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Shotgun wrote:
My new rule for wargamming.

Own no more than two armies for any system. The money you would have spent on a 3rd 'System X" army can and should be used to look at a new game system.

The market is so huge right now that you would be doing yourself a disservice to fanboi any one game system to the detriment of others. Two armies assures that you will always be able to teach someone new a different system to get them interested in the game.

So to your poll I say "yes" and "you have woefully underestimated the options you have available to yourself in branching out. NOt only have you forgotten quality systems in your selected Sci Fi/Fantasy selection, you have completely discounted the realm of historicals.

Yeah I like this. Pet peeve in 40k is everyone in my gaming group seems to have pieces of every army.. but not 1 full army painted and all. I believe in finishing armies.
Also a lot of people have been asking why isn't... X Game listed.. It's wasn't in the poll because I wasn't aware of it's existence. Sorry! Keep the info coming guys.. I really appreciate it. Right now I am leaning towards trying infinity or warmachine. SImply because I am a painter at heart and I love both of their miniatures.

Necromunda. The rules are free, an individual game is fast, (although the bookkeeping takes forever!) and you can play with any models/terrain you like. Great stuff!

Runner-up? Fuzzy Heroes! This was a great miniatures game, because you used stuffed animals! The animal's game stats were based on its physical properties (the bigger it was, the higher its strength, but the easier it was to hit, etc). You could use almost any kind of toy, too, not just stuffed animals. (We had a recurring game around here, and one of our local players would always show up with a set of KISS action figures that would mop the floor with everyone else!) It was really enjoyable, because not all toys are equal, obviously, and it was fun to try and ransack your nephew/little brother/child's toy chest to find the perfect combatant. There is little about the game available online, but their product catalog is here, and you can usually find a copy of the main rules in the used section of a games store.

Personally I am an Infinity supporter.

But the question is what would you like, how different from 40k and in what ways different, I cannot say there are "best" games out there, because each one of us searches for something different and has other criteria of what is the best out there.

Infinity has small model count (that is important to avoid table clutter) internal and external balance and engaging rules, if that is what you like go for it.

Voted Infinity, but was really surprised to see that Malifaux was not an option.

You left out FoW

 Forgotmytea wrote:
I put down 'other' as there wasn't an option for Malifaux

Seconded. Steampunk Victorian Horror rocks!

Song of Blades and Heroes.
http://www.ganeshagames.net/product_info.php?cPath=1_6&products_id=7
A generic (doesn't have it's own set of miniatures) set of fantasy skirmish rules with a unit creation mechanic that allows you to use whatever line of fantasy miniatures you want. It plays fast, but has some innovative dice mechanics that make every decision count. It's also very inexpensive, but well play-tested and developed ( with a whole range of supplements that only make it even better. It's really a blessing to any fan of fantasy miniatures. There are so many great miniatures out there, and only a fraction of them have a specific game they are meant for. SBH gives you a game that will accommodate all of them, and one that you'll actually enjoy playing.

Lastly, every time the game or any of it's supplements are updated (ever few years or so) purchasers of the PDF's (which are only 8 bucks) receive the updated version for free. No more paying for updated codices/versions! Sorry if this reads like gushing, but after dozens of games and a full campaign with the club, I'm a big fan. You can see our experiences with the game here:
http://chicagoskirmish.blogspot.com/2012/06/summer-fantasy-campaign-song-of-blades.html

Other. There are so many fun games out there.

Battletech. Sure, you need a B.S. in Accounting to keep tabs of the record sheet and the game is showing its age in some regards, it really doesn't get any better than a 3025 grudge match with fully painted Ironwind Metals minis and a massive, 3d, hex-free board. I got Battletech, 3rd Edition in the fourth grade and it was my gateway drug into wargaming.

Bolt Action. It's a new game, and thus a bit rough around the edges. That being said, it's a lot of fun, and the focus on pinning, morale, and orders tests gives it a unique feel, even if it's core mechanics are pretty similar to 40k. We use a lot of linear terrain (walls, ditches, etc), which puts a lot of emphasis on outmaneuvering and flanking, which puts more emphasis on pinning and morale, etc- it's a a simple ruleset with deep tactical considerations.

D&D / Pathfinder. Not a wargame, but I'm not sure how specific you're being when you ask for opinions of best game. I DM'd and/or played AD&D, 3e, 3.5, and then Pathfinder for years and had a lot of fun.

I played a demo game of Malifaux and was really impressed. The models are great, and the game is not only fun, but really isn't that model intensive- you could set up an entire Malifaux crew (relatively) quickly and cheaply. I'd love to play it on the side, but unfortunately, nobody in my area plays it.

FoW and Warmachine/Hordes are growing in popularity in my area. I've played them, but none of my close friends play them and personally I prefer the games I listed out above. I've never seen anyone play Infinity, Dust, Dark Age, Blades & Heroes, Dropzone Commander, Dystopian Wars, or most historicals (other than the semi-historicals FoW and BA), but I'd probably look into any of them, were they played locally with any regularity.

Flames of war!

I voted "other".
I have written supplement books for both Iron Ivan's "Disposable Heroes" and Ambush Alley's "Force on Force", so one would expect me to have one of those games as my favorite. Nope. My current favorite non-GW produced miniature wargame is the Ancient and Medieval rules set "Field of Glory".

TR

Edit: I see a couple of folks have mentioned "Bolt Action". How is that? I a fair number of 28mm WW2 figures painted up and have been meaning to try it.

