War of the Worlds: The New Wave Game Redux

War of the Worlds: The New Wave Game

A two-player asymmetric game set in the years after H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds where humans defend against invading aliens.

Tripods & Triplanes, The War of the Worlds in Wings of Glory

 

 

Tripods & Triplanes Tripod Packs

Tripods & Triplanes is the result of the creative effort of many different talents.

• Andrea Angiolino, Marco Maggi, Francesco Nepitello- Tripods & Triplanes Game Designers 
• Andrea Angiolino and Pier Giorgio Paglia - Designers of the original Wings of Glory system
• Bob Naismith - Sculptor
• David Szilagyi - Main Art
• Dario Calì - Additional Game Art
• Gareth Hanrahan - Creative Writing
• Fabio Maiorana - Art Direction
• Laura Neri - Graphic Design
• Roberto Di Meglio - Publisher & Producer

We must also give our special thanks to the video production team. I Licaoni, and to our voice talent, Laurence O'Brien.

The Martians Have Landed! Wings of Glory Tripods and Triplanes Kick Starter Preview!

By Rick Martin

Tripods and Triplanes Wings of Glory Expansion Game Preview. Publisher: Ares Games Designer: Andrea Angiolino, Marco Maggi and Francesco Nepitello
Rick Martin

Ares Games brings 2017 to a triumphant end with yet more Wings of Glory goodness! This time the Earth is uniting against an alien threat! Tripods and Triplanes has hit Kick Starter!

From Ares Games’ own description – 
“March 18th, 1918: the nearest approach of planet Mars to Earth. The First World War suddenly changes into a War of the Worlds, when what appears as a meteor shower falls over a wood in Alsace. A few hours later, just after dawn, an army of giant alien fighting machines appear out of the trees and starts burning villages and houses with their lethal heat-rays, leaving pestilential trails of black smoke behind them.

A truce is hurriedly signed between the warring nations and, against the advancing Martian tripods, the best war machines of Earth are dispatched, manned by the most gallant and skilled warriors of our planet!

In Wings of Glory – Tripods & Triplanes, the knights of the air of WW1 battle against colossal fighting machines sent by the Martians to invade Earth. Take control of an awesome Martian Tripod, set upon bringing death and destruction on our planet… or fly on the most advanced flying machines created by Mankind during World War One, and try to use them to win the War of the Worlds.

Tripods and Triplanes is a new, stand-alone game, but it is fully compatible with the WW1 Wings of Glory collection.”

The Martian miniatures are stunningly designed; they look like an alien steam punk fusion. Currently there are four different types of Martian tripods. Each tripod is rated for its weapon systems – heat rays of various types plus black smoke projectors, movement speed and maneuverability, hull points, energy points and force field locations.

The Tripods use a movement system which is the same as the World War I Wings of Glory aircrafts. For each movement the player lays out a card. The tripods don’t fly as much as walk and run over the ground. For each three card sequence, the tripods must either stand for one card or run for one card. If they don’t, they tumble to the ground and must get up during the next sequence. The player controlling the Martian tripod has another interesting aspect to manage while fighting off those pesky human biplanes, he or she must manage the energy usage of the tripod. Every weapon action requires energy as does picking up items and other actions such as swinging the tripod around. Lucky for the tripods, they can perform actions to regain their energy. If their energy ever completely runs out, out go the force fields and down goes the tripod! For the Martians, learning energy usage and conservation is a must!

For the combined Earth Air Forces, attacking the tripods is tricky. Each type of tripod has different shield configuration. Getting your bullets or rockets past their shields are the key to winning the war. But, let’s say your shots hit the shields, you still have a chance to cause damage to the deadly aliens. Your shots have the chance of draining the energy of the tripod even if they penetrate the shields – certain shield hits cause the Martian pilots to reallocate power to keeping the shields up which drains their all important power supply.

The game includes new A damage cards which add critical hits to the tripods as well as retaining the biplane critical hits. Also damage cards are included for the heat rays and black smoke clouds.
The rules are still evolving but are very fun to read and logically organized. Multiple scenarios are provided and a solo system has been promised. There still needs to be some refinements but game is still evolving. A World War 2 expansion has also been talked about so I guess, even if you defeated the tripods, like most good villains, they’ll be back!

Visit the Tripods and Triplanes Kickstarter for more information:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1402889231/tripods-and-triplanes-the-war-of-the-worlds-in-win
http://https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1402889231/tripods-and-triplanes-the-war-of-the-worlds-in-win”

NOTE: For purposes of my demo play of this game, I used Axis and Allies maps.
About the Author

A college film instructor and small business owner, Richard Martin has also worked in the legal and real estate professions, is involved in video production, film criticism, sports shooting and is an avid World War I and II gamer who can remember war games which came in plastic bags and cost $2.99 (he’s really that old)!

 

The BBC War of the Worlds on TV

This is the original alien invasion story. Staring Eleanor Tomlinson, Rafe Spall and Robert Carlyle, this tense and thrilling drama follows a young couple’s race for survival against escalating terror of an alien enemy beyond their comprehension.

