Impressive Review: Horus Heresy, the boardgame

Started by Jarhead0331, July 12, 2012, 03:00:31 PM

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Jarhead0331

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LongBlade

The primary complaint I've heard about the game is that it's $100 for a two-player game.
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

Arctic Blast

The bigger issue is that it didn't need to be a coffin box game at all. Once you get past the board (which EASILY could have been made in to something that would fit a standard Fantasy Flight box), everything fits in the center section of the box (standard size) with room to spare.

It does some interesting things, namely with the way the initiative track works to make things go back and forth, but it also is a surprisingly static game. A limited number of Refresh phases to remove activation tokens from areas means you REALLY need to plan out when someone is attacking.

A few other major problems stem from the actual physical product. They made vacuum blown plastic structures that actually come up through the board, giving you 3D fortresses and manufacturing sectors and Imperial Palace. The trouble is, they're too small. Cramming three units of space marines, a primarch, an Imperial unit and a defense laser battery in to a wing of the palace results in a ridiculous stack of guys. The minis are also a tad bit ugly.

The rules definitely tend towards the fiddly as well, especially the first few times you play.

Not a bad game, but it really isn't worth the price.

LongBlade

Quote from: Arctic Blast on July 12, 2012, 11:40:10 PM
The bigger issue is that it didn't need to be a coffin box game at all. Once you get past the board (which EASILY could have been made in to something that would fit a standard Fantasy Flight box), everything fits in the center section of the box (standard size) with room to spare.

It does some interesting things, namely with the way the initiative track works to make things go back and forth, but it also is a surprisingly static game. A limited number of Refresh phases to remove activation tokens from areas means you REALLY need to plan out when someone is attacking.

A few other major problems stem from the actual physical product. They made vacuum blown plastic structures that actually come up through the board, giving you 3D fortresses and manufacturing sectors and Imperial Palace. The trouble is, they're too small. Cramming three units of space marines, a primarch, an Imperial unit and a defense laser battery in to a wing of the palace results in a ridiculous stack of guys. The minis are also a tad bit ugly.

The rules definitely tend towards the fiddly as well, especially the first few times you play.

Not a bad game, but it really isn't worth the price.

And there it is in less than a tenth of the space ;)

I've been sitting on the fence about this game since it came out. For $100 I'm thinking it needs to be epic in several respects.

The fact that you're required to do heavy planning is a plus to me - this is the Horus Heresy. One side is attempting to take down the Emperor, the other defend it. With the stakes so high it seems perfectly appropriate to require gamers to have their ducks in a row before going in.

The map not being large enough is a an unfortunate problem. Playtesting should have made it abundantly clear the size was inadequate. FFG is known to have a process where they make the components first and then the game. In this case they should have revisited their components once the game mechanics were understood. Not a deal breaker for me, but a definite minus.

Most important, however, is that the game rock. If I wanted a bunch of WH40K minis to sit on a shelf and not be played, I just go out and buy them. This is the Horus Heresy we're talking about, and I'm disappointed that it may not have been done justice. The right company did it and it's being sold for the right price. It should deliver on the promise. Based on Arctic's feedback I'm thinking I'm glad I didn't pounce.
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

Arctic Blast

Huh, for the first time ever I have managed to be concise.  :D

It's an old enough game now that you might be able to find it for a lower price point, and I'd say jump on it if you do.

Grimnirsson

QuoteAnd there it is in less than a tenth of the space

Hi folks,

I found this forum via the referrer section of our HFC site, didn't know about the GrogHeads before, so I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to join ;)

Regarding the review length, well, everybody has their own style and we like to give detailed impressions so people have enough info to actually decide whether the game is worth it or not. As you can see on our website, all our reviews are in-depth, not just the one about HH :)

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