Unboxing Puppet Wars

So earlier this week I received my copy of Puppet Wars and seeing it develop I was super keen to see the final product

The main game and Multiplayer expansion plus booster packs. Unfortunately the packages was a little bit of a let down for me as the main game box is made of the same weight card as the Malifaux crew boxes so not super heavy weight, it means something better is going to be needed for long term transport (not an issue for me as I was looking at picking up a KR case just for puppet wars). The other slight disappointment is the lack of a photo of the contents on the back or something to that effect, just a list plus the puppet artwork, looks good but not overly 'boardgamey'.

Contents of box

Effect tokens, once again I would have liked these to have been a little heavier in weight and or doublesided, nice but I am going to make my own here as well or make these a bit more durable.

The gameboard, puppet decks and tokens.
Cant fault any of these. the board is quite small but then again the puppets are too, the hexes are a 30mm inscribed hex so your 30mm Malifaux bases will juuuust fit on the board otherwise use the lovely little 20mm bases that 'clip' inside the rolled edge of the 30mm RS bases of most Malifaux models.

Puppet Decks are what i know and love; plastic card decks with great artwork.
Tokens are plain but durable plastic and represent workbenches and impassable objects in game, they could look prettier but it would have cost a lot more and they serve their purpose well.

 Stat cards are great, good size (larger than the deck), clear layout and good artwork +++

On the reverse side of a puppets stat card is their 'upgrade' side where you can instead of bringing a puppet into play upgrade an existing puppet with different abilities.

The box minus decks, cards etc has a nice foam insert but not much use if you intend to paint your puppets but if not its perfectly suitable.
But theres 2 puppet wars temporary tattoos!

Puppets!Puppets!Puppets!
There are loads of these little guys and most are one piece with the odd one being multiple pieces but still easy to assemble mostly without glue. This is where I see the game as a miniature based boardgame and not just a boardgame, if the puppets were plastic like the old space crusade/heroquest games with each suit type puppet in a different colour and just clip off a sprue I could see a greater appeal to pure boardgamers. It hasnt put me off but you will need to prep the puppets like any metal model before painting etc.

There are two books, the rulebook and pattern book. Both look great and are very clear, a big + from me.

Sample spread from rulebook

The Pattern Book has quick start rules adding in more complex rules as you go. It also conatins alternate win conditions and play styles such as 'Tag youre IT!" and king of the hill type scenarios too.

In addition the Pattern Book has a heap of different maps for different qty of players, you arent limited to just these maps and can make your own as well. puppet-wars.com also has a make your own map section where you can design your won map and save it too so replayablity and customisation will be great

Overall Puppet Wars leaves a pretty good impression and I know I will get a lot out of the purchase, yes some things could have been better done in packaging but thats about it. Its a good initial release and there will be more puppets on the way I'm sure of it.

Stay tuned for a Player review soon ...