One of my favorite things about High Command is its extensive replayability. Different detachment colors, different warcasters and warlocks, and different factions give players all sorts of options right out of the box. Then the expansion products add detachment customization options, so every detachment in every faction gains even more new possibilities. On top of that, there are a variety of variant formats that have been detailed in the pages of No Quarter magazine or that players have posted online. It’s also a different experience to play 1-on-1 versus four-player free-for-alls. And it’s a different experience to play at the kitchen table versus at a Kingmaker tournament.

As we continue to add products to the High Command line, that replayability is only going to grow. Today, however, I get to announce a new way that High Command’s replayability will grow in the coming months: campaign expansions.

The first two High Command campaign expansions are Invasion of Sul for the four factions of WARMACHINE High Command and Castle of the Keys for the four factions of HORDES High Command. Each campaign expansion includes a few new cards for each faction, but the campaign experience really comes to life with the new location deck and new Winds of War deck specific to each campaign.

The core game location cards have abilities that trigger when you capture the location or when you use them to generate resources. This creates a consistent combat experience across all locations that makes for a good entry point to High Command. But what about more advanced locations that change the combat experience itself?

The Walls of Sul and Cliffside Vantage Point location cards from Invasion of Sul and Castle of the Keys, respectively, do just that. It’s easy to see how the Walls protect your faster, cheaper army cards or that fighting for the high ground gives you better control over what happens next in the battle.

The new Winds of War decks don’t break the mold like the location decks, but they also provide some real twists to the High Command experience. Cards like Coordinated Assault and Redirection create specific opportunities for breaking through an opponent’s forces or for fortifying your position.

These new decks are bound to shake up Kingmaker tournaments as well as casual games of High Command. The first player in a Kingmaker game will soon have three distinct Winds of War decks to choose from, each with its own flow of battle, and that player will also be able to choose from up to four different location decks—two with abilities that matter during combat at that location and two with abilities that matter after the battle for that location has been won.

Overall, I’m looking forward to these High Command expansions more than any other High Command expansion product to date. I think they will really shake up the game and magnify High Command’s existing extensive replayability.

Prepping for Campaigns,
—DC