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Post by: legoburner
Mantic are pushing Warpath hard, I just thought I'd see what people think of them. Bit of a messed up poll - this is more like 5 polls mashed in to one big multi choice poll
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Post by: CuddlySquig
I only ever buy Games Workshop. Too brand-loyal to consider any other miniatures game as anything but a knockoff (even if they aren't)
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Post by: Brother-Captain Scotti
I certainly like their models, got a couple of ghouls free through wayland games and they are very nice, but I'm not gonna start another wargame lol
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Post by: Ogryn
Agreed with CuddlySquig, although they have some nice models.
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Post by: Death Gear
I just don't like their fantasy range. Some of the mini's look really cheesy.
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Post by: GoldenKaos
A couple in my gaming club have been using them as a cheap rank-filler for GW games, and I do remember liking their Orcs, but I don't know much about them. For infantry blocks, I already have my Druchii.
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Post by: NL_Cirrus
Never even heard of them.
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Post by: cody20
I use there undead models for my Vampire counts, after years of playing games-workshop with the prices raising all the time it got hard to play i got a 3000 point army list for about 140 dollars .when i play against people they love the models. Dont get me wrong games-workshop models are amazing its just hard to get them with out a job
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Post by: A Kvlt Ghost
90% of Mantic models are absolutely hideous and from a purely aesthetic perspective I wholeheartedly wish they didn't exist.
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Post by: GoldenKaos
A Kvlt Ghost wrote:90% of Mantic models are absolutely hideous and from a purely aesthetic perspective I wholeheartedly wish they didn't exist.
Really? Sure they're no Games Workshop quality, but GW have two decades of experience on top at least, and I find the Orcs and Undead models to be rather appealing.
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Post by: Da Boss
I am a fan of their fantasy plastics and some of their metals or resin/plastics. Their undead and orc ranges are especially good, and their dwarves are alright for the price. I also like the KoW rules. I have an Undead force from them.
I am not as keen on the sci fi stuff I've seen. I think the production issues they are having are limiting them quite a bit and I think their rules scaffold isn't as well suited to a sci fi game. I will wait and see, but currently I am not inspired by thier sci fi lines.
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Post by: Coolyo294
Don't like their models, haven't read their rules.
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Post by: oni
I'm sure their models and rules will get better, but as they are now I'm not a fan.
The hard truth is that even if I did like their games I still wouldn't bother with them. I'm not going to invest in a game where I can't readily find opponents.
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Post by: Necron123
legoburner wrote:Mantic are pushing Warpath hard, I just thought I'd see what people think of them. Bit of a messed up poll - this is more like 5 polls mashed in to one big multi choice poll
i only use citadell, and games workshop
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Post by: chromedog
Death Gear wrote:I just don't like their fantasy range. Some of the mini's look really cheesy.
As opposed to that other-company-from-Nottingham's stuff? With the huge heads and hands?
I'm fine with their fantasy stuff. So are several guys in my club - all of whom would NOT be playing 8th ed if it weren't for Mantic, so that's 5x rulebook+army book sales that GW wouldn't have made (even indirectly).
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Post by: MakeH
I am not a big fan of the current mantic minies but I do think the company is good for the tabletop gaming scene and even GW. Although my guess is that GW does not agree with me.
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Post by: sarpedons-right-hand
I love Mantics miniatures. Even the much maligned Elves, with the possible exception of the Dragons, which are hideous.
The Fantasy range is great value and I'm seriously considering buying one of thier great army boxes to use in games of WHFB...£67 will get you a good solid WHFB army, ok, it's not the same scale. But that's because GW mini's are heroic scale and not true scale, like Mantics.
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Post by: perplexiti
I liked the idea of cheaper minis, but I just don't really like the way they look. Which is a shame as I'd love to expand my Dwarfs but don't have the cash for GWs prices and don't like the mantic stuff :(
Although I do think the zombies look cool.
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Post by: AnUnearthlyChilde
I like the look of their stuff tbh, but have no idea of the rules for them. I'm certainly considering buying a few bits and bobs to convert and/or paint, and considering its Alessio Carvatores baby, I'm not surprised why I'm drawn to it! Kudos to you Alessio for doing something away from the GW fold Also to people who say they won't start a system to which they can't find regular players: If you don't start it for those reasons, your creating a vicious cycle. Now I'm not saying start mantic stuff for the sake of it, I'm saying if you like their models, give their rules a try and start playing, even if you managed to get hold of a starter set and got friends over to try, the whole peer influence thing is going to bring people over to trying it out at the very least. its how I got started with GW stuff tbh.
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Post by: Kavish
Squat army bitz!!!
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Post by: NimbleJack3
I'm thinking of picking up some Raiders for cheap Orks, and maybe playing some of their Warpath alpha rules using my SMs and Orks.
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Post by: Adrian Fue Fue
I never bought them but was looking at their ghouls just yesterday. I guess I am more loyal to GW for 40k, but as for Fantasy I am not.
GW has great elite units, and I love their daemons, but Mantic beats them on price, Orks, and undead.
Not to mention Mantic gives you free Battle Foam, free travel case, and free rule books!!! GW makes half there income on stuff like that.
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Post by: AnUnearthlyChilde
Adrian Fue Fue wrote:I never bought them but was looking at their ghouls just yesterday. I guess I am more loyal to GW for 40k, but as for Fantasy I am not.
GW has great elite units, and I love their daemons, but Mantic beats them on price, Orks, and undead.
Not to mention Mantic gives you free Battle Foam, free travel case, and free rule books!!! GW makes half there income on stuff like that.
