Written Review – High Command: Rapid Engagement

If you’ve been curious about Privateer Press’s High Command deck-building game but didn’t want to sink money into a full-sized core set without knowing if you’d like or not, Rapid Engagement may be for you. This smaller version of High Command gives gamers a taste of the system without the financial investment : and as a stand-alone game, it can be added to other base sets or played on its own.

Out of the Box

High Command : Rapid Engagement comes in a small box and contains the following –

• 1 Rulebook
• 132 cards
  • 51 Khador cards
  • 51 Circle Orboros cards
  • 15 Location cards
  • 15 Winds of War cards

What’s Changed?

Honestly, absolutely nothing. But, this is good. The game plays the same way as the core games in the High Command series, so please check out the review of High Command : WARMACHINE for rules on how to play the game. The difference is that this is just a smaller set without the bigger price tag. Some of the cards seem to resemble Faith and Fortune moreso than the base Hordes/Warmachine sets.

Warcasters and Warlocks

A Quicker Path to Victory

There’s not too much to say about this set when comparing it to the original base sets – the decks do come pre-constructed so there’s not a lot of customization in this set but it is good for people who want a taste of the game without the hefty bill. The decks seem pretty balanced when just looking at the stat/cost values, although we found that Khador had a much higher success rate, even when we switched off decks. I will say that unless you’re a really seasoned High Command player, Rapid Engagement is a good choice because you don’t spend as much time shuffling through your options when it comes to building the right deck – that work has already been done for you. Set the game up, shuffle, draw your cards, and get in it.

Sample of Location cards from Rapid Engagement

The font is still tiny, and I do wish that Privateer Press had made an effort to change this, as many people brought it up as an issue they had with the game – I feel that with this small set, it would’ve been the perfect way to debut or test out a different approach to the text at the bottom of the cards. Otherwise, materials were up to par with the other games and gameplay is essentially the same. High Command : Rapid Engagement retails for $11.99, and is worth the cost if you’re looking to try out this strong-themed deck-builder.

Thanks to Privateer Press for providing a copy of High Command: Rapid Engagement for review!

Pros

• Not as expensive as the core game
• Gives a great insight into the game
• Doesn’t skimp on game play and gives the full experience

Cons

• Same as core game, not many options for customizing decks

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