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Looks like, I have joined of those who throws 40k. Tried to understand rules of the seventh edition, but it is boring and not clear. I would like to play simply, instead of to try to guess treatment of rules.
Is it possible to play IG/AM miniatures in something another, except 40k?
Or offer other game similar on spirit (not FoW).

I have only my dark Eldar out to play occasionally but into Robotech now andbrought my Battletech mechs into the mix. Get cracking

There's plenty of sci-fi systems out there, most free or cheap compared to GW. Some, like Infinity or Deadzone, are great rules but cap at about a dozen minis a side, so not really what you're looking for.

The closest to 40k would be Mantic's Warpath, which uses armies of a similar size to 40k and has either official or fan-made lists for any 40k faction, all free. Here are the core rules:
http://gallery.mailchimp.com/e62f0c35454fa3ba687404d69/files/Warpath_II_Rules.pdf

The rules are still in production and you may find they need some tweaks, but it's the closest you'll get to 40k.

You may get more help posting this in the discussions or misc games forum.

This should probably be in Dakka Discussions or one of the other gaming subforums.

There are a ton of options out there though. If you can find Aetherverse, it's a sci-fi ruleset that allows you to use pretty much any miniatures you want.

Paradigm wrote:There's plenty of sci-fi systems out there, most free or cheap compared to GW. Some, like Infinity or Deadzone, are great rules but cap at about a dozen minis a side, so not really what you're looking for.

The closest to 40k would be Mantic's Warpath, which uses armies of a similar size to 40k and has either official or fan-made lists for any 40k faction, all free. Here are the core rules:
http://gallery.mailchimp.com/e62f0c35454fa3ba687404d69/files/Warpath_II_Rules.pdf

The rules are still in production and you may find they need some tweaks, but it's the closest you'll get to 40k.

Can you make me short overview of game system in few words?

chochky wrote:You may get more help posting this in the discussions or misc games forum.

ok

And also important reason: GW prices are crazy! Is it a "game", when you spend such money on a hobby with PLASTIC TOY tanks and figures? Certainly, there are many game miniature manufacturers with the similar prices, but anyway. Leman Russ is a little bit ugly, but stylish. I with pleasure would give for it 12-15 dollars.

Warpath overview:

Typically 40-80 minis a side, squad based like 40k

Instead of playing in turns where each player does all his moving/shooting/fighting then you swap, it has Activations. This means one player picks a unit, performs all its actions like moving or shooting in one go. After that, he can try to activate other units (with progressively harder rolls needed) or pass to his opponent, who does the same. Once all units are activated, the process starts again, repeating for 5-7 rounds of activations.

Bolt Action could work, too. Sure, it's a WWII game, but there's no reason why you can't use SciFi models instead, and call it a Garand M1-Pattern Lasgun or a Leman Russ from the Panzer IV forgeworld.

Mantic supposedly make rules for use with all kings of models.

Also, there's this:
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/369662.page

The Off Topic forum of a wargaming site is not the best place to discuss wargames.

Moving thread....

You could try Tomorrow's World AAR. These rules are an extension of the Force on Force rules, which are themselves an attempt to provide a 'realistic' wargaming interpretation of modern warfare. This means there is a lot of moving and attempting to flank your opponent, using concentrated fire to pin units while others try and get into an advantageous position. I believe the army sizes are somewhat smaller than 40k however, you could probably have a pretty fun game with anything from 20+ miniatures on the tabletop.

Obviously the more realistic bent means some of the more 'extreme' elements of 40k don't work as well (super heavy tanks, monstrous creatures etc.) - there is some attempt to introduce 'alien' type abilities, but by and large it functions well for future human type forces - you can represent 'exo' (read: power) type armour, enhanced soldiers, nerve under fire etc. so it's pretty easy to differentiate space marines from normal troops etc.

There are a few battle reports out there if you type in 'Tomorrows War AAR 40k' into Google and such like, and thoughts of how to adapt rules on the official forums. Will take a look and see if I can find some links if it sounds like your cup of tea..