Yeah GW has never exactly been people friendly...
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Post by: darkPrince010
Love their fantasy lines (With the exception of elf drakon saturday morning cartoon riders), and I like their scifi ranges (Especialyl the stormrage vets, ooooh they're purty. Although I wish they'd release more Marauder/Ork foot units though).
As for the rules, KoW is wonderful and I'm never touching 8th again (Ick. L6 spells and Steadfast. Likely not using WHFB ever again now that I have a good alternative). Warpath is close to KoW-quality, but not quite, mainly due to slowed movement from lack of movement trays and BFG LOS issues. Other than that, like it just as much as KoW and can't wait for more official army lists and models.
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Post by: Lord Gragorak
KoW is quite good game with few very innovative rules like that casualties aren't removed from units. It's not as good as WHFB, but sometimes it's fun to play with slightly different rules.
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Post by: martin74
I like the look of their products, but, not going to get into another system right now. Between my two finished 40K armies (IG/Orks), Dystopian Wars, and Malifaux, I am not in the mood for building, painting, playing, or storing another game system.
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Post by: carlos13th
I like their models. Never seen the rules though.
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Post by: djphranq
I like their fantasy stuff a little. Mostly the dwarf stuff. I'd probably buy some just to put together and paint.
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Post by: Ma55ter_fett
I have never played either of their tabletop games, but I purchased a load of their undead for my vampire counts army and I like the models well enough. They are a bit monopose, but when you put 30+ in a unit you can't tell.
Plus they were wicked cheep, (67.50USD for 60 skeletons, 30 zombies, and 20 ghouls) which is always nice.
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Post by: AlexHolker
I like the foundation of their rules and the Undead ghouls and zombies.
I don't like what they've done with that foundation, I think most of their models are fundamentally flawed, and I hate that they're another non-historical manufacturer that gives women a raw deal.
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Post by: mwnciboo
WT* is going on? 1 in 5 40k players haven't heard of MANTIC? What do you guys do on the Internet?
Ever hear of someone called Alessio Cavatore? No reason you would have heard of him, I mean he only worked on the rules for The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game, Warmaster, Warhammer 40,000 and Mordheim while working for Games Workshop.
Oh and he designed MANTIC games Rule sets. 1 in 10 I could understand, but 1 in 5, being that all of you are already on the internet to be here I find that statistic a very disturbing one. Maybe this is why we have so many blinkered GW apologists, they don't actually realise there are other companies out there that make miniatures and rule sets.
EDIT- 3 x Thunderfire Cannons for £30? YES PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.manticgames.com/Shop-Home/Warpath/Forge-Fathers/Vehicles/Product/Forge-Father-Jotunn-Heavy-Hailstorm-Cannon-Bundle.html
You cannot argue with prices like this....3 of my Techmarines and I have an Apocalypse Battery, or a Fun list by taking 3 of these as Heavy's.
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Post by: DizMo
I really like Mantic's minis. I have a great deal of models from the fantasy range but othing from the scifi yet but i do plan on getting to that end soon. I also am going to participate in the Dreadball kickstarter because i think the mini s look great
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Post by: Major Thom
I find that all their products are very much hit or miss for me. Some I like, some I hate and some are tolerable. Right now I haven't found any of them compelling enough to purchase. Though a friend of mine purchased the Scifi board game. We may play eventually.
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Post by: Sharkvictim
I like their fantasy range alot, but I don't play fantasy. And even if I did I play at GW, so their minis would be a tourny no-go. Alas, such is life. Could definitely see springing on a purchase for the bitz though.
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Post by: rexscarlet
Mantic, as with most "other than GW" (otGW) companies all have nice/good models and rules, BUT...
How will they get out there into the mainstream?
GW stores/gamesday are out; so that only leaves Indy Retailers, Conventions/Tournaments, and small (2-4 people) groups of friends who have to agree to play it.
If more Indy GW based games Tournaments let them in as "counts as" maybe that would be a start?
Most of the otGW games are model heavy, so it is a lot to ask for players to "get started" in a new game... (especially if NO ONE is playing it)
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Post by: Icelord
Death Gear wrote:I just don't like their fantasy range. Some of the mini's look really cheesy.
I agree. I think that alot of them are too skinny.
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Post by: Lansirill
rexscarlet wrote:
Most of the otGW games are model heavy, so it is a lot to ask for players to "get started" in a new game... (especially if NO ONE is playing it)
One advantage Mantic has going for them here is that a lot of their rules can borrow heavily from GW products, especially Kings of War <-> Fantasy. Sure you'll need a goodly wad of miniatures either way, but if you have a sizeable collection of WHFB models and want to try something new, it looks pretty easy to do KoW. Warpath looks like you have an easy translation between Marauders and Orks, but beyond that nothing is jumping out quite as straight-forward unless you happen to have an old Squat army. If Mantic ends up flopping, you're sitting on a pile of GW miniatures that you can play 40k/Fantasy with.
(Now, let's wait and see who wants to say but then Mantic doesn't sell miniatures and blahblahblah.)
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Post by: darkPrince010
Icelord wrote: Death Gear wrote:I just don't like their fantasy range. Some of the mini's look really cheesy.
I agree. I think that alot of them are too skinny.
This is actually because they're accurately scaled for 28mm, while the GW you're used to (And possibly PP, but I'm not sure on that) use "Heroic" scale 28mm, basically inflating everything. Looks nice, but would look as silly as an irl Barbie would due to the odd proportioning. Nothing wrong with this scale, but this is why they look "odd"
However, the larger monsters they're putting out from the Kickstarter look like they'll be a bit more proportioned like GW and PP monsters, especially PP, so these might be more to your fancy.
