The Halo Tabletop Game – Reviewing Halo: Flashpoint – Spartan Edition

Written by Bob Burgog

Did you know that the Halo video game franchise is now more than 20-years-old? First released in 2021, the series has been through its difficult teenage years and is now probably thinking about saving for a mortgage and settling down… although ironically, saving for the house deposit will probably take until 2560 when the first video game is set. In those 20+ years, Halo has graced the tabletop in various forms (HeroClix and Fleet Battles among them) but most have sunk without a trace. So can Flashpoint finally turn the tide?

Well, the short answer is definitely ‘yes’. Published by Mantic Games - the brains behind the likes of The Walking Dead: All Out War and Hellboy (which both successfully translated popular licences to the tabletop), the team has done a (mostly) great job in creating a fun, fast-paced skirmish game that’s a decent entry point for newcomers to wargaming. Perhaps recognising that for many Halo fans this will be their first experience of a tabletop wargame, Mantic has gone to great lengths to ensure it’s very easy to pick up and play.

Halo: Flashpoint: First Impressions

This is apparent from the moment you open the box. Firstly there’s the fact that all the models come pre-assembled - so no worries about accidentally glueing your fingers together - and they’re modelled in suitably chunky coloured plastic. There are two of each miniature in either blue or red (which is perfect considering Flashpoint is inspired by the various multiplayer modes) and in the Spartan Edition you also get four Banished Elite minis too.

However, the real masterstroke is the inclusion of thick, cardboard terrain that’s easily slotted together in order to create buildings and smaller objects that block line of sight. Terrain is often a real sticking point for miniature wargames and can often be more difficult to put together than the actual minis (see Star Wars: Shatterpoint and Warcry from Games Workshop), so this cardboard terrain is most welcome.

Playing Halo: Flashpoint

In another effort to make the game as user-friendly as possible, Mantic has borrowed a key mechanic from another of its popular skirmish games: Deadzone. You see, instead of having to use a tape measure to see how far a character can move or shoot, Flashpoint uses Deadzone’s cube mechanic for movement and shooting. The playing area is split into an 8x8 grid and each grid is a 3D ‘cube’ that can tower up into the air as far as you want. Say a character has a Speed stat of 2-3, it means they can move up to three cubes from their starting point.

Once you’ve moved you can then place a miniature anywhere within the cube to try and gain cover. For the most part it’s a fantastically intuitive system that massively speeds up gameplay and stops ponderous arguments about whether or not a character can move 3.6-inches. However, things become a little more confusing when moving orthogonally up a ‘stack’ of cubes, thanks to some slightly clunky wording in the rulebook. It definitely takes a couple of Turns to get to grips with more complicated movement but, once you do, you’ll never want to see a tape measure on the tabletop ever again.

The cube system is also used when shooting. For example, if a gun has a range of 4, you just count the number of cubes to check whether a target is in range. Easy! Even better, Flashpoint clears up a potentially contentious area of wargaming: cover.

There have been countless times when we’ve found ourselves discussing whether or not a miniature is in cover, but Flashpoint pretty much does away with this. Instead, if you can see all of a miniature (excluding any extruding guns or limbs) you get two bonus dice.

What’s more, if you’ve got a higher vantage point than your target, you get another bonus dice. As a result, tactical placement is absolutely key to Flashpoint and adds another layer to gameplay as you become more experienced.

When it comes to combat - whether shooting or hand-to-hand - Flashpoint uses another simple method that was introduced in Deadzone. All tests start by gathering up three D8s and then adding (or occasionally subtracting) dice depending upon the situation - e.g. a miniature that is on higher ground has a +1 modifier, so will roll four dice. Then it’s just a case of rolling the dice and trying to equal or exceed your character’s Ra stat.

It’s such a quick and intuitive method of combat that combined with the cube-based movement, ensures gameplay maintains a snappy pace. Once you’ve rolled to attack, your opponent has the opportunity to try and Survive. Once again they grab three dice, apply any modifiers, then you both compare the number of successes. If the attacker wins, the foe is potentially damaged.

However, perhaps the most exciting mechanic in combat is the concept of ‘headshots’. If you ever roll an 8, it means you can roll another dice… which could potentially also roll an 8 and each counts as a success. It adds a wonderful unpredictability to proceedings and creates some fantastically cinematic moments when the underdog manages to roll three 8s and dodge an otherwise killer blow.

A nice touch that’s taken directly from the video games is the addition of Energy Shields. Before you can cause damage, you must deplete a model’s Energy Shields by scoring successful hits and then you’ll be able to cause damage. However, shields recharge each round - so you’ve really got to make a decision about which characters you target before their shields regenerate. It’s absolutely classic Halo. In another great nod to the multiplayer aspect of the franchise, if your character dies it’s not game over. Instead, they’ll respawn ready to re-enter the fight.

As a result - and combined with the ‘headshots’ - there are often moments when you can risk-it-all to grab a key objective or take out an enemy, rather than always playing it safe. Flashpoint really rewards those risky plays and, if it doesn’t pan out, well, you’ll just respawn back to the start.

Halo: Flashpoint Drawbacks

The only thing that holds Flashpoint back from being a perfect intro to skirmish wargaming is the fact there are still a lot of rules. Although you can quickly put together the scenery and the miniatures are pre-built, there’s still a 46-page rulebook to slog through. Of course, you can watch an online tutorial to get through the basics but it won’t help with things like the keywords.

Often characters and weapons will have special abilities that are listed with keywords on a stat card. Unfortunately, to find out what that keyword means, you need to head back to the rulebook where there’s a list of 41 abilities - some of which have a half-page description. This just means that during your first games, there’s a lot of stopping to look up a keyword, which stops the otherwise fast-paced gameplay.

It’s compounded further by the fact you can pick up items during the course of the game which, you guessed it, have more keywords! A reference card - or even having abilities listed on the unit cards - would have made the initial games that much smoother. 

Halo: Flashpoint Verdict

You should play this. Halo: Flashpoint is a near-flawless effort to bring the Halo franchise to the tabletop. Gameplay is fast-paced, furious and, most importantly, incredibly fun. It’s just held back - at least as an intro to wargaming - by the clunky keyword mechanic. Get past that though and you’re in for a fantastic ride.

Try it if you liked Star Wars: Shatterpoint. If you’ve played countless battles between Anakin and Darth Maul and are looking to scratch your sci-fi skirmish itch (perhaps get that looked at, by the way), then Flashpoint is an excellent choice.

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About Halo: Flashpoint

Designer: Ian Davies

Publisher: Mantic Games

Time: 30-120 minutes

Players: 2

Ages: 14+

Price: £100

What’s in the box?

• 16 Spartan models
• 4 Banished Elite models
• Rulebook
• Play mat
• Pre-coloured card terrain and tokens
• Deluxe 2-sided play board
• 20 Weapon cards
• Extra terrain and tokens
• 20 Player/model cards
• 3 Reference cards
• 12 D8 dice
• 8 Command dice
• Plastic 3D arena accessories