The a la carte award is presented each year by Fairplay Magazine to the game that wins their voting as the best card game of the year. The winner for 2023 is Sea Salt & Paper, designed by Bruno Cathala and Theo Riviere and published by Bombyx. Two other finalists for the award were also announced: Challengers! and Mindbug: First Contact. Seven runner-ups for the award were also given.
Here are the ten cited games, together with their designers. The seven runner-ups are listed alphabetically.
Winner: Sea Salt & Paper (Bruno Cathala, Theo Riviere)
Finalist: Challengers! (Johannes Krenner, Markus Slawischek)
Finalist: Mindbug: First Contact (Richard Garfield, Skaff Elias, Marvin Hegen, Christian Kudahl)
Runner Up: Cat in the Box (Muneyuki Yokouchi)
Runner Up: District Noir (Nobutake Dogen, Nao Shimamura)
Runner Up: Earth (Maxime Tardif)
Runner Up: Inside Job (Tanner Simmons)
Runner Up: Mantis (Ken Gruhl, Jeremy Posner)
Runner Up: That’s not a Hat (Kasper Lapp)
Runner Up: Tranquility (James Emmerson)
So here’s where we stand on the notable gaming awards for 2023. As you can see, there’s not a whole lot of consensus on which were the best games of the year.
This is not a review of GMT’s Mr. President: . In order to write a thoughtful review, I usually figure that I need to have played a game 3+ times for a “heavier” game and 5+ times for something lighter. So far, I’ve managed one play of the basic (“sandbox”) scenario set to easy mode… and that took 5+ hours.
So, instead, this is a first impression of the table-eating design by Gene Billingsley – albeit one informed by a lifetime of gaming and a particular (some would say peculiar) interest in solo board games. And, in honor of Helen Thomas (long-time White House press corps member), I’m writing this in the form of a press conference.
Wait a minute – you said your first game took five hours?!
Yes. Yes, I did.
Five hours?!
I’m not going to make you feel any better by letting you know that I managed to eke out an automatic win at the end of year two of my presidency – meaning I didn’t actually play a full game. (And there’s an option to run for a second term… but we won’t even go there.)
On the other hand, the first year learning how the game worked took roughly 3.5 hours, with the second year only taking about 90 minutes. So there is a definite learning curve that eases up as you keep playing.
Get out of here as fast as you can.
Murray Blum, CPA in DAVE
How long does this massive game take to set up?
While I didn’t use a timer while I was setting up, I think it was probably 30-45 minutes – granted, this was my first time playing and getting a game under my belt will make it much quicker to set up next time. (Also see my answer about 3D printed trays below.)
Somebody said there were a lot of rulebooks… what say you?
Technically, there are only three rulebooks – a small How To Play overview, a larger Governing Manual (aka “main rulebook”) and a folio of Scenarios.
That, however, doesn’t include the multiple books of charts: World, Domestic, Allies & Rogue States, China, and Russia. Nor does it include the incredibly helpful Turn Order flipbook, a spiral-bound book that walks you through each part of a turn step-by-step.
There are also four double-sided player aids – one each for Presidential, Domestic, Diplomatic, and Military actions.
And, for good measure, there is a separate book of designer notes with some help for your first game.
That’s a lot of rulebooks.
True… but I’m an old-school wargamer who also DM’d D&D and Traveller campaigns in the pre-computer days (aka “the early 1980s”) so this wasn’t overwhelming. I’m used to CRT (Combat Results Table) lookups and diving through multiple manuals to find a single elusive chart.
Credit where credit is due: the team of folks from GMT did a really nice job of compiling the rules and charts in a format that makes it easy to find what you’re looking for. I didn’t have any real issues with finding what I needed. (Note: there is a FAQ with errata available on the GMT site.)
Caveat where caveat is due: GMT has already announced an update kit for Mr. President (as well as a 2nd edition printing of the complete game) to incorporate errata and clearer wording from the FAQ for the 2nd Edition, as well as numerous game enhancements to make the game more challenging (especially in years 3 and following) and to add features, importance, and more difficult choices to areas of the game. (And, yes, I’ve already ordered it.)
