Good day to you my fellow gamers and welcome to another segment
of Wargamer Ramblings! So now that we’re
done talking about Guild Ball for a bit (not completely done mind you, just
taking a breather) I wanted to write up this little article. I was inspired by my two friend’s blogs who
wrote something similar, and I’m sure you’ve all seen an article of it before,
but I wanted to take a moment and put that reviewing lens on my own life….
That’s right ladies and gentlemen I’m going to look at all
the games I’m in, have/had armies, or expressed an interest in. Let’s be real with each other, there are a
lot of games out there in the table top miniature world and there are a lot of
communities growing for each game. As my
friend Clayton has said before (paraphrased here) we live in a golden age of
gaming where there are a lot of games, a lot of rule inspirations/copying, and
many ideas being thrown around. It’s a
good idea from time to time to sit down and examine where we are at in this
hobby so we know what we love, why we love, and who we love. Let’s get started in no particular order, and
by the way these are just opinions so if you don’t agree that’s ok with me J This might be a hefty
ready again so please get a drink, snack, turn on some music and enjoy!
Hoo boy I wanted to start off with this one given its
prolific presence in our community. It
used to be said that no matter what game you played, any wargamer had a 40k
army in their collection and for most I would say it still holds true. This game has a place in my heart because of
my long history with the world of 40k and it being my first foray into plastic
crack. From the start with Space Crusade
to my very first army of Blood Angels, 40k and its lore has history with my
soul. I’m sure it’s the same for others
too, many people I’ve spoken to have strong opinions of 40k regardless of where
those opinions may lie. So chances are
you will likely get a strong opinion when you bring up 40k at your LGS.
So where am I with this game? Well at best I can say is that I have 2
active armies and would still play a game with someone, but it’s been a long
time since I purchased anything 40k related or even invested much time into. Not only because of my perceived
price-to-model ratio being poor but also because I am frustrated with GW as a
company in general. I am not a fan of
the choices they are making lately in terms of model aesthetics (I cannot stand
the genestealer cult) and I find it really difficult to connect with some of
the models being released. Additionally
it doesn’t seem like there is any sense of how they update the rules/armies
except for whatever sells more, which in the scope of the industry is not
really that appealing. For a guy who
loves Chaos Marines, having most other armies updated to 7th edition
(and a couple of new “factions” released) whilst not seeing anything coming
your way can get frustrating and really discouraging.
A couple things that has been bothering in a mechanical
sense was the way that turns went and the low dice variance scores. For one I no longer am a fan of the
you-go-I-go mechanic as much as I used to be.
I’ve seen waaaaaaaay too many games dramatically shift in turn one when
X blows up Y number of units or takes out prize model Z because my gun/unit/deathstar
is so super effective~! One game in particular stands out when I saw a Blood
Angel drop pod assault take out half of a Tyranid force in turn 1. Fluffy? Yes.
Fun? Not for the other person receiving the shafting. As for dice variance I think that in a world
of genetically altered super humans and daemons and monsters, having a d6 to
rely on for variance is no longer sufficient.
It doesn’t take into account the various differences inherently with
each model, or possible environmental situations, and I feel like continued
adherence to an old system stifles what could be an otherwise and improved and
amazing game system. So for me to come
back I think if they maintained the scale of combat but just revamped the
rules, including all the damn armies, to streamline then it would be worth
taking another look at it with my wallet.
This is a game I’ve been recently getting into and for many,
including myself, it’s becoming the replacement game of 40k. I mean let’s be real, one of the designers is
Rick Priestly. It’s a game that has a
lot of the elements and scale of 40k, has with vehicles and squad combat and
other weapons of war, but set in a less grimdark and a harder sci-fi spin on
things. I find the lore to be in a way
liberating because the background fluff allows it to be so. Initially I wasn’t really into this game
because I didn’t find the model aesthetics to be that great. That is until they started to come out with
more models and the divergence became more apparent and appetizing. Now I can see how the different factions look
on a whole and it’s starting to look more appealing with each release. I just fell in love with the Spartan feel
that the Algoryn bring to the table and so….
Now I am fully committed (also in part due to my gaming
group getting into it hardcore) and have a soon to be functioning Algoryn
force. I am a fan of their dice mechanics
and their turn system which I feel is a better representation to the
battlefield and offers greater variance on the models. Using the d10 system you can have models with
obvious strengths and weaknesses that actually
matter on the field instead of it boiling down a simple d6. Also the randomized orders add a good element
to the game because it at least gives you a chance to have that sense of
control in a game and you don’t have to worry too much about being shafted turn
1, unless you have bad luck. Which then
the next game it might be completely different, which is better than having to worry if you get first turn or not every
game!
