The Objective Approach

A QUICK WORD ON THE NEW BATTLEFIELD OBJECTIVE SET

I've been waiting for a set like this for some time - and now it's here on my gaming table. Awesome.

Released last week, the Battlefield Objective set brings some brilliantly detailed Objective Counters and a set of Game Event Cards to Dystopian Wars. Each of the eight Counters is unique and carries it's own Dystopian flavour, from the simple Observatory, and industrial Drill to the mysterious Tesseract and the crackling Concentric Energy Rings - a personal favourite.

First impressions are great - they're about the size of a 25mm base you might use for 28mm wargames, with some excellent little details. They have no further detail beyond the object itself and the edging of the Counter (like a TFT token), but I like this as they will not look out of place on land or sea.

If you wanted an Objective linked to the terrain of the board - something that looked like it belonged there rather than a clearly separate Token like these, I don't think it would be difficult to build up something around them, using them as a basis for a large construction or conversion. I might buy a second set for that purpose - build a factory involving some of the industrial looking pieces, or a small excavation site/laboratory around the more esoteric pieces like the strange Tesseract.

The boxset also includes a small guide on how to use the Objectives with the Game Event Cards, a simple system for those games where you haven't made a specific scenario in mind. Get near an Objective Token, see if you recover it, and draw a card - which may help you win the game, or hinder your chances. This way of using the Objectives makes them a supplement to a standard games, rather than the ultimate objective, which I think is a great idea.

The Game Event Cards, drawn each time you capture one the Objectives, are not game breaking but a nice mixture of buffs, bonus Victory Points or dangerous Booby Traps that shouldn't swing the game too far in favour of either player. I'm a particular fan of the Medical Supplies card, and look forward to using them.

I'm not usually a fan of "Mysterious Objectives," but since the Cards tend to be one-off results that are played immediately (or at least only used once per game), they don't complicate the game to a great extent.

Overall this is a small and understated release that I think will enhance the game a great deal without penalising those who do not purchase it. Even ignoring the Cards, it adds eight lovely pieces to an already extensive terrain selection, and has a great deal of potential for expansion.

I look forward to the set being used in future Campaign Books and scenarios, and intend to have them feature in a future AAR myself.

Thanks for reading,

George