Many people wonder if Games Workshop’s ‘Battle Masters’ holds the title for the biggest board game ever created. The short answer is no, it does not. However, with the official stamp of approval from Games Workshop, Battle Masters certainly holds a massive place in the hearts of many fans. This is not the first time we have discussed large tabletop games here. We previously covered the entire series about The Campaign For North Africa, which is widely considered the largest and most complicated war game in existence. Today, however, our focus is specifically on the physical size of this particular board game.
Battle Masters was released back in 1992 by Milton Bradley, working under a special license from Games Workshop. The game sets up a conflict between the Imperial Knights and the Forces of Chaos. Even without knowing the story behind it, the game stands out immediately in any room. The main reason for this is the gigantic battle map included in the box. It completely dominates the table, measuring roughly 4.5 feet square, which is about 55 inches by 57 inches, or 140 centimeters by 145 centimeters. The models included in the game are sized to match this massive board, with the most impressive feature being a huge tower that stands tall over the battling armies.
How to Play Battle Masters
The gameplay is fairly simple, but it draws heavy inspiration from common war game mechanics. During the setup phase, one player is responsible for placing terrain features around the board. These features include river crossings, marshland that units cannot pass through, defensive fortifications, and of course, the mighty tower itself. While one player sets up the terrain, the other player gets to choose which side of the board they want to start on. This setup process was quite progressive for a board game released by Milton Bradley in 1992.
One of the main mechanics that makes Battle Masters stand out is its unique turn order structure. Instead of the typical “I go, you go” system found in many games, Battle Masters uses a deck of Battle Cards to decide which units get to act. Each card shows a small selection of units from one side or the other. Since the deck is fully shuffled, there is a decent chance that one player might get to act several times in a row before the other player gets a turn.
Very Unique Units
But you should not dismiss Battle Masters as being too simple. There are many different gameplay mechanics working together here. There is a significant amount of asymmetry in how each army operates, especially regarding the special units. For example, the Imperial Knights have access to a cannon. The cannon uses tiles to track the path of the cannonball as it flies across the board. These tiles are drawn randomly, and depending on which tile is revealed as the cannonball moves toward its target, it might cause unintended damage to other units or even itself.
Similarly, but in a different way, the Ogre Champion has a deck of cards that determines what it will do on its turn. Depending on the remaining wounds of the Ogre, the player draws a number of cards from its deck. These cards dictate if the Ogre moves or attacks. So, the ogre, as you might expect, kind of does whatever it wants, with only some guidance from the player.
Overall Review
Nowadays, like so many of these types of games, Battle Masters is something of a collector’s item. However, the community surrounding the game is still active, often making up new rules and mechanics to keep it fresh. Because of this continued interest, getting your hands on a copy can be a bit pricey.
Overall, Battle Masters is a pretty nifty board game. It obviously makes a strong visual impression, but it also has a lot of interesting mechanics lying just under that surface. So, is Battle Masters the biggest board game ever? Well, no. Apparently, that title belongs to World of Flames, which clocks in at 23,279.30 square centimeters, roughly 25 square feet. That is truly massive.
