Here’s how Call of Duty: The Board Game actually works on the table

I’ll admit it: I was skeptical about Call of Duty: The Board Game. To capture the intensity of an armed conflict, First Person Shooters depend on quick reflexes. On the other hand board games rely heavily on planning and calculated activity. These two forms of play are at a fundamental contrast. The demo of Arcane Wonders’ upcoming Call of Duty game has made me feel a lot more comfortable.

Play on the table Call of Duty Board GameThe game includes a map of the battlefield and miniatures for each player. Play as highly trained operators such as Shepherd, Ghost or other characters from video games in this head-to-head game. You must move your soldier across the map to secure the central point, while trying to eliminate your enemy. If a gunfight breaks out, it is quick and deadly. The loser will be killed. You’re gone and ready to start again next round. While the domed opponent runs around and possibly captures control points or gains a favorable position, it is up to him.

Image: Arcane Wonders/Activision

While I haven’t engaged in the tactile offerings of the design (Polygon’s demo was performed online, via Tabletop Simulator, in advance of this year’s Gen Con), I have seen the game’s clever maneuvering system in motion and felt the tension of attempting to outthink my opponent and catch them in my sights. The movement system itself is what makes the whole experience so unique.

The mini-map is plotted secretly by each player before every round. This system is based on the hidden movement systems used in games such as aerial combat. Wings of GloryThe following are some examples of how to get started: Star Wars: X-Wing Miniatures Game. It allows you to commit your operators in advance for several moves. It is important to try and get inside your opponent’s head, focusing on aspects such as cover, control points, or cover, before setting up perfect firing lanes. Check your line-of-sight after every step and start firing, if required.

It is brilliant. It takes obvious influence from several popular miniatures skirmish games that came before it, including Restoration Games’ Unmatched and Fantasy Flight Games’ Tannhäuser. It feels as if the system was designed specifically for Call of Duty. On the map, colored lines indicate which spaces are visible to each other as well as areas of importance and choke points. This system allows for a clear delineation of the cover and elevation, which is then used to inform tactical decisions about movement. It is also possible to ditch the rulers that are common in miniatures skirmishes, allowing for a faster flow of the game.

Image: Arcane Wonders/Activision

This system strikes the right balance between simplicity and thought. Decide which dice to use, choosing from three possible colors, depending on whether your preference is for accuracy, defensive firing, or aggressive fire. You combine your results with a chosen card from your hands, then filter them through any weapon bonuses and positioning bonuses. One of the interesting elements of combat is that it’s an opposed action with each side rolling and performing the same steps. It’s a relatively clean combination of mechanisms that surprised me with its effectiveness. The pace of play is such that losing a fight doesn’t result in much time at all sitting around waiting, yet there is a definite tension in conflict that heightens the experience.

This multilayered core system offers an easy-to-understand rulebook, even for people who don’t play hobby boardgames often. There are also advanced systems available. These offer details such as aiming down sights for increased accuracy, spending killstreaks to call in special benefits, customizing your operator’s deck of cards, and special asymmetric character abilities. The details are simple and easy to understand. I was able to handle the rules increase while still planning my turn with ease.

Image: Arcane Wonders/Activision

What I hope you will take from my short demonstration is this: Call of Duty Board GameDoes not capture the FPS’s trademark intense gunfire. If that’s what you’re looking for, I’d recommend tracking down a copy of the criminally underrated Seal Team FlixInstead, Arcane wonders’ dexterity-based games mimic precision and responsiveness of a virtual weapon. Instead, Arcane Wonders’ Call of DutyThe game aims to show the tactical side of such a videogame. The game promotes moments when you have to make life or death decisions, such as flanking an enemy and taking them off-guard, or jumping into a window so that they can’t escape. It’s more concerned with the tactical decision making in FPS games, which is a reasonable and shrewd goal when paired with the limitations of this format.

Before I entered this demonstration, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Bryan Pope, Benjamin Pope, and their team have allayed my fears and made me want to play more. With two core sets promised for launch, the ability for team play, support through several different modes —including capture the flag, control, and deathmatch — as well as a bevy of tactical options, I’m thoroughly enthusiastic for this game to hit Kickstarter in the fall. The wait for the physical product is something that will be harder to stomach — these miniatures look like they’re going to be excellent.