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Post by: codemonkey
I rather like the Warpath range. Corporation are basic sci-fi human soldiers, I could see using them as guardsmen easily. Have only skimmed the rules, but it did jump out at me more than I was expecting.
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Post by: mwnciboo
To be brutally honest I think the Wargaming community now has too many systems, this market is saturated. The golden age of wargaming is over, everyman and his dog is trying to start up a hobby company (combining their passion with a job) and it's so fractured and fragmented, I just don't think this expansion can continue much longer. It's making life harder for everyone to collect and have games, also supporting tournaments etc is more difficult. We are almost too diluted, I don't want everyone back to GW, but 10 or so systems is fine, but it's getting towards 30+ major systems.
DROPZONE COMMANDER seems to have been a flash in the Pan, although time will tell. It certainly isn't being played at my club depsite 8-9 players buying it, they played for 3-4 weeks and then went "meh" and then they went "OMG, OMG , OMG X-WING!!!!!".
I love having lots of choice, but I think all the small startups, and the things you see on KICKSTARTER are all fighting over the same fan base.
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Post by: Blackhoof
I am a fan of some of their fantasy models. specifically their orcs, zombies and ghouls. I plan on building a GW Orcs and Goblins army with mantic Orcs and Goblins soon
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Post by: Meade
I'm loving their ghouls, and if i ever did a zombie horde i would pick those up too. both are superior to GW. Also picked up some corporation troopers and i think they make good guardsmen, still haven't built them though.
they are smart to make their models compatible with gw, but i have doubts about the ruleset. never was a fan of Alessio and as mentioned, there is just too many different games out there when normal budgets usually support 2 or 3 systems max...
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Post by: mrwhoop
I wouldn't have gotten so into WHFB without Mantics zombies and better yet their dwarfs. I mix it with GW so Mantic's taller models with shorter beards are my warriors and thunderers while the GW ones are the long beards and quarrelers. *Grumble grumble* Told ya it wouldn't work, why in MY day...
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Post by: Fenrir Kitsune
One of the chaps at the club is pushing Mantic in a big way. I'll probably give KoW a go as I've fantasy armies sitting around unused.
On the minis front, I wasn't impressed with the free Elf sprue that I received a couple of years back, but they have improved a lot since then.
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Post by: Blackhoof
Yeah, i find the elves ridiculously slender. They arent realistically proportioned at all, they are 7 feet tall and 6 inches wide. It looks weird.
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Post by: Kingsley
Mantic is too "GW knockoff" for my tastes. There are exceptions-- their Zombies are far better than the seriously aging GW ones-- but by and large their lines feel very "budget," and since the prices aren't even that good I don't see a compelling reason to buy.
They do make better GW knockoffs than WGF does, but that's really not saying much...
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Post by: dragqueeninspace
Kingsley wrote:Mantic is too " GW knockoff" for my tastes. There are exceptions-- their Zombies are far better than the seriously aging GW ones-- but by and large their lines feel very "budget," and since the prices aren't even that good I don't see a compelling reason to buy.
They do make better GW knockoffs than WGF does, but that's really not saying much...
10 GW boar boyz £35
10 mantic gore riders £20
20 mantic orc greatax £20
15 mantic orc ax £14
10 GW orc boyz £18
20 GW zombies £20.50
30 mantic zombies £20
Given that mantic is generaly available at 25-30% discount compared to Gw at 20-25% ( UK) How much cheaper do you expect them to go?
I don't like plenty of the mantic sculpts and if I want that troop type I just buy GW models instead (Most of my kings of war army is GW). On the other hand the cluttered look and oversized scale of may of GW's offerings isn't winning much favour from me(ranking up GW orc boys is horrible). The sooner gamers create a enviroment for themselves where they can pick minatures on merit rather than brand the better.
Having built and painted mantic and GW stuff side by side I can see pros and cons in both. I'll try and make each purchase with an open mind, I don't want to rule out GWs excelent mutipart plastic kits or mantics cheap unclutered troops.
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Post by: SneakyMek
Well they seem to have some nice minis, i might be picking up one or two just for panting purposes.
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Post by: Kingsley
dragqueeninspace wrote: Kingsley wrote:Mantic is too " GW knockoff" for my tastes. There are exceptions-- their Zombies are far better than the seriously aging GW ones-- but by and large their lines feel very "budget," and since the prices aren't even that good I don't see a compelling reason to buy.
They do make better GW knockoffs than WGF does, but that's really not saying much...
10 GW boar boyz £35
10 mantic gore riders £20
20 mantic orc greatax £20
15 mantic orc ax £14
10 GW orc boyz £18
20 GW zombies £20.50
30 mantic zombies £20
Given that mantic is generaly available at 25-30% discount compared to Gw at 20-25% ( UK) How much cheaper do you expect them to go?
I play 40k, not Fantasy, so I don't know what Mantic's like over on the Fantasy side, except that their zombies obviously own. My impression is that Fantasy has become a much worse detail than 40k because of the unbundling of units coupled with larger unit sizes.
That said, on the 40k side Mantic sells its Corporation troopers at $25.00 for 10, which simply isn't good enough compared to GW's Guardsmen at $29.00 for 10 when you consider the issues with the Mantic models. At $25.00 I don't even think the Mantic forces are competitive with $35.00 old-school metal IG.
