Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Hey everyone!

I'm looking to try to find a decent sci fi skirmish game... something that will wrap up between 45min-1h, and can be played on a 3x4 table.

I'm a college student, who is starting a wargaming club. So far we have a few people playing WHFB, but by far the types of games most people are interested in is sci fi.
I would say 40k.... but this is college... in the USA. Plus the only 6x4 tables near us are about 20 miles away... and 40k would dig into my precious fantasy/historical (hail caesar!!) time
so, since we have small tables in our basement, I decided a small sci fi game would be perfect.

I don't care about scale, I play everything from 2mm to 28mm. (irregular wars, hail caesar, DBA, DBM, saga, skjaldbord etc.)

Any thing you can suggest would be awesome

Thanks
Austin

Deadzone by Mantic or Infinity by Corvus Belli. I'm sure there are more, but those are two of the more popular ones. Especially Infinity.

Kill Team. Would also let you play with a wide range of armies.

What is the buy-in for a game like infinity?

It looks awesome!
Thanks
Austin

 Redbad wrote:
Hey everyone!

I'm looking to try to find a decent sci fi skirmish game... something that will wrap up between 45min-1h, and can be played on a 3x4 table.

I'm a college student, who is starting a wargaming club. So far we have a few people playing WHFB, but by far the types of games most people are interested in is sci fi.
I would say 40k.... but this is college... in the USA. Plus the only 6x4 tables near us are about 20 miles away... and 40k would dig into my precious fantasy/historical (hail caesar!!) time
so, since we have small tables in our basement, I decided a small sci fi game would be perfect.

I don't care about scale, I play everything from 2mm to 28mm. (irregular wars, hail caesar, DBA, DBM, saga, skjaldbord etc.)

Any thing you can suggest would be awesome

Thanks
Austin

This is totally off-topic, but, someone should make a sci-fi game in the same vein as DBA - small table, fast playing, super tight strategic ruleset. I would play the HELL out of that.

On topic though, I would recommend Infinity. I would also recommend Flying Lead and Mutants and Death Ray Guns, both by Ganesha Games. The only issue with those two games is that the rules can be a bit... poorly written at times, i.e. vague in the beer & pretzel way that 40k is. They are indie games after all, but very cheap (you should be able to buy the pdf rules for like under $10 each). They are also fast playing, easy to learn, and you can use just about any sci-fi mini you own.

 chochky wrote:

 Redbad wrote:
Hey everyone!

I'm looking to try to find a decent sci fi skirmish game... something that will wrap up between 45min-1h, and can be played on a 3x4 table.

I'm a college student, who is starting a wargaming club. So far we have a few people playing WHFB, but by far the types of games most people are interested in is sci fi.
I would say 40k.... but this is college... in the USA. Plus the only 6x4 tables near us are about 20 miles away... and 40k would dig into my precious fantasy/historical (hail caesar!!) time
so, since we have small tables in our basement, I decided a small sci fi game would be perfect.

I don't care about scale, I play everything from 2mm to 28mm. (irregular wars, hail caesar, DBA, DBM, saga, skjaldbord etc.)

Any thing you can suggest would be awesome

Thanks
Austin

This is totally off-topic, but, someone should make a sci-fi game in the same vein as DBA - small table, fast playing, super tight strategic ruleset. I would play the HELL out of that.

On topic though, I would recommend Infinity. I would also recommend Flying Lead and Mutants and Death Ray Guns, both by Ganesha Games. The only issue with those two games is that the rules can be a bit... poorly written at times, i.e. vague in the beer & pretzel way that 40k is. They are indie games after all, but very cheap (you should be able to buy the pdf rules for like under $10 each). They are also fast playing, easy to learn, and you can use just about any sci-fi mini you own.

We should collaborate and make a DBAesque Scifi game


I love Ganesha games, they make really fun stuff
Thanks
Austin

On average? Around $100 to start for a baseline army at 150 to 200 depending on point cost. You're looking at $200-$300 total to get near a full 300 point army with a good number of options. Infinity games have tactical depth and are over pretty quickly due to the way the game plays. Just be aware that you replace the miniature cost with some terrain cost, since the game is very dependent on filling the table with terrain.

Not sure if Kill Team is what I'm thinking of, but there's some really good fan rulessets for 40k skirmish. I forget the name of it though. A good option if your group likes 40k, but don't want to be saddled with prices and battle sizes meant for rich kids.

