Summer is a time for blockbuster releases. Movies like Inside Out 2 and Despicable Me 4 have blown away box office expectation. Tabletop games also have a blockbuster season thanks to big releases aimed for big summer conventions like Origins Game Fair and Gen Con.
One of the most anticipated releases this summer is a new edition of Heroscape. This beloved miniatures battle game captured the hearts of gamers 20 years ago thanks to easy to play rules, beatiful pre-painted miniatures and a customizable hex terrain system that ould be used for almost any tabletop miniatures game or role playing game. The new edition promises not just new warriors and new terrain but easy compatibility with the original sets.
A blockbuster release needs big starts and Renegade Game Studios collaborated with Good Time Society and Becca Scott to bring together some heavyweights to show the public how to play. On one side there’s Matt Mercer, the world’s mist famous Dungeon Master and head of the Critical Role table. On the other side there’s Deborah Ann Woll, star of True Blood, Daredevil and a fine Dungeon Master in her own right.
How To Play Heroscape: Age of Annihilation
This big set resembles the Master Set that first came out 20 years ago. It containes 74 hex pieces, 20 figures, and all the dice tokens and other bits needed to play the game. One major difference between now and then is that players can choose to pick up a set with unpainted figures that’s a little easier on the budget and offers a better chance to customizes figures.
Players build their armies and set up the battlefield by plugging the hexes together or stacking them to make hills and rock walls. The pieces come from across time and space, so players can bring together all sorts of strange allies. Space pirates and werebears come together to fight demons and valkyrie with even more options in every expansion.
The game uses a hidden order system where multiple pieces can move on the same turn. The attacker rolls dice looking for hits and the defender rolls dice looking for shields. If there are more successful attack dice than defense dice, the target takes a hit.
These are the basic rules of the game, though each unit also has some special rules that can affect play. Flying, for example, is a common ability which lets pieces move across the battlefield without worrying about terrain shifts or water hexes. These special rules tend to be spelled out on each unit’s card.
Heroscape: Age of Annihilation Expansions
In addition to the Master Set, this edition comes with two expansions ready to offer more options to players. Battle For The Wellspring offers more figures, terrain and scenarios. It’s also a great way to try out the game at a lower starter set style price point.
The Grove at Laur’s Edge is a terrain only expansion that lets payers add some massive jungle trees to their battlefields. These expansions are aimed at an audience discovered by the original game: tabletop players who use the terrain for other games besides Heroscape. I know that I’ve used my original sets with games like Battletech, Savage Worlds, Dungeons & Dragons and more.
There are also still some great options on the used and secondary market including branded Marvel and Dungeons & Dragons set from the game’s original run. These sets aren’t cheap, as most gamers hang onto them through thick and thin, but they are worth picking up for gamers who don’t want to wait for the new expansions to come forth later this year. More details on these new expansions are coming at Gen Con in August.
Heroscape: Age of Annihilation Impressions
Playing Heroscape again after so long felt like catching up with an old friend. I think the game is in good hands with Renegade Game Studios, who were kind enough to send review copies for this article. The new stuff flowed wth the old stuff really well.
Heroscape has a playful aspect that few other miniature games do. While there are pre-built scenarios to use, some of the most fun I’ve had with the game are when everyone just grabs a stack of hexes and we build the battlefield together. This is a game for players who want to make pewpewpew noises when their pieces shoot and whoose noises when their flying pieces take off.
