Diskwars Homepage

Publisher: Fantasy Flight Games / AMIGO 2000

Awarded the G@mebox Star !

Star

Contents:

  • Review: You are new to Diskwars ? Read my review of the game !
  • Moon over Thelgrim: Read about the first expansion for Diskwars.
  • Army Strategies: Some first ideas on how to construct good armies.
  • The Great War: Big Diskwars Scenario, featuring some free Promo Disks!

Game review:

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When opening up a starter box for the game (there exist 8 different starter sets, all of them from different races), the first question you can only ask yourself is whether the game you are holding in your hands really is a fantasy tabletop wargame. Being used to playing such a game with miniatures and thus in a 3-dimensional setting, it seems strange that a similar playing atmosphere should possibly arise from using flat cardboard disks. Each army in the game consists of a number of different disks, all graphically differently designed, possibly differing in size, attributes and special abilities. Basically, each piece has three essential values: attack, counterstrike and wounds. Furthermore, there may be different abilities like spellcasting-skills, the possibility to fly or to conduct ranged combat or the skill of a swashbuckler. And additionally to these skills, units also may possess unique special abilities, allowing them skills not usually provided for in the rules.

some Disks...

At the beginning of the game, both opponents set up a number of their units on opposite sides of a table to begin the battle with. Additional disks may come in a reinforcements later on the game, depending on how many units each player has brought into the battle (each unit has a value). During his turn, each player may activate a number of his units, and normally he will move them to face the enemy. When moving the units, the unique feature of the game becomes visible: Instead of depending on a ruler or something else to measure the length of movement, units are simply moved by flipping their disks a certain number of times. When a unit overlaps an enemy unit after such a move, combat arises and will be calculated depending on the battle-values of each unit (there is no element of luck in the combat, since no dice are thrown). The rules for combat are well constructed, providing for situations like multiple overlapping or other multi-unit situations.

A game of Diskwars...

Furthermore, a number of additional rules gives the game even more atmosphere. So there exist flying units which can simply be moved over another playerīs units, continuing on their way until they have made their maximum movement or they meet another flyer. Furthermore, some units actually have the possibility to conduct ranged combat. Here the inventors of the game have developed another quite nice feature. Depending on the type of unit and the weapon used, a number of small missile-counters is placed on an unused disk. This disk is held ca. 30 centimeters over the target, and then it is turned so that the counters drop down onto the battlefield. Whenever the missiles come to rest on ANY unit, they will score a hit against that unit, even if it is an united which was not aimed at. This may cause some unwanted results, but is a quite realistic simulation of how unreliable a number of ranged weapons works. Also, each player may have spellcasters in his army, and he has chosen their spells before the battle. These spells he can use in a number of ways, possibly influencing the outcome of a combat by changing an unitīs characteristics or by allowing some other special moves.

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Diskwars definately possesses a number of outstanding features: the rules discussed above, the quality of its graphical design and the well-constructed starter-decks which allow an immediate start into the game. The random distribution of all special disks also gives the game some collecting value, and from my point of view all these features together guarantee that the game will be entertaining for a long time.

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Copyright © 2012 Frank Schulte-Kulkmann, Essen, Germany