I haven't played Deadzone myself, but I have read the rules and it blends in some boardgame elements, namely a 3"x3" 3D grid that speeds up play, while still overall being very much a traditional wargame in depth.

I'm also deep in development for my game called: Exoshift. It's a fantastical scifi skirmish with a setting and armies that are a bit different from the usual space fantasy or grimdark. Check it out at the link in my signature, but don't bother with the rules currently posted, they're already outdated and I'll be updating them at the end of the month.

Besides that, there's also Gruntz, which I don't know how it plays, but it gets good reviews. It's a generic game where you fill out armies with any 15mm scifi miniatures you can find. Since you have played other historicals, the concept of a generic rulesset should go over better, and allow people to just use whatever miniatures they find cool.

I will gladly playtest your game when you put the update out

I think infinity may be the way we are headed.

Thanks
Austin

You thought about 'Necromunda'? Games can be played in around 1hr and it works really well over a campaign. You don't have to use GW minis, there are plenty of great minis out there that can stand in.

I note as well that scale is not important to you, so I'll also suggest 'Timeline 300'. It's a 10mm game set in an alternative Victorian England, and it's pretty cool. I had a play at a wargaming convention earlier this year and it plays well. The minis are nice and the rules are free. http://www.troublemakergames.co.uk/t300.htm

Have you considered X-wing from Fantasy Flight Games?

Has anybody played dark potential?

Let me know
Thanks
Austin

Absolutely Infinity. At first the rules seem a little daunting, but once you play a game and see how it flows they become almost elegant. It's a great game with a great setting and probably the best minis on the market.

 Redbad wrote:
Has anybody played dark potential?

Pretty much nothing is happening with Dark Potential. The miniwargaming guys have gone back to focusing on their site, youtube videos, and webstore. It's still for sale, but there haven't been any updates, let alone releases, in a long time now. So if they've started making videos promoting other games besides theirs, it's safe to assume that they're not going to continue with it.

To the OP,
Infinity and Deadzone are probably your two best bets for a group. Two popular games that are in-print and easy to find minis for. You can choose based on which you like the look of best (subjective) Quality ( the models from infinity are better) or complexity (Infinity > Deadzone) or price (Deadzone is much less than infinity). Two very good choices whichever way you go.

If you guys want to go cheap and indpendent (my kind of gaming), then you have alot more choices that I could list off, but if you want to stay mainstream, those are your two best.

 Redbad wrote:

 chochky wrote:


This is totally off-topic, but, someone should make a sci-fi game in the same vein as DBA - small table, fast playing, super tight strategic ruleset. I would play the HELL out of that.

On topic though, I would recommend Infinity. I would also recommend Flying Lead and Mutants and Death Ray Guns, both by Ganesha Games. The only issue with those two games is that the rules can be a bit... poorly written at times, i.e. vague in the beer & pretzel way that 40k is. They are indie games after all, but very cheap (you should be able to buy the pdf rules for like under $10 each). They are also fast playing, easy to learn, and you can use just about any sci-fi mini you own.

We should collaborate and make a DBAesque Scifi game

Have you guys seen Alien Squad Leader from 15mm.uk.?
http://www.15mm.co.uk/collections/alien-squad-leader-asql2-0

I had a copy until my cat peed all over it and it looked like what you're asking for. I think the writer might even have credited DBA and/or HoTT as an influence. Also, it's in a second edition now which is reportedly a bit cleaned up and improved.

You have to go with Deadzone. Plays in an hour on a 2'x2' mat, comes with 3d terrain (no other game comes with terrain), the mat, 2 factions, dice and the rulebook all in the starter box for $80 in Amazon.com

The rules are great. It does suppressive fire and shooting from above better than any other game. The rules just make sense.

And all of the above would not matter, if not for one fact: It's really, really, fun to play.

Deadzone is fantastic. And rife with options. Go check out our painted deadzone threads to see how much fun we've all been having with it. There are tons of painted models, converted models, and even fully built deadzone boards!!

Nobody has recommended Mercs yet? It really fills the cheaper side and faster gameplay, getting finished in under an hour. Plays on a much smaller board, and even does away with list building for the most part. Each side picks 5 models from their faction and gets playing.

If you're willing to go indy and get your miniatures and rules from separate people, there are tons of options out there. If you want a more bundled approach, I like the Deadzone recommendation. As people have pointed out, it comes with terrain.