The War of the Worlds is a major adaptation by Peter Harness of H.G. Wells’ classic sci-fi title. This major new three-part drama is produced by Mammoth Screen for BBC One, and directed by award-winning director Craig Viveiros

Set in Edwardian England, this new adaptation of H.G. Wells' seminal tale - the first alien invasion story in literature - follows George (played by Rafe Spall) and his partner Amy (Eleanor Tomlinson) as they attempt to defy society and start a life together. Rupert Graves is Frederick, George's elder brother, and Robert Carlyle plays Ogilvy, an astronomer and scientist. The War of the Worlds tells their story as they face the escalating terror of an alien invasion, fighting for their lives against an enemy beyond their comprehension.

Director Craig Viveiros (Rillington Place) remarked of the new, and more faithful, series:

“H.G. Wells' seminal novel has been adapted for the screen many times but it's always had a contemporary (and American) setting, this is the first version to be set in London and the Home Counties during the Edwardian period.”

As production kicked off, creator Harness also added:

"The version of The War of the Worlds that I wanted to make is one that's faithful to the tone and the spirit of the book, but which also feels contemporary, surprising and full of shocks: a collision of sci-fi, period drama and horror. There is nothing cosy or predictable about Wells’ novel, and that’s what I want to capture in the show. We have an incredible cast, a brilliant director and a wonderful crew - and I can’t wait for them to explode the terrifying story of the first alien invasion on to our screens.”

War of the Worlds: Japan

HEXASIM-War of the Worlds: Japan

Japan possessed a small but well-trained military at the time. To reflect this, their Units cost a little more, but also have a better chance to carry out their orders. Their smaller geographical area makes for more intense combat with fewer movement options. The Martians have 3 Tripods in each Wave.

War of the Worlds: France

HEXASIM-War of the Worlds: France

While France enjoyed quality soldiers and equipment, it suffered from a lack of quality leadership. In the game, French forces are less expensive, but also less skilled. This will make their battles larger than English battles, but they will also suffer more casualties.

War of the Worlds: USA – East Coast

HEXASIM-War of the Worlds: USA - East Coast

The US fielded a small military force at the time. This results in them having fewer Units at the start of the game. However, as seen a few decades earlier during the Civil War, the US is able to rapidly ramp up their production capabilities and quickly expand the size of their army.

Great War of the Worlds at Sea

Avalanche Press

Mike Bennighof is president of Avalanche Press and holds a doctorate in history from Emory University. A Fulbright Scholar and award-winning journalist, he has published over 100 books, games and articles on historical subjects. He lives in Birmingham, Alabama with his wife, three children and his dog, Leopold.

THE WAR OF THE WORLDS from DVG

THE WAR OF THE WORLDS

With the last DVG game I reviewed, I spoke of how they had stepped into the multi-player world of light Euro-style games, but for me a little too light. With this latest product, The War of The Worlds , we're back on the familiar ground of solo gaming, but still with a Euro-game feel.

The War of the Worlds: Invasion (2018)

The War of the Worlds: Invasion

The War of the Worlds: Invasion is an asymmetrical war game for 2 players, based on the classic sci-fi novel by H.G. Wells. One of you will control the British Empire and will have to defend Earth using wits, diplomacy and the force of arms. The British player can build laboratories and barracks, move armies across different countries, ask for the help of politicians and military leaders and even call the mighty Thunderchild!

War of the Worlds - Bill Banks

War of the Worlds

War of the Worlds is a new game from Bill Banks and is the in-magazine game for the premier issue of the new Ares Magazine (2). War of the Worlds is a two-player game of the conquest of Earth and the survival of humanity!

War of the Worlds: The New Wave

War of the Worlds is a competitive, asymmetric 2 player area control/deck builder combat.

 

These are early edition standees. The published game comes with miniatures. 

The game pits humans versus aliens in a race to annihilate the other. One player is the humans, the other is the aliens. Each player begins with a separate deck which they will improve throughout the game. That’s the deck builder aspect of the game. Many cards can be used in multiple ways. The more powerful effects typically require the card itself to be removed from the game. Using the powerful effects of those cards at the right time is crucial to victory.

The cards players will purchase are action cards they can take, but also units and buildings as well. The units and buildings will be placed on the game board to help with the second half of the gameplay, the area control aspects.

The goal of the alien player is to kill every human civilian. However, damage dealt by aliens has an order of operations. Buildings are dealt damage first, then military units, then finally civilians, represented by cubes on the board. As the civilians are killed, they are removed from the board. This gives the human player plenty of options to protect the civilians, although at a potentially pretty high cost. 

 Rather than looking for a full eradication of the enemy, the human player’s goal is to deal 30 total damage to the alien forces. This is tracked on the damage track on the side of the board. So while both sides are racing to deal 30 damage, they go about it in two pretty different ways. Additionally, the cards provided to each player are obviously pretty different. Not only the capability and theme, but also in strategy. The human player is much more protective and careful, versus the much more aggressive aliens. 

I’ve said time and time again, I love games that can provide a deep, strategic gameplay while maintaining a very simple instructional time. There are some additional rules to know, sure. But at this point, you could jump in with a good understanding of the game. Plus, I love deck builders and I’m super into any asymmetrical gameplay. Long story short: I’m real into this game, you guys. 

Matt Sall

From Grey Fox Games 

War of the Worlds: The New Wave – $39 on Kickstarter – Campaign ends Jan 31