Mutant Year Zero: Zone Wars, as the name suggests, is a miniature wargame for the Mutant Year Zero setting. It has been designed by Andy Chambers, who previously developed Necromunda and Battlefleet Gothic. Everything needed to play, including miniatures (already assembled) for two factions, comes with the core set. Two further factions are available in the Robots and Psionics expansion box.
Those hoping for games where vast swathes of mutant armies clashed in epic post-apocalyptic battles will be disappointed. Instead, Zone Wars presents skirmishes between small groups of no more than five individuals.
The scale and dystopian atmosphere of Zone Wars is similar to the classic Games Workshop game of Necromunda – and in fact much of that game’s terrain could be easily used in Zone Wars. However, the extent of the similarities between the two games ends there.
A game of Year Zero is based on a conflict between two or more of the setting’s factions:
- Ark Mutant: A group of human mutants, with physical mutations (core boxset).
- Genlab Tribe: A tribe of intelligent animal mutants that have feral mutations (core boxset).
- Nova Cult: A cult of human mutants with psychic powers (Robots and Psionics expansion).
- Mechatron Tribe: A collective of robots, which use modules (Robots and Psionics expansion).
Each of the four factions feel distinct and unique, requiring different strategies in order to play to each of their particular strengths.
Anyone who has played any of Free League’s roleplaying games (such as Coriolis: The Third Horizon and Alien: The Roleplaying game) will be instantly familiar with the rules for Zone Wars, as it uses a variant of their system. This is a stripped-down version of the Year System, which has been adapted for a wargame. There are fewer skills and more dice rolling, but it is effectively the same game system, which works well for the purposes of a skirmish game.
The focus of the game is of course on the mutants’ abilities, which can be used to enhance your own units or impair the enemy units. The different abilities available from the outset are flavourful and appropriate for the post-apocalyptic Year Zero setting.
Zone Wars has a narrative-driven approach, with a variety of initial scenarios to play. The scenarios add a strategic overlay to the gameplay: success in Zone Wars is not determined by defeating the enemy, but by achieving mission goals in each scenario. Although there are only five scenarios included with the core box sets (with more in the expansion), their structure will demonstrate how players can easily craft scenarios for their own games.
It would have been interesting if there had been some connectivity or interconnectedness between scenarios to offer the possibility of campaign play. However, given the potential for power-creep disrupting game balance in what is a small-scale skirmish, it is perhaps best avoided in order to maintain fairness.
The cardboard terrain with the core boxset includes a game-mat and ruined buildings made from thick cardboard. Care will be needed with the cardboard terrain, as it can be easily damaged. Likewise, the game-mat when laid flat retains its creases from being folded. This can result in an uneven surface, and some players may wish to forego using the game-mat in order to have level a playing surface.
It should be noted that Zone Wars is designed as a small-scale skirmish game. Those hoping to combine box sets together to field ten units on each side will find the game does not scale well. Zone Wars is a unit-level wargame, so running games with more than five units per faction slows down the game.
That said, unlike most war games, which are typically only for two players, Zone Wars offers the potential for four-player games. Using the Robots and Psionics expansion, each player can take on one of the four factions for a frenetic four-war encounter.
Overall, Mutant Year Zero: Zone Wars is a fantastic skirmish level wargame that is ideal for those wanting to play a small-scale game without hordes of miniatures. The core boxset comes with everything needed to play the game. The Robots and Psionics expansion offers two new factions to the game, as well as offering the potential for four-way games.