I'm gonna second warpath!
I have a few games in, it wraps up very quickly and is very simple

Thanks
Austin

It is more of a skirmish than a battle game, and its steam fantasy, but warmachine is REALLY FUN. Its ruleset is extremely tight, and the mechanics of the game mean that you can win even at the last minute when things aren't going your way.

 Tannhauser42 wrote:
Bolt Action could work, too. Sure, it's a WWII game, but there's no reason why you can't use SciFi models instead, and call it a Garand M1-Pattern Lasgun or a Leman Russ from the Panzer IV forgeworld.

Isn't Gates of Antares essentially the Bolt Action ruleset... IN SPACE ?

As I've said on many occasions, one can keep playing 40K without actually playing 40K.

Here's a nice wee set of rules:

http://www.adpublishing.de/html/future_combat_vide.html
http://www.wargamevault.com/product/123481/Victory-Decision-Future-Combat

Agis (the writer) describes it better than I could. I'll add that there are some Epic: Armageddon-style mechanics. (The writer was a playtester for Epic: A) There's one supplement so far: Rival Species (suitable for biomechanical insectoid races like Aliens, Starship Troopers Arachnids, Tyranids), and one planned: Robots. (Terminators, Necrons, etc.) They're also compatible with the Victory Decision WWII and Weird WWII series of rules.

I'll give you a few options.

First the ones I have expereince with.

Warpath 1.0. -Can be had free on Warseer. http://www.warseer.com/forums/showthread.php?315682-Compilation-of-Warpath-Army-lists-and-rules
The earlier version of Warapth (the one mentioned above is 2.0). It' plays very much like Warpath, but is even more streamlined and works best with armies of 2000 points or more. It's a great rulest for apoc-ish games where the object is more units, less crunch and fast moving so that your game takes hours rather than a whole day or two.

ShockForce/WarEngine- Can be had for free on the "Warengine" yahoo group. https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/WarEngine/info
This is a great game and very flexible. Has a very 40k feel in terms of the balance between close combat and ranged combat. The downside is that it is really a game that works up to the level of a platoon or two per side plus light vehicles. It doesn't have rules for tanks and such. Still, it's alot of fun, very tactical and has a unit creation mechanic so you can stat up anything you would want.

Blasters and Bulkheads - PDF purchasable here: http://www.wargamedownloads.com/item.php?item=1193&pics=2
Another game of the same scope as Shockforce (a few squads and light vehicles), this is a generic sci-fantasy system based on the "Supersystem/Goalsystem" rules that have been very successfull over the years. Very well done and a great system if you want a clear delineation between heroes and henchmen.


In The Emperor's Name 2.0 (free here: http://thegamesshed.wordpress.com/2011/07/02/in-the-emperors-name/ )
A free rules-lite skirmish game set in the 40k universe. Don't let the free-ness fool you, this is a very fun and well-developed game with a full list of stats for every 40k race and a nice self-contained campaign system. Note that it is a warband skirmish (5-10 minis per person) system and is designed for many 40-90 minute encounters rather than large battles. Still, it's a great ruleset and one we've enjoyed several times.

Note that I I deliberately listed the 2.0 version. There is/was a 3.0 version but despite having a shiny new webiste it does not have an upgraded retinue list, the provided retinue builder program is buggy, and the weapons list is incomplete. Really a product that could have been great, but was rushed to release a couple years ago and still hasn't been finished.

Tomorrow's War - Can be bought at many gaming stores and websites.
Just wanted to address this one since it's been mentioned here.. It's a great game and extremely tactical, but it is about as far from 40k as you can go. The activation mechanic, emphasis on ranged fire and overall rules structure are completely different. 40k is a soft sci-fantasy game. TW is a Hard sci-fi game.

Games I've only read:

Gates of Antares -Free Beta from Warlord games avaialble now.
This is Bolt Action in space. Very well written with the Bolt Action activation mechanic. It has enough sci-fi stuff added that it's going to be a bit more complex than Bolt action and it has no unit creation mechanic as yet, but it's definitely worth checking out.

