Halo Flashpoint Recon Edition Review

Suit up Spartan. It's game time. We need to run through several training scenarios with you before you can take the field again after your injury. So grab your gear and head into the War Games Combat Arena for the first cycle of training, and get ready because you're training against other Spartans who are also eager to prove themselves.

Halo Flashpoint is a brand new miniatures game from Mantic Games, of which we've covered several of their products over the years, from the sci-fi skirmish game Deadzone, the sports battler OverDrive, and their awesome fantasy mass battle game, Kings of War. In this article, we'll have a look at the Halo Flashpoint Recon Edition set, talk about what it contains and how it plays.

What Is Halo Flashpoint Recon Edition?

For those who don't know Halo was a popular first-person shooter series of games that started in 2001, with its latest release, Halo Infinite in 2021. Halo Flashpoint is a licensed release between 343 Industries and Mantic Games, and brings the first-person deathmatch game to the tabletop, using Mantic's Deadzone rules system, with some tweaks to add Halo theme to it.

The Halo Flashpoint Recon Edition contains:

• 8x Spartan models
• Rulebook
• Playmat
• Pre-coloured card terrain and tokens
• 10x Weapon cards
• 8x Player/model cards
• 2x Reference cards
• 12x D8 dice
• 6x Command dice

The miniatures are single piece and ready to play (also colored Red and Blue, which is a nod to the Red vs Blue Halo TV show). This, combined with the beginner's mission on one side of the game mat, which features a smaller map and the rules printed around the edge, makes getting Halo Flashpoint from opening to play extremely fast and beginner-friendly. The scenery is also printed card, that slots together easily and quickly, so you can get the whole Recon box set up extremely fast.

Is Halo Flashpoint A Full Wargame?

The Recon Edition of the game is just the start of Mantic's Halo plans and works as a starter set for the system, and also as a standalone product. There is a larger version of the game available, the Spartan Edition, which includes more miniatures and scenery, and early next year, Mantic will release the War Games Expansion, which will turn Halo Flashpoint into a full tabletop wargame, with points values and list building, taking it away from the limited draft you have out of the Recon Edition.

How Do You Play Halo Flashpoint?

For those coming from Mantic's Deadzone rules, much will be familiar here, with a few tweaks for the full Halo thematic experience. For those unfamiliar, games of Halo Flashpoint are played on gridded maps with scenery known as cubes. Models use their movement value to move between cubes, freely placing them within the cube itself. This also covers movement up and down over the scenery. This system keeps everything straightforward for movement, as well as measuring range and working out line of sight for units. This system, like the Deadzone rules they come from, makes this extremely beginner-friendly, but also offers veteran wargames a simple system, so they can focus on the other areas of tactical combat.

To shoot and attack, players roll 3 eight-sided dice (D8) and compare the roll to the Ranged or Fight characteristics on the Spartan's profile card, which details what they need to roll to succeed. Modifiers to the roll add or subtract dice, depending on if the target is in cover, or you are on higher ground, or for melee combat, if there are additional units in the same cube. The target of the attack also rolls 3 dice and compares it to their Survive characteristic, each success cancels out an attack dice. If attack dice remain, damage is dealt.

The Halo experience comes into Halo Flashpoint not only through the miniatures, artwork, and attention to detail that the designers have put into the arms and equipment from the Halo universe, but the way it's designed actually feels like a Team Deathmatch. One of the key mechanics to this is the respawn, which allows removed models to return to the field the next time they would activate, losing their first activation to move back onto the field and then continue with their actions as normal. This removal and slight delay, while simple mechanics-wise, really captures the feel of the game, and with scenarios like Capture the Flag and Stronghold, makes it a perfect example of getting the video game theme onto the tabletop.

Can I Play Master Chief In Halo Flashpoint?

You can absolutely play Master Chief in Halo Flashpoint, unfortunately just not out of the Recon Edition box. Master Chief is available in the Halo Flashpoint Paint Set, which includes 8 Army Painter paints, a brush, the Master Chief miniature, and a profile card to use him in game.

The Recon Editon includes 2 identical teams of 4 Spartans. Each team contains:

• Spartan MK VII - The MK VII comes armed with an MA40 Assault Rifle, they can pin targets down or take them out with the accuracy that comes from a high rate of fire. They also have the Tactician ability, which means you roll more command dice to access extra abilities for the fire team.
• Spartan Brawler - The Brawler has a better Fight stat than the others, but a lower Ranged stat, and they come armed with the close-range but lethal CQS48 Bulldog.
• Spartan Zvezda - The Zvezda has the scout ability, which lets them advance one cube after set up, letting them close on objectives. They have an average shoot and a poor fight stat, but the VK78 Commando they come armed with has Optics, which improves their shooting ability.
• Spartan Deadeye - The Deadeye has the best range stat of the 4 Recon Edition Spartans, and the M392 DMR rifle they come armed with has optics for even better accuracy, and lethal for extra damage on each hit.

What Are Our Final Thoughts On Halo Flashpoint Recon Editon?

Halo Flashpoint is one of the best playable out-of-the-box wargames I've seen, with an incredible open-to-table time. While the box itself is fairly limited in play for veteran wargamers with 2 teams of equal Spartan types, it gives a solid starting point for anyone looking to get into the game, and it's perfect for beginners. If you're looking for more variety before the expansion that opens up the game is released, then consider the Spartan Edition that we hope to review soon on the site. The Deadzone rules still hold up, and play perfectly into not only the Halo theme but also captures the overall Team Deathmatch style of the game. Now we wait for the solo Master Chief narrative campaign that Mantic is definitely going to release right?

Should I Buy Halo Flashpoint Recon Edition?

If you want an incredible beginner-friendly quick-to-table game, just in time for Christmas, then Halo Flashpoint is for you. If you're a Halo fan, Halo Flashpoint is definitely for you. If you want a great tabletop iteration of Team Deathmatch, Halo Flashpoint is for you. If you want a Halo wargame, Halo Flashpoint is for you, but not just yet, you'll have to wait for the War Games Expansion next year, but still pick Halo Flashpoint up, because you still get the full rules and some great miniatures to start playing with. If you want a huge amount of replayability and variety out of the box, then the Recon Edition might not be for you, but consider the Spartan Edition, which comes with more Spartans and some Elites and we'll comment on how much variety it has when we get hold of a copy.

The copy of Halo Flashpoint Recon Edition used to produce this review was provided by Mantic Games.