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Brace yourself for the reload! WW1 history meets dieselpunk fantasy in an alternate universe of fast-paced chibi battles and unorthodox invention.
Originally created by Ted Terranova, Rivet Wars: Reloaded is a reload of Rivet Wars: Eastern Front. A tactical miniatures board game with quickfire combat and customisable units, Rivet Wars: Reloaded also introduces competitive, co-op, solo, and team modes.
The game starts with almost zero setup, as each scenario just needs a selection of tiles to begin. Players choose their Rivet faction — Allied or Blight — and deploy waves of fresh units to stay one strategic step ahead.
The turn-based gameplay, speed, and visual theme make Rivet Wars: Reloaded feel like an RTS or mobile game come to life. Each turn, players have new deployment points to spend to bring fresh units into battle, meaning adaptive tactics as well as longer-term planning are key to claiming the strategic objectives and scoring victory points.
Battles last from 25 to 60 minutes and can be played individually or as a campaign. The premise is simple and gameplay is speedy. The mechanics and RTS-style introduce tactical nuance to keep players on their toes, letting them switch up tactics mid-game with tide-turning action cards.
The plug system also lets players customise individual units to create combo effects, giving them the edge right when it counts.
—description from the publisher
- Straightforward core rules with clear phases (deployment, attack, movement)
- Two distinct win conditions keep both players engaged (points or objectives)
- Modular terrain, new tile shapes, and expanded scenarios add replayability
- Plug-in equipment and tank/turret combos create interesting asymmetrical options
- Action cards and deviation introduce variability and tension each turn
- Two-player design works well for intimate, tactical skirmishes
- Combat can feel dice-heavy and somewhat unpredictable
- Component density and the need to manage numerous tokens can be table-cluttering
- Some terminology overlap (objectives vs missions) may confuse newcomers at first
- Prototype copy means some balance or component details may still shift before final release
- Bike-shedding over rules could occur without a quick reference guide
- regional warfare between allied and blight factions with objective-driven play
- World War II-inspired steampunk battlefield with rivet-powered units, trenches, and bunkers on a modular map
- procedural skirmish battler with modular scenarios and evolving objectives
- Rivet Wars (original, 2014)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Bunker defense modifier — infantry in bunkers gain defensive advantages (defense modifiers) and movement restrictions from bunkers
- Combat resolution with shield/health — attacks use dice based on the defender’s shield value; successful hits reduce health and remove units when health reaches zero
- Deployment phase — each turn provides deployment points and rivet points to place units, with zone restrictions for initial placement
- Deviation and action cards — action cards trigger deviation; an eight-sided die determines which no-man’s-land square is used for deployment
- End-of-round objective relocation — at round end, players with fewer points may relocate or flip objectives to alter scoring opportunities
- Grid Movement — units can start in trenches for extra movement; grids may hold multiple units and allow rearrangement during movement
- Modular Board — certain pieces can accept plug-in components (like hacksaw turret) to grant extra attacks or capabilities
- Movement in trenches and grids — units can start in trenches for extra movement; grids may hold multiple units and allow rearrangement during movement
- Objective tiles and missions — two win conditions: reach 10 victory points or complete three objectives; missions are revealed as objectives and grant points
- Plug-in units and modular equipment — certain pieces can accept plug-in components (like hacksaw turret) to grant extra attacks or capabilities
- Two tracks to victory — players may win by points or by completing missions, with domination/recon sweep as additional objective-driven modes
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- this is actually a re-implementation of a game that came out back in 2014
- we're playing rivet wars reloaded
- you can either be the first player to score 10 victory points or the first player to score three objectives
- these five face of objectives that are going to be revealed one at a time
- the rules are straightforward so it's not too difficult to understand
- prototype copy of the game, so things are subject to change