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Post by: dragqueeninspace
Kingsley wrote: dragqueeninspace wrote: Kingsley wrote:Mantic is too " GW knockoff" for my tastes. There are exceptions-- their Zombies are far better than the seriously aging GW ones-- but by and large their lines feel very "budget," and since the prices aren't even that good I don't see a compelling reason to buy.
They do make better GW knockoffs than WGF does, but that's really not saying much...
10 GW boar boyz £35
10 mantic gore riders £20
20 mantic orc greatax £20
15 mantic orc ax £14
10 GW orc boyz £18
20 GW zombies £20.50
30 mantic zombies £20
Given that mantic is generaly available at 25-30% discount compared to Gw at 20-25% ( UK) How much cheaper do you expect them to go?
I play 40k, not Fantasy, so I don't know what Mantic's like over on the Fantasy side, except that their zombies obviously own. My impression is that Fantasy has become a much worse detail than 40k because of the unbundling of units coupled with larger unit sizes.
That said, on the 40k side Mantic sells its Corporation troopers at $25.00 for 10, which simply isn't good enough compared to GW's Guardsmen at $29.00 for 10 when you consider the issues with the Mantic models. At $25.00 I don't even think the Mantic forces are competitive with $35.00 old-school metal IG.
I have bought about 8 boxes of corporation troopers, I can't say I'm a fan but I found them for a lot cheaper than list, but then I'm not a fan of the plastic IG either. At list I'd agree the GW IG are a better choice.
While the mantic infantry can be found very cheaply and come with lots of special weapons they are needlessly fiddley to assemble (no special weapon hands really?) and many have warped gun barrels (very easy to fix but why should I need to). I don't like the huge IG minatures either with their comedy oversized weapons.
I still maintain however its worth taking each case on its merits since both sides come out on top in different areas.
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Post by: Loricatus Aurora
Just had a quick look. Orcs look ok, not keen on enforcers which would be relevat for me.
Never heard of them before this poll.
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Post by: shingouki
I bought a load of corporation and intend to use them as elysians.I just cant afford forge world prices at the minute as i'm on short time at work.Granted they don't look as good as proper elysians but for the cost i can live with it.
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Post by: LordOfSmurfs
Quite a few places are selling mantic at 40% off.
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Post by: Sigvatr
Mantic has always been a stand-in for GW miniatures to me and I don't see this changing in a while.
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Post by: Insurgency Walker
I got one of their vehicle kits. It was ok. I don't think I'll get much else at this point.
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Post by: beartree
Never really noticed Mantic until now.
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Post by: LuciusAR
mwnciboo wrote:To be brutally honest I think the Wargaming community now has too many systems, this market is saturated. The golden age of wargaming is over, everyman and his dog is trying to start up a hobby company (combining their passion with a job) and it's so fractured and fragmented, I just don't think this expansion can continue much longer. It's making life harder for everyone to collect and have games, also supporting tournaments etc is more difficult. We are almost too diluted, I don't want everyone back to GW, but 10 or so systems is fine, but it's getting towards 30+ major systems.
DROPZONE COMMANDER seems to have been a flash in the Pan, although time will tell. It certainly isn't being played at my club depsite 8-9 players buying it, they played for 3-4 weeks and then went "meh" and then they went "OMG, OMG , OMG X-WING!!!!!".
I love having lots of choice, but I think all the small startups, and the things you see on KICKSTARTER are all fighting over the same fan base.
True dat.
It’s a trend I’ve seen many times at clubs where a new system will dominate for a few months and then the next flash in the pan system will come along and everyone just moves onto that. AT-43, Dystopian Wars, Uncharted Seas, Starship Troopers. All where massive for a brief period but then vanished as suddenly as they came along. Currently Malifaux, Dreadball and Infinity are enjoying their period in the spotlight at our local club but I fear they will soon wane.
That’s not to cast any sort of negative light on the quality of the products themselves, which are in many ways superior to GWs own systems, but I just think it’s the nature of gaming.
As for Mantic their main use round my way is as a cheap substitute for GW miniatures. Nothing wrong with that and I’m certain Mantic where fully aware that most of their sales would be just for this purpose. GW in their own way gave Mantic license to do this by pricing plastic at premium rates.
Mantic miniatures are variable in quality but on the whole have come on leaps and bounds since their inception. The Elves where ghastly, no argument here. But their new stuff looks far better.
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Post by: skullking
I contributed to the first Mantic Kickstarter, and have received the initial armies I ordered. I purchased the Abyssal Dwarves and some Mantic goblins to use as Hobgoblins for a Legion of Azgorth army I've been building. And while I have no issue with the quality or sculpting on any of the metal miniatures, the quality of the plastic figures wasn't all that great. For the abyssal dwarves this wasn't as big a deal, as they had metal parts which were added to the regular plastic mantic dwarf bodies. But the goblins really seemed like a cheap brand of plastic, and the detail was pretty muted on them.
As a company I do like Mantic, they seem to be really excited about what they do, and as others have mentioned they have most definitely improved dramatically since their inception. The more they produce, the more they'll separate their own styles from GW, and other companies, and I think products like Dreadball and Loka can only help to make this more apparent. Their warpath stuff is Cool, and I feel like they've basically made it their goal to fill in the gaps that people might want which are missing in 40k. Such as bringing out a good looking squat-type army, and basically making space skaven.
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Post by: Jordan
Who says squats are dead!?
Yes, Mantic's Warpath miniature range overall looks like they dropped all of the fantasy tropes straight into a generic science fiction universe and said "have at it," but, Holy Throne, it works! Only thing they absolutely need to get rid of are the tabs on the bottom of the model. Those are awful.
