Heroscape: Age of Annihilation Review
A nostalgic battlefield returns, but does gameplay hold up?
Heroscape: Age of Annihilation is a tactical miniatures game featuring modular 3D terrain and dice-based combat. Players draft armies of varied fantasy and sci-fi warriors, secretly assign turn orders, then battle for dominance through movement, terrain positioning, and special abilities. Designed for 2-4 players, with a playtime of 60-120 minutes.
Video published February 28th, 2025
-
![]()
Draft dragons, pirates and bears to make your own army!
-
![]()
Chuck lots of dice in epic battles!
-
![]()
Build your own worlds and then fight on them!
The Story
Heroscape returns after nearly two decades, bringing back the signature 3D terrain system with unpainted minis at a lower price point ($125). A painted version also exists ($225). We played this master set three times, each with a different scenario. Each scenario took about two hours including set-up and takedown.
Need to learn how to play? Or want more reasoning for our points? Our review video’s got you!
Component Pros - Iconic Minis
The minis are made from sturdy plastic, with well-sculpted details that hold up even without paint.
Assembly is minimal, only the largest figures may have bending/mold issues.
The variety of unit sculpts adds personality, from towering dragons to scrappy dwarves.
Component Pros - Simple 3D Terrain System
Simple slot-in stacking system allows for endless map-building creativity.
The height mechanics integrate seamlessly into gameplay, providing tactical decision-making space.
Water tiles and obstacles add further visual variety and functional terrain hazards.
Despite some minor quality downgrades compared to the original, the terrain still looks good on the table and facilitates fast, intuitive movement and placement.
Gameplay Pros - Fast-Paced Tactical Combat
The core system is very intuitive to pick up and begin playing.
Movement and positioning matter. Terrain height affects attack and defense rolls, and units must carefully maneuver around obstacles.
Order marker system adds a layer of deception, as players must predict enemy movements while planning their own.
The lack of complex ability chains or extensive rules overhead keeps the game snappy and turns short.
Gameplay Pros - Terrain Integration
Height advantages and movement penalties make positioning decisions impactful.
Water halts movement, creating natural choke points and tactical pathways.
Overhangs and tight spaces give smaller units distinct advantages, rewarding creative map usage.
Map-specific glyphs provide game objectives and powers, and are often placed in vulnerable positions, forcing players to weigh risk vs. reward when trying to control them.
Terrain is fast to set up and take down, allowing players to get straight into the action.
Gameplay Pros - Variety & Replayability
Each unit plays differently, from fast-moving pirates to heavy-hitting dragons.
Unique team compositions add variety, but drafting still has potential despite certain limitations.
Special abilities add variety without extreme complexity.
Some units (like the cybernetic admiral) have quirky, fun abilities, such as firing four times per turn.
The set includes multiple scenarios, offering different objectives and asymmetric challenges.
The ability to build custom maps means games will rarely feel the same.
Players can mix and match units to explore different strategies.
While not as extensive as previous Heroscape sets, the included content still allows for experimentation.
Runs true to time at 60-120 minutes.
Component Cons - Storage, Rulebook, and Thematic Problems
Storage is poorly designed. The box has an insert for miniatures and small terrain pieces, but nothing for large terrain tiles.
The rulebook lacks key features like an index, glossary, or quick reference, making it frustrating to find rules on the fly.
No included player aids.
The theme is a strange mix. Feels like random factions thrown together with no real cohesion.
Gameplay Cons - Drafting & Balance Issues
The unit pool is too small, leading to limited viable army synergies.
Some units reference faction bonuses that do not exist in this set, making them feel terrible to draft and use.
The point costs of certain units (like the dragon at 200) make drafting awkward when you are only given 300 or 400 points total. Drafting it severely restricts your further choices.
Are not enough low-cost units to help round out army, make the draft feel rigid and unbalanced.
Squads are disproportionately strong compared to heroes.
The Knaves of the Silver Scimitar (squad, pictured) are far above the power curve in this set, boasting heroic-level stats, action compression, attack bonuses, disengagement immunity, and all at a very low point cost.
Gameplay Cons - Outdated and Clunky Mechanics
Players must move before attacking, often leading to wasted actions in tight situations.
Losing a unit with an assigned order marker means losing an entire turn, which can cause snowball effects that feel terrible to play against.
There’s no innate dice mitigation, just pure luck.
Turn order is determined by a single D20 roll, which can massively shift momentum in one player’s favor.
Suppose a player finishes a round going last, wins initiative, and goes first in the next round. In that case, they effectively get two uninterrupted turns in a row, allowing them to wipe out key enemy units before their opponent can react.
This can heavily skew the game in favor of whoever wins the roll, making turn order feel unfair and frustrating.
Recommender’s Score - 5/10 Average
Heroscape: Age of Annihilation is a reprint of a much-beloved Ameritrash system that revolves around dice chucking, 3D terrain, and simple rules. After weighing the pros and cons, the score lands at a 5/10. It’s just average.
At first, the score was around 7/10 because who cares about the cons? It’s Heroscape. The mechanics might be silly, but it’s all about the terrain and cool units, right? But the more I thought about it, the more this set fell apart under scrutiny.
The biggest issue is that Age of Annihilation isn’t a good master set. Unlike Swarm of the Marro, which had a clear identity with its grotesque alien monsters and opposing forces, it lacks a coherent theme. This set has no such consistency. The terrain is also uninspired. Outside of a few walls, none of the units meaningfully interact with the battlefield in any way that makes it feel distinct from previous sets. The drafting experience is weak, with units that barely synergize, and, frankly, it feels like a predatory attempt to get players to buy more expansions to make it work.
Looking into the history of this set makes things even stranger. The original Haslab/Hasbro Pulse crowdfunding campaign for Age of Annihilation wasn’t funded, and that version of the game had significantly more content. Instead of abandoning it entirely, Renegade Games released what seems to be a stripped-down version with half the content. The end result feels incomplete, but because the older master sets aren’t readily available, this is the only option for people looking to get into Heroscape.
So that’s the problem. Compared to previous Heroscape master sets, Age of Annihilation is worse in almost every way. But since the other sets are no longer buyable at retail, you’re left in a weird position. If you want Heroscape, this is your best option, even if it’s not great.
In the end, it’s still Heroscape. The terrain is fun to build, rolling dice feels good, and it’s a highly accessible miniatures game. But it’s also outdated, clunky, and frustratingly unbalanced. It’s not something I can actively recommend, but I also don’t advise against it. It sits right in the middle (5/10) because, for all its flaws in 2025, there’s still that raw Ameritrash thrill of smashing little plastic armies together and hoping the dice roll in your favor.
