by Ken Whitehurst

It has been the setting for a roleplaying game, a miniatures wargame (Warzone), at least three board games (Blood Berets, Fury of the Clansmen, Siege of the Citadel), a collectible card game (Doom Trooper), and, yes, even a movie. Now, the richly-detailed Mutant Chronicles universe gets its own collectible miniatures game. For those of you unfamiliar with either the Art or the Dark Symmetry, Mutant Chronicles is set in the future of our own solar system. The main human forces are the megacorporations, which resemble the old nations from which they evolved: Imperial (UK), Capitol (USA), Mishima (Japan), and Bauhaus (Europe). In addition, there is the fanatical religious organization known as the Brotherhood (think halfway between the Warhammer 40K Imperium and the Catholic church). Humanity is beset on all sides by the Dark Legion, whose demons hail from the planet Nero, and serve five different Dark Apostles: Algeroth, Ilian, Semai, Demnogonis, and Muawijhe.

True to the collectible game formula, the Mutant Chronicles CMG includes a Starter (retail $29.95 US) and Boosters (retail $19.95 each US). For this review, Fantasy Flight Games (”FFG”) provided TGN with an advance copy of the complete contents of its Mutant Chronicles CMG Starter. The initial run of Mutant Chronicles miniatures features figures from the factions of Bauhaus, Capitol, the Brotherhood, and Algeroth. The rulebook lists Imperial and Ilian forces as “Coming Soon.” The Starter contains a fixed set of figures (Ezoghoul, Necromutant Defiler, Technomancer, Free Marine Soldier, Martian Banshee Sergeant, and Ranger Elite) and the Boosters will contain an assortment of four figures (one rare, one uncommon, one common, and one two-hex sized figure (either rare or uncommon). You can download a PDF of the Mutant Chronciles rules from the game’s Support Page.

Components

The Mutant Chronicles Starter contains six fixed miniatures, a double-sided poster hex map, eight unique dice, all of the cards for the entire first set of miniatures, and dozens of cardboard counters. The map is on a high-quality poster paper, and very nicely illustrated. Like all poster-paper game boards, this one will undoubtedly wrinkle and tear if not properly cared for. However, it seems to be a heavier paper than many poster maps I have seen, and should hold up to repeated play. The Starter Set comes in a large box that has a molded plastic insert that holds the game cards, dice, maps and has a form fitting section that snuggly holds the six figures in the set. The bottom of the box has a window in it that allows you to see the figures in the box. As an added bonus the molded tray means that it is next to impossible for you to get duplicate figures by accident.

The different types of terrain (wall, cover, etc.) are a bit difficult to discern, but FFG was wise enough to use different color hex outlines to clarify the distinctions. The cards are the usual FFG linen-finish, very high quality, richly illustrated and graphically well organized. Of note is the fact that the Starter contains all of the stat cards for the first set of miniatures, not just the ones in the Starter. This allows players to develop an army list without having the miniatures and also, if you are so inclined, to play games using more powerful versions of common miniatures by substituting the cards. It also allows a player to test lists before they get that one rare figure they need. The inclusion of all of the cards in the Starter is an excellent decision by FFG, as it cuts down on the “forced collectibility” aspect of CMGs that many gamers dislike. The boosters will not contain cards, only miniatures. According to FFG, they intend to release new sets of miniatures each year, with a new Starter and Boosters, and will release a few “Warband” sets which contain miniatures and their accompanying cards.

The rulebook is full color and richly illustrated with artwork and plenty of game play examples. Fans of the Mutant Chronicles universe will recognize some of the artwork from prior editions and will enjoy the new illustrations as well. Mutant Chronicles games have always contained excellent artwork, and this latest edition is no exception. I did catch a few odd mistakes. Most notably, the recommended first game army lists include cards that are not playable by the Algeroth player. They also list the card “Invoke Frenzy” as silver, when it is actually gold. As you will see below, this will throw off the game balance.

Miniatures

The Mutant Chronicles Starter contains six 54mm miniatures. Yes, 54mm. FFG’s decision to use 54mm figures has been discussed in almost every corner of the Internet since this game was announced. Clearly, some gamers are turned off by the scale, as it is wholly incompatible with virtually all other science-fiction games. I initially speculated that FFG chose the scale to prevent players from simply proxying their old 28mm Warzone figures. However, given the focus on individuals and the small model-count per game, FFG’s choice of 54mm seems appropriate. In addition, 54mm allows for considerably more detail in the sculpts. The figures are made from a relatively soft and almost rubbery plastic that will be familiar to fans of collectible miniatures games, but perhaps a bit disappointing to the traditional metal or plastic kit miniatures wargamer.

