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Hey fellow gamers...

Quick and dirty rundown I'm looking for a new game to start along with dragging my significant other into the world of gaming with me, so basically I am looking ideas for a two player starter set that will allow us to get an idea for rules etc and then expand upon if wanted...open to all and any suggestions so please fire all and any ideas my way...
Open to any genre

Ta in advance!

There are plenty of threads on alternate games, might I suggest you check out some of the games listed here:
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/369662.page

Flames of war open fire starter set is very cost effective, has almost verything needed to play (except a tape measure i think) and is a very effective set for getting people into the game. I have used this set to get many players into FOW.

Of course its something you have to be interested in and can be a huge change in both scenery and painting compared to the usual 28mm scale.

just my 2 cents.

Well, what kind of setting are you looking for? It can also be handy to know if you want more of a board game, or a table top game

My wife and I love Zombicide - a board game where you play as a group of survivors against a zombie horde - great as it does not need a GM so you can both play as survivors - can cater for as many players as you want (though starts getting way too easy with more than about 6-8).

We also play a bit of Heroquest - OOP games workshop dungeon crawler - another board game but really requires one of you run the game as a GM while the other plays. Better with a small group of 3-5 people (including the GM).

Then there is Warhammer Quest - another OOP games workshop game - kind of blurs the line between board game and tabletop game. Does not strictly require a GM, though can be better with one. Can be played with 2 players.

Then you have tabletop games such as Infinity - a skirmish level middle-future sci-fi game. Fast paced action, not too many rules and some really awesome looking models (and great internal balance as well - pretty much any combination of models is playable without too much difficulty).

I am sure that others can give some more ideas

Wow thanks for the response..

FoW is something I've looked at as i love the time period however unsure if the rules are complicated enough to put her off

Interested in either a board game or table top game as long as minis are involved in some degree

I have the warhammer quest book somewere in the collection of stuffs i have but shes not to keen on the heavy rpg side that i cant drag myself away from..

Again thanks folks

The great thing about the open fire set is it only includes basic units. But enough basic units to teach the very basics of the game. It also gives you 2 full armies both of which are easily expanded. It also comes with a simple rule book and after about 2-3 quick games you are all set to go with the basics.

DevilBear wrote:
I have the warhammer quest book somewere in the collection of stuffs i have but shes not to keen on the heavy rpg side that i cant drag myself away from..

You don't have to play WHQ as an RPG though - you can play it just as a series of encounters without any of the XP/levelling up/RP'ing.

Yea never thought about playing quest as a one off game if you get me..
any other box sets anyone else can think of..board game or two player starter

Even though you sort of are aiming for miniature games, there are a lot of really good two player card/boardgames:

Android Netrunner card game. It's asymmetrical which means one person plays as a powerful corporation and the other as a hacker (well, "runner"). Gives a lot of replayability and variety. It's not a collectible card game like Magic, instead it's a "living card game" so they release expansion packs every now and then.

And the simple Hive.

Oh and of course X-Wing Miniatures, since the inexpensive starter set has plenty of variety for two players. Very tactical and fun, especially if you like Star Wars.

Heck even Space Hulk could be a good time with the wide variety of missions. It plays fast enough that you can each try the Terminator side in a night.

There's loads of games out there at the moment, I've been looking into this recently to worsen my addiction

From a two player starter set point of view you have, from what I've found.

X Wing

http://www.waylandgames.co.uk/fantasy-flight-games/x-wing/star-wars-x-wing/prod_13717.html

Dropzone Commander

http://www.waylandgames.co.uk/hawk-wargames/dropzone-commander/dropzone-commander-two-player-starter-set/prod_22295.html

Firestorm Armada

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Wargames-Firestorm-Armada-2-Player-Set-BNIB-Storm-Zone-Battle-for-Valhalla-/310784500295?pt=UK_Toys_Wargames_RL&hash=item485c332247

Flames of War

http://www.waylandgames.co.uk/battlefront-miniatures/flames-of-war/open-fire/prod_17774.html

Warmachine

http://www.waylandgames.co.uk/privateer-press/warmachine/warmachine-two-player-battle-box/prod_13414.html

Hordes

http://www.waylandgames.co.uk/privateer-press/hordes/hordes-two-player-battle-box/prod_16892.html

Warhammer 40k

http://www.waylandgames.co.uk/games-workshop/warhammer-40k/dark-vengeance-english/prod_17714.html

Dreadball

http://www.waylandgames.co.uk/mantic-games/dreadball/dreadball-the-game-deluxe-edition/prod_18295.html

Warhammer Fantasy Battle

http://www.waylandgames.co.uk/games-workshop/warhammer/the-island-of-blood-warhammer-fantasy-english/prod_10771.html

Kings of War

http://www.waylandgames.co.uk/mantic-games/kings-of-war/kings-of-war-two-player-battle-set/prod_17255.html

Bolt Action

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BRAND-NEW-WARLORD-GAMES-BOLT-ACTION-ASSAULT-ON-NORMANDY-STARTER-SET-/141106864337?pt=UK_Toys_Wargames_RL&hash=item20da9fe0d1

Have a look through the links and see what takes your interest, there's also a load of skirmish games that dont have starter sets like Infinity, Malifaux, Bushido, Helldorado, Dust Warfare, Deep Wars, Godslayer, Freebooters Fate the list goes on

Wayland Games carry most of the above and are a good place to see what the minis look like, but have a look around when it comes to prices as ebay is sometimes cheaper and there's other sites like Firestorm Games as well.

