(Photo credit to Mantic Games)
Written by Ed Carter, Staff Writer
Halo: Flashpoint Spartan Edition
2 player
Tactical miniature combat, 3d terrain, dice rolling, special abilities, Halo universe
What is the Sitrep Master Chief? Game overview
If you are new to miniatures combat games, this is a great place to start. The mechanics are simple yet there are lots of tactical decisions to make here. Everything you need is in the box! The Spartan Edition gives you 16 miniatures to play with as opposed to the Recon Edition with only 8. Lots of sturdy cardboard terrain buildings to build to provide cover and vantage points for a sniper to take advantage of. In other words, it’s the video game on your table.
Let’s lock and load! Game set up
Each player selects either red or blue Spartans and builds their Fire team. Select the matching models and ID cards for your Fire Team and place the figures in your starting zone. Next, select a scenario and place the weapon tokens where indicated. Take the 4-item drop tokens and randomly place them face down on the mat by using two 8-sided dice to determine the location on the 8×8 grid. Flip over the item drop tokens and place terrain and buildings where the players agree on. Place 2 energy shield tokens on each Spartan ID card. Collect 4 activation tokens for your Fire team. Place your re-spawn markers where indicated on the scenario sheet and you’re ready to go.
Each ID card shows the statistics needed to move, attack, either close combat or ranged, defend, armor, health points, special abilities and the figures initial load out of weapons. Each player rolls a die and the highest result gets first activation. Each player rolls their number of command dice. If a figure has the tactician skill, that player can reroll a command die. Before each activation roll an 8-sided die and place a item token at the matching drop zone. The command dice have various symbols that permit extra actions based on the icon. Consult the rulebook or player handout to see what each symbol allows.
Let’s take ’em down! A game round
Spaces in Flashpoint are called cubes as they can be levels 1-3 in height. A model can take 2 short actions or one long action per round. The player handout shows what actions are short or long.
A model can move or advance the speed indicated on their ID card in cubes in any direction legally permitted. To go up a level, a model has to be orthogonally adjacent to a wall or side to climb. A model can advance into an enemies cube and make a close combat assault action. This will be explained when we get to the combat action. A model can advance over certain terrain to provide cover from an attack. If a model moves into a cube with a weapon or item token , they can take it. Each weapons token has a matching card that the player collects. Item tokens are detailed in the rulebook.
Combat is handled by making either a ranged attack or Fight test. All attacks start with a base of three 8-sided die with the possibility of adding more based on certain conditions. Once the attacker has their dice pool, the defender rolls 3 dice as well plus any additional modifiers. Every die that meets or exceeds their target number on their ID card is a success. The attacker rolls either FI or RA and the defender rolls for their SV value.
Compare the results and reduce damage for any shields and armor. Any remaining hits cause wounds to the defender, If a model takes more wounds than their health, they are killed and removed from the game temporarily. The player then removes all wounds and places the unit at their re-spawn point. If the model has already been activated, they can re-spawn on the map at the start of the next round, otherwise they can enter the map and take regular actions when activated.
Each unit type has special orders that can be triggered by a command die. Once a model is activated, place an activation token on their ID card. Players take turns activating models until all command dice and models are activated. They check for winning conditions, if none, the game resumes with another round with the player who activated a model last, taking the first turn.
Post mission debrief: Final thoughts
This is a very solid miniatures wargame. It has a lot of value in the box with several different scenarios and units to use. I really like the 3d terrain, it adds greatly to the table presence. The combat is straightforward, with either adding or removing a die for modifications. No complex tables to consult. Figures re-spawn just like the video game, so Fire teams are constantly refreshed.
Fans of Halo and tabletop wargaming, may find this really enjoyable. Mantic has expansions for the game, to add the Banished and ODST troops to your game. I find there is better value compared to Warhammer 40k and Star Wars Shatterpoint; You can get the Recon Edition for under $60, while the Spartan Edition is around $100. Both have the complete base game. The Spartan Edition has a cardboard 2-sided board, more terrain, and 2x as many figures. It will be hard to find a better intro price point than Halo Flashpoint for a first time miniatures war game.
Until next time, keep moving those meeples and happy gaming!
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