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.
Ok, I am a long time 40k player with a good 10,000+ point white scar army. Lately I have become a bit disillusioned with GW and not bought into 7th edition at all. At the moment I have no plans to get into 7th and will continue with 6th playing against a gaming buddy who feels the same.
This has made me look with more interest at other cheaper/better set up games.i've about £60-70 to spend and am keen to get into another game.
So, what do you all suggest? Give me your best pitch as to what game I could reasonably get into with this amount of money, ideally a starter box set would be great. If you could explain why I should get into that game then even better. At this stage I am open to all and any suggestions.
The sci-fi skirmish game that is fast, fun, and truly three dimensional. The terrain (included in the boxed game) makes the game very simple to set up and deep to play as you have to account for vertical as well as normal movement and positioning. This make the game very dynamic and tactical.
Everything is measured in cubes, no tape required, lending simplicity to play. The alternation in player activation keeps both plays involved at all times.
You can the box set with a mat, terrain, two complete (not just starter) teams due and rules for just £50 from online sellers.
You should play Deadzone. For £64.99 (RRP) you could get the starter box, which includes two starter armies. You don't need a Codex - all unit stats are on cards, and each starter army comes with the cards for every model, including ones sold separately. Each army starter can make a few viable lists.
It's a skirmish game. You assemble a 70-point squad (models range in points cost from 3 for a dog, to 10 for a decently armoured trooper with a good gun, up to 26 for a mech) and then play games on a grid upon which you set up terrain. You can either play a campaign, where your models can earn XP to buy new abilities, or quick one-off games. Once you have the rules down you can get through a game in an hour or less. Games don't drag on because the victory conditions limit game length - the game ends if someone gets wiped out, if either player runs out of Battle Cards (a deck you can play during your turn to buff your models or during your opponent's turn to hinder them) or if you earn 10 Victory Points. You earn VPs by completing the objectives on your Mission Card (you draw this at the start and keep its conditions secret from your oppoent).
You play by activating a set number of models each turn based on your commander's Command score. Each model gets to do one Long Action or two Short Actions per turn. Short Actions are things like shooting, suppressing fire or normal movement. Long Actions might be things like sprinting, giving an order or using a medikit.
Terrain and cover are a big part of it. The grid you play on is two feet square so both melee and shooting can be viable. The grid is divided into 3-inch "cubes" and all movement and shooting is measured in cubes, so you don't have to measure things manually. Everything you do in the game is based on rolling D8s, and you add or drop dice whenever you roll based on various modifiers like range, height, etc that are easy to remember. If you roll an 8, you add another dice to the test, and successive 8s can stack. You're never really sat doing nothing for too long - you can use Overwatch to react to your opponent's actions, you can play cards as mentiioned above, and whenever you're attacked you can try to defend or (in melee) counter-attack.
Combat is easy to resolve. Nearly every model has three states, healthy, wounded or dead. Working out how much damage you inflict takes seconds and games can change quickly when a good shot gets through and blows something off the board.
Now reading that, it sounds bloated. It's not, the fault lies with my need to describe as much as possible. The rules are simple to remember. If you were to watch demo games or videos beforehand you'd be going into it with a decent understanding of the rules.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/08/14 22:24:38
Driven away from WH40K by rules bloat and the expense of keeping up, now interested in smaller model count games and anything with nifty mechanics.
What is the quality like on the deadzone boxed sets that are on the market?
I was interested in this game a few months ago. After reading about customer complaints over the DZ kickstarter I decided to hold off. I don't want to spend my cash if my box set is missing components.
nanook.. First of all, welcome to t'other side.. !
Spoiler:
It might be easier if you stated what kind of game you are looking for?
Are you after something skirmish or mass battle, and at what kind of scale?
And do you want something sci-fi/fantasy or historical, and if the latter what kind of period of history? There is a massive range of high quality games out there but it depends what kind of thing you are after.
Alternatively, if you're not sure then - Infinity! Because.. just type 'Corvus Belli Infinity' into Google images.
£12 if you get the 'bugs' supplement too. Just use your existing collection with a set of rules that includes strategic listbuilding as well as Epic-flavoured tactical mechanics (as opposed to 'instead of') and are written to sell themselves rather than fluff or minis.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/08/14 23:46:15
I highly suggest the new Infinity box set coming out, "Operation Ice Storm." Comes with scenery, fantastic minis that have detail that blows everything else out of the water and fantastic rules that really make you think how you play. You can't just run and gun and win, you got to use all the cover you can, sneak around and use whatever tricks you got up your sleeve.
