Phat J talks about his current obsession, Warzone Resurrection, from Prodos Games.
Since I was 12 years old and spied someone meticulously cleaning their metal models at a Boy Scout summer camp and was told they were from a game called Warzone, I have been in love with that game and universe. The whole WWI aesthetic with futuristic weaponry and Megacorporations and mutants and Daemons with quasi magical powers really sparked my imagination as a young teenager and you can imagine my excitement when several years ago I learned that a company named Prodos was revamping the game. Recently Prodos released the second edition of the game, so I decided to write up a quick list on why you should be playing this amazing tabletop miniature game.
- The Universe is Amazing!
One of the main things that fascinated me with Warzone Mutant Chronicles was the universe that was built around the RPG and then the miniatures game. In the distant future, as our planet’s resources began to dwindle the human population began to rally around key magacorporations that became more powerful than the countries they originated from and would eventually replace. When these megacorporations then realized they would completely exhaust Earth’s resources in a matter of years they then decided to built giant ships to transport their most valuable employees (i.e. population) to the planets in our solar system which they then used advanced technology to terraform to suit human life. Of course the British corporation (Imperial) had to go and screw everything up by uncovering an ancient tablet on Pluto and unleashing the Dark Symmetry which corrupted mankind’s advanced technology and unleashed daemons and mutations throughout the human population. How cool does that sound!
- Gameplay is Smooth and Action is Constant!
Warzone Resurrection, like the original Warzone Mutant Chronicles uses the alternating unit activation sequencing so both players interact with each other throughout the turn. Individual models in units each have actions that can be used and models can be put on overwatch that can be given actions during an opponent’s turn. I find this type of gameplay much more interactive and satisfying than the traditional full turn activation that we are used to with 40k and other games like it.
- All Factions are Fully Fleshed Out
At this time all 7 factions in Warzone Rusurrection (Bauhaus, Mishima, Imperial, Capitol, Cybertonic, Brotherhood, and Dark Legion) are fully complete and ready for action! Unlike a lot of new games that come to the market, Prodos brought the revamped Warzone to us with full product ranges. Like most traditional wargames, each faction comes with different unit types and each faction has several options for each unit type available. You want to run a Hussar heavy Bauhaus force with Artillery? You can do that? How about their Vorreiters with heavy tanks support? You can do that to! Capitol, the American faction, has tons of different options for players. I personally run an Imperial army that focuses heavily on their numerous special forces options but I could easily run an Imperial army with foot slogging Trenchers and artillery tanks. There are so many options within all 7 factions! It’s the perfect game for a small game group to jump right into!
- It’s Inexpensive to Start
Unlike Warhammer 40k, Warzone Resurrection can be started for around $100. All you need is a starter box and a couple of auxillery units any you are ready to get started! The rulebooks are free pdf downloads from their website and if you want to scale up to large battles we are talking about maybe another $100-$150 for a couple more key units to add to your force.
- Prodos Continues to Release New Products
Not only did Prodos just release Warzone V2.0 with a tighter ruleset but they continue to release classic models such as the recent Vince Diamond for Cybertronic as well as brand new models for the game such as the Mule transport that all factions can use. It’s promising to see the company continuing to support the game for their existing customers and fans but also for new prospective fans that might be on the fence for starting a new game in a flooded market.
Bonus Point! The Models Look Amazing!
Prodos is known in the industry for producing amazing looking models, so much in fact that they have a patented a resin casting process called Unicast that companies all over the world employ them to produce their miniatures in. The details on the resin are crisp and the material is solid. Honestly, I have rarely seen such quality from a company that isn’t Games Workshop. Did I mention how affordable these models are? Did you know you can get Mitch Hunter AND Max Steiner to make the original Doom Troopers? HUH? AHHH!
So why not give the game a shot? At the very least you can download the pdf rulebook from their site, here, and read the fluff which is AMAZING. If you are interested we have damn near the entire product line in our second hand shop which is also AMAZING if you want the already affordable Warzone product at an additional AMAZING discount. So come on! There’s room for one more!
I really like Warzone but have yet to play a game. Does the game play like Infinity where ranged combat is very lethal? Melee combat is there but it is definitely secondary.
I get the impression that the game does make ranged combat very deadly.
Ron,
2.0 changed balance a little and now CC is as potent as range combat. Even after simplifying covers range is less effective it was in 1.0. Here is an example. Line infantryman with RS12 (hits on 1-12) gets -4 to hit for cover and -2 to hit for shooting at long range. 30% to hit. Most weapons get way better at close range (approx. 12″). Few units has extra to hit mods like Hard to Hit (x) (x depends on unit) that makes shooting even harder. There is also a new Evade action giving another to hit mod.
This does not mean shooting is bad! Not at all. But pure shooty lists will struggle against well-balanced mixed-arms lists. Also against CC experts that can infiltrate.
Big change is that in 1.0 there was no difference if a shooter was fighting in CC with a combat expert or noob. He was always as effective as his CC skills was but now CC units are harder to hit iso when a CC gets into shooty line things start to look bad for them.
Wow, the models look amazing, indeed! I guess you could proxy with GW models to test the rules?!
Yes, by all means, test it with proxies. The base sizes are roughly the same so go ahead! And if you´re not too much into Wrz lore… wait for the AvP ruleset which will be fully compatible with Warzone.
It’s a great game 4 sure, and with 2.0 ruleset it’s a lot more smoother and quite more balanced than the previous edition.
All in all a fantastic game that y’all should try, at least once?
If you want to give it a try using proxy, I suggest you using each a squad of 5 troops and a character un a 2×2 surface: you’ll get the basic very quick and you will see if you’ll like to know more 😉
Game flows great. Balance issues are few and far between. I’ve found ONE thing that’s a tad OP, but manageable. CC is LETHAL if you get to it, which shouldn’t be impossible with 50% terrain and Losblock.
In the entire range, there’s like 2-3 units/models that doesn’t tickle my fancy, but the rest is STUNNING. (Valkyries, Etoiles mortants, and the Fenris bike). That’s it. In a range of 7 factions (9 if you count Wolfbanes and Illian…).
Love this game. Rules, fluff and models. Theres been some trouble with missing pieces or miscasts in boxes, but Prodos customer service is friendly, down to earth and probably the best I’ve encountered. Any problem and they’ve sorted it ASAP. Including express delivery of ONE missing part. E-mailed on a friday, and an out of breath DHL driver delivered it monday frikkin morning. Halfway across frikkin europe. The company even helps out with posters and prize support for tournies.
Even their FB page is a great community. Going to shut up now, cause I just can’t praise this game enugh.
I will say, Warzone is not as cheap as it appears at first. The tanks / larger items are quite expensive.
If you like DOOM, you’ll like the fluff. Otherwise, you won’t. It’s pretty bare bones.
Hi all !
i think, Warzone Ressurection is amazing
i think (Phat , i thought you are from vietnam) , i must say in 40k,
if you take : a Thunderfire Cannon, and a Heavy bolter
lets say “you take, a battalion, of IG, and Space marines
on this point of doing roster, “you are stuck – because – your battle plan, assumes, using
this 2 units.
and – you must build a whole army, around “two light artillery units”
so : you think “how much infantry OMG
It makes – no sense !