First look at Halo: Flashpoint miniature game revels in the video game's intense multiplayer
All that’s missing is a Warthog and a flag.
Halo’s upcoming tabletop translation released a teaser trailer and press release that dropped a few big details amongst a whole lot of nothing. Thanks to new information from publisher Mantic Games at GAMA Expo 2024, we know very little more than that Halo: Flashpoint will contain a whole mess of Master Chiefs doing violence at each other.
To be fair, that’s because Dicebreaker and most of its readers aren’t “key retailers”, the audience for an early preview that the makers of fantasy wargame Kings of War and The Walking Dead-themed All Out War hosted at the Kentucky-based event on March 3rd. What trickled out is an official name and a 33-second teaser video that sure seems to love Halo multiplayer.
Titled “Spartans Teaser Trailer”, the video shows gameplay from 343 Industries’ most recent video game, Halo Infinite, alongside illustrations of Spartans and quick looks at four of the pre-built 40mm miniatures that players will equip with Needlers, Rocket launchers and energy swords before thrusting them into combat against other fireteams.
Since we first covered the reveal of Halo: Flashpoint, the publisher hasn’t mentioned the inclusion of any other factions beyond the Spartans, of which Halo-protagonist Master Chief is a member. But the title of the video, which specifically highlights the human faction, does kind of beg the existence of the alien Covenant and (less likely at launch) the parasitic Flood.
Halo: Flashpoint is reportedly built around “proven mechanics that reward tactical thinking, encourage bold playstyles, and create awesome cinematic moments that authentically reflect the very best of the Halo universe”, according to the press release. Alongside easily assembled terrain, Mantic Games is attempting to position Flashpoint to satisfy experienced wargamers without becoming too unwelcoming to fans of the Halo series who are curious about tabletop skirmishing.
If I was inclined to place bets, the trailer’s obvious adoration for multiplayer Halo would convince me to expect some classic game modes such as Capture the Flag, Slayer, Stronghold and maybe even Oddball. These were the foundation of many weekend LAN parties - if you’re a Millennial firmly in their 30s - and still embody what many consider the ‘true’ Halo experience. All that guff about Cortana, ringworlds and mercenary factions just gets in the way of ‘shotties and snipers only’ matches.
Most of this information is inference, as Mantic Games continues playing coy ahead of the first public demos, which will take place at Adepticon 2024 on March 20th. That’s also when the publisher will release more information to the official Halo: Flashpoint website, which currently comprises a brief news post with an image of four Spartan miniatures in different armour and helmets, all wielding assault rifles.
Halo: Flashpoint will skip the crowdfunding circuit and launch directly to retail in Fall 2024 - an earlier post to Mantic Games’ website claims September, but we’re not sure if that timeline is still valid. The history of Halo miniature games contains two differently weighted titles - Halo: Ground Command and Halo: Fleet Battles - that failed to maintain an audience and eventually led to the closure of publisher Spartan games in 2017.