Here's a deadzone video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHPznRlqY_8

Check out Rogue Planet. It's a new release and the rules are VERY interesting. You can use any miniatures you want. The rules cost $10, so it's a very minimal investment. I haven't had the chance to play it yet, but from reading the rules, it seems original, fast, cinematic and a lot of fun.

For a more advanced game, you can't beat Necromunda. The setting is perhaps the best and most flavorful I've seen from Games Workshop, and watching your gang evolve from battle to battle creates some awesome emergent narratives. The only problem is that the miniatures are expensive on Ebay, but 1) you only need 10-15 2) you can easily convert newer plastics and 3) I'm pretty sure Infinity miniatures cost about the same.

Deadzone is indeed very fun, and the rules are great. The campaign system isn't nearly as fleshed out as Necromunda though, and the fluff/aesthetics aren't very appealing to me. Still, a great purchase.

If you're not worried about scale I would highly recommend Dropzone Commander as it is a great game and the starter set is a fantastic deal and comes with a 4x4 gaming area plus card terrain.

And the army deals they are currently doing are very good value for money.

The starter set gives you enough for 2 players and I would say you could get a game done in under an hour.

As others have said Infinity is also good fun and the starter set, Operation Ice storm also comes with card scenery and figures.

Mymearan wrote:
For a more advanced game, you can't beat Necromunda. The setting is perhaps the best and most flavorful I've seen from Games Workshop, and watching your gang evolve from battle to battle creates some awesome emergent narratives. The only problem is that the miniatures are expensive on Ebay, but 1) you only need 10-15 2) you can easily convert newer plastics and 3) I'm pretty sure Infinity miniatures cost about the same.

Depends where you live. In Australia, it's about equivalent to metal miniatures from GW about 10 years ago. I wouldn't call Necromunda miniatures particularly pricey if that's what they're going for on ebay.

If you're into cult/pulp TV then try 7TV.

Yeah I'd second 7TV. It is an immensely fun game that has a good scope of settings for almost any model collection. ZTV being my personal fav.

I'd also suggest Necromunda and Mordheim. Buy in is zero as rules are free (go to Yaktribe Gaming website where they have hosted nearly all resources) and it's sounds like your group will have 40k/WHFB models anyway. If not you can usually pick up an original gang/warband for less than £25 ($35?) or convert your own gang from current GW and non-GW ranges - there's many examples of this all over the net.

Drawback is terrain but this is true of any game, but again there are scans available for the original terrain sets and a bit of ingenuity and a few quids worth of foamcore board will see right here too.

Finally the Operation Icestorm infinity box last looks spankingly good if you want to get that. Has I nice starter forces and terrain all in one box. Extra models are need for standard games sizes and there is a premimum for the models but they are nice.

All the above are sound options but Necro/Mordheim would be my preference. But both games have given me so much fun over the last 20 odd years and I have played both almost exclusively for he last year or to so I am very biased.

Hands down Infinity. My entire Ariadna force cost me about $100. The boards can be small, but the more terrain the better. good infinity terrain can be gotten pretty cheap.

 -Loki- wrote:
Nobody has recommended Mercs yet? It really fills the cheaper side and faster gameplay, getting finished in under an hour. Plays on a much smaller board, and even does away with list building for the most part. Each side picks 5 models from their faction and gets playing.

Ditto MERCS.

The rulebook is on sale ATM for only $10.

There are I think six factions now with different playing styles. A box set of a faction is $65 including usually six figures, the necessary rules cards and some dice.

MERCS Looks sweet!
and cheaper than infinity.

I like both though :(

Thanks
Austin


Automatically Appended Next Post:
I just bought the MERCS rulebook... on impulse.

Hope I like it!
lol

Thanks
Austin

Mercs is an interesting and innovative game. I've enjoyed it when my friend ran it at club day.

Here is the (free) community updated Necromunda rulebook:
http://gaming.yaktribe.org/community/threads/necromunda-community-edition.1385/

I've been a biy wet over Rogue Planet actually. Them rules.....

Hmm you guys are piquing my interest with mercs. Dz, infinity, xwing also looks quite fun.

Necromunda can be cheap too when you buy a gw plastic kit, maybe two, to build or bash out a warband. Catachan box makes great orlocks, if you can still get chaos marauder boxes I made some goliaths with those.

Don't let terrain scare you off necro/infinity. If you dig around the forums and Google you can find some great cheap terrain ideas.