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All in all, the choice of 54mm is a double-edged sword for FFG. The extra detail is obvious in the figures. The drawback is that the extra detail deserves a bit more attention in painting. The lack of detail in the painting stands out because of the figure size. As pre-painted miniatures go, the paintjobs on the Mutant Chronicles figures are as nice as any I’ve seen, but do not represent any significant improvement or departure from the standard in the industry. That, however, is the problem. The figures are significantly larger than those in other pre-painted miniature games, such as Mage Knight, AT-43, or HeroScape.

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At 54mm, the lack of attention to the face details, for example, stands out. My wife (not a miniatures painter or gamer) even noticed that the human Free Marine Soldier looked like a zombie, because his eyes are simply brown dots. This lack of detail is acceptable on the demon faces (as they may as well be zombies), but it is disappointing on the regular human faces. All in all, the larger figure scale calls for a subtlety in painting that I’m not convinced is currently possible with pre-painted figures (probably for economic reasons).

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Nevertheless, the actual dynamism and variety in the figures is very nice. Each of the figures looks engaged in a battle, whether running forward with guns raised and coat flowing, or taking aim with legs braced for the recoil. In addition, the bases include small slots to hold wound markers during the game, which is a nice record-keeping feature. The bases are painted with gold, silver, or bronze edges to indicate the rank of the figure (more on this below). In summary, as board game pieces go, the Mutant Chronicles CMG figures are quite nice. As painted wargaming miniatures, however, they could be painted to a higher standard.

Game play

The Mutant Chronicles rules are easy to learn, and quite simple at their core. The variety and interest come from the near-infinite combinations of command cards, miniatures, and order tokens that form the basis of your army construction.

As with most collectible games, the construction of your army is, in many ways, as important as the dice-rolling and moving. In Mutant Chronicles, there are three main elements of army construction, (1) order tokens, (2) figures (units), and (3) command cards. Each component is given a rank of gold, silver, or bronze. Rather than using point values, armies are generated by selecting a number of components from each rank. For example, a skirmish army uses 3 gold, 3 silver and 3 bronze, while a tournament army uses 10 of each. This mechanism keeps army customization simple, while allowing an enormous number of possibilities. The Starter comes with enough figures for a small 3-on-3 skirmish game, and the rulebook sets out a pair of army lists for an introductory game.

On a given turn, the player selects a unit and places an order token on the unit to activate it for the turn. If the token is bronze, the unit may take one action, silver two, and gold three. Actions include move, attack, guard, and special abilities. Move and attack are exactly what they sound like. Guard is the equivalent of “overwatch” from other games, and allows the unit to fire in the opponent’s turn when a unit moves into its line of sight. Special abilities are limited to certain figures, and are printed on their individual stat cards.

A full turn includes playing two order tokens on two separate units. Units may not be given multiple order tokens in a round. Once a player activates two units and resolves their 1-3 actions, his opponent may activate two units. Play passes back and forth until all of the units have been activated, or the player is out of available order tokens. The used tokens are then recycled, and a new round begins.

There are few different terrain types in the game, including walls (which block line of sight), hindering (which require a figure to end its move when attempting to pass through), and covering (which is just like hindering, but also reduces by one the number of hits scored on an occupying unit). The maps are so richly illustrated that I occasionally overlooked or forgot about the different terrain types while moving and tracing line of sight. After a couple of games, however, this was not a problem. FFG have kept the terrain concept simple, which streamlines play, and should not intimidate players new to the common wargaming concepts of line of sight and terrain effects.

Combat resolution in the Mutant Chronicles CMG uses an ingenious set of four pairs of six-sided dice (yellow, red, blue, and green) that show both numbers and zero, one, or two blast symbols on each face. The dice colors correspond to the sort of attack they represent. The numbers on the dice correspond to “accuracy,” or the potential range of the attack. The blast markers are added up to calculate damage. Yellow dice represent heavy melee attacks (ranged 0-2 hexes, fewer blast symbols). Red represent light melee attacks, ranged up to four hexes and with a higher chance of rolling blast symbols. Green and blue dice represent ranged and heavy ranged attacks, respectively. The highest range possible on the dice is eight hexes (green dice), whereas the blue dice max out at six hexes. The number and color of dice used by the attacking figure are listed on its stat card. To attack, simply roll the dice, and count the number of spaces to the target. If any one die shows a number equal to or higher than the distance, the attack hits.

