--- title: "The Phrovox Enigma" subtitle: "Adventures in the Warpath universe" author: "Seth Kenlon" publish_date: 2026-05-30 00:01 date: 2026-05-30 00:01 hero_classes: text-light title-h1h2 overlay-dark-gradient hero-large parallax hero_image: book_warpath-1600x800.webp show_sidebar: true show_breadcrumbs: true show_pagination: true taxonomy: category: culture tag: [ gaming, settings, scifi, wargame ] --- I'm one of those people who's best persuaded to try a new game not by the game itself but by the lore surrounding it. I've always been that way, since my first glance at a D&D **Monster Manual** back in grade school. When I bought [Epic Warpath](https://mixedsignals.ml/games/blog/blog_review-mantic-epic-warpath) on Kickstarter, I put in a little extra to receive **The Phrovox Engima: An anthology of stories from the Warpath universe**, edited by Brandon Rospond, I'd read the [Warpath setting book](https://mixedsignals.ml/games/blog/blog_review-mantic-warpath-sourcebook), but I wanted more, and luckily this book of short stories delivers exactly what I'd hoped it would. These are war stories from the sci fi setting of **Firefight**, **Deadzone**, **Warpath**, and **Epic Warpath**, and they're very entertaining. This is my review of the book, with no major spoilers. ## No fantasy, just the sci fi [Mantic Games](https://www.manticgames.com/) keeps a nice and neat separation between sci fi and fantasy in their tabletop wargame rules. There are no space wizards or warring gods or demons in **Warpath**, and frankly that refreshing. I grew up so space fantasy, so I do enjoy it, and I also appreciate how _serious_ space fantasy allows flexibility for your miniatures. I played many a **Warhammer 40,000** game with miniatures from my D&D or **Age of Sigmar** box, and it's never felt incongruous. But I did also grow up with hard sci fi from Heinlein and Star Trek and Arthur C. Clarke and Asimov. Not everything can be science fantasy. Some things have to be either fantasy or sci fi. And **Warpath** is definitely science fiction. ## Short stories There are 5 stories in **The Phrovox Enigma**, and while each one takes place on Phrovox, each one stands on its own. The state of planet Phrovox is consistent through out: The Forge Fathers have a major mining claim on the planet, but Humans and Asterians also have interests there. A recent outbreak of a deadly plague that turns its victims into zombies has thrown Phrovox into chaos. The GCPS and the Asterians both have shown up to evacuate its citizens, or to contain the plague, but the Forge Fathers are convinced that they've arrived to steal natural resources. A few stories stood out for me. ### The Mesa by Bryan Novak When the GCPS vessel, the Deucalion, arrives in orbit of Phrovox, its crew has little time to assess the situation before a Forge Father vessel intercepts them and accuses them of incursion. The commander of the Deucalion explains that plague has descended on Phrovox and proposes a temporary alliance. The already tentative negotiations are interrupted by the arrival of an Asterian vessel, racing toward the surface of the planet. Those are the major players of the book. One or more of those factions is the focus of each story in the book. If you're keen on those factions then this book is likely of particular interest to you. With the setting and major players set, the story changes focus to Captain Larc, an Enforcer who receives a mission to reclaim some technology that they believe Asterians are searching for. The Asterians are heading for the Mesa Outpost, a mining facility normally operated by the Forge Fathers, although it's currently in disarray due to the outbreak. From this point in the story onward, it's a classic wargame or roleplay formula, which is exactly what I wanted from the book. Larc storms into the mine, does a little investigation, a little fighting, and pursues the McGuffin. That's pretty much all I need from this book, and it's delivered perfectly in this story. ### A Force of Nature by Ben Stoddard The second story is another one of my favourites. It doesn't pick up where the first story left off, because none of the short stories in the book has any connection to each other, aside from sharing the setting. This one is about a small team of special operatives who descend to Phrovox to rescue a person of interest before she's devoured by plague zombies. This one's a classic zombie get-away story, and you probably already know how it goes. Significantly, you don't know how it ends until it ends, and it's a fun ride getting there. It's also a walking tour of Phrovox, or as much as one you could expect to get given the planet's condition. This story also introduces a kind of fifth faction: The corporations. What the **Warpath** setting lacks in religion and mysticism, it makes up in cyberpunk-level corporate politics. The corporations appropriately lurk in the background, outsourcing specialists and military groups as needed, always looking out for their own interests. It's a good gimmick to have in a wargame setting, because you never have to question for even a moment why 2 armies of the same faction would fight each other. Obviously it's because the corporations said so. ### Semper honos by Christopher Verspeak The final story in the book is a tricky one. I thought for sure I knew the trope we were following, and it's not one I much enjoy. But I read the story for the sake of finishing the book, and then right at the very end the author surprised me with a surprise variation of its formula. The story is mostly about a grisly Major named Voight and his newfound nemesis, a reporter named Lam. Lam's been assigned to Voight's company so she can show the public what's _really_ going on out on the intergalactic battlefields. Obviously Voight doesn't care to have his every move monitored and silently judged by a greenhorn reporter doing her level best to find a scandal to attach her name to. Worse yet, he's also just received orders to defend a complex system of mining tunnels from the invading Asterians. He's got a limited force of men, a near-suicidal mission, and a hard-hitting news reporter looking over his shoulder. If you've seen any (and usually pro-war) action movie, then you probably expect that the reporter is about to be taught a hard lesson about the "flexible morality" of war, and the hard decisions a man of war must make to defend his freedom corporate overlord. But you'd be wrong, as I was. This story has something different in store, and I thought it was pretty subtle and clever. (I do think the story's surprise conclusion is maybe a little overly-optimistic, but I also respect that.) ## Good sci fi book for the sci fi wargamer An advantage to historical wargames is that you have plenty to read about your setting (well, unless you decide to build a [Hattusian](https://mixedsignals.ml/games/blog/blog_hittite-hattusa-army-colours) army, I guess.) Books like **The Phrovox Enigma** provide a bit of comfort for the sci fi wargamer, with stories set in a nicely developed game universe. Personally, I play Humans and Orcs within **Warpath**, so the stories I liked best were the ones with GCPS forces or Enforcers at the forefront. The 2 middle stories cover the Forge Fathers and Asterians, and I struggled to stay interested in them because I don't anticipate ever playing either of those factions. Whatever your interest in **Warpath**, and maybe in [action] sci fi in general, I think **The Phrovox Enigma** is worth the read.