Review: War of the Worlds: France

War of the Worlds: France

Player: 1
Publisher: Dan Verssen Games

Year: 2018

A copy of this game was supplied by the publisher for the purpose of this review.

H. G. Wells War of the Worlds is a classic in fiction. It inspired many movies, series, board- and videogames. DVG’s The War of the Worlds places the invasion of the martians on a global level and allows the player to take control at a tactical and strategical level. As earth is being invaded, you need to organize the human defenses and beat back the martian invaders. However, instead of invading the United Kingdom, the martians attack France!

Everything was peaceful in France, before the martian nation invasion attacked!

There are several ways the game can end: A Martian or Human victory based upon victory points, a Human Germ win or a Martian Colonization win. The Martians can gain points for capturing people, refugees and military units, or by devastating the country. If they acquire enough points, they can colonize France and win. The Humans can gain points by evacuating refugees or by starting production. If they have enough points, the humans win based upon biological warfare. Of course, the Martians can also win if they assemble their flying saucer or if Paris is destroyed.

The player’s turn consist of the production phase, where soldiers, ports or other things can be acquired or moved. Infantry, which costs 6 points, is cheaper than siege guns, which costs 16 points. The infantry however can’t destroy Tripods in a battle, but the siege guns can obliterate them. Based upon the still working factories you gain a certain number of points to use. However, infantry can be captured, which gives victory points to the martians, unlike the siege guns.
               Next is the battle phase, where all the battles are resolved, but only on land. Battles continue until either side is wiped out. The danger in battles is that units can be captured, which would mean extra victory points for the martians.

               Afterwards in the devastation phase, the martians wreak havoc. This can range from the loss of workers to refugees fleeing from the martian advance. The loss of workers means trouble for the production later on and they can’t be replaced easily.

               After this has been resolved, there’s the human action phase. Different actions can be taken here, such as moving units or refugees. This if followed by the escape phase, where naval battles are resolved. This is also fought until one side is wiped out.

               Up next are the martians, who receive reinforcements at set intervals and can perform different actions, based upon what the humans are doing. For example, they can work on their flying machine, which would mean a martian victory if the four parts are built. At the end of the martian turn, their points are counted. The of the countryside that has been laid to waste, the more points they get for their colonization victory. In the assembly phase, the martians can receive additional machines, which help them get more tripods later on.

The tripods. Left one used for sea battles, the right is used for land battles.

Interesting is that the battles on land or on the sea are fought differently. The naval battles are about securing safe passage for the freighters with refugees. As long as they aren’t captured by the martians, it can be considered a victory, even if all of your warships are destroyed in the process. The battles on land are much more aggressive and about annihilating the opponent. In order to achieve this various tools are at your disposal. They battles feel like mini-games within a larger game and can be highly entertaining.

              

The same tripods, but damaged. 

It blends elements of tactical skirmishes and strategical games very well! Generally the die has three outcomes: green, yellow, red, which can have different meanings depending on the context in which they are used. Three sides are green, two yellow and one red. The mix of both the strategic battles and the tactical conflict is really interesting.

               While a benefit, it also has a downside. The Martian-AI is relatively simple. Of course, it could have been interesting to have the option to play as the martians, actively trying to colonize Earth, but that would be a whole different game. Of course, it would be impossible to blend both elements together in the same box. 

               Sometimes it feels a bit awkward to have the battles reduced to such a roll of the die. Also units can’t be retreated. So warships that survived the battle can’t be used in another battle. This is a bit of a gamble sometimes, as certain battles are almost an immediate loss and the forces could better be used elsewhere.

Most outstanding feature?

I would say the battle maps as well as the many counters. As such, the game combines elements of wargames, and miniature games. The battles aren’t only fought on the battlefield, where the player resolves combat between the humans and the martians, but also on a national scale. In this case it’s France, but it could also have been the US, the UK or Japan.

               The nice part of it is that it forces you to think on a tactical level, what works on the battlefield and how do you destroy the enemy, while also keeping an eye on the strategy, what creates the most beneficial situation for your soldiers and ships? You aren’t merely focused on destroying the enemy, but how to achieve victory in the long run. In order to achieve that it might be beneficial to sacrifice a few units in order to set up a trap, which destroys the martian attacks.

Overall the game fits in the niche between miniature wargaming and boardgames. It allows player from either side to experience the themes with which they are familiar, while also adding elements from the other side to it. It fits in here very well! There’s plenty of counters and tokens to go around. The game is more complex than some boardgames, but light enough to be enjoyable and swift.