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Post by: Jackal
For fantasy, people really need to look at the chaos dwarfs they do
Great models, half the price of FW, and go back to the old feel of chaos dwarfs, not the new style of normal ones, but spikey.
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Post by: chromedog
I've been gaming for over 25 years.
I have NO 'brand loyalty' - I buy what I like the look of, regardless of who makes it.
I have no problem with mantic's fantasy elves.
I don't find them "too skinny".
No-one around here can furnish me with a REAL elf, so that I can compare GW, Ral Partha, Grenadier, mantic and every other fantasy elf figure producers product for "scale realism", so until that happens, they are the "right" scale for me. The bases are the right size and that's pretty much all that is needed for WHFB. GW's figures may as well be counters of the base size for all the difference the models make.
I even use them alongside GW, Grenadier and several other makers products in one army.
I like their Enforces for Warpath, too. Not keen on the marauders or space rats (but that's not an anti-GW thing - I've never really liked either orcs or rats) though.
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Post by: migs6357
Does anyone else have difficulty glueing their models?
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Post by: timetowaste85
500 dwarves, 3 backed Kickstarters (plus Loka by Riverhorse)...yeah, I'd say I like them. Love the Enforcers (although metal arms are a PITA), really like the Corporation, love the new Ogres, Trolls, and most of the Basileans, and the upcoming Enforcers in Peacekeeper armor is making my mouth start to froth. Throw in tight rules KoW (1000x better than Warhammer as a strategy game) and excellent customer service and you have an awesome company. Keep on keeping on, Mantic.
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Post by: Zweischneid
Generally love Mantic Miniatures (there're always exceptions).
I hate their pricing though... 15 quid for 8 option-free restic DreadBall players is making GW look like a bargain.
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Post by: Tabletop-Lenny
Like the way they run teir company! ;-)
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Post by: Bullet-Magnet
I backed Mantic on their Deadzone Kicksarter ... Got some of their Dreadball stuff. Mainly liking their Deadzone terrain ... Not actually played any of their other sci-fi/fantasy games.
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Post by: Dakkamite
Ahahaha, people ITT have brand loyalty for GW?
I love Mantic's KoW rules, and their models are reasonable quality (worse than GW) but far better value for money overall.
Haven't played any of their other stuff though.
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Post by: jamin484
Dreadball is a rubbish game with rubbish rules. It is not possible to defend and you have no influence outside of your turn. Not a patch on BB, which with the LRB is probably my favourite game system ever.
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Post by: DrunkPhilisoph
They have some weird modells (elfs, some of the skelletons, some of the skave, all of the ogres) but especially the newer stuff like the basileans looks pretty good to me.
Where they really shine are the army bundles which just really pump out a lot for the money you put into it.
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Post by: Sturmtruppe
When they first emerged I thought that they were on to something, but their model range was pretty hit or miss at the time. I ended up with a free zombie sprue while at Adepticon a few years ago and it looked good to me. Overall, I can see them getting better and their newer stuff already looks much more "hit" than "miss" when compared to their older models. I've been considering getting back into Fantasy lately (I last played in the 90s) and I'm thinking of buying more of their products in this regard. Maybe I'll even eventually check out their rules too. To sum it up, I'm pretty happy that they're around.
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Post by: Dakkamite
Edit: Whoops, didn't realize this was such an old thread since it was on the main page.
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Post by: fishy bob
I ticked "I do not like their models" and "I intend to start collecting their sci-fi range".
And by that I'm thinking about getting Dreadball. But other than that I am not an enthusiast of Mantic.
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Post by: Haight
I find their stuff hit or miss on the fantasy side, and just plan ugly on the sci-fi side.
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Post by: MetalOxide
Their fantasy miniatures are awesome and the rules for KoW are clear and easy to follow. I intend to start collecting their Orcs and Goblins soon one I get my painting backlog cleared and sorted out my finances. I am not too keen on their Sci-fi range, it feels like they have just taken their fantasy stuff and made it sci-fi.
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Post by: Earth Dragon
jamin484 wrote:Dreadball is a rubbish game with rubbish rules. It is not possible to defend and you have no influence outside of your turn. Not a patch on BB, which with the LRB is probably my favourite game system ever.
That's about as inaccurate as you can get. You can iniate entire actions with your Jacks in Dreadball, which is something you can't do in BB. Both have major flaws on defense.
BB you lose your turn if a single fool slips, Dreadball you only lose your turn if you fumble the ball.
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Post by: carlos13th
Sturmtruppe wrote:When they first emerged I thought that they were on to something, but their model range was pretty hit or miss at the time. I ended up with a free zombie sprue while at Adepticon a few years ago and it looked good to me. Overall, I can see them getting better and their newer stuff already looks much more "hit" than "miss" when compared to their older models. I've been considering getting back into Fantasy lately (I last played in the 90s) and I'm thinking of buying more of their products in this regard. Maybe I'll even eventually check out their rules too. To sum it up, I'm pretty happy that they're around.
Pretty sure you can get free basic KOW rules online.
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Post by: solkan
My opinion on Mantic: Has my Deadzone terrain shipped yet? Is it here yet? How about now?
I think they said something about producing a game and miniatures to go along with that plastic terrain, but I'm not familiar with the details.
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Post by: OrlandotheTechnicoloured
Their stuff is very mixed (mores so than I'd say for any other 'medium' manufacturer)
running from Excellent, must have (like some of the Dreadball stuff, the Ogres and Trolls)
to absolutely terrible (hard plastic goblins, Men at Arms, and the ape armed Basilean Women)
so rush to buy some, and wouldn't even take others as bits fodder
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Post by: scarletsquig
The rules and awesome gamer-friendly attitude of the company more than make up for any teething problems with the products for me, which are generally sold at a ridiculously low price.
