, I found the basic idea behind the game interesting and the specific time mechanic really caught my attention. Similar in basic concept to Car Wars movement – act on the phase in which you’re speed allows you to move – the Warcraft Miniatures Game took the idea a giant leap forward by assigning every type of action a time cost. Unfortunately, I never had the chance to try an actual demo myself when I was at GenCon.

Leap forward a few weeks to PAX, where once again I watched a demo of the game. The guy running the demos was friendly, seemed to have a clear handle on the rules, and was moving through the basic Starter Set game quite quickly. So quickly, in fact, that I decided to take the 15 minutes to try the demo and “get my feet wet” with the game. You see, at the time I was interested both in this game and Privateer Press’ Monsterpocalypse, so I wanted to get a better look at the World of Warcraft Miniatures Game (I had already played Monsterpocalypse with Will and Randy the last night of GenCon) before I decided which game to buy into. After all, CMGs can get fairly expensive and the last thing I needed to do was get into two new games at once.

Anyway, back to the demo. I was handed two figures – Gorebelly and Lotherin – while the demonstrator took two other figures – Ruby Gemsparkle and Vindicator Hodoon – and he proceed to walk me through the basics of the game’s character cards, Action Bar cards, the turn sequence (including attacking/defending), and the game’s objective. I’ll now run through the same basics for you, starting with Time (often referred to as ticks), since that’s the game’s most important feature.

Ticks

The game tracks time in ticks, numbered 1 through 10, on a “Master Clock.” In addition to the Master Clock, each figure also has its own “Personal Clock” (see UBases, below, for details on how the game tracks Personal Clocks). The basic concept behind the time mechanic is simple: All figures and the Master Clock start on Tick 1 and, as figures act, their Personal Clocks advance based on the cost of their actions. Once everyone showing a current tick of 1 has acted then the Master Clock moves to 2 at which point any figures with a Personal Clock set to 2, and so on, all the way through Tick 10, which is the end of one round.

That’s basically the time mechanic. It’s simple, elegant, and easy to learn, which is what immediately drew me to the game as I watched it being played. An in-depth overview of the time mechanic can be found in this article, written by Justin Gary, over at the official website.

Character Cards

Every figure in the game has an associated character card where all of the figure’s necessary game stats are listed. Look at the sample image – Gorebelly – and follow along as I point out the important elements on the card.

• 1 – Honor. This number is important in that it helps determine the final number of Victory Points that you need in order to win the game (see Objective, below).

• 2 – Main Attack Abilities. In this block is listed the figure’s primary attack. Gorebelly’s main attack is “Drake Talon Cleaver.” Reading the line immediately under the attack’s title – from left to right – we find the attack’s tick cost, range, and attack type and number of dice rolled when attacking. Beneath that are the Crit symbol and the added effect whenever a Crit is rolled when making this attack. This is a very basic Crit effect; some character’s Crit effects allow another attack, allow movement or healing, or a variety of other special effects.

• 3 – Special Ability. Many, though not all, figures include a special ability that they may use instead of the main attack ability (or, in some instances, such as this one, an “always on” ability). Gorebelly’s special ability is fairly common, several figures possess this same ability, and it is used to help redirect attacks from weaker allies.

• 4 – Armor. This is the number of dice rolled to defend against a physical attack (see Turn Sequence, below, for a step-by-step overview of attacking and defending).

• 5 – Resist. When defending against a magical – or, as it is classified in the game, arcane – attack, the figure rolls this number of dice.

• 6 – Health. This is how many hit points the figure starts with. So far, out of the 24 different figures that I’ve seen (there are 66 in the set), health values range from 5 to 11, so Gorebelly is on the higher end of the range.

Some other information on the card that I haven’t specifically identified includes the race, class, and talent of the figure, as well as the figure’s allegiance (which is color coded). Character cards are, in general, pretty straightforward and anyone with experience with CCGs or CMGs shouldn’t have any problems at all immediately picking up and understanding these basics. For a more detailed look at character cards, visit this article by Matt Hyra at the game’s official website.

Action Bar Cards

In addition to its character card, each figure in the game also comes with two “Action Bar” cards, special cards that grant characters (sometimes) unique abilities that can drastically change the course of a battle. Each character may have two action bar cards during a game and, once used, action bar cards are “exhausted” (some may even say that they’re tapped) and unavailable until they’re readied (most cards ready at the end of tick 10, though some may ready at other times as described on the individual card). Take a look at this sample card, Polymorph, for an idea of the sorts of things that you’ll see on an action bar card.

• 1 – Cost. This is the card’s tick cost. Using Polymorph, for example, advances a figure’s Personal Clock by 2 ticks.

• 2 – Restrictions. Most cards include a restriction. Polymorph, shown here, may only be used by Mage figures.

• 3 – Range. This particular action bar card only lists a range here, though others also list a power type/strength, and armor, resist, and health (for summoned creatures).