I have a British army but I’ve not invested as much time or
energy into it as some of my fellow gaming crew has. When looking at it solely from Bolt Action’s
perspective it’s a fun game yes, but I just don’t have the emotional investment
into historical gaming. I love WW2 stuff
but for some reason it just doesn’t click
in my wargaming. With Warlord Games’ new
introduction of the Konflikt rules and the alternative time-line bit going on,
this might be a revived interest however.
I can feel it clicking more The heavy infantry for what’s available out
now looks great and I think with the quirky units coming out I feel like I can
get in on this a bit more. I’ll have to
keep an eye out for what comes out for the British, but here’s hoping for some
cool ideas and models in the near future!
All right the next big game I’m invested in and that is
Privateer Press’ Warmahordes. I
currently own a significant number of Protectorate models, a good number of
Trollbloods, and a small Cryxian force.
I played a significant number of games in Mk 2 and participated in a few
journeyman leagues as well as a couple steamrollers, so I’ve had some
experience. So here’s where I am with
Warmahordes. I still play it, it’s still
fun, but the change from Mk 2 to 3 really felt more of a big rules errata than
anything else. Sure they changed the
models around and increased/changed points so you could make more sense of it,
but ultimately I still feel like we’re playing a shinier version of Mk 2. It wasn’t a bad change, it just wasn’t a big
enough change I suppose. I guess in the
end I was expecting some major changes but instead got a tweaked version of
what I’m used to. Not necessarily a bad
thing, just a smidge disappointing.
Still it’s a good competitive game and a great game to organize
tournaments around so I give it credit there, also still one of the best games
to slow-grow into. I still think the
rule writing is one of the best in terms of clarity and comprehension and it
has easily been the standard for which I judge other games in their rule
composition. Unfortunately the community
has tunneled too hard on the competitive aspects of this game and so I tend to
prefer playing with my friends who are not so focused on min-maxing or being
hypercompetitive. As a result of all
this I feel like I am in this sense ennui when I think about this game. Would I still play it? Oh definitely. Do I want to? Ehhhhh maybe. Am I excited about future releases? Not
really.
Do I even have to go over this one? Seriously I am in love with this game. The rules are easy to grasp with a lot of
depth behind it. There is a lot of team
variances that make playing each team different. I am really intrigued by the game’s
campaign/seasonal play and I wouldn’t mind trying this game out in that context. They take into consideration team captains
(i.e. players) doing the “wheeling and dealing” of the politics behind the
scenes before a game is played. The
models are also pretty solid in regard to their sculpts and the different
guilds each have their own thematic feel.
I like that it’s not super high-fantasy either and I enjoy the gritty medieval
background. Also I respect the company
in that they have made efforts to get people to just play their game without
any commitment to purchasing a single thing.
I mean how many companies do you know of that allow you print off paper
models of their models, their tokens, and rules for free without charging you a
thing for it? I can’t think of anyone
else, but Steamforged Games do. They
even put out a Vassal module so you can play online, and having tried it out it’s
pretty solid!
I love the idea of Infinity, I really do. I also love the models, some of the best sculpts
hands down. The background? Sci-fi warband battles with all kinds of crazy
technology and cyberwarfare with vastly different factions, what’s not to
love? The problem is that I find the
rules to be pretty hefty at times and sometimes it just hurts my brain. Literally, thinking about the rules makes me
go “uuuuuuuuugggh.” It takes some
dedicated time to learn the rules and then to implement them in games takes
practice. I think the moment I realized
that the game was too hefty was when I tried to teach it to 2 friends of
mine. At first we struggled with a lot
of stumbling with the rules, taking into consideration the different actions
per order/gun distances/modifiers/die result/so on and then when my friend
asked “hey I heard you can hack in this game right?” I sort of made an
unnatural noise and well…we just moved on without hacking. I love the models but I don’t think I can
dedicate the time it would take to this game to master it. It’s a great game if that is what you want but
it’s a game you’d have to divert a lot of time to truly get good at, and to master
the rules. I respect anyone who does it
because compared to me I would be a bumbling toddler. Maybe I can do an occasional game or two but
it’s otherwise really too big to mentally digest for my regular wargaming
habitry.
Another small skirmish game that I’ve been a fan of but set
in a not-so-distant future. I love the background
story of collapsing nations and the subsequent uprising of mega-conglomerates
with their spec-ops teams. The game just
went through a second edition and a lot of their rules have been updated with a
pretty sleek and sexy rulebook.
Ironically my biggest gripe is that some of the rules can be unclear at
times and sometimes it just seems that the editor didn’t do their job
right. Still the different MERCS teams
available all offer different play options and each have their unique aesthetic
which I love. Still it’s a quick game
with a bloody combat system that rewards smart play and it’s been a blast each
time I’ve played. Also it’s cheap as
hell when you can get a whole faction for $35, score! If the company continues supporting the game
then I foresee some great potential.
