I’ve been writing about V-Commandos on this web site for over 5 years now. The WW2 techniques sport, and its a number of expansions, are a number of the finest expressions of stealth in all of board gaming, and for these 5 years it has remained one in all my most-played co-op experiences.
In 2022, although, it’s time for some modifications. For one, the sport is not known as V-Commandos. Authorized wrangling with the homeowners of the Commandos sequence of video video games have made positive of that. The sport, and its expansions, are actually often known as V-Sabotage.
Extra importantly, 2022 can be the yr the sport lastly received a much-deserved glow-up. See, for all the thrill to be present in enjoying the sport—and I actually can’t stress sufficient how good it’s—it was at all times a bit of primary, with easy artwork and tokens that have been useful, but in addition a bit drab, and exhausting to make out from throughout the desk.
Now, because of 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 provides every of the sport’s heroes a stylistic refresh.
G/O Media could get a fee
Having lastly taken these miniature upgrades for a spin final week, one in all my 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 over a mission. Apart from trying implausible, 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 received straightforward to overlook sure issues on greater missions when all the pieces, from people to objects, 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, life like variations of the issues we’re alleged to be truly utilizing within the sport (or each!), it’s often higher to be enjoying a sport with miniatures than with out.
The unfavorable penalties of this love for miniatures on sport design, manufacturing and delivery prices is one other story for one more time, in fact, although a few of these impacts can nonetheless be felt right here; the miniature enlargement for the core sport prices greater than the core sport itself, and for those who’ve received or need V-Sabotage’s expansions, after which their miniatures as properly, then the price blowout goes to be huge.
Is that going to be price it for somebody taking a look at moving into the sport now? I don’t know, that is determined by how a lot cash you make, how lengthy you’re going to play the sport and all types of different components which are 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 instances with pals over a five-year timeframe, sufficient instances that it’s now one in all their favorite video games as properly, 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 rationale folks choose to play board video games in 2022 these form of tactile delights?