Did you really need the 3D printed trays?
The game is playable without a specific storage solution – but it’s substantially easier to set up and play if you find some way to organize the 500+ counters/chits. The old school wargame chit organizers could work for this… or, you could splurge a bit and get a 3D-printed system.
I’m happy to recommend the Mr. President storage solution from PrintablesByCaren – it comes in both a printed version or you can simply order the STL files from her and print the pieces yourself.
After my first play, I reorganized the single bit trays to make it easier to divide them up in ways that aligned with how I set-up and play the game – which should make it even easier. (Photos of my tray layout are at the end of this post.)
The picture at the top of this “first impressions” post looks like it takes the entire table to lay out the game – is that really the case?
Mr. President is a table eater of the first order – though the 3D printed trays do take up a decent amount of space as well.
What you can’t see in that picture is that I’m using a chair for the stack of player aids/folios with charts.
Optimally, you would like to have a large table plus a small side table (for rules/charts) where you can leave the game out over a decent amount of time. (I’m privileged to have a space where I can do just that.)
Hail to the chief / He’s the one we all say “Hail” to. / We all say “Hail” / ‘Cause he keeps himself so clean! / He’s got the power, / That’s why he’s in the shower…
“Bill Mitchell” from DAVE
OK, we’ve asked enough questions about the logistics of the game – tell us more about the game itself.
I’ve already noted that my gaming background includes a lot of AH and SPI wargames as well as game-mastering role-playing games – specifically Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, the early editions of Traveller, and (more recently) Savage Worlds. Mr. President has strong elements of both of those worlds, including combat based on strength ratios (classic wargame stuff) and numerous “skill checks” (RPG stuff) across a wide variety of game situations. Not to mention a serious amount of DRMs (Dice Roll Modifiers).
I actually told my wife that Mr. President was basically a RPG for people interested in domestic and international politics – and I stand by that statement. (I’m Mark Jackson, and I approve this message.)
The game is more tactical than strategic – you’re often responding to whatever stupid thing just happened – a cyber attack by Russia, scandals in your cabinet, keeping Congress happy, the fickle mood of the American people, etc. – and your long-term plans can easily go up in smoke. Those “stupid things” are generated by the myriad of charts – and an event deck that can be generate both one time events and cascading events… in other words, events that can come back to haunt you at later times during the game.
Along with that, you’re telling a story – much like a RPG, you’re the lead character in a complicated drama that you can influence but not control. And, much like both RPGs and wargames, some dice rolls will break your way in stunning ways, while others will doom you into a spiral of bad consequences.
For example, while I couldn’t keep the Middle East from being a hotbed of rogue nations and civil wars, I managed to eliminate Chinese influence in the Asian Pacific and even slow down North Korea’s move towards nuclear weapons. At home, we managed to pass landmark legislation, even as the public kept changing their minds – and at the same time kept our economy incredibly strong. The seemingly constant hassling with Russian (cyber attacks, supporting Serbia attacking the Balkan States, etc.) didn’t overwhelm me – but I can easily see where multiple small wars could metastasize in a whirlwind of bad outcomes.
What’s Next?
President Bartlet – THE WEST WING
It sounds like there are a lot of choices to be made – isn’t it overwhelming?
Thanks to the game design, you are only making a small number of decisions at any one time. While you need to keep your eye on possible ramifications of your decisions (Am I leaving myself enough action points in case something else goes wrong? Will this decision affect one of my allies? Do I have the ability to assuage their frustration with a later move?), the scope of decisions is – most of the time – limited by the game track (and the flip book, which walks you through the game track).
Due to the way the game tracks where you are in a turn, it was easy for me to play for 10-20 minutes and then get up & take care of other things. My five hour playing time was actually spread out over about three days.
Robin McCall: I think the important thing is not to make it look like we’re panicking.
President Andrew Shepherd: See, and I think the important thing is actually not to BE panicking.
THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT
Wouldn’t it be easier/better if this was a computer game rather than a table-eating monster board game?
