World of Tanks Starter Set Board Game Review

We're gonna keep fighting. Is that CLEAR? We're gonna attack...

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OK. But is there a weather prayer card?

Sounds awesome... but collectible. Nein. Verboten.

I appreciate your art in this review, but you didn't speak much to the feel of the game. Is this like X-Wing where your opponent can barrel-roll out of your shot and the work you did teeing them up is canceled by a tactical get-out-of-jail-free technicality after the fact? X-Wing always felt like I was playing against Mitch McConnell.

Because tanks are lumbering things even on a good day. It seems to me this should be more of a stand-and-deliver sort of game. That doesn't sound terribly dynamic to me unless you have a lot of small pieces to configure to make the game interesting, either within the tank or with a dozen of them to choose from. Sounds like more of a Sails of Glory kind of play than an X-Wing, and Sails of Glory doesn't come alive until you have four on a side or more.

Example -- "pinning" a tank with small fire was Allied best practice. Is that kind of thing in the game? Ammunition selection and the like? I'm not expecting a sim, but if this is tank on tank (instead of squad on squad like Memoir and the like) shooting at each other could get pretty doggone tedious.

I'll expand a bit when I'm not on my phone but it's more of an arcade feel. Throw some power ups on a tank, some easy to grasp rules, movement makes you harder to hit but also makes it harder for you to fire, everyone rolls some dice, some hits get canceled, some cause a critical hit.

Wow, I was heavily addicted to this video game for a long while. I should probably stay FAR away from this...

This is Battlefront/GF9's previous "Tanks" game re-branded with the World Of Tanks presentation. So there's less historical interest, and more tilt towards the online game, particularly with the new visual style. And now the tanks come pre-assembled & primed in color, where they used to come on sprues (as they are the same as Battlefront's Flames Of War tanks.)

p.s.
I have this brand new World Of Tanks starter plus all 4 Wave-1 tanks (also brand new) that I would be willing to trade for something Mantic-related. If anyone is keen to try it out themselves.

ubarose wrote: Is this the "Penetration!" and "We didn't even scratch them" game?

Spoken like a long suffering spouse whose significant other played lots of WOT. "Can you at least turn off the quips?"
(Yes, it is that game)

I’ve got a review coming on this as well. I like it a lot- it’s extremely simple- simpler than X-Wing. It’s basically a B&P tank game, not a WWII armor sim with virtually all the detail handled with upgrade cards. It is basically Tanks rebooted with 1 (one) big rules addition for being hull down.

I especially like that it is ahistorical. You can field whatever you want, it’s just about the tanks. It’s basically Atari 2600 Combat as a table top game.

fightcitymayor wrote: This is Battlefront/GF9's previous "Tanks" game re-branded with the World Of Tanks presentation. So there's less historical interest, and more tilt towards the online game, particularly with the new visual style. And now the tanks come pre-assembled & primed in color, where they used to come on sprues (as they are the same as Battlefront's Flames Of War tanks.)

p.s.
I have this brand new World Of Tanks starter plus all 4 Wave-1 tanks (also brand new) that I would be willing to trade for something Mantic-related. If anyone is keen to try it out themselves.

PM sent

Michael Barnes wrote: I’ve got a review coming on this as well. I like it a lot- it’s extremely simple- simpler than X-Wing. It’s basically a B&P tank game, not a WWII armor sim with virtually all the detail handled with upgrade cards. It is basically Tanks rebooted with 1 (one) big rules addition for being hull down.

I especially like that it is ahistorical. You can field whatever you want, it’s just about the tanks. It’s basically Atari 2600 Combat as a table top game.

You think they will stick with WW2 era stuff? I don't really follow WoT to know if they have more modern machines but even with the plethora of different models available across the spectrum of WW2 it seems like moving up to Korea and the 60's/70's at least would add a lot of desired and familiar models for a minis game. Not sure if they would even care to accurately model the tech differences or whatnot.

jason10mm wrote:

Michael Barnes wrote: I’ve got a review coming on this as well. I like it a lot- it’s extremely simple- simpler than X-Wing. It’s basically a B&P tank game, not a WWII armor sim with virtually all the detail handled with upgrade cards. It is basically Tanks rebooted with 1 (one) big rules addition for being hull down.

I especially like that it is ahistorical. You can field whatever you want, it’s just about the tanks. It’s basically Atari 2600 Combat as a table top game.

You think they will stick with WW2 era stuff? I don't really follow WoT to know if they have more modern machines but even with the plethora of different models available across the spectrum of WW2 it seems like moving up to Korea and the 60's/70's at least would add a lot of desired and familiar models for a minis game. Not sure if they would even care to accurately model the tech differences or whatnot.

I'll have to pull out the wave 1 thru 4 sheet they included but i know they have two already announced:
www.gf9games.com/worldoftanks/772/headin...3-lee-and-valentine/

Jason, the video game has a Space Marine Predator and I think one other 40K tank so who knows!

A collectible(?) minis game model is gonna have to work a bit differently than a video game I think. If they branch out into all of the tank destroyers and various other artillery pieces and infantry fighting vehicles they can stay in WW2 forever, but if the focus is tanks tanks tanks then the well is somewhat limited. IIRC they don't have to license the visual likeness of modern US military equipment since it is all taxpayer funded (probably the same for all major armed forces) so the sky is the limit until they get to the experimental stuff.

There is a "World of Battleships" video game as well, right? THAT would be an interesting one, I don't think there is an arcadey 20th century ship fighting game since.....Carrier Strike maybe? Even Hunt for Red October was surprisingly realistic feeling. Tough to do good minis for those though I imagine.