Review: Warfighter: The WWII Tactical Combat Card Game

Warfighter

Players: 1-6

Publisher: Dan Verssen Games

Year: 2016

An immensely popular period in media is the Second World War. Besides countless books, there are many movies and videogames coming out. In this review, we’ll deal with a different sort of medium, a boardgame: Warfighter: The WWII Tactical Combat Card Game.

The game is suited for one to six players and allows the players to lead a squad of soldiers in combat. The game is divided in two halves, one regarding the preparation for the mission and the other one carrying out the mission. The base game allows players to play as the Americans against the Germans. People play together on the same team to fulfill the mission.

The first part consists of selecting the soldiers and their equipment for the mission. Often this is up to the player, but some missions and objectives can impose certain restrictions on load-out and/or equipment. A mission that will take longer needs to be prepared in a different way than a mission that is resolved in a few turns. The points can be used to buy special equipment, such as weapons or tools, but also skills that can be used. Some skills even allow the player to spend more points on equipment, as they have certain detrimental effects. Part of the fun of this game consists of gearing up your soldiers for battle. Bringing more soldiers might seem beneficial, but you also need to take care of them, as in moving them forward and if they die they influence your remaining soldiers. Will you take a medic or would you rather spend the points on a sniper rifle? The bazooka is fun, but the grease gun also looks interesting. Certain choices will need to be made and these will impact your options during the mission.

               As soon as your team is ready, the second half can start. A turn plays out as follows: the player has a limited amount of action points that can be spent on the soldiers. These points can be used for combat, moving, reloading or other actions. Combat often consists of shooting, where enemies can be killed, suppressed or missed. The chances of suppressing the enemy are significantly greater than killing, or missing, them and this is vital to the game. Suppressed enemies pose a smaller risk than unsuppressed enemies, because they are hiding from your bullets. Unsuppressed enemies often results in wounded or killed soldiers. After it the enemy’s turn is resolved. They get reinforcements, attack their designated targets and try to get closer. Lastly a suppressed counter is removed and the mission timer is advanced by one.

The Set-Up help 

The turn and attac ksequence help

What I like about this game is that it’s co-op. There’s a huge narrative element in the game and it feels as if you are playing out a movie or videogame where a squad of American soldiers saves the day at the last moment. There are several interesting mechanics as well. The main drawback is, for me, the rulebook. There are many processes, rules, exception in this game. The rules are not always easy to grasp and they can be a bit confusing. A list of keywords is supplied, so a lot of cross-referencing will be done to check if everything is correct or to clarify the rules. On the board there are several reminders and helps to smoothen the gameplay.

On the other hand, it’s admirable how the creators managed to create such a rich game as this. There are so many options to choose from! There's plenty of weapons, soldiers, skills and other equipment to equip your soldiers with. The game can be played solo, which is a benefit as well. Everything together, this game feels like a videogame or movie and it’s suitable for people that prefer playing a boardgame above watching a movie. Grab a few friends, a few drinks and play this game.