Yes… and no.
Yes, for those who don’t have the space to set up the game and/or the ability to leave it out in the open for extended periods of time, that makes perfect sense. In fact, one of the reasons for the second edition update kit is to act as playable kit for charts/etc.for players who want to use Tabletop Simulator or Vassal to play the game.
On the other hand, no. The job of the President is an immense task – and the size of the board(s) play a role in giving the player the correct “feel” of that weight. By the same token, I find it much easier to play large games in-person… it’s easier to scan the table for information than it is to try & figure out where the developers have hidden a view or menu.
I also think that auto-calculating DRMs would “hide” some of the key elements of the game – how do I balance everything I need/want to do while saving enough action points in reserve for the inevitable unforeseen crisis?
Should every self-respecting board gamer own a copy of this game?
Absolutely not.
Well, maybe I can be a bit more nuanced than that and list the reasons I don’t think this is going to be for every gamer.
Space needed to play
Length of the game
Solo player only (yes, you could work with a partner – but it’s designed as a single player game)
Requires some basic knowledge of domestic U.S. and international politics
It really is more of a RPG than a wargame… and not everyone wants a long game that is more about participating in a story versus controlling every detail of a system
If you were going to recommend one history book to read for background to the game, what would it be?
That’s easy – John Dickerson’s The Hardest Job in the World: The American Presidency does a tremendous job of showing the enormity of the role, the ridiculous expectations we’ve layered onto the job, and the completely inadequate system we have for picking the best-qualified person to be president of the United States. Plus, John Dickerson’s a very good writer with a sly sense of humor.
“Nothing comes to my desk that is perfectly solvable,” President Obama explained to the author Michael Lewis. “Otherwise, someone else would have solved it. So you wind up dealing with probabilities. … You can’t be paralyzed by the fact that it might not work out.” Thomas Jefferson explained this to his secretary of the treasury: “What is good in this case cannot be effected. We have, therefore, only to find out what will be least bad.”
John Dickerson, THE HARDEST JOB IN THE WORLD
Any last words?
Two things:
Although I’ve only played once, I’m very glad I have this in my collection. I have plans to play again soon – I’m trying to decide whether to crank up the difficulty level or try one of the historical scenarios. Even pulling out the trays/books to take pictures for this make me want to set it up right now.
A note of a tiny yet possible conflict of interest: While I purchased my own copy of Mr. President and of the excellent 3D printed bit trays from PrintablesbyCaren, the developer of the game (Mike Bertucelli) was a long-time member of the gaming group I ran in Central California and a great guy to game with. (Mike is personally responsible for my older son’s very large X-Wing game collection – thanks to teaching him the game back when it was released.)
“I forgot that I was hired to do a job for you and that it was just a temp job at that. I forgot that I had two hundred and fifty million people who were paying me to make their lives a little better and I didn’t live up to my part of the bargain.”
“Bill Mitchell” from DAVE
Thoughts From Other Opinionated Gamers
Matthew M. (1 play – I like it) – If you’re looking for a game where you can identify and make the right choice and are always rewarded for doing so then Mr. President will fall flat. While your decisions contribute meaningfully to the story that unfolds, you are always somewhat at the mercy of fate via the dice. That degree of uncertainty is part of the simulation of being the leader of the US, but it’s also a big ask for a player when a game is as demanding of your time and space as this one. If you are willing to accept what the game offers on those terms then Mr. President offers an immersive solo RPGesque experience unlike many others. Its audaciousness and ability to generate memorable narrative moments earns it a space on my shelf, even if I’ll only find time to actually play it once a year.
And now, as promised, my layout for the bit trays…
The four trays on the left are all or mostly initial setup trays… the seven trays on the right are elements that come into play during the game. (The empty tray was created by condensing some things and moving one set of chits to the boxes.)
The boxes are in three sizes: large (top row), medium (middle two rows), and short (bottom two rows). I moved UN peacekeepers into an empty box which left me with one empty tray (see above).
