Moonbreaker, the upcoming turn based tactical sim from author Brandon Sanderson and Unknown Worlds, captures the unique charm of tabletop gaming.
Moonbreaker is going to be a riot, if the recently announced game’s reveal at Gamescom 2022 is anything to go by. Combining the talents of Brandon Sanderson, one of the biggest names in sci-fi literature, with the developers behind 2018’s fantastic Subnautica, it has the potential to be something really unique.
Sanderson has seemingly provided the world and lore for Moonbreaker, which judging from the trailer looks like a cross between Guardians of the Galaxy and Warhammer 40,000. And the comparisons with Warhammer aren’t likely to stop at the setting, as the gameplay leans hard into the mechanics of tabletop wargaming and Dungeons & Dragons.
Popular RTS franchises, such as Warcraft and Starcraft, have traditionally allowed players to chose the colour scheme of their army/faction. However, Moonbreaker takes customisation one step further, essentially including a digital painting workshop to create the tabletop miniatures of your dreams.
What I love most about this is that Moonbreaker has the potential to bring tabletop gaming into the digital realm. Sure, Warhammer has dozens of video game adaptations, but they tend to be more interested in using the lore of the franchise than capturing the tabletop experience.
The biggest barriers for most to tabletop gaming is cost and time. Figurines are expensive, as are painting and craft supplies (you’ll need a full-time job just to get started). And then, at least for the majority of us, the time investment required is prohibitive.
Moonbreaker, if it gets its gameplay formula right, could lower the barrier to tabletop gaming; giving players what makes the experience unique in a fast, fun and afforable package.
Whether this turns out to be the case we can’t be sure. However, the good news is that we won’t have to wait long to find out.
Moonbreaker is scheduled for release on Steam September 30, 2022.