Fubar: Free here: http://thegamesshed.wordpress.com/2010/06/17/fubar-one-page-sfmodern-rules/
A nice generic sci-fi game that is fast to play. Has quite a number of fans among indie wargamers. Very abstracted, but very flexible.

I would pick up Warmachine...

in 2010 my whole gaming community about 20 people where in the exact same position.. We where dead tired of all the rule fights, the unbalance and the UNFUNess of Games workshops so called games..

So we all decided enough is enough and we dropped it overnight for a more balance and fun game.. Warmachine/hordes...

Over the years I have meet allot of other groups who have done exacly the same, but they might have dropped 40k for other games like Infinity or Malifaux or Bolt action.. One thing we all have in common is that we are NOW much more happy and we actually enjoy playing again...

Warmachine/Hordes Fact: It is a steam power setting, with magic and gunpowder guns, with big monsters etc.. The rules are "Balanced" and they are as writen.. The privateer press forum have devs and infernals who do rules clarifications all the time... (unlike GW who do not even have their own forums, because the are chicken gak)... Corvus belli the makes of Infinity also have their own Forums with rules clarifications and uppdates.. so do Malifaux..

These companies care about their game and they do not style themselves as makers of Toy Soldiers, they produce games that are meant to be played...

As said, Warmachine would be a good pick.
The rules are clearer than in 40k and the game is more streamlined.
They have a good tournament setting with Steamroller.

zlayer77 wrote:I would pick up Warmachine...

in 2010 my whole gaming community about 20 people where in the exact same position.. We where dead tired of all the rule fights, the unbalance and the UNFUNess of Games workshops so called games..

So we all decided enough is enough and we dropped it overnight for a more balance and fun game.. Warmachine/hordes...

Over the years I have meet allot of other groups who have done exacly the same, but they might have dropped 40k for other games like Infinity or Malifaux or Bolt action.. One thing we all have in common is that we are NOW much more happy and we actually enjoy playing again...

Warmachine/Hordes Fact: It is a steam power setting, with magic and gunpowder guns, with big monsters etc.. The rules are "Balanced" and they are as writen.. The privateer press forum have devs and infernals who do rules clarifications all the time... (unlike GW who do not even have their own forums, because the are chicken gak)... Corvus belli the makes of Infinity also have their own Forums with rules clarifications and uppdates.. so do Malifaux..

These companies care about their game and they do not style themselves as makers of Toy Soldiers, they produce games that are meant to be played...

Did you guys did read the part where he says he wants to use his Imperial Guard in the game? Not alot of opportunity for that in WM.

That said, if you like the Warmachine basic mechanics, you should take a look at Gruntz. It's a 15mm scale game that could be easiiy scaled up to 28mm. It has "borrowed" quite a bit from Warmachine mechanics. http://www.gruntz.biz

Really though, the biggest current game that will give you a 40k'ish experience, where your IG will find an army worth of unit profiles that will fit them closest and which is most widely known would be the current (2.0) version of Warpath from Mantic. The "Corporation" army list has comparable statlines for almost every IG unit.

Infinity is perfect for that. Use the IG as ariadna

I personally would not recommend warmachine or hordes.
I have had only bad experiences with it.
the "Play like you've got a pair" motto boils down to running forward and using your special rules to kill your opponent.
It's a game where he-who-knows-the-rules-best-wins.
I found the game boring.
That's my humble opinion.
The OP may enjoy the game, as I know a lot of people do.
http://www.manticgames.com/free-rules.html
the most recent version of warpath (the most 40k-like game I can think of, except maybe bolt action) can be found in the link above.

Thanks
Austin

 Eilif wrote:

Tomorrow's War - Can be bought at many gaming stores and websites.
Just wanted to address this one since it's been mentioned here.. It's a great game and extremely tactical, but it is about as far from 40k as you can go. The activation mechanic, emphasis on ranged fire and overall rules structure are completely different. 40k is a soft sci-fantasy game. TW is a Hard sci-fi game.