Some people are surprised to find out that I spend a lot of my time here at SPIEL in meetings! Many companies are kind enough to sit down with me and spend a few minutes talking about their games, both present and future. So, as everyone is getting back from the show, and realistically, everyone should be excited about the new games they just got – I’m jumping ahead and telling you about things to come! (Of course, as I just got home, I haven’t had much time to actually play any of the SPIEL 2023 games, so you’ll have to give me at least a week to get sleep and find time to play the new stuff!)
For me, these meetings are a great way to get some one-on-one time with the games, and often, a chance to sit down for a few minutes in the ever-croweded halls. There is often a demo of the newest releases, and then a peek at what is to come.
Here are some of the things that I’m looking forward to (in 2024 and beyond):
While a chunk of the gaming world (including a number of our writers here on the OG) were in Essen, Germany, scoping out 1k+ new games, the good folks at Renegade Game Studios were busy with their own online Renegade Con. (I’ll note that I think this is a good thing – the world of tabletop gaming is so big that a single event can’t contain it.)
One of the panels was of particular interest to me – and, since you’re reading this, likely you as well: the Heroscape: Meet the Team Panel. I’m a long-time fan of Heroscape – including some time as a playtester on a couple of waves of figures and the “hot lava death” terrain.
Part One: In Which the Author Attempts to Give a Bit of Background on the Wonder Which Is Heroscape And What Has Transpired Prior to The Summer of 2023
Here’s how I describe Heroscape in my top 100 games listing (it’s #4, in case you’re curious):
Heroscape is the ultimate blending of board game & miniatures game… and, in a slick move that allowed them to make lots of cool figures, a great blending of genres, as all the characters are warriors sucked through time & space into the world of Heroscape. So, you’ve got Matrix guys & Braveheart & dragons & robots & kung fu monks & gorillas with guns…
Game designer (and nice guy) Frank Branham described it well:
There’s a lot more here than just pretty bits – but it’s still easy to get lost in the “shock & awe” of the massive brick of terrain and the great figures. Undergirding that, however, is two solid game systems (basic & master), fast gameplay, a perfect sense of playing to its audience (throwing together LOTR, the Matrix, Viking hordes, dragons, the Terminator films), and the ability to create a wide variety of interesting scenarios.
This is what Duel of Ages or Epic Duels want to be when they grow up.
But, as always, all good things must come to an end – and after six years of releases, including four Master box sets, thirteen waves of small figures, three boxes of large figures, four boxes of special terrain, one set of flagbearers & dice, and a number of promo figures, Hasbro closed the book on Heroscape in 2010.
Fast forward twelve years… and then Hasbro/Avalon Hill/HasLab began hinting about HeroScape: Age of Annihilation – first with social media posts and then by displaying figures at GenCon 2022. Information began to dribble out through Reddit posts and the AH Discord channels and Craig Van Ness – one of the original designers – was involved. Then in October 2022, the crowdfunding campaign went live. (You can see the crowdfunding site, with lots of pictures… it’s still there.)
Reaction was mixed – even with an initial surge of folks willing to plop down $250 for Vanguard edition (essentially a new master set), the crowdfunding petered off as various questions cropped up about the cost, the fact that the miniatures were unpainted, the focus on fantasy/sci-fi elements to the exclusion of historical and/or trope-based figures, and the weird choices prior to (focusing exclusively on Discord to share details) and during (making major campaign changes 20 days into the effort when it became clear it wasn’t going to reach the goal.
In fairness, the long-time Heroscape players remember buying the initial master set for $40 in 2004… and the intervening 18 years did not make production less expensive nor reduce the cost of mass-producing painted figures. I’m afraid our expectations may have been out of whack – but I don’t think HasLab did a particularly good job of responding to those concerns in real time. One particular issue was the one-size-fits-all choice – spend $250 or get nothing.
When the crowdfunding campaign was unsuccessful in attracting enough backers (HasLab’s goal was 8,000 backers – they ended the campaign in November 2020 with 4,300), Avalon Hill announced that they were done (for the time being) with Heroscape
What’s next for HeroScape?
