Malediction review: "This new wargame is a revelation, but there's still room to improve"

I’m someone who grew up with Magic: The Gathering, has been playing Dungeons & Dragons since college, and have been into tabletop wargames (including Warhammer 40K) for about a decade. When I hear about a new game that looks to combine those things, my ears perk up and my wallet opens. Let me introduce you to Malediction, from Loot Studios - typically known for their highly detailed printable 3D miniatures.

In hindsight, it feels like a type of game that should have come about a long time ago, combining the flexibility and customization of Magic: The Gathering’s deck building with the intense and strategic versatility of Warhammer. After a successful crowdfunding campaign that raised over $500,000, I think it is safe to say I’m not the only one who thought so. Now, after having been graciously sent a box of each of the four factions to test out, I can confidently say that Malediction is a certified banger of a game that I can’t wait to play more of.

Malediction features & design

• A dark fantasy wargame with unique terrain and card systems
• Four faction starter sets to choose from
• Can be used with 3D-printed miniatures

As it is still early days for the game, there are currently four faction boxes that folks can pick from, each specializing in a different approach. Primal Blood believes that offense is the best form of defense, packing it with high damaging units and spells, but lacking in the armor department. The Legion of the Fallen, on the other hand, opts to try to overwhelm opponents with undead bodies on the battlefield. If playing the tank is more your style, sitting opposite of Primal Blood is the Order of the Shattered Throne, focusing more on defensive options with their gleaming armors and more angelic and knightly aesthetic. Lastly, the Conclave of the Spheres act as your ranged warband, focusing on spells and other tricks to keep opponents in line. If you play Magic, this is the blue control army.

Each of the four faction boxes includes both a starter deck that is ready to go and a set of cards that can be used to augment and customize your deck. It helps keep things fresh, but I found that the offerings currently available aren’t quite at the level yet to really let you put together a completely ground-up, unique deck. Each box is only good for a single player, which means that, at about $70 each, you and a friend will be shelling out close to $150 to play. Loot Studios offers a free print-and-play demo pack for folks to try out, which is a great idea. However, to get more meaningful time with the game, you can expect to pay a premium.

Games of Malediction play out in a region dictated by border markers, with players struggling against one another to earn enough Mastery points to secure victory. To do this, players will take control of powerful Seekers who serve as the commanders of their warband. Each Seeker features a specific faction symbol(s) that dictates the types of units and spells that can be included in their deck, along with a unique legacy that tells you your starting resources and any special abilities your warband army has. To summon members of your warband to the field, Malediction utilizes a resource called Echo, with each card requiring a specific Echo cost to play, be it a creature, spell, or attachment. For anyone who has experience with trading card games like Magic: The Gathering or Pokémon, this will feel pretty familiar.

Once the action shifts from the cards in your hand to the tabletop battlefield, players will take turns activating individual units and performing actions before the next player goes. A character, when "activated" (aka picked to act), gets two action points that can then be used for various actions, both basic ones and more advanced options, like moving, attacking, or triggering effects on some cards that you can play from your hand. It doesn’t matter what actions you take, whether you are in range and want to attack twice or move twice, a combination of the two, or just use a card from your hand. I really appreciate this flexibility Malediction provides.

As for looks, Loot Studios is known for incredibly detailed 3D printable miniatures, and this legacy comes through with Malediction as well. Along with their faction boxes, you get a redemption code that provides models for not only every unit that is in the box but also large terrain (each faction has its distinctive style of terrain) and husk models that you can print out and really help this game come alive on your table. But, even though 3D printing has become cheaper and a more consumer-friendly hobby to get into, Malediction also includes sturdy cardboard pieces and tokens that can be used in place of 3D models. It's a smart move that I appreciate Loot Studios taking, allowing you to start playing right away after opening the boxes, without waiting for your pieces to print or paying extra for pre-printed miniatures. The fact that the quality of the cardboard tokens, both in their artwork and sturdiness, is top-notch is just an added benefit. In fact, I never even felt the need to print out the miniatures. It is this thought that has really tinted my view of Malediction as a whole - I sort of wish that this was a board game.

Gameplay

• Novel card-based system shakes things up
• Terrain is more than an obstacle
• Not enough variety just yet

Much of Malediction actually reminded me more of playing a tabletop RPG like Dungeons & Dragons over something like Warhammer 40K due to things like opponents getting a free hit on your unit if they move out of melee range (referred to as "Retalliation" here, but it's very reminiscent of "Attacks of Opportunity" from D&D). Malediction also utilizes a 20-sided die to make its rolls, complete with Critical Hits and Critical failures, and when it comes to attacks, in a particularly nice feature, you will always deal damage. You will simply deal more if you succeed against the target's armor. Failures, referred to as glancing blows, deal less, and even nat 1 rolls deal damage still. It's a flat single damage, but damage is damage.

Loot Studios is also mixing things up when it comes to terrain, and making it more than just an obstacle that may provide cover or slow your movement. Alongside the Legacy of your Seeker, players have the option of utilizing the terrain card that comes in their faction box. These cards grant special properties when using those pieces on the map (or if your friends agree to use specific ones over others), such as the Astarian Pathways, which allow units that are taking actions while on those tiles/models to gain an additional two inches of movement, or Deathshroud Mire that let units with the "Ambush" ability deploy there and block line of sight, but only from the outside. These are neat little adjustments that add flavor and strategy to Malediction that my friends and I appreciated during our plays.

By far my favorite mechanic in Malediction is with its relics, powerful equipment, and items held by the Husks - the corpses of previous wielders that have fallen in battle, scattered around the battlefield. Interacting with one of these will let you pick from one of the displayed relics from the relic pool or pull blindly from the special relic deck. Not only can these be equipped to your warband, but as long as you hold it, you will gain 10 mastery points. If that character holding the relic is taken out, their body will become a husk, you will lose those 10 points, and give the other players a chance to get a new, possibly more powerful, relic.

Fighting over the relics and rushing to claim them to get a specific weapon from the pool was a common occurrence during my games with Malediction. The fact that there is a reward tied to claiming these husks, outside of just mastery, made going after one a far more enticing and exciting prospect than simply capturing and holding a point. And the added element that you can lose both the relic and the points made it almost a capture the flag scenario. You really have to think about whether or not it's worth risking your character in that combat.

Should you buy Malediction?

I love what Malediction is bringing to the table, and its approach to mixing the TCG, wargaming, and TTRPGs is rather brilliant. The bones are solid. That said, with only those four core factions being available, it hinders and limits what you can do with the deck/warband building, which is a big interest and pull for me.

I also wish there was an option to buy a single box containing all four faction decks, their associated cardboard warband tokens, and a single set of terrain and tools. This would eliminate the need for the key to access the 3D models for printing, thereby reducing costs, making the whole thing feel more like that self-contained board game-style experience.

It’s hard to put a defined score for a game like Malediction as a result, a game that is still very much in its infancy and will thrive or die based on the support that it gets from both its developer and the community. I need to see more of what Loot Studios has in store for the game, but in its current state, if you have a group of friends with some money to burn, Malediction manages to deliver something unique and pulse-pounding.

Ratings

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

How we tested Malediction

After working through the rules and examining the faction mechanics for each starter set, our reviewer engaged in matches with friends to see how Malediction handles in practice. They also used their knowledge of wargaming, the best tabletop RPGs, and card gaming to inform their critique.

You can find out more about our process by checking this guide on how we test board games, or by reading the full GamesRadar+ reviews policy.

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