Then, count up the total number of blast symbols on the dice. This is the number of hits scored on the target. Once a figure takes as many hits as its health will allow, it is removed from play. I am not certain, but I believe this system, or at least this use of dice, originated with FFG’s board game Doom. It is simple and elegant, and keeps the game moving quickly, as there are no tables or charts to study.

In my games, most of the Starter set units began scoring reliable hits at about four hexes away. Melee focused units are, of course, limited to extremely short range due to the limitations of the melee dice. Once engaged, combat is quite lethal. The human units in the Starter all have only two health points each. They are often killed in one attack, as rolling multiple hits is not uncommon. The Ezoghoul, on the other hand, absorbs five hits before dying, which makes it a good spearhead unit. It can soak up incoming fire for a turn or two to allow other melee units to engage without fear of being picked off en route.

Additional flavor and unpredictability are added to the game both by the special abilities of the individual units, and the command cards, which can be played as directed on each card. These cards, which are selected as part of army construction, add bonuses or unexpected twists to the game, such as bonus damage, re-rolls and extra movement or attack opportunities. Command cards and the individual character cards each contain a series of Command Icons along the side. A command card with two Capitol insignia, for example, can only be played on units whose cards contain at least two Capitol insignia. Each faction has a series of Command cards tailored to its style of combat. In addition, there are a series of Command cards with Command Icons common to special figures in each faction, such as a cross-hairs symbol (shared by units with extra ranged-combat ability), a symbol that appears to represent leadership capacity, and others representing proficiency in the Art (for the Brotherhood) or the Dark Symmetry (for the demons).

Some of the Command cards can be played only once per game. Others, however, can be recycled into your hand by buying them back with unused order tokens. If a Command Card shows an infinity symbol in the bottom left, it may be reclaimed through buyback. The player simply uses a number of order tokens from his unused pool to match the number shown on the bottom of the card, and, at the end of the round, he may put the used card back into his hand to be played again.

I discovered a particularly useful combination that makes use of buyback. The Command Card “Sniper Shot” may be played to allow a unit to add the accuracy values of his attack dice instead of relying on the single highest roll. The card has a buyback value of two silver order tokens. By assembling an army with two more silver order tokens than units, I allowed myself the ability to have one of my long range units (in this case the Ranger Elite) to fire from further away than the maximum range of every other unit on the board, every round. It not only increased the figure’s effective range, it increased the odds at which the attacks would hit at closer ranges. It had no effect on the number of hits caused, however.

I would simply attack, play the card, then use the two silver order tokens to buyback the card for next round. I am sure there are dozens (hundreds?) of little combinations like this. I am also certain that there are figures that would be more dangerous than the Ranger Elite if given the Sniper Shot card bonus. The Bauhaus Bear Kapitan, for example, rolls two blue dice and one green die, with the ability to re-roll one die each turn. Collectible game fans will revel in the possibilities.
Clever selection and play of Command cards can easily turn a battle in your favor. None of the cards appears to overpower the game or completely unbalance the experience.

However, given the predilections of some collectible game enthusiasts, I suspect someone will figure out a power combo that is particularly annoying. To me this seems less likely than with some other games, due in particular to the bronze/silver/gold army-building system. For each powerful gold card you take, you will take up a slot that could have been used for other powerful gold figures or tokens. In other words, you can’t build an army out of all super-rare powerful gold units. Balanced army construction is a forced requirement of the gold/silver/bronze system.

Finally, the game includes a number of victory zone tokens, which mark the various victory zones on the map. These are the key strategic areas of the battlefield such a triage center, munitions bunker, or sniper roost. When controlled, victory zones confer a variety of benefits, such as healing, additional victory points, cover, or reinforcements. The arrangement and variety of these victory zones is different for each game, and further multiplies the game’s possibilities and enhances replay value.

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There are no scenarios in Mutant Chronicles. The game is played until one side scores enough victory points to win. In a skirmish game, with armies of 3 bronze, 3 silver, and 3 gold assets, 9 victory points are needed to win. In the 10/10/10 tournament game, 30 VPs are needed. VPs are scored by destroying the enemy (1 point for a bronze unit, 2 for silver, 3 for gold), taking and holding victory zones, whose point values are printed on the map, and through the play of some Command cards. Victory may also be obtained through the complete destruction of your opponent, or simply concession. I don’t know if FFG plans to create scenarios and alternate victory conditions for the game, but it is certainly something I would welcome. The variety of the victory zones, units and cards will undoubtedly allow gamers to develop their own unique scenarios. The only limitation will be the fact that there are currently only two maps for the game.