Our unfortunate answer is… nothing. As we said during the campaign if this project doesn’t meet its goal, we won’t be able to produce Age of Annihilation. That has not changed. HeroScape as a project will be shelved, and there are no current plans to attempt a resurrection at this time. The Avalon Hill team will refocus our efforts on the exciting games we currently have coming soon…
And with that, I truly thought that we could stick a fork in any more HeroScape.
I was wrong.
Part Two: In Which the Author Finds A Phoenix Rising From the Ashes (In Other Words, Heroscape Lives!)
Just seven months later, the good folks at Renegade Game Studios dropped this bombshell:
Renegade Game Studios is excited to announce that they are finalizing expansion of their licensing relationship with Hasbro, a global leader in play, to produce the best-selling Heroscape tabletop game.
Originally proposed for relaunch in October 2022 by Avalon Hill on Hasbro Pulse’s crowdfunding platform, HasLab, fans shared an outpouring of support for the game’s revival. Now, the organizations have come together to usher in the long-awaited return of Heroscape for the hobby, mass, and specialty markets. Renegade will also partner with Hasbro Pulse to make Heroscape available to as wide an audience as possible.
Fans will get to experience classic elements of the game they love with all-new content, alongside the introduction of terrain packs, faction boxes, and more. Going forward, Renegade hopes to introduce new models in a variety of configurations and price points for both new and hardcore Heroscape players.
“Heroscape brought a lot of people into hobby gaming and to this day there is a robust and passionate community; we look forward to growing that community and continuing to offer new and exciting models for gamers to enjoy,” said Scott Gaeta, President and Publisher of Renegade Game Studios. “Additionally, we will be partnering with hobby stores to give Heroscape and its community of players the best home possible where they can make new friends and engage in exciting battles across Valhalla!”
Additionally, Renegade will provide online community and organized play support, including a future World Championship. Hobby stores can look forward to organized play and point of purchase support at launch.
“Fans have been clamoring for a revival of Heroscape, and we’ve heard you. That’s why we are tremendously excited to bring back and expand the beloved brand with the Renegade team, who are big fans themselves,” says Bradley Bowman, Licensing Director of Global Toys & Sporting Goods at Hasbro. “We’re celebrating this return alongside our fans, and look forward to offering existing players more ways to enjoy the game and introducing a whole new generation to Heroscape and its endless imaginative potential.”
And with that, the speculation began once again… with fans perusing the press release searching for textual clues like they were rabbinical scholars working over the Talmud. It seemed clear that Renegade would not make the same mistake as HasLab, acknowledging from the beginning a need for “a variety of configurations and price points” as well as hinting at “terrain boxes” and “faction boxes”.
Part Three: In Which the Renegade Team Introduces Themselves and Gives The Rest of Us a Glimpse of What Might Be Around the Corner
The panel Renegade hosted on Saturday afternoon is well worth your time – but I’m still going to compile some choice bits and interesting information for those who don’t want to listen in on a 55 minute conversation about Heroscape and the game design process.
Five folks were on the panel:
Scott Gaeta, the president & publisher of Renegade Game Studios
Dan Bojanowski, Senior Producer
aka “the guy who helps his team navigate Renegade” and makes sure all the ducks are in a row
Jeanne Torres, Creative Director
Responsible for artwork, graphic design, etc.
Has moved from the Hasbro-licensed games to head up Heroscape
Lea Houff, Associate Game Producer for Heroscape
Lee just recently came on the team and is 100% dedicated to Heroscape
Her background includes work on the Star Wars miniatures games at FFG/Asmodee, including Shatterpoint, Legion, and X-Wing
S Rowan, Game Designer for Heroscape
Also a new hire, Rowan is leading the Heroscape design team
Her background includes work on Marvel: Crisis Protocol
Note: both Rowan & Lee are long-time Heroscape fans/players
Also named (but not on the livestream): Matt Hyra – Game Designer for Heroscape
Matt’s background includes a variety of designs: DC Comics Deckbuilding Game, World of Warcraft Miniatures Game, etc.