• 4 – Type. The card shown is a debuff – a negative effect that is applied to a target – while other types of cards include instants and reacts (reacts are the only type of card that can be played on an opponent’s turn), as well as buffs (good stuff for you and your allies) and attacks. One serious problem with the basic game is the fact that you need a variety of different tokens to mark various effects (mostly buff and debuff) but there’s nothing included in the Starter Set to get you started. I’m still digging for a good, attractive way to deal with this problem. As a visual game, which all miniatures games are, I feel that using something cheap and quick just isn’t the right approach to take.

• 5 – Effect. The action bar card’s detailed instructions. This particular card exhibits one of the flaws I feel the game has: the special rules are not clearly written or explained. Many debuffs, for example, are continuing effects while others – and I am assuming that Polymorph is one of those others – are one-shot effects. One debuff card, Demonic Curse, reads: “At the end of ticks 5/10, deal 1 damage to debuffed enemy and each of its adjacent allies.” That immediately implies that the debuff remains with the target until removed in some way (death, for instance) but the card doesn’t specifically say that. Polymorph, on the other hand, sounds as if it’s a one-shot effect. I really with that the developers would have better worded all of these effects and that the game had included a decent rulebook (but I’ll get to that problem soon enough).

Now even though figures come with specific action bar cards, part of the fun of army building is customizing the cards you use with each figure. As long as a figure meets all of a card’s restrictions, that figure may use any action bar card. One potential problem (I haven’t encountered it yet, but it’s only a matter of time before it happens) is for an especially powerful action bar card to disrupt or dominate a game, and since action bar cards do not count against the win conditions (see Objective, below), then these cards aren’t accounted for in the game’s self-balancing system. As I said, I haven’t seen this happen, but the potential for problems is there.

Overall, I would have to say that the action bar card concept is cool, but not all that well executed. An article by John Fiorillo at the official website goes into much greater detail on action bar cards.

Turn Sequence

Each figure, on its turn, may move and take one action. Movement is fairly simple, since the game uses a hex map, while actions – also quite simple in comparison to many games – are slightly more involved. The basic types of actions a figure may take on its turn include:

• Use a Main Attack Ability: To make an attack the figure must advance its Personal Clock the necessary number of ticks and target an in-range opponent. The player then rolls a number of dice equal to the attack’s value while the defender rolls a number of dice equal to its appropriate defense (Armor or Resist). For every roll of 4-10 (on 10-sided dice) the attacker or defender scores either a hit or a block (I’m sure you can determine which side is which). If the number of hits exceeds the number of blocks then the attack deals damage equal to the amount by which it exceeded the blocks; damage is immediately subtracted from the target’s current health. If this reduces the target to 0 or less than the target is killed (but don’t worry, since figures can respawn at a later point in the game; a nice effect for computer game-inspired games and one that I personally used in Frag). For more on combat, see this article by Patrick Sullivan at the World of Warcraft Miniatures Game website.

  On a roll of 10 an attack scores a Crit (mentioned above). Crits don’t stack, though, so rolling more than one 10 in a single attack doesn’t gain you anything special.

• Use a Special Ability: Mentioned above (under Character Cards), special abilities are either ongoing effect or “non-ongoing effects” (not my term). Ongoing effects have no cost and are always on, while other types of effects include a tick cost.

• Play an Action Bar Card: Play one readied action bar card.

A character need not attack on his turn, and any character moving but not attacking (or taking any other sort of action with a tick cost) simply advances its Personal Clock 1 tick, which means that as soon as the Master Clock advances to the next tick this character will get to take another turn. Skipping actions, and just moving, is a great way for a figure to move quickly across the map.

Objective

To win the game, a player needs to score a number of Victory Points equal to the combined Honor value of the figures in his party. Players score VPs throughout the game by killing an opponent’s figures (4 VP for each kill) and by standing adjacent to or on Victory Point zones during ticks 5 and 10 each turn (a player scores 1 VP for each one of his figures that is in the right place at the right time). One problem with the “score for location” rule is that the combat tends to devolve into a close-quarters brawl as players try to keep their figures on top of the VP zone (the basic map, the one I played on at PAX, includes only one VP zone; fortunately, the map on the reverse side includes two VP zones so it doesn’t suffer from quite the same problem).

And that’s basically how the game works, and covers what I learned from my 15 minute demo at PAX. When the game was released last week I snagged a few Booster Packs and took a closer look at the contents and, since then, have grabbed a Starter Set and a few more Booster Packs. Playing the game with the final figures has been both interesting and frustrating. Before diving into the frustration part of the game, I’d like to go over the interesting parts of the game (what I like) and the reason why I plan to buy a few more packs and continue to play the game.

That’s Interesting

There are actually only a few seriously strong elements that keep me interested in playing the game. Two of them, Time and Action Bar Cards, seriously help to overcome the frustrations that I have with the game.

• Time: I really like the game’s time mechanic, because it forces players to make difficult choices during the course of a game. The Master Clock is at tick 3, my opponent acts again at tick 6, so should I use my 3 cost attack now or just move and use my attack at the next tick? Or do I pull out a 2 tick cost action bar card, play it, and then make my 3 tick cost attack when the Master Clock reaches tick 5?

