Stuck at Home; Keeping myself sane

World of Tanks: Miniatures Game is an easy to learn, quick play game, where you take command of a unit of tanks, seeking to destroy your opponent and secure victory!

All the models in World of Tanks come ASSEMBLED, PAINTED, and BATTLE READY!

The starter set contains everything you need to start playing, including:
4x Highly Detailed, Assembled, Painted Plastic Tanks
6x Custom Dice
Tank Cards
Terrain and Tokens
Crew & Equipment Upgrade Cards
Damage Deck

Gale Force 9 have released a tabletop version of the popular computer game World of Tanks. The starter box comes with 4 fully assembled and painted tanks (base/under coated), along with dice, tank cards, terrain, tokens, crew and equipment cards and a damage deck. It’s basically everything you need in one box to get started and playing as quickly and easily as possible.

The rule book is nicely laid out with clear instruction and nice large images to illustrate the rules being explained on each page. It’s very easy to follow which allows you to grasp the rules very quickly. There are also videos on YouTube that will explain how to play the game as well.

The tanks are 15mm in scale, anyone familiar with Flames of War will recognise all the tanks. Provided in the box is a British Cromwell, German Panzer IV, US Sherman M4A1 and a Russian T-34. You don’t require to assemble or paint these to start playing, though you could add some simple painting to make them look a lot better, and we’ve included a very simple tutorial in this issue.

The Pz.Kpfw. IV (or Panzer IV) is an iconic German tank, a true workhorse of that saw use throughout the war. The Ausf. H version was introduced in 1943 and saw numerous improvements over previous versions, including improved firepower and protection, that allowed to continue to deal with even the heaviest Allied tanks.

The Cromwell tank was one of a series of cruiser tanks fielded by the British in World War II. The concept of cruiser tanks was that they would combine speed with numbers, allowing the to swarm the enemy and overwhelm them. First deployed during the invasion of Normandy it found a natural home in the reconnaissance regiments where its excellent speed and low profile made it difficult to hit.

The T-34 tank was the cornerstone of Soviet armoured forces in World War II. Other tanks may have been lighter, better armed, or had a bigger gun, but there is only one T-34! When first encountered by German forces, they were shocked by just how good it was and scrambled to find ways to deal with the revolutionary design.

The M4A1 Sherman tank was, much like other releases in this wave, one of the most iconic tanks of the war. The Sherman first saw combat in the deserts of North Africa and continued to serve on battlefields till the end of the war in a variety of models.

Both the T-34 and the Sherman also saw action in the Korean War, with the US forces using the Sherman and the Korean/Chinese military using the T-34. Which means you could take your tank battles from Europe to the Korean Peninsula.

Each of the tanks come with its own stats card, which can be added to with upgrades and equipment just like the computer version of the game. Alongside this you can add and train up crew to make them perform better and in turn make your tank perform better.  They have also included a sheet of future tanks to upgrade to, which indicates what the future releases are for each faction.

This really is an easy to learn, and quick to play and games take around 30 minutes each. It’s a great gateway game for someone who has never played a tabletop game before, especially if they’re a fan of the computer/console version. It’s also a good game to introduce those wargamers who normally only play fantasy or Sci-fi genre.

For me it’s very reminiscent of the Fantasy Flight X-wing game, as in you purchase additional vehicles which come with stats and additional cards as you go. There has not been this type of game on the market for the historical gene, it may not appeal to old grognards, but it could be a good game to introduce to the kids or grand kids over Christmas. Let’s face it who doesn’t love the idea of battling tanks on the kitchen table. I think it will also appeal to those of us who have the collector genre, as you will be able to build your collection of tanks with future releases, as you progress from one tank to a much bigger and better tank. Wave 1 tanks are already available to expand on this starter set.