The team acknowledged that there’s a lot of goodwill and nostalgia about Heroscape – so decisions are made with multiple elements in mind:
How do we please the long-time fans?
How do we keep the integrity of the game intact?
What does Heroscape look like now, 20 years down the road?
With those things in mind, they did confirm that they are working not simply to make a big single release but to create a living game and a “healthy line”. (A couple of times, they referred to “multiple waves”.) There will be a master set (with lots of terrain and lots of figures)… but there will also be a “starter set” with a lower price point to act as an entry point for new players and folks who can’t afford to jump straight into a master set.
Scott also noted that the Avalon Hill Heroscape team “went a little crazy” with their designs… giving the Renegade team a challenge to figure out how to make it work “because they are a little nuts.” (Scott then referenced ‘the blimp’ – which, I will grant, is conceptually cool but looks like a bear to produce as a figure.)
Rowan shared that playtesting is ongoing… both initial internal playtesting and a wider playtester pool as figures are closer to “finished”. She also shared their process for designing new figures from scratch – which is actually a series of questions/factors to consider:
Starts with where we think the world of Heroscape is going to head
We’ve already established the foreboding omen of naming the newest production “Age of Annihilation”
So, whatever figure we’re designing is something that one of the Kyrie generals thought it was a good idea to bring into Vahalla during this age
Which worlds did they come from?
Which general made this decision?
What type of figure do we want to make?
How do we make sure it’s balanced in the game system…
… and at the same time, how do we make sure it brings something interesting/fun/cool to the game?
What type of niche will this figure fit into?
Can we get the rules to this figure on an army card?
They also let us know that you can apply to be a playtester – here’s the link!
With all of that shared, Scott began answering questions from the chat…
Yes, they are still working with the folks at Hasbro and have a positive established relationship there
They have all of the inherited stuff from Hasbro and are currently doing their due diligence.
It was not 100% finished when it was turned over to the Renegade team… so there’s lots of work to do.
The lore/story direction of Heroscape will be led by the Renegade team.
They plan to use all of the content from the HasLab campaign – though likely not all of it on “day one”.
Yes, the game will be backwards compatible.
There are no historical figures in the current waves.
There are approximately 70 figures in the Age of Annihilation wave set.
They have not made a decision on whether the figures will be painted or unpainted.
Scott reminded us that “it’s not 2003 anymore” but that they are exploring options with factories.
They will not be reprinting the ‘classic’ sculpts/figures.
None of the molds still exist for the old stuff.
However, personas from the past could reappear (there was a lot of hinting around about Raelin).
Organized play will launch with the game…
…but with that said, they understand that the large majority of players will never play in a tournament, so the focus is on creating a fun game that is supported by tournament play.
They also suggested that there will be multiple tournament formats – allowing players (like me!) with lots of ‘classic’ Heroscape to play with those figures, but also formats that focus on the new material that will be much easier to access.
The current plan is to reveal MUCH more detail in the first quarter of 2024… specifically about Wave One. (And, yes, the mention of Wave One does mean that there are multiple waves being planned.) Scott was clear with the assembled folks who wanted more details: “we’re not going to tell you things until they’re ready.”
Finally – the game will release in 2024.
In closing, they reminded us to sign up for the Heroscape newsletter and that the best way to interact with the team members was through the Renegade Discord.
Part Four: In Which the Author Returns To React To All the News and Gives Himself Permission to Dream a Bit
By the time Renegade’s new wave of Heroscape stuff hits the street, it will have been 20 years since Frank Branham emailed me and told me to head to the closest Wal-Mart with $40 in hand and pick up a copy of Rise of the Valkyrie (the first Heroscape Master Set). Over the next six years, I bought, traded for, and/or was given at least one of each release – and in many cases, multiples of certain figure and terrain packs. They currently reside in three rolling cases in my office closet – waiting for my boys to get home from college to set up some serious battles in my new game room.
