A great tactical game – Musket Smoke Review

This game makes cannons, musketeers, pikemen, and cavalry feel like cannons, musketeers, pikemen and cavalry and does so with a clever economy of mechanisms. I like the non-random determinative damage system, the importance of maneuver, and the variety of the battlefields and tactical challenges. The online matches are tense, full of interesting decisions, and I find myself eagerly awaiting my next turns. As expected the campaign adds units, scenario goals, and additional maps. These increase the tactical depth nicely. What really ratchets up the tension in the campaign is the removal of the ability to undo moves and that line of sight effects enemy unit spotting as well as ranged fire. This adds the possibilities of an ambush, the need to scout, and how to deal with an unexpected enemy encountered during the heat (and smoke) of battle to a game that already had a lot of interesting decisions each turn. For a small amount of money the campaign adds a tremendous amount of play. ***Disclaimer: I rated version 1.21 four stars and became an unpaid playtester.*** The game is now a five star game for me. All of my minor issues I had have been addressed. The number of improvements goes way beyond what I had hoped for. Things like the rating system, the information bar, the damage preview, the expanded chat window are icing on the cake. This game has become my most played head to head game.
Review by :*:Bounder:*: on Musket Smoke.