I considered wargaming a hobby to write off because it was just too expensive until Mantic came along.
They're basically everything that everyone wants GW (as a company) to be.
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Post by: carlos13th
They feth up a little to often but all in all I like them a lot. I like their models and I like them as a company. They come across as a bunch of gamers who want to make games and models first and foremost.
I think if they fix the issues with their models, production and quality control they could do very well (not that they haven't already). I hope if that is the case they keep the fun gamer attitude.
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Post by: Cptskillet
I haven't ever heard of them till I decided to look them up in this thread. However after wanting to start a IG army and after taking a look at their corporation minis, they look like pretty good guard substitutes. Heck the Corporation Army set you get 43 minis for 50. I took a look at GW's heavy weapons team and you are getting 3 minis for 40. Mantic has 3 heavy weapons teams for like 15! Though I imagine it might be slightly more in dollars, i wrote just numbers because i'm not sure if its in UK currency. I'll be ordering some of their corporation minis to round out my troops just because I like how they look and for the price.
edit: just found out how to make it into US prices and well its still cheaper then GW prices.
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Post by: sing your life
I'm interested in their models if I come back to WHFB.
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Post by: Captain Fantastic
I think they, along with many other hobby brands, are pushing themselves into a bad market that is economically and spiritually completely dominated bu GW
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Post by: privateherbert24
I'm not loyal to any company, and mantic stuff is great cost wise. Some of their ranges are on the better side of good, but many aren't.
IMO good ranges: basilea, dwarves, forge fathers, and marauders. Their zombie apokalypse set looks neat too.
Right now I equate them to wargames factory, good prices, ok quality, but the quality seems to be getting better.
Why be loyal to GW when there's so much more out there?
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Post by: fishy bob
Captain Fantastic wrote:I think they, along with many other hobby brands, are pushing themselves into a bad market that is economically and spiritually completely dominated bu GW
Do you see the contradiction in this post?
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Post by: Zond
When they first appeared I was a big fan of their Elf infantry and their Undead models. They're still receiving praise for the Undead even now, but most of their latest releases have been lackluster. When I look at Mantic now all I see is the odd decent miniature in a sea of poor sculpts. Definitely great pricing, but you do get what you pay for.
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Post by: Legarron
Not huge on the models aesthetically, but if it weren't for their prices some of my friends wouldn't have been able to start playing Fantasy.
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Post by: sing your life
Model quality is deeply mixed, compare Undead and Orcs to Elves, Dwarves and Enforcers,
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Post by: Sabotage!
I checked "I like the rules"," and "Other."
I recently got my Deadzone stuff (a few months back). The rules are awesome and I love the concept of the game. The sculpts are pretty decent and I really like the aesthetic of the Rebs faction. The material they are cast in on the other hand (some resin/ plastic hybrid I believe) is awful - so bad after assembling half of my plague starter I shelved them all. Maybe I'll have the motivation to work on them at a later time, but that material is rife with mold lines and super cheap. The terrain is pretty great though.
On the other hand, I really dislike the sculpts of most of their fantasy stuff. That said, I used their ghouls and zombies for my Vampire Counts, and I loved them. The GW ghouls are way over the top, and the GW zombies.....well suck. The undead stuff they have out is a pretty good value, and I like the hard plastic they use.
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Post by: NuggzTheNinja
GW on left, Mantic on right. When I built my zombie horde it wasn't really a question - GW zombies suck in comparison.
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Post by: Sigur
They are highly hit and miss for me. I really like their plastic ghouls, their zombies are alright-ish, but most of their models i'm not really wild about, some are pretty horrible actually. Except for those goblin characters they showed once. Those looked great (wizard goblin and such). Never played any of their games I have to admit but I keep hearing very good things about Kings of War. Of Warpath I read the beta rules when they were released and wasn't overly impressed. Looks like your regular Alessio Cavatore rules set. Fast, kind of elegant, kind of basic but works very well as a game (not sure if it works as well as a wargame). The Jake Thornton stuff (that's his name, right?) at least looks a bit more interesting ruleswise. I would love for them to get away more and more from their " GW but not GW" image they banked on for the first few years of their existance. It always struck me as a sad sign of times if a company gets rampantly loyal "fanatic" fans because they do what GW do and aim for the GW audience but their main USP is "we're not GW". So it's always nice when they do something of their own. Which they kind of seem to do with Dreadball and Deadzone. Well, kind of. But you gotta appreciate any step away from the regular old "not- 40k".
If anyone's interested, as part of my zombie minis review series I reviewed the Mantic Ghouls:
http://www.battlebrushstudios.com/2013/07/review-mantic-ghouls.html
... and the Mantic Zombies:
http://www.battlebrushstudios.com/2013/07/review-mantic-games-zombie-regiment.html
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Post by: thegreatchimp
I like their minis well enough. They're not quite as crisply detailed as GW products, and looking at their enforcer squads here, they defiantely lack the variety of main body parts and extras you'd expect to find in a GW kit. That being said, they look well and they have a cohesive look. Might use them for the odd conversion, but as far as mainline model building, they're not quite where GW is at.
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Post by: ClassicCarraway
I am not a huge fan of their models, at least in their sci-fi range. The detail is kind of muddy and the molds are usually off center with some hideous mold lines. I personally use their "totally not a thudd-gun" model as a thunderfire cannon, and if I played orks, I'd probably use a few of their vehicles.