I am smack dab in the center of ONE of the target audiences for Renegade’s new Heroscape material. Note: I said ONE of the target audiences – but for the game to be successful, they need to bring in a lot of new players who don’t have a deep connection to the game Hasbro released between 2004-2010.
So, please take my reactions and suggestions that follow with a rather large grain of salt – I’m speaking as somebody who left this up in his game room for weeks while my sons, their best friend, and I played a 6000 points per side epic battle most afternoons after school.
I’m really happy about the multiple packaging options… I think that was one of the most grievous errors with the crowdfunding campaign.
I get that painted figures are going to be a stretch – I hope that there is an option to get painted figures, as I’d like them to blend with all the figures I already have. But, I understand if that’s not possible.
My wish list for “historical/trope” figures: pirates,cavemen (let one of them ride a wooly mammoth!), post-apocalyptic biker gangs, skeletons, Mouse Guard-ish heroes, and bear cavalry,
I’m hoping they’ll work to fix the appearance of the walls from the Age of Annihilation set so they match better with the walls from the original game.
I do agree with Dan… I think the Hellforge Mandukor is a pretty awesome looking figure.
In general, I think Renegade’s approach has a better chance for both short-term and long-term success.
All photos in this article are from the HasLab Age of Annihilation crowdfunding or the author’s personal collection.
So, I’m writing this as I am flying back from Europe, and I’m doing it offline – so everything here is pretty much from memory. Unlike years past, I didn’t keep good record of the games that I picked up (OK, I pretty much forgot to start) – so I can’t even compile a true list of which games I have. Also, a few games have come in the mail this week and I know both UPS and FedEx have boxes en route; so the situation will still be changing for the next week or so.
The last day is always a bit sad but a last chance to wander the halls and pick up on the games not yet seen. Today started with a blast as we finally got a table to try out Planta Nubo and I was very impressed. The game feels refreshing and original and despite Uwe Rosenberg being credited as co-author I’m pretty sure he is not the main designer here.
Heroscape In New Hands: The Renegade Con Panel
While a chunk of the gaming world (including a number of our writers here on the OG) were in Essen, Germany, scoping out 1k+ new games, the good folks at Renegade Game Studios were busy with their own online Renegade Con. (I’ll note that I think this is a good thing – the world of tabletop gaming is so big that a single event can’t contain it.)
One of the panels was of particular interest to me – and, since you’re reading this, likely you as well: the Heroscape: Meet the Team Panel. I’m a long-time fan of Heroscape – including some time as a playtester on a couple of waves of figures and the “hot lava death” terrain.
Part One: In Which the Author Attempts to Give a Bit of Background on the Wonder Which Is Heroscape And What Has Transpired Prior to The Summer of 2023
Here’s how I describe Heroscape in my top 100 games listing (it’s #4, in case you’re curious):
Game designer (and nice guy) Frank Branham described it well:
But, as always, all good things must come to an end – and after six years of releases, including four Master box sets, thirteen waves of small figures, three boxes of large figures, four boxes of special terrain, one set of flagbearers & dice, and a number of promo figures, Hasbro closed the book on Heroscape in 2010.
Fast forward twelve years… and then Hasbro/Avalon Hill/HasLab began hinting about HeroScape: Age of Annihilation – first with social media posts and then by displaying figures at GenCon 2022. Information began to dribble out through Reddit posts and the AH Discord channels and Craig Van Ness – one of the original designers – was involved. Then in October 2022, the crowdfunding campaign went live. (You can see the crowdfunding site, with lots of pictures… it’s still there.)
Reaction was mixed – even with an initial surge of folks willing to plop down $250 for Vanguard edition (essentially a new master set), the crowdfunding petered off as various questions cropped up about the cost, the fact that the miniatures were unpainted, the focus on fantasy/sci-fi elements to the exclusion of historical and/or trope-based figures, and the weird choices prior to (focusing exclusively on Discord to share details) and during (making major campaign changes 20 days into the effort when it became clear it wasn’t going to reach the goal.