I also really suggest Warmachine. For that money you could get a battle box for a force which are very well balanced and expand from there. The rule book is about $40 US and the battle box comes with quick start rules to get you playing. But the fluff behind the game is fantastic and far deeper than people realize. Check out the RPG books, they're phenomenal. It's a quicker, more brutal but more tactical and strategic game than 40k.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/08/15 00:10:57
Also, check out my history blog: Minimum Wage Historian, a fun place to check out history that often falls between the couch cushions.
Malifaux; very cleanly written and fun game, featuring redneck gremlins, killer teddy bears, cowboys and demons. Everything has a function and even small changes to a line-up can change the way your faction works. Games only take about an hour each but are pretty engrossing.
Single player buy in is about £50 - £30 for a starter box of your choice (there's dozens of crews), £10 for a rulebook, £5 for a set of stat cards and £5 for a fate deck (or just regular playing cards).
The sci-fi skirmish game that is fast, fun, and truly three dimensional. The terrain (included in the boxed game) makes the game very simple to set up and deep to play as you have to account for vertical as well as normal movement and positioning. This make the game very dynamic and tactical.
Spoiler:
Everything is measured in cubes, no tape required, lending simplicity to play. The alternation in player activation keeps both plays involved at all times.
You can the box set with a mat, terrain, two complete (not just starter) teams due and rules for just £50 from online sellers
The book is utter dog fudge though, so have a scout about for the rules reference sheet on Boardgame Geek!
Another suggestion would be Dropzone Commander. The 2-player starter set contains the full rulebook, 2 starter armies in 10mm scale (each with 3 dropships, 8-9 vehicles and 6 stands of infantry) and scenery (playmat and about 10 card buildings).
It's a really good value set, and the game rules are excellent.
Or you could play WarPath, Deadzone's larger cousin and not spend any further money.
You can use your Space Marines and sounds like you've got enough for you and a buddy to play.
The available lists include a space marine analogue (space dwarfs called Forge Fathers plays the most like space marines or Necrons); orcs; rat-men (eldar or tau?); and imperial guard (called Corporation). Corporation have Enforcers which can also be Space Marine stand-ins, depending on which list you like best.
There are currently no flyers (so treat them like AFVs if you field them) and vehicles are complex enough that having one or two in your army ---besides transports----that many folks are satisfied. It's an infantry centric game.
Nanook,
My personal game of choice would definitely be Bolt Action by Warlord games. It's written by Rick Priestly and Allesio Cavatore, two of the best game developers GW ever had. The rules set is incredibly versatile and can be used for a variety of time periods, or entirely new backgrounds. I know a group that plays Bolt Action using Star Wars Minis. Warlord's minis are 28mm, meaning that the scale is similar to 40k, and the game is centered around platoon-sized combat. 2-3 squads, a mortar, machine gun team, officer and tank are generally all you need to play a good sized game of Bolt Action. Armies use a very similar point system and force org as 40k, making the change intuitive to a 40k vet. The rules are around 18 pounds, and come with basic army lists for the big 4 powers. They also have Army Books for each nation that cost about 12 pounds, and allow you to select more accurate forces for a variety of different time periods. I think each book has around 18-20 different lists.
Being a Historical game means that you are not tied to a single manufacturer. Want a late war Sherman that warlord doesn't make? use another company. Want to run a winter themed american army? another company makes minis. Want to take the dreaded German Land-Wasser-Schlepper? SOMEONE MAKES IT!!
My game is Song of Blades and Heroes. My club has been playing it for four years now and it's still our favorite game. So much so that every summer we have a campaign as well as scattered play throughout the year.
It's a waband-skirmish fantasy game where each player controls 8-12 minis or so.
The rulebook
http://www.ganeshagames.net/product_info.php?cPath=1_6&products_id=7 is only 8 bucks, and there are a series of expansions (covering campaigns, dungeon crawls, etc.) for the same price. It has an innovative activation mechanic that makes every decision count and the games play very fast. usually 30-60 minutes for a 2 player game so a group of players can switch opponents and get several games in one night.
There is no starter set though. The game is designed to use whatever minis a payer might have. It comes with statlines for most fantasy creatures (the best place to start for new players) and there is a free online warband builder allowing you to stat up any unit you could ever want.
http://www.ganeshagames.net/extra_info_pages.php?pages_id=17&osCsid=qbu1e7ev6dgc2f8jbjl7fe96g4
As you are presently disillusioned with 40k, I would recommend thinking of what fantasy warbands would most appeal to you or what fantasy figures you've always wanted to paint regardless of what game they are for (or not for). Then go out and buy those figures, paint them up, stat them up and get playing.