• Action Bar Cards: A great way to customize your forces and adds in a CCG-like element – you may only have two action bar cards in-play for each figure, but the cards start the game face-down so your opponent doesn’t really know what tricks you brought along – which will help to keep the game interesting. And for those players who dislike deck building each figure comes with pre-selected action bar cards, which will allow you to start playing quicker. I’d rather select cards than use the pre-sets, though.

• Pre-Painted Miniatures: One thing I haven’t spent time on in this review – which may feel odd, since this is a miniatures game – is the quality of the figures. They’re okay, with the most annoying problem being the fact that scale appears to have been ignored. Many miniatures players, though, appear to dislike the figures. I disagree and find the figures to suit my needs.

  Sure, the sculpts and paint jobs aren’t the greatest in the hobby, and not nearly as nice as something you would see by an experienced miniatures gamer, but for someone like me – a person who loves the idea of playing a minis game but doesn’t have the time that the hobby demands – these are nice figures. And I don’t even mind the randomization aspect of the game, since I find it fun to open Booster Packs and find something new inside. Not everyone can embrace blind packaging, so if it’s something you despise – and you’re still interested in the game – I recommend grabbing a Starter Set (non-random, fixed figure assortment) and then a few common figures from eBay. You’ll get the fun of the game without wondering what figures you’re going to wind up with.

• Dice Mechanic: It’s simple – and a lot like Heroscape's combat system – which is great for me, since that means it’s easier to get my wife to play with me. Sure, Upper Deck could have used a complex mechanic, but I’m happy with their choice and especially like the Crit system, which expands on the hit/block system of Heroscape by adding in interesting special effects.

• Organized Play: I’ve wanted to get into a game with strong Organized Play for quite a while now, but I keep missing out on game launches. This time around, though, I paid attention and was ready when the game hitting, going so far as to buy my first packs on the release date. The fact that the World Championships are scheduled to be held in Austin next year – which means that if I was crazy and really got into it I could easily attend (not very likely, considering how much I’ve got going on already) – just helped me to decide that this is the game to try.

That’s Frustrating

Now, after telling you what I like about the game, it’s time to address the really annoying parts of the game.

• UBases: Upper Deck decided that they wanted to build the Personal Clocks and health tracks into the figures, but not directly into the figures themselves, since that would run into problems with WizKids patent on clicky bases. So in an attempt to be clever – and an attempt to make the individual minis more like tiny sculptures rather than game pieces, which should make the minis more attractive to World of Warcraft fans who aren’t going to play the game – Upper Deck created the UBase, a base that’s designed to snap onto the bottom of a miniature. Unfortunately, these bases are garbage and should probably just be thrown away. Trust me, you’ll be a lot happier and less frustrated if you track Personal Clocks and health values with a trusty pen and paper. Hell, even Upper Deck admits that their bases out-and-out suck, since the tournament rules document specifically says: "For competitive tournaments, players are required to use pen and paper to track damage and clocks of each of their and opponents’ characters." Yeah, that’s a sign that they know there’s a problem.

• Rulebook: The rulebook included in the game is barely more useful than the brief overview I provided above. In a small (about 5” x 6”) 24-page booklet, the rules are detailed just enough to get you started playing . . . at which point you’ll very likely become confused and lost. Many of the figures include special effects and abilities that aren’t discussed in the rules – like buffs and debuffs – and several effects contradict each other (one figure’s ability is to prevent another figure from moving on its next turn, but the affected unit – which can still attack – includes an attack that grants it movement, so which effect do you follow?). The fact that the rulebook uses one entire page to point you to a website where you can download “comprehensive rules,” but when you go to the page the only rulebook is the one from the Starter Set, certainly doesn’t help. Especially since the comprehensive rules are online, they’re just hidden. Go here, if you’re interested, to download the comprehensive rules.

• Missing Tokens: Pets, totems, and different special effects require players to use special tokens and markers. But nothing in the rules warns you that you’ll need some tokens and there are no tokens included with the figures. This is an inexcusable oversight; Upper Deck could have used some of the wasted space in the rulebook to alert players to the fact that they’re gonna need some pennies, glass beads, and other trinkets just to use some of the game’s rules.

• Austin’s Launch Events: Warning, this could easily devolve into an incoherent rant. Read at your own risk.

  Disaster is probably the one word I would use to describe this complete failure to successfully get players into scheduled events. After a few times calling local stores – who had no idea when or what was going on, despite the fact that the Upper Deck website listed the stores as Launch Event participants – I finally tracked down a day and time for a local event. On arriving at the event, though, the Launch Kit was a no show and the people at the event were very unwelcoming. (Actually, as I'm posting this review I have decided to cut a few paragraphs of detail, since the details of what happened -- and didn't happen -- aren't important to a review of the game.)

  I’m going to try to attend an event or two in December, once Dragon’s Lair starts their weekly events, but I’m not sure if those events will run smoothly or if I’ll just get more frustrated.

Last Thoughts

I think I really enjoy the game, but I need to get more plays in before I’m certain. At the very least I love the way the designers created the time mechanic and the way in which they tied the game’s special abilities to the mechanic; even if the method for tracking the mechanic is tedious and frustrating (the seventh time your figure falls off its base you’ll understand why I say go with pencil and paper).