In fairness, the long-time Heroscape players remember buying the initial master set for $40 in 2004… and the intervening 18 years did not make production less expensive nor reduce the cost of mass-producing painted figures. I’m afraid our expectations may have been out of whack – but I don’t think HasLab did a particularly good job of responding to those concerns in real time. One particular issue was the one-size-fits-all choice – spend $250 or get nothing.
When the crowdfunding campaign was unsuccessful in attracting enough backers (HasLab’s goal was 8,000 backers – they ended the campaign in November 2020 with 4,300), Avalon Hill announced that they were done (for the time being) with Heroscape
And with that, I truly thought that we could stick a fork in any more HeroScape.
I was wrong.
Part Two: In Which the Author Finds A Phoenix Rising From the Ashes (In Other Words, Heroscape Lives!)
Just seven months later, the good folks at Renegade Game Studios dropped this bombshell:
And with that, the speculation began once again… with fans perusing the press release searching for textual clues like they were rabbinical scholars working over the Talmud. It seemed clear that Renegade would not make the same mistake as HasLab, acknowledging from the beginning a need for “a variety of configurations and price points” as well as hinting at “terrain boxes” and “faction boxes”.
Part Three: In Which the Renegade Team Introduces Themselves and Gives The Rest of Us a Glimpse of What Might Be Around the Corner
The panel Renegade hosted on Saturday afternoon is well worth your time – but I’m still going to compile some choice bits and interesting information for those who don’t want to listen in on a 55 minute conversation about Heroscape and the game design process.
Five folks were on the panel:
The team acknowledged that there’s a lot of goodwill and nostalgia about Heroscape – so decisions are made with multiple elements in mind:
With those things in mind, they did confirm that they are working not simply to make a big single release but to create a living game and a “healthy line”. (A couple of times, they referred to “multiple waves”.) There will be a master set (with lots of terrain and lots of figures)… but there will also be a “starter set” with a lower price point to act as an entry point for new players and folks who can’t afford to jump straight into a master set.
Scott also noted that the Avalon Hill Heroscape team “went a little crazy” with their designs… giving the Renegade team a challenge to figure out how to make it work “because they are a little nuts.” (Scott then referenced ‘the blimp’ – which, I will grant, is conceptually cool but looks like a bear to produce as a figure.)
Rowan shared that playtesting is ongoing… both initial internal playtesting and a wider playtester pool as figures are closer to “finished”. She also shared their process for designing new figures from scratch – which is actually a series of questions/factors to consider:
They also let us know that you can apply to be a playtester – here’s the link!
With all of that shared, Scott began answering questions from the chat…
The current plan is to reveal MUCH more detail in the first quarter of 2024… specifically about Wave One. (And, yes, the mention of Wave One does mean that there are multiple waves being planned.) Scott was clear with the assembled folks who wanted more details: “we’re not going to tell you things until they’re ready.”
Finally – the game will release in 2024.
In closing, they reminded us to sign up for the Heroscape newsletter and that the best way to interact with the team members was through the Renegade Discord.
Part Four: In Which the Author Returns To React To All the News and Gives Himself Permission to Dream a Bit
By the time Renegade’s new wave of Heroscape stuff hits the street, it will have been 20 years since Frank Branham emailed me and told me to head to the closest Wal-Mart with $40 in hand and pick up a copy of Rise of the Valkyrie (the first Heroscape Master Set). Over the next six years, I bought, traded for, and/or was given at least one of each release – and in many cases, multiples of certain figure and terrain packs. They currently reside in three rolling cases in my office closet – waiting for my boys to get home from college to set up some serious battles in my new game room.
I am smack dab in the center of ONE of the target audiences for Renegade’s new Heroscape material. Note: I said ONE of the target audiences – but for the game to be successful, they need to bring in a lot of new players who don’t have a deep connection to the game Hasbro released between 2004-2010.
So, please take my reactions and suggestions that follow with a rather large grain of salt – I’m speaking as somebody who left this up in his game room for weeks while my sons, their best friend, and I played a 6000 points per side epic battle most afternoons after school.
All photos in this article are from the HasLab Age of Annihilation crowdfunding or the author’s personal collection.
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