Let's talk Guild Ball

Hey there wargame fans to another beautiful day (maybe, depends on where you live) and another article to muse over for a few minutes.  Today I wanted to go over a game that's been tickling my fancy and seems to be catching the eye of many internet wargaming sites/personalities.  That game is Guild Ball (main page right here) and it seems to be growing in popularity.  Nowhere near the big name games right now but it's still one that has raised an eyebrow or two.  So let's chat!

So what is Guild Ball?

A pretty good question if you ask me.  Here's how I grasp it: Rugby written with Warmachine rules.  I don't see it as being a Blood Bowl American football style clone, but a different game altogether.  It is a miniature sport game set in a low-fantasy world where different guilds have their teams who play this rugby-esque game for money, fame, babes/studs, power, etc.  It's a game created by a company called Steamforged Games ltd and it seems pretty solid overall from my perusal.

Alchemist players favor AoE effects and board control

The different guilds have variety in playstyle and aesthetics so that most gamers can find common ground with a team.  The main site does a great job of giving you an idea of how each team plays and gives you a slideshow to look at each model.  Now the team sizes are not very big so if you're expecting like a 15 man team then think again.  I believe the model range for each guild is about 9 models at this point and they are all unique so you don't need copies.  The models are made of white metal and are scaled at 30mm from what I can tell but some models will be larger/smaller.

The entire current range of the 9 Union guild members

Rule-wise is where I get the Warmachine part from.  The rules appear pretty solid with only some minor confusion being how you determine damage in attacks (which is probably just me being confused) but otherwise is written concisely and pretty clear.  The flow of the game seems to be solid and I can't really see any major issues cropping up during play. 

The goal of the game is simple, get to a score of 12 (lower point values for smaller games).  You can do that by scoring goals, 2 points, knocking out enemy players, 2 points/knockout, or combine them together.  Some guilds focus on doing one or the other, some focus on battlefield control, AoE's, some with traps, and other styles.  Games at their full size last about 90-120 minutes on average (per their rulebook) and each team has only 6 models on the field.  When you select your team you pick a Captain, Mascot, and 4 other team members.  I suspect as more models become available per guild you will see a wider range of team combinations and tactics, for now the variety is somewhat limited but still not like MERCS.  

Pros and Cons

So here is how I see Guild Ball in a 'Pros and Cons' kind of way: it seems to be a pretty solid game with good mechanics and easy to learn rules.  There is enough variety in the guild choices to be interesting and to make sure that most play styles have a home (sorry no horde style).  The company seems dedicated to making sure that players interested in trying it out don't have to go too out of their way to try the game (I mean they provide paper cutouts for models and the rules for free on their site).  They also seem dedicated to growing the game beyond the initial set of models and keeping the flow of the meta going.  Price-wise it doesn't seem like it's a bad trade-off considering you don't have to buy several models (I think an average was like 15-20USD/model) so getting an entire set of a team currently might run you about 120USE currently.  Not too shabby if you ask me.  Rules and mechanics are pretty easy to grasp and experienced Warmahordes players will find the transition even easier.  I am also a fan of the mechanic where you never truly lose your team members in the game, they just get easier to beat up again and again and again.  It helps prevent that "well I might as well give up SINCE EVERYONE IS DEAD BASICALLY" mentality commonly found in other games.

Meanwhile the Butcher's favor straight forward tactics of brutality

Now for the cons.  I had a conversation with one of my dear friends and fellow wargamers, Rollo, about Guild Ball and he said it as thus (paraphrased as close to quote): "When I think of war games, that's what I want.  I want war, battles, fighting, and Guild Ball is well a sport and I don't really want to play a sport for my miniature game."  I think that might be the biggest con for many is that it's not a game about war, it's a game about a sport.  Sure it's low-fantasy and has a lot of wargaming elements to still be a bloody sport but in the end it's a sport game.  Another con is that despite it gaining some traction on the internet it still remains to be seen (at least from what I can tell) just how popular it will become.  This equates to being able to get games in easily which also can heavily influence just how attractive the game can be.  Compared with giants like 40k, X-Wing, Warmahordes, and Infinity I think Guild Ball will have to keep up the work to make sure it has a place in gamer's hearts.

Overall Impression

Guild Ball has that appeal for me because of the quirkiness about it.  As I might have made it known earlier I do not find Blood Bowl interesting, and in general given my preference of games I like war/military, but Guild Ball somehow tickled a heartstring.  I appreciate the game designers not having wild or exotic team members (like undead, or fey, etc) and keeping the low-fantasy theme in model design.  The cost and ease of gameplay appeal to me and I think the company's dedication to bringing new team members in their seasons also helps broaden the tactical opportunities presented for each guild.  I also do enjoy the model's aesthetics and when it comes down to painting I think I can take my time since at most I will be painting 9 figures.

Of course if you're not into the sports aspect of the game or want something more than low-fantasy then this game might not be for you.  If you are intrigued then of course head on over to Steamforged games here, get some paper models (or sub if you've got models already) and try it out.  I for one will probably grab a couple guilds for me and the wife (looking at Alchemists, Mortician's, then whatever she likes) and have it around in case I run into someone interested playing or is already a fan.  I hope you've enjoyed my thoughts on the matter and I hope you have some good die rolls out there.  Until then happy gaming friends!