Trinket Review: Broken Egg Games' WARsticks

Prologue:

Warmachine and Hordes is a very precision-oriented game - so much so that we often get made fun of by other gaming systems.

In that quest for perfect placement and insane accuracy, we use many tools to make our play cleaner and easier to read. In my widget box you can find everything from laser lines to proxy bases to charge lane widgets. Now you can also find a set of Circle Orboros WARsticks, and man are they cool.

You can find them here.

Price:

The most important question - can I fit them in my budget?

At a modest price point of $40 (US Dollars for my international readers), these certainly aren't going to break the bank.

They do clock in at slightly more expensive than their direct competition however. Broken Egg Games ALSO sells "Guild Sticks", which are laser engraved acrylic measuring sticks (albeit without any Warmachine and Hordes art or notation) for $35, and Muse on Minis sells a set of precision sticks for $35.

That being said, I prefer the Broken Egg widgets. The extra five dollars is more than worth it because...

Quality:

Broken Egg Games products (at least the ones I've come in contact with), have all been of excellent quality, and these are no different.

The clear acrylic is precisely cut to the lengths marked on the sticks (I checked mine). Additionally, the sticks are thin enough to fit easily into most spaces (when turned on the side), but still thick enough that it would take dedicated force to break them. They feel extremely sturdy, and there is no noticeable flex when the sticks are handled.

The backing material is extremely well adhered to the stick, and I know from experience with their tokens that nothing short of taking a knife or hard contact on a similar, sharp surface will separate the artwork from the stick itself.

The back of the sticks are black plastic, which is perfect for putting your name or other identifying marks on.

The only downside to this design comes into view if the sticks are turned upside down. When they are not face up, you cannot see which stick is which length. This is easily remedied by marking it on the back with a silver sharpie when you label them with your name, and I've also noticed that I don't ever put these face down once I've started a game - the artwork is too pretty - so it hasn't been an issue.

Overall I am very impressed with the quality of the widgets - they're sturdy, practical, and look gorgeous.

Use them to mark deployment zones! 

Use them to measure threat ranges!

Ease of Use:

The great thing about these widgets is their user friendliness. There are very few tricks to making the best use of them.

Need to precisely measure an 8 inch charge with a reach heavy? Simply hold down your model and put the ten inch stick base to base with it.

Need 11 inches? Put the ten inch stick down and then pick any of the other sticks and use the short side - each stick is 1 inch wide. I find them especially useful for measuring out distances for ranged models before they move.

5" advance and 12 inch shot? Out comes the five inch stick, the eight inch, and the four inch stick, all touching. It doesn't get any simpler than that, and this way there is no argument - either the model is in or it is out, and there is no wavering tape measure over the model.


Conclusion:

Want precise measurements? Want really pretty eye candy when your opponent goes into the tank for a few turns?

These are definitely for you. I've had them for almost two weeks, and I've used them in every single game I have played. I cannot imagine sitting down to a game without these now - they are truly a staple in my collection of gaming implements.