I’ve been writing about V-Commandos on this web site for over 5 years now. The WW2 ways sport, and its a number of expansions, are a few of the finest expressions of stealth in all of board gaming, and for these 5 years it has remained one in every of my most-played co-op experiences.
In 2022, although, it’s time for some adjustments. For one, the sport is not known as V-Commandos. Authorized wrangling with the house owners of the Commandos sequence of video video games have made certain of that. The sport, and its expansions, at the moment are often called V-Sabotage.
Extra importantly, 2022 can be the 12 months the sport lastly acquired a much-deserved glow-up. See, for all the thrill to be present in taking part in the sport—and I actually can’t stress sufficient how good it’s—it was at all times a little bit primary, with easy artwork and tokens that had been practical, but additionally a bit drab, and arduous to make out from throughout the desk.
Now, due to some improve packs, the sport has a ton of fantastic plastic miniatures representing every character, enemy and even choose items of apparatus in beautiful element. It additionally has new participant playing cards, that includes new artwork that offers every of the sport’s heroes a stylistic refresh.
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Having lastly taken these miniature upgrades for a spin final week, one in every of my most important takeaways is that this doesn’t change how the sport performs one bit. What it does do is make an enormous enchancment to the general expertise, in addition to your high quality of life whereas taking up a mission. Except for trying improbable, having every participant and enemy (and alarm, door, machine gun nest, remote-control tank and barrel of poison gasoline) represented in 3D makes scanning the desk and planning methods a lot simpler, since beforehand you’d must scan the entire thing repeatedly simply to recollect what was the place. It additionally acquired straightforward to overlook sure issues on greater missions when all the things, from people to gadgets, was represented by a flat little cardboard token.
Additionally as anybody who has been round Kickstarter for the final 5 years will know, plastic miniatures are simply extra enjoyable to make use of. Whether or not it’s as a result of it harks again to our childhoods or as a result of they’re tangible, scaled, sensible variations of the issues we’re purported to be really utilizing within the sport (or each!), it’s often higher to be taking part in a sport with miniatures than with out.
The adverse penalties of this love for miniatures on sport design, manufacturing and transport prices is one other story for an additional time, in fact, although a few of these impacts can nonetheless be felt right here; the miniature growth for the core sport prices greater than the core sport itself, and in case you’ve acquired or need V-Sabotage’s expansions, after which their miniatures as nicely, then the fee blowout goes to be monumental.
Is that going to be value it for somebody taking a look at moving into the sport now? I don’t know, that relies on how a lot cash you make, how lengthy you’re going to play the sport and every kind of different elements which might be reminding me whereas I sort this as to why our opinions by no means point out the idea of “worth”!
Personally talking, although, as somebody who has performed this sport numerous occasions with pals over a five-year timeframe, sufficient occasions that it’s now one in every of their favorite video games as nicely, the addition of miniatures has actually elevated the entire expertise for me. I’m usually fairly dismissive of the present frenzy for plastic minis in board video games (see my factors above!), however this can be a uncommon case the place, having performed the sport first with out them, I can say it’s undoubtedly higher with them.
Which sounds…superficial, however then isn’t half the explanation individuals favor to play board video games in 2022 these type of tactile delights?
