In the Wildlands, opportunity awaits… if you fight for it.
Wildlands is one of those fun, fast, easy to play games that you’re always happy to play to fill a hole in your evening’s gaming schedule. The card-driven system is super quick to pick up and remember, the game looks beautiful, and every game comes down to a fun and surprisingly close clash that leaves you wanting more.
This core set is just the beginning: there’s a 2000 AD themed set called Judge Dredd: Helter Skelter, a highly praised expansion called Ancients that adds solo and cooperative play (I’ll be adding those rules to this summary soon), and as of this writing, two faction packs and two extra double-sided maps. Like the Unmatched system by Restoration Games, Wildlands aims to be a mix-and-match skirmish system, and for me—at least after a few plays of each—is the more fun of the two, with larger, more interesting maps and a clever system of deployment that keeps you guessing where your opponents are.
It also surprised me how much individuality and character your miniatures have. Just a redistribution of icons on the set of cards can make a character a ranged or melee specialist, a spell caster or a sneak. As a result little stories emerge out of the gameplay and enhance the experience of hunting down and taking out your opponents.
The core Wildlands features 20 unique miniatures in 4 factions, and they’ve even given the minis a dark wash to bring out the detail. Each faction has their own card deck. The board is big, bold, and beautiful, and two inserts hold everything in place. It’s an impressive production and the expansions are just as impressive.
Great fun and highly recommended!
This rules summary and reference includes the rules from the excellent expansion, The Ancients.