Me I only play Warhammer 40k currently but have started looking into the above, I've just started picking up some minis for Warmachine, Infinity and looking towards Kings of War for my fantasy game the rules are really easy to get into.

Again thanks guys..she's definitely preferring the idea of a wargame over a board game..will have a look at those links and see what tickles her fancy...

DevilBear wrote:
Wow thanks for the response..

FoW is something I've looked at as i love the time period however unsure if the rules are complicated enough to put her off

Interested in either a board game or table top game as long as minis are involved in some degree

I have the warhammer quest book somewere in the collection of stuffs i have but shes not to keen on the heavy rpg side that i cant drag myself away from..

Again thanks folks

If your interested in ww2 then I would recommend battlegroup rule set from plastic solider company its alot simpler than fow as a rule set but is really fun to play.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Dropzone commander is an amazing game and well worth a look in.

Gotta throw MERCS in to the mix too. Me and my wife both play it and she loves it. Rules are simple to grasp and its very fast paced. Perfect intro game to mini wargaming.

They don't have a 2 person starter set, but their starter boxes contain a FULL ARMY ,all the dice and cards you need, and the quick start rules. Could easily get 2 full armies for 120 USD.

They have a campaign system that's currently in BETA but its free to download on the site. Its fun, and adds a good layer of depth onto the game.

If you have any specific questions about the game feel free to PM me.

Also, If you're interested here's a How to Play video & a video of me and my wife playing.

http://snaptocover.com/2013/10/25/how-to-play-mercs/
http://snaptocover.com/2013/01/28/uscr-vs-fcc-mr-tobin-vs-mrs-tobin-batrep/

Wow thanks again guys...have managed to get her to narrow it down to X-Wing, Infinity, Dreadball or DropZone Commander..does anyone have any experience with any of these game systems

Deadzone has just gone up for pre order after a very successful kickstarter, shoul dbe available in 2 months or so. The rules look awesome, scalable from small skirmish at 2 players on 2x2 board to 2-6 players (or more?) on 6x4. Fast, fun rules that don't limit depth of gameplay.

Dreadball is a lot of fun. Was made by the same makers of Deadzone, with the same emphasis - fast, fun rules that don't limit depth. Has had lots of expansions/additions already, and due to it's success will likely get a lot more. The same companies recently finished Mars Attacks kickstarter for instance added a new team with it just for funsies.

X wing is a very nice game simple fun and very tactical with hidden movement untill you activate the ship.
Infinity is a good game that can get a little complex once you bring all the special rules in to it but as you have a small model count doesnt matter too much.
Dropzone commander is my pick of the bunch though I love this game. nice easy to follow rule set with a very ballenced 2 player starter set. Very tactical and objective based game.

DevilBear wrote:
Wow thanks again guys...have managed to get her to narrow it down to X-Wing, Infinity, Dreadball or DropZone Commander..does anyone have any experience with any of these game systems

Oddly enough I have experience with all of them

The first two games are my top suggestions for non-gamers entering wargames simply because they are simple to learn. How simple you ask? I've taught both games to my 70 year old father, and we play them every now and then with little need to refresh him on the rules (like once a month or so)
X-Wing: Check out the X-Wing subforum, there are plenty of people that can help you out there. X-Wing is a quick, fun game with pre-painted plastic minis. Ships are sold in 1 of 3 ways. 1) $40 Core Set that comes with movement markers, tokens, 2 TIE Fighters, 1 X-wing, dice, rules, etc... It's a great buy and literally a must need. Unlike other parts of the game this one is almost always in stock. 2) $30 Large ship packs. These contain either the Firespray (Slave 1), the YT-1300 (Millennium Falcon), or the Lambda Shuttle. These are larger ships with a 2x2 base instead of a 1x1 base. and 3) $15 small ship packs. These are all the other ships like the X-wing, Y-wing, A-wing, B-wing, TIE Fighter, bomber, interceptor and advanced, etc... All the ships come with the movement dials you need, the pilot cards, tokens, and upgrade cards. It's good to collect at least one of all the ships, though you will find you'll want multiples of plenty of the ships. The only concern with this game is stock issues. When FFG released the game they bought 3x the amount of stock that they thought they'd need. This ended up being only 10% of what they ended up doing. So the game is extremely popular. This has led to some issues with getting in ships. Newer waves are having little issues being stocked, but trying to find Wave 1 or Wave 2 ships is like pulling teeth. Also you can buy the core set of this game at like your local Target. The game is simple to play and doesn't rely on fancy math or hard to read charts. You have a ship's guns (that are conveniently colored like the dice you need), you roll a number of dice equal to that number and you look for little explosion markers. Your opponent rolls his evade dice (again colored like the dice you need) and he's looking for a number of evades equal to the hits and crits you rolled. Movement is planned before you see what anyone else is doing, and you have pre-set movement templates. If you've ever played Wings of War, it's similar to that.

