I’ve been writing about V-Commandos on this web site for over 5 years now. The WW2 ways recreation, 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 among 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 house owners of the Commandos collection of video video games have made positive of that. The sport, and its expansions, are actually generally known as V-Sabotage.
Extra importantly, 2022 can also be the 12 months the sport lastly obtained 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 bit fundamental, with easy artwork and tokens that have been useful, but in addition a bit drab, and laborious 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 provides every of the sport’s heroes a stylistic refresh.
G/O Media might get a fee
Having lastly taken these miniature upgrades for a spin final week, one among my primary 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. Other than wanting incredible, 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 obtained simple to overlook sure issues on larger missions when the whole lot, 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, reasonable variations of the issues we’re speculated to be truly utilizing within the recreation (or each!), it’s normally higher to be taking part in a recreation with miniatures than with out.
The detrimental penalties of this love for miniatures on recreation design, manufacturing and transport prices is one other story for an additional time, after all, although a few of these impacts can nonetheless be felt right here; the miniature growth for the core recreation prices greater than the core recreation itself, and if you happen to’ve obtained or need V-Sabotage’s expansions, after which their miniatures as nicely, then the fee 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 will depend on how a lot cash you make, how lengthy you’re going to play the sport and all types of different components which can be reminding me whereas I kind this as to why our evaluations by no means point out the idea of “worth”!
Personally talking, although, as somebody who has performed this recreation numerous instances with mates over a five-year timeframe, sufficient instances that it’s now one among 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 positively higher with them.
Which sounds…superficial, however then isn’t half the rationale folks want to play board video games in 2022 these form of tactile delights?