Havok (wargame)
| This time the victory... or defeat, shall be yours. | |
|---|---|
| Designer(s) | Unknown |
| Publisher(s) | Bluebird Toys |
| Years active | 1997 |
| Players | 2–3 |
| Age range | 11+ |
| Random chance | Dice rolling |
| Skill(s) required | Tactical, arithmetic |
Havok was a short-lived wargame created by Bluebird Toys in 1997. It was designed as a cheaper alternative to Warhammer 40,000 and was aimed at a younger audience. The key defining feature of Havok miniatures was the use of soft, flexible plastic in production, the hand pre-painted, pre-assembled models, 35mm plastic bases and decorative sticker for the models and bases, which meant that additional paints and glue was not necessary.
Havok shared many themes with Warhammer 40,000, including the Space-Marine-like Karn Empire, the Nexus Rebellion- who looked like Imperial Guard- and the Pteravore, whose main unit was similar to Tyranid Genestealers. The Karn and Nexus "Battleforms" where giant robots, a staple of miniature wargames of this genre. Giant robots called 'Dreadnoughts' also feature in Warhammer 40,000.[1]
Initially, the game was sold in "Havok Skirmish Battle Sets", which included a small force with equal numbers of Karn and Nexus units. Soon after, expansion blisters were released that included extra units, many of which were not included in the Skirmish Box. However, due to being sold through a catalogue company (Argos), it became very difficult for collectors to acquire the units they wanted (see below).
The failure of the brand to take off has been attributed to a variety of factors, mainly associated with bad marketing. Considered the main contributing factor was the fact that Havok expansion blisters could only be bought as one item from a catalogue store, which meant that it was impossible for customers to purchase specific units, as all items had the same serial number and so were chosen randomly by the staff. Bluebird Toys also released too early for the Christmas Rush and the company went bankrupt before Christmas Day. A clunky and flawed rules system (which attempted to be simpler than Warhammer) also brought down the quality of the game down, and a few collectors have recently created updated rules based on Warhammer 40,000 rulebooks.[2]
After the company went bankrupt, many toy stores sold the boxes at lower prices, but many collectors did not realise the company had stopped selling the products. Unopened Havok boxes are now very rare.
Units that are of particular collectors value are the Pteravore Hound, Pteravore Screamer and Karn Heavy Weapons, as these appear not to have released to stores in great numbers before Bluebird Toys went bankrupt and so only display models exist.