VOR: The Maelstrom

About this board game

VOR: The Maelstrom is a science-fiction squad-based miniatures wargame for 2–10 players, with a listed play time of 90 minutes. Released in 1999, it places rival races inside a mysterious galaxy-sized anomaly known as the VOR.

The VOR randomly pulls worlds and their inhabitants through time-space. Once trapped inside, every world drifts toward the center—the Maelstrom—and its doom. Players take control of one of the many races caught in this struggle for survival, fighting against the other inhabitants of the anomaly.

VOR is built around an innovative ruleset with a distinctive movement system. Units can move around a corner, step out of cover to shoot, and then move back efficiently, creating tactical opportunities during squad-level battles. Combat uses a hit-and-wound determination model similar to the one found in Warhammer 40K.

• Squad-based battles set within a galaxy-sized anomaly
• Tactical movement that supports shooting from cover and repositioning
• Custom forces with rules for creating new units and characters
• Miniatures including the distinctive Growler race in the base game

The rules also let players assemble their own units and characters to represent civilizations drawn into the VOR, making it possible to use miniatures from other games. Additional units, including some unreleased designs, can be purchased from Iron Wind Metals and Ral Partha.

Although the original publisher is no longer actively releasing supplements, VOR: The Maelstrom is now supported by its fan community. Its unusual setting, flexible force-building, and standout movement system give this miniatures game a distinctive place among science-fiction wargames.