Horizon Zero Dawn the board game.

For those of you who aren’t into computer games Horizon Zero Dawn is a role playing computer game set in a far future post apocalyptic world. It is a world of tribal humans, hostile machines and overgrown ancient ruins. 

I must admit that I got really into the computer game trying to uncover mysteries of the characters back history, what happened to the ancients, where did the machines come from while discovering the world and trying to survive. 

++ Spoiler Alert. Do not read the next section if you intend to play the computer game++

In the future a total extinction event is on the cards, everything organic dead. Some bright spark designed a self replicating robotic combat machine that runs by converting biological matter into resources and fuel. These military robots ran amok and started destroying everything organic. Humanity launched an all out war against the robots. Total global extinction was months away.  Horizon Zero Dawn was branded as a weapon to destroy the machine. In reality it was a way to continue life after the robots ran to a stop. It was a terraforming plan which the machines are a part of. The machines cleaned up the pollution and dead robots recycling them. Trees, plants and small animals where introduced. Once the world was ready humans were introduced. The plan was for them to be educated to their pre apocalyptic levels so they could continue fixing the world. But the education system was destroyed. So humanity remained at a uneducated primate level.

 ++end of spoiler++ 

I liked the premise of a post apocalyptic world populated by tribals and robots. But finding suitable machines would always be difficult in any scale. Then I discovered a advert for a upcoming model of one of the machines. 

Apparently there is a Horizon Zero Dawn board game by Steamforged games. How did I miss that one? I must be losing my grip on the wastelands. After checking online the figures are 32mm base to head. Lots of games workshop fans were complaining that the figures are too small compared with modern GW figures. As my collection has figures from 25mm through to 32mm heroic the size doesn’t bother me too much. So I found a copy and hit the buy button. 

The boxed game features hunters from the four main tribes and involves hunting machines for parts, supplies, scrap and shards (bits of machine casing used as currency). 

There are a few game boards, lot of card decks for each hunter and level and lots of tokens many of which relate to symbols in the computer game. Your hunters can level up during their machine hunts. However I am not really interested in the board game rules (which I still need to go through at a deeper level) but the figures. So let’s take a look. 

The hunters from the (L to R) Oseram, Carja, Nora and Banuk tribes. They are slightly smaller than classic GW and Grenadier figures but not too noticeably. The bases are a sliver lower so a shim might make them look larger.

The Watchers. These are recon machines, they usually look for resources for the machines. Now they roam around the herds looking for trouble (humans). They signal warnings to other machines and will attack. They use a leap attacks and tail attacks. There is a red eye version which carries a energy weapon in the head. These have extra head armour. I may modify one into a red eye.

Grazer these machines form herds. They will choose to flee but will attack when forced to. The rotors on the horns perform a dangerous attack. Grazers also perform kick attacks.

Striders are another herd machine. They will attack if you get too close. Striders perform powerful kick attacks in a similar manner to a horse. If you sneak up on them and have the right bit of salvaged tech they can be overridden and used as a riding machine. 

Scrappers are designed to recycle damaged machines. They operate and hunt in packs. In addition they actively hunt and attack humans in their territories. 

Sawtooth are a new class of machine to appear, the combat class. They patrol around the herds to protect them from human hunters. A single sawtooth can easily decimate and entire hunting party. 

Shell Walkers are strange cargo hauling machines. They transport the produced materials to the hidden automated machine factories (Cauldrons). They are equipped with a energy weapon, power claw and a energy shield. 

For these machines the painting should be fairly easy. Black under sides with dark grey highlights. Upper areas light grey or white. Then it will be the details like lens, cutters and chemical vessels. 

For building up the tribes I think a mix of the various Frostgrave barbarians and tribals would work. Some of the older Grenadier Future wars tribals should work too.  I suppose I need to figure out what ruleset to use with this models too.

Thanks for looking.