Review: Zone Wars Mutant Year Zero | Tabletop Wargaming

[@lyrielle5631]

I was surprised how much fun I had playing this! I've never played a wargame before and honestly don't know much about the genre, so it was way outside my comfort zone and I still thought it was a lot of fun (although I didn't want any of my animal guys to get hurt 😢). And playing it as a co-op using the rules they have for that made it even better for me (especially when i was playing against someone significantly more experienced with these kind of games!)

[@homebrewedtabletop]

Awesome to hear! It takes the cake for me for gateway wargaming, although I am really loving mech warrior (aka battletech) and car wars. The later was a huge surprise to me.

[@laborc8929]

Thanks for the mention! Great video!

[@homebrewedtabletop]

Your painting is amazing. Can’t wait to see your channel blow up.

[@mauritz3724]

I love this game. I’ve played it with a bunch of people, none of them wargamers, and all of them really enjoyed it from the get-go.

[@homebrewedtabletop]

That’s awesome, glad to hear others have had similar experiences to mine. Are you the wargamer in the group or is everyone new?

[@Janisurai]

just bought it!

[@homebrewedtabletop]

Nice! Let me know what you think after you’ve played!

[@benhogan8643]

It may seem complicated at first but compared to alot of other wargames its a lot simpler once you play through the format is pretty similiar to most layouts of wargames rules. I also think what makes thos game great is that its written by vertern wargame rules creator Andy Chamber eg. Warhammer 40000, necromunda plus alot of.other games. As for value your spot on is the best value ive come arcoss in a long time especially for its conpleteness. Amazing breakdown of the game aswell cant wait to see more of videos.

[@homebrewedtabletop]

Thanks Ben, really appreciate that, especially coming from a knowledgeable wargamer. I spend a great deal of time and energy on making quality reviews, glad it comes through. Agree on Andy being the reason. I should have mentioned it. I knew he had come from those other wargames but am not personally familiar with them since im new to the space. It’s definitely clear though that he knows what he’s doing. As does Thomas, in finding the right people if nothing else. lol Thanks for watching and dropping a comment!

[@blkjet117]

This is probably one of the very best everything in one box games I have ever come across. It is nice getting terrain, but I think the play mat is too big. It should be 30" x 30". There are only 5 miniatures in a faction so game sizes are 10/15/20 for 2/3/4 players, which is the lowest model count that I am aware of. I think Moonstone does 6 figures on a side. The second box provides two different factions, another bunch of scenarios that are designed as a campaign, and more terrain. The terrain is really needed to fill out the 36" x 36" game mat. The terrain is pretty good, but not quite as good as what you get with Corvis Belle starter boxes. Only four figures less than what you get with Infinity starters, but at half the cost, with no expectations that you need to buy more figures to really play the game the way it was designed.

[@homebrewedtabletop]

What’s crazy is I feel like there are (arguably) some even better values out there. But I might be judging differently than a long time wargamer, and would defer to a more experienced opinion. But none are as good looking, or high quality of materials, so not an apples to apples comparison either way. As a long time wargamer do you have any other games you think are worth checking out?

[@blkjet117]

@@homebrewedtabletop Rangers of Shadowdale, and Zombicide Marvel Heroes Resisitance are both under$50. The cheapest dungeon crawl comes in a tiny tin box that fits in your pocket by Kozz Games - Dark Tomb series for $20 on kickstarter. What games do you think are great complete games in a box. There is a ton of stuff out there I don't even know exists.

[@FamilyTableTop]

Do you really think this game is beginner friendly? The video makes the game seem pretty complicated… have you found a wargame that plays like Slay the Spire? The problem with a lot of these tt war games is that a new player needs to know more than they can remember on a first game - every one of these games need to have a cooperative mode.

[@homebrewedtabletop]

I think when compared to the handful (10 ish) of war games I have played, I do think it’s one of the most beginner friendly. Given, most war games are not at all beginner friendly, so there is some perspective there. Actually why I’m doing the series because they have been completely inaccessible for most people for so long. I would also say with the rules I was disappointed as I mentioned. And that very much detracts from the new player accessibility. On slay the spire I think you mean a game where you build up your style as you play and then adapt based on the situation you are faced with? If so, no, I have not. I’m only about 10 games deep though and I’m sure there are well over a hundred in the space. Hundreds if you count those that a mostly similar. I think for me having come from a ttrpg background I didn’t find my options overwhelming, even if I didn’t understand or act in my own best interest at all times. And with the ingrained randomness’s I found it more forgiving. Not to give too much away but when I compare this to other war games, I find some so much more tactics based that the skill gap is a mile wide, others are just too complex and/or poorly designed that it feels like taking a college course just to understand the game, and so on. So there is 100% some comparison bias. Land of the blind and all that. If you happen to know of one that’s not any of these things though, let me know, because I’m still looking. Also agree that the coop mode is great, and I wish they wouldn’t have buried its existent. TBH I could have said a lot more about the rulebook, and I did, I just cut it for time. Love to hear more of what you think, you seem like you have some experience in this space and while I’m not truly new to it, I feel like I am.