Conclusion

Fantasy Flight Games has become something of a gaming juggernaut in the last year alone. It has been synonymous with high-quality large scale board games, such as Twilight Imperium 3rd Edition, Tide of Iron, and Descent. It is the North American distributor for Rackham’s AT-43 and Confrontation, and recently announced it will be re-making some of Games Workshop’s board games. FFG have made Mutant Chronicles CMG a very high-quality game. Fans of board games and collectible miniatures games will be pleased with the quality components and game play. Hardcore miniatures painters and people looking for complex simulations will be disappointed. Nevertheless, I am impressed by a number of aspects of this game. Particularly, I am inspired by the game’s integration of mechanics from FFG’s popular board games. The merger of smooth euro-game mechanics with the complexity of miniatures wargames is something I am personally looking forward to, and Mutant Chronicles CMG seems to be taking a nice step in that direction.

I do have some concern that the two-sided map will get old relatively quickly, and players will want additional maps (or possibly geomorphic cardboard map pieces that can be rearranged every game). However, the variable victory zones should keep the focus areas of each game variable enough.

I presume, though do not know, that future Starter sets will include new maps or at least victory zones to keep the battlefield from becoming stale. That said, there is something slightly uninspiring about pushing the giant 54mm figures on a hex map. It is a beautiful hex map, but it is not three dimensional. As a dyed-in-the-wool miniatures gamer, I find myself wanting terrain, and rules for play without the hex map. The hexes do make the game manageable and quick to play, and are probably less intimidating to players new to the whole miniatures genre. For this reason, I think Mutant Chronicles is more likely to appeal to boardgamers and people new to miniatures than it is to established miniatures wargamers. Viewed in that light, it is a very appealing introduction to miniatures games.

In the end, I must admit I did not find the game overly exciting based solely on the Starter. A three on three Skirmish is not that much fun, in my opinion. My games all involved closing to within a few hexes, and hoping your side rolled more hits faster than the opponent. However, like almost every collectible game I have played, this game will shine with more figures to play with. The inclusion of all of the cards allows you to formulate your perfect army composition, then seek out the figures needed to complete it. I have enjoyed speculating on which combinations of cards and figures will yield the best results, and am looking forward to playing with larger armies.

Finally, there is the bottom line. The simple question of, “Is it worth the money?” I think it is a close call here. For $29.95 the Mutant Chronicles CMG Starter is a good start to a complete game. Then, for $19.95 each, the Boosters add on four randomly packaged figures at a time. That comes to roughly $5 per figure, which just feels a bit too expensive to me. In order to have a competitive collection (or at least an interesting selection of units for a complete 10/10/10 army), you should expect to spend at least $150. Just buying four Boosters will bring your total of figures to twenty. There is no guarantee that exactly ten of them will be demons and ten human. I figure at least five boosters, depending on the faction mix, will get you close.
The high price of the game is the direct result of the 54mm sized figures. At 28mm, I suspect FFG could have made a less expensive game. I suspect people who just want to play the game, and not compete in tournaments or organized play, will buy a Starter and then sift through eBay looking for Warzone figures to use as proxies.

The Mutant Chronicles CMG does, however, have a significant number of units I don’t recall ever seeing in Warzone (including some nifty suits of clunky Bauhaus power armor), which will thwart this effort somewhat. Nevertheless, the collectible nature of the figures does mean that some gamers will find themselves buying Boosters for almost $20 apiece, just to complete their collection with a rare Mitch Hunter figure.
To me, $150 is too much for a competitive collection of Mutant Chronicles CMG figures. However, compared to competitive Warhammer 40,000 armies, Warmachine armies, or even AT-43 armies, it is probably a good deal. I have found this issue to be highly subjective, and know many gamers who will not bat an eye at buying entire cases of collectible card game cards or miniatures. I admit I have done it. I have at least $150 worth of Heroscape expansions. You know which type of gamer you are, and whether the value is right for your interests.

FFG has indicated the game will be available in June, and are currently offering a special command card for pre-orders made before June 8, 2008 with participating local game stores.

Pros

• Starter set includes cards for the entire figure range
• High quality game components
• Easy to learn

Cons

• 54mm size emphasizes average paintjobs
• Accumulating a competitive army will be expensive