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Post by: bertmac
Models are not great bought a load of dwarves as they were cheap ages ago though
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Post by: melkorthetonedeaf
Terrible models, terrible quality, the worst customer service I've ever experienced (I might be lucky), and some of the tightest rulesets in gaming today.
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Post by: John Rainbow
Some of their stuff is good. For instance I really like their zombies. I'm not a fan of their Elves though.
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Post by: Bobug
Voted other: Im not massively interested in their game systems or their actual models but their scifi terrain is great!
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Post by: Dorrand
Every Mantic game I've played (Kings of War, Deadzone, and Dreadball) has been loads of fun. I like their rules a lot.
Their models can be fairly hit or miss, even within the same range. For example, I like the paladins but not the Basilian men-at-arms. One thing I have learned about their models is that seeing them in person can make a difference. I disliked every pic of their plastic elves, but when I got my hands on some, it changed my opinion of them.
Someone was wondering about Mantic's Deadzone kickstarter delivery. I can't speak for others, but as for myself, I've gotten everything I ordered including the delayed hard plastic enforcers (which by the way look awesome - though I haven't had a chance to put them together yet).
In general, I'm pretty positive about most of Mantic's stuff. However, special mention has to be made for the Drakon riders; those things just look goofy, and not in a good way.
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Post by: Bottle
I plan to use their zombies/ghouls as plague zombies for Necromunda. Other than that I fimd the miniatures to be lackluster.
I've never played KoW but the rules seem to lack character from what I've read. (I'm not too fussed about stratergy and balance, I like fun stories to occur during games and WHFB is great at that).
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Post by: lcmiracle
Personally, I dislike their sci-fi range. The same reason why I won't start playing Infinity -- their models are too future-esh. On the other hand, I imagine if I were to play Warhammer Fantasy Battle (or whatever the 9th will be), I will be using many of Mantics' fantasy range to proxy WHFB models in friendly games. Right now I only have the drive to paint 40K models, however.
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Post by: odinsgrandson
I haven't had a look at their rules sets (mostly I haven't been looking to get into new large scale games).
What distinguishes their rules from others out there?
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Post by: Hyglar's Hellraiser
I haven't played WHFB in about 15yrs...I bought undead mantic for a WHQ campaign...loved the mini's...before I knew it I was competing in a KoW tourney...I tried to get some friends into it with mainly success from people fed up with the complexity and constant rule law-ering...and thousands of books...
Kow uses a unit footprint and you never remove individual models...it works really well IMO and after my other gamer friends tried to get me involved in WHFB I was put off by their constant referencing of rules and falling out.
Hope that helps! Rules are free online try them with cardboard unit cut outs or stand ins and see what you think (just don't attend a mantic open day..pants)
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Post by: FratHammer
Some of you are harsh.
I love their dwarves. Gw took out squats and their dwarves are too over the top. I'm glad I can still play squats and not till my eyes playing fantasy dwarves.
Also my friends use their cheap awesome zombies for vampire counts and plague zombies.
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Post by: JamesY
I bought some abyssal dwarves to use as chaos dwarfs. Awful, the metal components just didn't line up with the bodies.
I'd have more time for them if they weren't so derivative of gw. I know it is mainly ex gw staff, but it all just seems like a cheap imitation. I hold my hands up to having never played their games though, they could be phenomenal rules writers for all I know.
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Post by: Dark Lord Seanron
I enjoy their Mars Attacks stuff, right level of schlocky for me
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Post by: LeCacty
Nice, cheap fantasy models.
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Post by: Da_Viking
I am aware of mantic but have not looked into them enough to be able to say anything else.
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Post by: Red Viper
I like their Deadzone models and rules, although I haven't played a game yet.
I really like KoW. Their fantasy range is 50/50 for me.
I like their Undead, Goblin, Orcs, and Dwarves.
I don't like their most of their Humans, Elves, Abyssal Dwarves (the golems are great and the halfbreeds are good though), or Ogres.
To me, rulesets are more important than pretty models. I much more interested in Mantic news than GW at this point. I think their models are generally improving and I hope they have a bright future.
I hope GW sells their fantasy molds to Mantic or something, since it looks like GW is stopping or slowing down it's rectangle based miniatures.
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Post by: Butterqwist
Started a elven army now that the 2d edition rules came out. Love the rules and really enjoy the elves (the otherworldly look, not just humans with pointy ears).
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Post by: thegreatchimp
thegreatchimp wrote:Might use them for the odd conversion, but as far as mainline model building, they're not quite where GW is at, and they're almost as expensive, if not just as expensive. There has to be more of a price incentive there, imho.
I take it back. I'm looking at their undead range at the moment and their zombies and ghouls are better than the GW ones, and a hell of a lot cheaper.
Forgefather models have great potential as a basis for a squat army
Those enforcer jetbikes look pretty sweet too.
They'll definately be getting some of my cash which was otherwise destined for GW.
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Post by: thegreatchimp
And this stunner. Aesthetically it beats the hell out of most of the space marine flyer range.
1
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Post by: Hyglar's Hellraiser
I'm a mantic fan now but it was a shaky start to the relationship with some dodgy models: bought a corporation army set and was not keen (although I would now buy another). Read the kow rules and thought: too simple.
Then I bought the undead army box sets for a warhammer quest campaign. Ended up trying the kow rules. Entered a tournament. The most fun I've had with a ruleset in years.
The models of the undead range beat any rank and file by geedubz I've ever owned.
Like my marauder deadzone set. Backed kickstarter warpath for space rats. Hit or miss has become mostly very much hit over the last few years and with the attached price tag. Bonus.