Despite it's great gameplay, the likelihood is that SBH will probably not be your main game forever. However it's flexibility, low cost, and fast play means that it's a game that you can keep coming back to whenever you have a bit of game time to kill or whenever you get an idea for building/collecting a new fantasy warband. It's also a game that your friends can buy into for an almost negligible amount of $ and chances are if they're gamers they've already got suitable figures lying around anyway.
I've got 4 warbands or so but I build at least one new one every year. Often it's when I find a great deal on some interesting figures, or when I find some figs in my collection that catch my attention. With SBH I never look at a figure that I want and say that I'd never use it.
Do like or love Star Wars? How about Star Trek? For Star Wars there is X-wing, fighter to fighter combat. Star Trek has the same rules but it's called Star Trek Attack Wing.
Star War minis are about $15 Canadian so I say about 9 or so Pounds each. They are pretty good. Attack Wing minis are not bad, but compared to X-wing, are not that great then. From what I read, good rules, fun rules, but again Attack Wing has problems of "codex creep".
There is also Dropzone Commander if you like 10mm miniatures. I played it and bought the box set. Real fun game.
I use to play Battletech as well. Crappy minis, rules were fun back then. People still having lots of fun with them now. Problem is, crappy minis, at least in my opinion.
Also if you want another mecha game, Robotech has a game now. Not sure if it's out yet or not.
Agies Grimm:The "Learn to play, bro" mentality is mostly just a way for someone to try to shame you by implying that their metaphorical nerd-wiener is bigger than yours. Which, ironically, I think nerds do even more vehemently than jocks.
Everything is made up and the points don't matter. 40K or Who's Line is it Anyway?
Auticus wrote: Or in summation: its ok to exploit shoddy points because those are rules and gamers exist to find rules loopholes (they are still "legal"), but if the same force can be composed without structure, it emotionally feels "wrong".
A $60 (USD) starter set gets you 26 plastic decent quality 'Mechs and rules. Lots of options with just those 26, but Battletech has THOUSANDS of units available.
Best part of it is simple: The game is as simple or as complex as you want. You can buy one book (Total Warfare) and be able to play forever. A good game of Battletech will have less than a dozen units on each side, and once you know the rules, can be done in a few hours.
Minis are plentiful on the secondary market. But wait, you don't even NEED minis! If you play on map sheets (hex grids) you don't even need a miniature. Just some way to identify what the marker represents and what way it is facing.
If you want more, Battletech has it! We have more than 1000 pages of optional rules. Pick which ones you like.
Rule #1 for Battletech: If it works for your game, then it works.
Maybe you find a Battletech 'Mech record sheet scary (it isn't). Battletech: Alpha Strike is for you! It simplifies all units for faster play. That 12 vs. 12 game I mentioned earlier can be done in an hour or less.
Unlike many game systems, you can even design your own units. A whole hardback book is devoted to unit creation and technology fluff. Other part of that? You can get the 'Mech design program to make your own units, create forces for balanced games, and have every single unit made for the game up to this point for FREE.
Battletech: $60 or $6000, you can play however you want. It has been around for 30 years and isn't dying any time soon.
27th Member of D.O.O.M.F.A.R.T.
Resident Battletech Guru.
I forgot to say about Battletech, the miniatures suck because they are made from another company not Catalyst. Even the website that make the minis are horrible.
I believe Catalyst are making plastic minis now, like 4 for $20 if I am not mistaken. They are not GW quality but look pretty good.
Some of the artwork is great, but then again some of the artwork is just horrendous. Still I love Battletech. Make it as simple as you want or complex as you want. I forgot about it since nobody plays here anymore. :(
*edit* I bought the box set, and it's freaking AWESOME. Great quality boards, mins are meh, but you do get to high quality minis though. Want the full rule book? $15 pdf on their website. Want to make your own mech? That has changed. It is it's own book now, but still $15 pdf is an awesome price and man, you have a crap load of options to make. You can make mech, planes, trains and automobiles. Also infantry, troops, boats, battleships, submarines, fighters, dropships. Can't remember if you can make battle cruisers or not, but there is a lot you can make. I think you can even make bases if you want to be that complex.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2014/08/31 00:14:46
Agies Grimm:The "Learn to play, bro" mentality is mostly just a way for someone to try to shame you by implying that their metaphorical nerd-wiener is bigger than yours. Which, ironically, I think nerds do even more vehemently than jocks.
Everything is made up and the points don't matter. 40K or Who's Line is it Anyway?
Auticus wrote: Or in summation: its ok to exploit shoddy points because those are rules and gamers exist to find rules loopholes (they are still "legal"), but if the same force can be composed without structure, it emotionally feels "wrong".
