Rivet Wars: Eastern Front review

CoolMiniorNot | Wargame | £79.99 | 2 players | 30 minutes | www.rivetwars.com 

Who would have thought the horrors of the trenches could be turned into such a charming board game? Thanks to Rivet Wars’ unique art style, the steampunk-style soldiers and vehicles are more pretty, than gritty! However, that cute appearance hides a solid core of brutal killing and warfare, perfect for armchair generals. Based, very loosely, on World War I, Rivet Wars is a miniatures-based tactical wargame that sees players facing off against each other using a range of soldiers, tanks, vehicles and even steam-powered robots.

Each player has a deployment zone either side of the board and the map initially starts with nothing on it. So, depending upon the scenario, players can then deploy their chosen troops at the start of each turn. There’s a tactical choice to be made, however, because the units have different points values – do you send in the expensive, powerful tanks or try and swamp the enemy with soldiers? Thankfully deployment points are refreshed at the start of each turn… which is a blessing because the battlefield quickly becomes a bloody mess with units popping their clogs (or should that be cogs?) all over the place. Combat itself is a breeze. Each unit has a range and attack value, along with a certain amount of dice that can be used, depending upon the chosen target.

The latter element is really what helps Rivet Wars to stand out because certain units are more effective against a particular target, e.g. a rifleman is great against infantry and can roll three attack dice but is useless against armoured vehicles, whereas rocket launchers get more dice when attacking vehicles but are poor against infantry. It’s a clever mechanic that creates some tactical choices for the player. Rivet Wars is a brilliant title for real-time strategy or steampunk fans, with simple but tactical gameplay and amazing miniatures, this is certainly one to watch for future expansions.

Buy your copy here.

This article originally appeared in the first issue of Tabletop Gaming. Pick up the latest issue of the UK's fastest-growing gaming magazine in print or digital here or subscribe to make sure you never miss another issue.

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