Battlemass is a multi0player online turn-based strategy game that features maps made up of hexagonal cells.  It looks and sounds pretty good, and although the number of maps and units is rather small, you definitely need a strategy and it plays well – especially if you’re on-line at the same time as your opponent and can play it more or less as real-time.  The maps are well designed and although the number of units is small, they are different enough to make it necessary to deliberate on which to build.  As usual you need to harvest resources; one twist in Battlemass is that the areas you harvest slowly disappear afterwards, reducing the game map.  Use this feature carefully and you can increase your defensiveness by destroying enemy attack routes.

Everything about Battlemass is simple and pretty well designed; its main problem at the moment is a distinct lack of players.  The game only costs $9 but the free version to try first is very limited in what you can do – perhaps too limited.  Also the game doesn’t send any reminders when it’s your turn, and there is no penalty for not taking your turn for days; the game simply gets abandoned after a while.  It definitely has potential, but the free mode perhaps needs to be expanded so that players can get a proper feel of the game first.  I’d recommend it if you like strategy and definitely have one or two people that you would regularly play against; otherwise it needs a bit more development and a greater number of regular players.  The game seems to only allow for 2-player matches at the moment.

The game can be played directly on the website or through a client.  For more information see http://www.battlemass.com/