BrikWars

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BrikWars is a free miniatures wargaming system by Mike Rayhawk, created for use with plastic building blocks and figurines. It is designed to be simple and flexible, allowing for its players' full range of creativity in creating armies, creatures, vehicles, and worlds out of construction toys.<ref name="Hammerl">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="escapist"/>

Although targeted primarily at adults, BrikWars is known for its straight-faced acceptance of the kinds of ridiculous scenarios and multi-genre mashups that arise naturally when children dump out their unsorted toybins on the floor. Much of its humor comes from satirizing "serious" wargames and their players, while flouting or deliberately misinterpreting conventions of the genre.<ref name="Hammerl"/><ref name="escapist"/>

A physical release of the game published by Modiphius Entertainment was announced in 2023.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Play mechanics

BrikWars uses "minifigs" (usually Lego minifigures or equivalent miniature figures from other construction toy brands) as small soldiers, and terrain constructed from construction bricks or random objects found near the playing area. While the game can be played with non-construction-toy-related objects, such as action figures, stuffed animals, or chessmen, the rules lend themselves best to figures and structures which can be easily disassembled and reconstructed. These models might represent real or imaginary forces and situations, but are just as likely to represent exactly what they are - toys engaging in arbitrary battles for toy supremacy.<ref name="bw_pdf"/>Template:Rp

BrikWars is a turn-based skirmish-level miniatures wargame. Each player in the game controls forces custom-built from construction toys or whatever materials they have at hand.<ref name="bw_pdf"/>Template:Rp The creations are assigned attributes according to the current size and features of the physical models at any given moment.<ref name="bw_pdf"/>Template:Rp

Players take turns, with each player moving and attacking with each of their units able to do so, before passing the turn to the next player in sequence. This continues until each player or team has succeeded or failed in their objectives, or until players agree that the battle is over. Normally each unit is able to move once (a number of inches based on its "Move" statistic)<ref name="bw_pdf"/>Template:Rp and take a single major action (usually to make an attack, or to use one of its special abilities known as a "Specialty")<ref name="bw_pdf"/>Template:Rp in a given turn, in addition to any number of minor actions.<ref name="luke_mason"/><ref name="bw_pdf"/>Template:Rp Units have lots of options such as: withholding its action that turn, to be able use that action in response to Enemy action;<ref name="bw_pdf"/>Template:Rp sprinting;<ref name="bw_pdf"/>Template:Rp charging;<ref name="bw_pdf"/>Template:Rp bailing<ref name="bw_pdf"/>Template:Rp or forming up into a squad.<ref name="bw_pdf"/>Template:Rp

For determining the success or failure of actions and attacks, each unit is assigned an appropriately sized polyhedral die for its Action attribute, which it must roll against a set number determined by the difficulty of the act.<ref name="luke_mason"/><ref name="bw_pdf"/>Template:Rp When an attack successfully hits, the attacker rolls their weapon's Damage dice in the hopes of overcoming the target's Armor stat.<ref name="bw_pdf"/>Template:Rp Most infantry units are killed by having their Armor overcome once,<ref name="bw_pdf"/>Template:Rp while larger vehicles and structures are more resilient and may take multiple hits (with their abilities correspondingly degraded)<ref name="bw_pdf"/>Template:Rp before being destroyed.<ref name="bw_pdf"/>Template:Rp

The rules also encourage players to disobey the rules as often as possible, as seen in the "Law of Fudge",<ref name="bw_pdf"/>Template:Rp and for special Hero units who can attempt to ignore the rules completely once per turn with a Heroic Feat.<ref name="bw_pdf"/>Template:Rp The rulebook repeatedly encourages fun over obsessive rules-lawyering, with an emphasis on making the game as enjoyable as possible for all parties involved.<ref name="bw_pdf"/>Template:Rp

History

Legowars, the predecessor of BrikWars,<ref name="bw_pdf"/>Template:Rp was invented in March 1991 by Eric O'Dell and R. Todd Ogrin. Legowars featured space-themed combat between Lego minifigures, and was distinguished from other miniature wargames of the time by a strong building-brick construction theme allowing the customization of playing pieces.<ref name="lw1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It was followed in January 1995 by a sequel, Legowars II.<ref name="lw2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In October 1995, the authors of Legowars received a cease and desist order from the Lego Group for their improper usage of the trademarked word "Lego".<ref name="sj">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> As Steve Jackson describes it:

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So Ogrin and O'Dell removed their content, but others archived it (adding legal disclaimers).<ref name="owg"/><ref name="lw1"/><ref name="lw2"/> Meanwhile, Mike Rayhawk started work on what would become BrikWars:

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In February 1997 Rayhawk formally announced BrikWars on rec.toys.lego.<ref>Template:Cite newsgroup</ref> BrikWars has been in continual development ever since.<ref name="bw_versions"/>

Reception

BrikWars is part of a wider movement of homebrew wargames based on LEGO and other children's building block toys,<ref name="escapist">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="owg">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> including Evil Stevie's Pirate Game<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> by Steve Jackson.<ref name="escapist"/> According to The Escapist, BrikWars is a "standout LEGO tabletop effort" in this scene.<ref name="escapist"/>

Reviewing it on Boardgamegeek, Luke Mason emphasized the economy of "taking all those hundreds of unused LEGOs sitting around and adding stats and rules to them so you can have a real wargame with them."; as well as its "flexible and affordable (if rough in design)" design. He summarizes his views as:<ref name="luke_mason">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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See also

• LUGNET

References

<references/>

External links

• Template:Official website
• Template:Bgg
• The BrikWars 2020 rulebook
• BrikWars PC Game homepage/download