Rivet Wars

About the Game

Rivet Wars: Eastern Front is a tactical miniatures game for 2 or more players. Each player takes on the role of the commander of a Rivet army representing one of the warring factions. As a commander you will engage the opposition in battle and take charge of your troops as they are called up and sent to the front to fight. By understanding all of your units’ strengths and weaknesses and those of your opponent you will counter your enemies’ advances and capture critical objectives to secure your victory. But choosing the wrong troops can lead to disaster, defeat, and possibly even your dismissal as commander!

Over the top lads!

Rivet Wars: Eastern Front starts a basic game with no troops on the battlefield. Players rely on a steady flow of new soldiers each turn to build their force. This is one of the core ideas behind the game and this mechanic was the result of a few considerations. The first is that Rivet Wars takes a lot of reference from WWI. We wanted something in the game that gave players that WWI feel of whistles blowing and waves of soldiers throwing themselves into battle.

There was also a desire to have a quick setup time. With many games requiring players to setup their armies before play begins it can be a while before the game starts. Deployment of new units each turn meant that once the board was down players could jump right in and start the battle.

Then there is the tactical decision making. We didn’t want players to make decisions at the beginning of the game that would later put them in a really bad spot. Giving the player the choice of new troops each turn means that players can adjust their play and tactics by reacting to what is unfolding on the battlefield.

Get into formation!

We wanted to give players the opportunity to use their units in optimal ways by allowing them to simulate the idea of combined arms. To do this we created the Grid Target Order. This allows players to put more heavily armored units in a position where they’ll be hit first. In Rivet Wars each grid is made up of four smaller squares. Most units take up one or maybe two of these squares allowing multiple units to fit in the same grid. Since an attacker must target the first square in a grid, putting a tough unit in that position can protect the other units in that grid. This gives players an added layer of decision making when planning ways to counteract potential threats.

To take advantage of this system a blight player might position his MG08 in the first square of a grid with infantry behind. The MG08 with an armor rating of two would effectively block any allied infantry attacks from reaching the units behind it.

Of course there are counters to the Grid Target Order. One is the Area of Effect attack. In Rivet Wars AOE attacks are against an entire grid and are referred to as “Flat Grid” attacks. Making a Flat Grid attack means a unit will roll against each unit in the targeted grid regardless of target order. Another way to circumvent the Grid Target Order is with an ability. The Blight sniper, Jager Erwin Koenig, has the ability “sniper”. This allows him to target any unit in any square of a grid thereby ignoring the Grid Target Order.