 Trench-Raider wrote:

Edit: I see a couple of folks have mentioned "Bolt Action". How is that? I a fair number of 28mm WW2 figures painted up and have been meaning to try it.

Lets just say that you can see how the people that have developed 40k have developed Bolt Action...

Other- FoW

Different scale, historical, aircraft rules are cooler...

Besides, in 40k I could never run (perhaps even fit) a good armoured company on a table.

That said, I've been playing almost only 40k since 6th ed came out lol.

Flames of War

I voted Other because there was no option for Blood Bowl or Battlefleet Gothic (both are about equal for me).

Really like Warmahordes/Hordesmachine. More than anything I like the tournament scene, and the fact that PP don't take themselves seriously at all. And the minis, oh god the minis.

So now I am considering two games I am pretty excited about. Infinity and Warmahordes.

I love the infinity models, rules I have seen, and the game seems interesting. Problem it doesn't seem that popular, the dakkaforum is sparse and the forums on the InfinityTheGame site are, okay at best. So I am worried the game doesn't have a huge following - meaning Idk how long it will be around. Anyone have any incite on that?

Warmahordes, I like the models, don't know much about the game. The gaming group I know around where I live doesn't have the best reputation for guys who play warmachine.. they are the strangest of the strange and I am not really friends with any of them.

I could really use some advice on either/or if anyone is willing to help me expand my wargamming life!

Really digging Kings of War at the moment

I'm just laughing at the fact that you have to remove 40k and WFB from the list to get a sensible response. Even the people who designed those games know that they are far from the best-designed games on the market.

R.

Bolt Action +1

28mm is my life and blood in a historical / game setting.

FoW.
I'm also dabbling in Urban War at the moment.
It's fun, and you only need a handful of models to play.

Lord of the Rings.

I like how the poll basically says "If you take away 40k/WHF, what's the best game out there?", implying the superiority of 40k/WHF. If that doesn't make it a loaded question...

 -Loki- wrote:
I honestly don't know why we need to create an us-and-them mentality over games, finding the best in order to ridicule players of the rest.

Because [the thing that I like rules] whilst [the thing that you like sucks]. Basically this, except now at Dakka it's GW and PP which, in a way, is more tragic.

 Grody wrote:
So now I am considering two games I am pretty excited about. Infinity and Warmahordes.

I love the infinity models, rules I have seen, and the game seems interesting. Problem it doesn't seem that popular, the dakkaforum is sparse and the forums on the InfinityTheGame site are, okay at best. So I am worried the game doesn't have a huge following - meaning Idk how long it will be around. Anyone have any incite on that?

Infinity has started to steam-roll over the last year - really! The number of places selling it has gone up a lot, and if you were to use Dakka as a sample there is 10 times the discussion these days than there was previously - looking at the other game forums in that section of Dakka, I would say Infinity probably gets even more traffic than the FoW and historic sections (the first of which is probably seen as in 3rd place of popularity behind GW and PP) - that's just based on my observation though!

I would say that there is no chance of it going anywhere soon - the game has an almost rabid following by those who have played it, with some really enthusiastic people pushing the game, and the developers are really active on the gaming scene - running events themselves, and a level of interaction with the fans that eclipses practically every other manufacturer out there.

if you can't find another group in your area (which is getting less common these days) do what myself and several other Dakka members have done - get two forces (or even proxie some other miniatures), download the rules for free and get someone to give it a whirl with you. The game will sell itself.

I love me some WarmaHordes.

 H.B.M.C. wrote:
I like how the poll basically says "If you take away 40k/WHF, what's the best game out there?", implying the superiority of 40k/WHF. If that doesn't make it a loaded question...

I think it makes sense to take away those two (at least 40k) since this a pretty GW-heavy forum.

battlegroup kursk

I'm a big Warmachine fan, great little system but have also dabbled in Malifaux which I enjoyed, unfortunately haven't got any friends who want to play it.

If your into painting but also want "popular" then Warmahordes is a good choice. It seems to be more popular around here than 40K these days.

FoW is another good choice. Nice miniatures available from many manufacturers and it's popular.

My current fixation is on Fireteam Andromeda. It's similar to 40k,FoW,Warzone but without the 40k "argument phase". However, it's 15mm Sci-Fi and not popular. I don't recommend 15mm sci-fi as that's an addiction with a great value for the money.

 -Loki- wrote:
I honestly don't know why we need to create an us-and-them mentality over games, finding the best in order to ridicule players of the rest.

The market is fething saturated right now - and it's a great thing. Every game offers different gameplay. Play them all. You'll have a better time.

Couldn't agree more, sir. Well said.

Just like music, I like different games based on different moods.

 Grody wrote:
This may be in the wrong section so sorry if it is! Considering branching out my ...wargammer-ness... into new areas and I am wondering what the general impression is of other games out there. There is probably a bunch out there idk

Take a risk and blaze your own path.

Song of Blades and Heros
Carnevale
Red Sand Blue Sky
Batman, Arkahm
Deepwars
Ambush Alley
All things Zombie
Superfigs
Pulp City
Golgo Island
Secrets of the Third Reich
Empire of the Dead
Mercs
Clan Wars
Bushido
.......


You have to find what YOU want to and make it your own...

The markets are absolutly incredible these days, and gaming is in a new dawn of discovery, almost every week with whats out there.