I would love to get into Malifaux, but we don’t have the
community to support it I’m afraid. I
love the card mechanic compared to simple die rolling (not that there’s
anything wrong with dice) and the game play hits all the points on the list
that I love. Small scale/quickish
battles? Check. Models with some unique
rules? Check. Faction variance?
Check. Unique/quirk mechanics?
Check. Undead? Check. I think Wyrd has done a great job with
revising their game from the first edition and I think (from a distance) that
this edition is pretty solid. I like the
quirky aesthetic they have going on with each faction and the feel of
Malifaux’s models are enticing. One
thing that draws me in is how you develop an army list. Instead of coming in with a list you generate
like other games, instead you figure out your objectives first (which is done
per player, so you each have different objectives) then you make your list. So if you are playing an Arcanist faction but
have more objective based goals then you might use a different crew of models
than if you were wanting to kill everything on the table. To me that’s pretty appealing and it
encourages you to have a collection to draw upon should you come up with a
different scenario. Still without a
local community to go off of I don’t think I’ll be getting into this game
despite the appeal I have with it.
What’s to say other than that it’s a game I have an army for
but probably won’t get much play out of it?
I think that the rules are pretty solid and well-written with a lot to
offer for fans of old Warhammer Fantasy.
Unfortunately I think at this point there just isn’t enough of a fan
base in my area to keep the engine running, and so despite having an army I don’t
have the opponent to play. I have played
a couple games and I had a lot of fun, but without opponents it will be low on
my list. If you are interested the rules are free as is all the army lists and other bits!
So I wanted to mention this one as it was the successor to
GW’s old WHFB line and for many people this major change has caused a lot of
contention in the community. I mean a lot of contention. I myself was
initially part of the “burn everything related to AoS” group but now that the
embers have cooled off a bit I’ve been taking a different look at the
game. The community who plays seem to really like this game and some of the
new models coming out have been appealing to a degree. I am careful with saying that last bit
because of GW’s recent artistic direction and so I have reservations about
future models. That being said the
recent release of the General’s Handbook has given me incentive to look into
the game and so depending on our community I might dabble a bit into AoS…maybe.
I pretty much can sum up how I feel about this game in a
sentence. I have the models, I like
playing the game, I don’t care enough about it to play outside of being asked
or to sink more money into it. That’s
that!
So I am lumping up these two because not only are they from
the same company and the same universe, but my feelings about them are also the
same! I think these games fill that sort
of niche game fantasy of mine with epic scaled/space ship combat on a large
scale. I like the model aesthetics
(especially for Planetfall) and I think the game system in theory would be fun
and engaging to play. With that in mind I
am concerned about getting into these games for 2 main reasons: lack of
community members and also a perceived lack of support from the company. Now I can’t speak for Spartan Games but I
honestly don’t know how much they are invested into Firestorm at this point. To me it seems that they are all about the
Halo game they have and coupled with their website design and low frequency of communication,
I am left wondering if they left Firestorm on the backburner or not? So I hope that they are invested somewhat into
Firestorm so that my fears are to be assuaged and then potentially I could get
into this game…one day.
I love the setting and the variance of models in Dark
Age. The background theme is sci-fi with
wasteland warrior. It also helps that
the lore is pretty interesting and when you start getting into the storylines
you get some pretty badass characters that you can bring to the table! What I’ve enjoyed lately are the new model
sculpts coming out that update the game and bring it in line with other models
from other games. I know a friend of
mine enjoys the older sculpts but for me the updated ones are what will make
this game more appealing for me. One
thing that I do love though is that each faction, and their various
sub-factions, play differently and can accommodate different play styles. That’s true for most games these days but for
some reason I feel like it is a more prominent feature in Dark Age and is one
of their selling points. You can have
two players both playing a Forsaken force but with different Saints and now
each player is approaching the game from a completely different approach. I have a small 500pt Kukulkani set but my
heart is waiting for the new updated Ice Caste models as I believe I will enjoy
their playstyle more, but I do like space Aztecs.
I am interested but I don’t know how much I like the models
or the game system. I think with new
releases coming out I will have a better idea of if I can get connected with a
faction or not. Maybe I’ll get a demo
and get a better idea of the game but I’ve heard good things about it from
others so I am definitely willing to give it a shot.
This is a lot of games to go over, but not every game has
been invested into and not every game I’ve invested to have current sway. I’m sure if you were to take a look at your
own list you’d have different thoughts and loves for each game, it’s what keeps
us as a big community and powers our games along! So what are your games and why? Feel free to leave some of your thoughts and
until then happy gaming out there!