That depends whether you are talking about the protagonists fighting in a game of 40k, or the kind of stuff you read about in some of the BL books. You could argue that if you imagine marines for example being tremendously tactical troops, and actually having some benefit from all of the genetic enhancements and hi-tech equipment that you are always reading about, the portrayal given by TW is far closer than that in 40k.

 Pacific wrote:

 Eilif wrote:

Tomorrow's War - Can be bought at many gaming stores and websites.
Just wanted to address this one since it's been mentioned here.. It's a great game and extremely tactical, but it is about as far from 40k as you can go. The activation mechanic, emphasis on ranged fire and overall rules structure are completely different. 40k is a soft sci-fantasy game. TW is a Hard sci-fi game.

That depends whether you are talking about the protagonists fighting in a game of 40k, or the kind of stuff you read about in some of the BL books. You could argue that if you imagine marines for example being tremendously tactical troops, and actually having some benefit from all of the genetic enhancements and hi-tech equipment that you are always reading about, the portrayal given by TW is far closer than that in 40k.

I agree that TW can be used to simulate the ranged combat and quality differences between IG and SM. However it doesn't reflect the close combat nature of the 40k universe at all. However the OP is asking for something that feels like 40k. TW feels nothing like the game 40k. That's not a bad thing, in fact it's probably one if the best things about it. I just don't think someone looking for a game "similar in spirit" to 40k is going to find it in a firepower-centric, modern-tactics-oriented game like TW.

Ah sorry, missed the bit about the game feeling like 40k! You are absolutely right, they both play very differently to each other.

Concerning Soteks Prophet's post, again I would say the mechanics in Infinity bear a lot more resemblance to TW, rather than 40k.

 Redbad wrote:
I personally would not recommend warmachine or hordes.
I have had only bad experiences with it.
the "Play like you've got a pair" motto boils down to running forward and using your special rules to kill your opponent.
It's a game where he-who-knows-the-rules-best-wins.
I found the game boring.

The people who give WM/H a try but don't put in the time to figure it out tend to have this opinion, but those who know the game realize it's just not true. It's not for everyone and isn't very casual friendly. Furthermore it doesn't feel right for what the OP wants, so Warmachine is definitely a bad recommendation here.

The OP may enjoy the game, as I know a lot of people do.
http://www.manticgames.com/free-rules.html
the most recent version of warpath (the most 40k-like game I can think of, except maybe bolt action) can be found in the link above.

The latest Warpath is basically just sci-fantasy bolt action with some tweaks. I'd highly recommend it. When you combine it with the fan made lists for 40k armies, it's a perfect way to go for what the OP is asking for. Good call on recommending it!

I know it is Skirmish and not squad base but I'd like to throw Infinity into the mix. Only because with the new Operation Icestorm, it lays out the rules, gets you enough to start 2 armies and N3 rules are coming out soon.

 frozenwastes wrote:

The latest Warpath is basically just sci-fantasy bolt action with some tweaks. I'd highly recommend it. When you combine it with the fan made lists for 40k armies, it's a perfect way to go for what the OP is asking for. Good call on recommending it!

I mean that it's very similar to Bolt Action. If you actually look at the mechanics the game is very, very similar. It's got a slightly different turn structure, but at their core they're both very similar games. You can use stat lines and vehicles from one game in the other without any real conversion work (don't know if the points system would work though).

 frozenwastes wrote:
I mean that it's very similar to Bolt Action. If you actually look at the mechanics the game is very, very similar. It's got a slightly different turn structure, but at their core they're both very similar games. You can use stat lines and vehicles from one game in the other without any real conversion work (don't know if the points system would work though).

Interesting. I had no idea that the statlines were nearly compatible. I may have to try that sometime. Of course first I'll have to try Warpath 2.0, since I'm still using 1.0.