Warhammer Invasion Card Game

Review

Warhammer Invasion... what’s not to love? Well, I guess that obviously depends on who you are. If you’re a bit like me: overly hairy, likes games, and digs the Warhammer world in every way but for the painting/collecting aspect then this truly is a fantastic proposition from FFG. All folks like us need now is someone who feels the same way to play it with...

Assuming you know someone (or if you’re really lucky 3 someones) then you should get something like a battle fix from this card game. It is simple to pick up and play, despite the rulebook’s best attempts to make you feel otherwise. And it pays the Warhammer world due homage with some quality artwork. But enough of this, what you want to know about is how it plays right?

There are four factions to play as. Two fight for Order – the human Empire, and the stoic Dwarves. The other two for Disorder – the barbaric Orcs, and the twisted forces of Chaos.
You pick a faction, take a ‘Capital’ board and a deck of cards representing your forces, and shuffle in a number of cards from the neutral deck (mainly representing fortifications) for good measure.
Then you play in typical FFG phase-based fashion.
The first phase sees you drawing resources which you can spend on units, special attacks and tactic cards.
The second phase sees you drawing cards from your deck to place in your hand.
The amount you draw as either resources or cards is determined by the amount of power (little Warhammer symbols) marked on the cards in either the Kingdom or Quest zones of your Capital. You with me so far?
The third phase sees you placing cards into either of the afore mentioned zones (to make yourself more capable of fielding an impressive army) or into your Battlefield zone. Cards placed in your Battlefield can be used to attack your opponents Capital, which is where it gets interesting for armchair warmongers such as myself.
To attack, you declare which zone you’re going to grind into the dust (usually the least heavily fortified) and what units you’re going to use. The defender declares his defensive force. You both tot up your power, and then dish out the damage tokens. Any attacking power left after the defending units are dead is assigned as damage to the Capital zone.
When a Capital zone takes all the damage it can, it burns. Once two of your opponents zones are alight, he is toast and out of the game.
Simples. Well maybe. You also get a host of Tactic and Quest cards to spice up the action, but you’ll have to buy a copy to see how these work.

All in all this is a really cool game and I’ve found myself rather looking forward to picking up the expansions. Possible downsides... maybe you’ve got to be a bit of Warhammer-head to truly ‘get it’ and maybe true living card gamers can point out better titles. I’ve personally never found LCGs all that attractive until now, so perhaps this game with its familiar warring minions is a nice bridge between two distinct gaming cultures. At the very least if you’re looking to kick your buddy’s armour-plated ass without resorting to a life of collecting and painting miniatures then you won’t go wrong with Invasion. Saying that, this game has brought me dark urges to pick up a paint brush again... oh Sigmar help me, I’m so confused!!!

by Chris 07/02/2010

£25.90

Download Rules for Warhammer Invasion
Manufacturer	Fantasy Flight Games
Age Range	14 +
Playing Time	30 mins
Number of Players	2
Difficulty	Easy
Learning Curve	Medium
Theme	Fantasy, Warhammer
	Warhammer Invasion Rulebook - English

Back of the Box Blurb

Warhammer Invasion Card Game Living Card Game (LCG):

Warhammer Invasion The Card Game is a two player duelling card game that can be played using only the contents of this Core Set. In addition, Warhammer: Invasion The Card Game is also a Living Card Game (or LCG), and your enjoyment and experience of the game can be customized and enhanced through the addition of 40-card expansions called Battle Packs. Each Battle Pack provides you with new options and strategies for each of the decks in this set, as well as cards you can use to build original decks of your very own. The Warhammer: Invasion LCG can be played both casually, with your friends, or competitively, through the organized play program that is officially sanctioned by Fantasy Flight Games.

Warhammer Invasion Card Game Overview:

The Warhammer: Invasion LCG is played in three zones: the kingdom, the quest zone, and the battlefield. Armies, heroes, villains, and creatures from the Old World are played into these zones, with the goal of acquiring resources in the kingdom, drawing more cards in the quest zone, and attacking the opponent in the battlefield. Attacking the opponent leads to the ultimate goal of burning down the sections of his capital. The first player to burn two of the three sections on his opponent’s capital wins the game.

The Old World seethes with ancient rivalries and boils in the cauldron of savage warfare. Enemies and allies alike face off against one another to settle ancient claims, and to live the glory of battle for themselves.

Brought to you by famed designer Eric M. Lang, Warhammer: Invasion The Card Game is a two-player card game of intense warfare, clever kingdom management, and epic questing. Players must carefully allocate their resources as they seek to build their kingdom, complete quests, and attack the enemy's capital.

Will you play the indestructible grudge-bearing Dwarfs, the shrewd and manoeuvrable Empire, the savage and destructive Orcs, or the entropic and mutating forces of Chaos? Or will you cleverly craft an alliance, playing the combined might of the forces of either Order or Destruction?

Warhammer Invasion LCG Core Set contains:

1 Rulebook
220 Cards representing 4 factions
4 Capital Boards
35 Resource Tokens
60 Damage Tokens
4 Burning Tokens

Warhammer Invasion Card Game Story Introduction:

Welcome to the Old World, a land of vast kingdoms, epic quests, and fierce, bloody battles. In the North, the forces of Chaos gather to spread death and destruction throughout the civilised lands. Vast hordes of ferocious Orcs swarm across the continent. Cruel and malicious Dark Elves plot their own breed of dominion from their dark towers. Pitted against these armies of destruction are the stout Dwarfs in their mountain strongholds. The noble and mysterious High Elves from distant Ulthuan have also answered the call to arms. And the brave, resourceful soldiers of the Empire never back away from a fight...