Bandai Spirits first announced its Gundam Assemble miniatures game in January, setting off a firestorm of speculation among fans. The giant toy robot models are finally being shrunken down to the size of tabletop miniatures, and a new tabletop skirmish game is on the way. But with little more than a brief trailer to go on, consumers have largely been left in the dark. viraltrendingcontent recently spoke with the Japanese development team via translator, and we’ve learned that the toy arm of the multinational entertainment company Bandai Namco isn’t ready to take any options off the table.
The game that Bandai shows off in the trailer looks to have a similar footprint to card-based skirmish miniatures games like Warhammer Underworlds, which also uses a grid for movement. Representatives from Bandai told viraltrendingcontent that the smaller footprint was indeed inspired by games like these, but also by more traditional board games like Catan. They clearly want Gundam Assemble to fit on a kitchen table — not the lunchroom-sized 8-footers that wargames like Warhammer 40,000 are usually played on.
That’s because the goal is to introduce Gunpla — those giant, articulated robot models that Bandai alone can expertly craft — to the wider, global audience of tabletop gamers.
“Gundam Assemble is a tabletop strategy game where players use miniature Gunpla figures to create armies and engage in tactical battles,” said Tatsuro Kawashima, who built the mechanical system that the game is based on. “The core gameplay is focusing on the strategic unit placement, actually playing these objective-based missions. So it is designed to appeal to both hardcore miniatures gamers and the casual fan of the Gundam franchises. The game draws inspiration from miniature wargames — from 40K, to BattleTech, to Star Wars: Shatterpoint. Bandai is aiming to create an experience that’s accessible for new players while allowing strategic depth for the seasoned gamer.”
Bandai explained that players will be in control of a Gundam team. They will then use that team to play through a story-driven campaign with objectives linking individual missions.
“I think it’s most similar to BattleTech […] but so far it’s a little bit difficult to [share] the details,” said Kawashima. “The basic concept is to play a big team featuring your favorite mobile suits. However, since this is a game based on Gundam IP, we also want to offer special scenarios, limited battles that evoke the original storyline to help the player to feel connected to the source material.”
As far as terrain or other accessories, Bandai has not yet finalized what will come with Gundam Assemble The final product will likely include the game board, dice, and cards that show the details of each unit in-game — and in-fiction, including details like Gundam height.
While hex-based movement is integral to the game at this time, Bandai said that it hasn’t ruled out other gameplay modes that use rulers or other tools to allow units to move more freely. That means massed battles of Gunpla could be on the horizon — but for now, at least, the company is laser-focused on this smaller footprint game.
For the designers at Bandai, it was particularly important to translate the intricate detail of their large, elaborate models to the smaller size of a tabletop miniature. That meant actually making them a bit bigger than traditional 28 mm- or 32 mm-scale models. At 5 centimeters (roughly 2 inches) tall, each Gunpla miniature will tower over a traditional 40K Assault Intercessor, and will even have a bit of reach on a Captain in Gravis armor.
Photo: Charlie Hall/viraltrendingcontent
They’re also very highly detailed.
“Many of the models in this Assemble kit are based on existing High Grade Gunpla [kits],” said Jun Someya, a member of the Gundam Assemble planning and development staff. “In order to efficiently create cool poses with a small number of parts, the angle of the arms has been carefully adjusted. For parts that would not otherwise be visible, they were purposefully omitted or molded [in place].”
Of course, most model-makers don’t paint their Gunpla. Tabletop gamers often do paint their miniatures, though, and Bandai is hoping its design will cater to their unique needs — especially folks who are looking to build up their “shelf army.”
“We thought the size would satisfy customers who display their individual miniatures,” Someya said. “Also, the size would be perfect for painting Gundams, which have very small faces and armor plates. Maybe it would be bigger than other products, but we felt that 5 centimeters would be perfect for both these purposes.”
Expect more information on Gundam Assemble soon. Early figures will be sold in special bundles with the Gundam Card Game — which Bandai confirmed is a completely separate product.