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Post by: Mezmaron
Great scenery for 40K / Sci-Fi games. I've passed on the rest.
I lied - I do have a bunch of Mars Attacks! stuff. Its still in boxes, but looks pretty cool. In time, I'll paint it up.
Mez
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Post by: ChargerIIC
If I ever wanted to play a Block-style tactical game (aka WH fantasy) I'd definitely pick up their fantasy line again. They have this great idea where you only need 60% of the unit's model represented and you don't need to remove models as the unit takes wounds/battleshock.
It seems goofy, but it lets players create these beautiful dioramas and units that really pop on the battlefield. The rules are also very streamlined and flexible.
I'm not as crazy about thier sci-fi line but I think that's more about the asethic of their units since I haven't actually played warpath.
Dreadball is a ton of fun, but we made of the mistake of doing their campaign and the whole thing collapsed due to the way casualties worked. Whcih is a pity - they make some beautiful robots in that line.
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Post by: backfromthedead
Like there minis rules are a little to light for me but I'll still play.
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Post by: Wagguy80
Their models aren't the best but aren't bad considering how new they are and I think price is a important factor. Rules wise I've only played KoW and it's great.
With Warhammer Fantasy dead KoW is where my goblins and orcs are seeing their action, and I've added some new mantic goblin war engines.
Their sci-fi rules are interesting but no local groups for Warpath so probably won't invest in it. I'm way past my trying to talk other people into trying new games period in life.
So for now it's pretty much all 40K, and KoW.
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Post by: feeder
Kings of War is a great ruleset and re-ignited my passion for rank-and-flank fantasy. Generally, their model quality is a bit hit and miss, but most of their Undead range is quite nice. Their Orcs and Dwarfs are decent, especially if price is important to you.
I haven't played any of their other games, although I've heard good things about the Walking Dead game.
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Post by: vlb9
They've got some really awesome sculpts, but the model quality is pretty low. Aside from the Stryder Mechs (which are unique to the point that you have to get them), I stopped buying them due to the quality of the plastic.
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Post by: judgedoug
How has this poll/discussion been open for 7 years? What is wrong with Dakka
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Post by: NH Gunsmith
judgedoug wrote:How has this poll/discussion been open for 7 years? What is wrong with Dakka
...on Dakka, complaining about a company, or comparing it to GW never dies.
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Post by: prometheus78
I like the Kings of War core rules. I started playing table tops with GW Fantasy, but it always ended in two people standing at a gaming table reading the same book simultaneously trying to look up some special rules...and then switching to a codex.
KoW is a fairly easy read and after a few demo games there is barely any need to look things up anymore... love that.
I think the Ogres are great models as well... but true, some elves really look like they are straight from the 80s.
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Post by: Ancestral Hamster
I like the KoW rules even though I started with WHFB back in the 80's when the first release called itself "the fantasy battle role-playing game". I also like their policy of letting you try their various rules for free. Their fantasy rank and file are usually decent, but I won't buy any more of their big models after a disappointing purchase of a Supreme Iron-caster on Great Winged Halfbreed (HUGE gap between head and neck which will require pinning before the putty work). As I did pledge for KoW:Vanguard, I'll see if the giant is any good. (It was included in the pledge).
Not especially interested in their Sci-fi stuff, but may give Warpath a try ... A friend who used to play W40K has an interest in Forge Fathers, and he is the one who introduced me to KoW, so it might happen.
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Post by: ccs
I've no qualms about using non-GW models I like in my WHFB armies. Never have.
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Post by: Glasdir
An awful lot of their stuff is ugly as sin and I wouldn't even dream of buying such sculpts. That said the sculpts for their upcoming Hellboy game (which I made sure to back) are absolutely fantastic and I really can't wait to get my hands on them.
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Post by: Marasmusine
My 6 y/o daughter really took to the Warpath Veer Myn models, so I got her some Nightmares and a Night Terror. The models are a good price, and nicely detailed and posed. The sprues also come with plenty of spare bits that I can use for 40K. I did take a quick look at the Warpath rules, but I thought "what's the point", I've already got 40K for this. It's not too hard to come up with some veer myn 40K stats.
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Post by: lliu
CuddlySquig wrote:I only ever buy Games Workshop. Too brand-loyal to consider any other miniatures game as anything but a knockoff (even if they aren't)
I think that it really depends on a gaming community to determine what games a person would largely be invested in. I used to be primarily invested in 40K, but after I switched from a GW to a store one of my friends opened I started playing Xwing, Magic, Warmachine, Dropfleet, Dropzone, and a few others.
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Post by: Saturmorn Carvilli
I like some of Mantic's stuff. I have the first few seasons of Dreadball which are good enough for the board game it is. I also have a bunch of their initial Deadzone stuff which had a few things easily rivaling GW stuff (remember GW still sells Finecast and near 20 year old kits). I largely stopped before Mantic dove into creating hard plastic kits, but I remember their Forge Father stuff was actually pretty good.
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Post by: ChargerIIC
Recently got some of their TerrainCrate stuff as well as some 1st edition Deadzone orcs. The deadzone orcs are about what'd you expect from a third party miniatures manufactor - resin, with a few mould lines and some fitting challenges. The terrain crate stuff is well above that in quality however, pieces look nice, have few if any mould lines and work quite well. The 'crates' are pretty cheap and I think I'll be stocking up on more of these sci-fi crates for kill team.
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Post by: Lance845
Their terrain is good. I really don't care about anything else.
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Post by: ChargerIIC
Some examples of their Sci Fi terrain:
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Post by: Lance845
And these.
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