Dreadball: "Blood Bowl" in the future is the quick description of this, but it's a hex based sports game that is actually more similar to hockey or soccer. It's fast paced with 7 turns per player (or if you score high enough it can end in less turns). It's fun, it's pretty easy to learn, and the starting box isn't a bad buy at 50 bucks, which comes with a mini-rulebook, dice, roster sheets, Enforcers team, Orx team. Teams consist of 3 positions, striker, jack, and Guards. Strikers are your forwards and point scorers, Guards are the big bruisers and can't touch the ball. Jacks can do both, but aren't really great at either. Some teams have some of each (Enforcers), some teams have only Jacks and Guards (Orx), some have only strikers (Vermyn). Game is pretty easy to learn, and it's fun.

The next two games are a little more difficult, but they're not too bad.
Infinity: No 2 player start set exists for this game, but there are starter boxes. Although they don't come with the rules (which are free from Corvus Belli). Infinity is essentially IGOUGO (kind of like 40k) in that you have an active player that gives orders to his models and they can move, fire, get into melee, etc... But Infinity tauts itself as a game where it is always your turn. This is called the Automatic Reaction Order (ARO) system. What this means is that the reactive player can take certain actions depending on what the active player does. So if you move a guy into line of sight and go to fire off a shot at one of my models, any models that can see him can pop a shot off. It uses a d20 system where you want to roll low, but not too low. So say I need an 11 to hit you with my gun during my ARO, and you dodge it on a 13. We both roll our dice and I get a 5 and you get an 11. We both made our rolls because we rolled lower than the number we needed to roll, but because you rolled closer[ to that number, you would dodge my shot and I would miss you. It's a complex game and a little confusing if you don't speak Spanish because the rules are translated directly from Spanish, so in some places (not many) it reads a little wonky.

Dropzone Commander: The 2 player starter set is great if you like the UCM and the Scourge. It's 92 dollars it comes with 2 starter armies for those factions. The resin versions of these models would be 125 dollars per army, so already it's a steal! It comes with the full color 23 dollar rulebook (which contains all of the rules for the game), dice, measuring tape, tokens, counters. 2 DZC posters that you can flip over and have an urban battlefield on them, and half of their 45 dollar cardstock building set. So this gives you all the models you need to get going, a board to play on and terrain in addition to all the rules. Dropzone is a pretty easy game to pick up if you're a wargamer, I can't say how it is if you're not because I don't have the starter set, nor have I tried to teach it to my dad. It's a fun game though, and the game really does revolve around the dropships. There is 1 rule I have issue with though, and that is that you cannot pick up a vehicle that you didn't drop off. So if I have 2 dropships, one with my anti-tank and another with my APCs filled with infantry, and my APC's dropship gets blown away, the anti-tank's ship can't go pick them up once he's not carrying anything. I see why they did it, and it also was apparently game breaking, but it's just a minor annoyance for me.


Edit:
And I'd be a terrible salesman if I didn't pimp two games I helped with
The first is Brushfire. Brushfire is a 32mm historical parody game where instead of humans evolving to be the dominant species on the planet, animals did. All the animals . It's really easy to learn, and the designers are here on Dakka (Cyporiean, miskatonicalum, and myself) and easy to get in touch with. The game features all sorts of animals from around the world from Red Pandas from China to cats and dogs of England to Hamsters in Prussia... Hamster Berserkers...

We have starter boxes available with all of the things you need to play including quickstart rules.

The second game is Endless: Fantasy Tactics. I'm not sure about you or your SO, but Endless: Fantasy is an attempt to bring those mid to late 90s JRPG games like Tactics Ogre to the table top. We have over 75 classes, characters, monsters and "bosses" that you can customize to suit your needs on the table. It's very easy to get into, with simple d6 mechanics and simple grid based movement. There are no starter boxes for Endless at the moment, but that's mostly because there are no factions in the game as players can just grab the models they like the look of and put them in a party.

WoW those brushfire minis look awesome is there any suppliers in the UK....
Yea im seeing the trouble in getting X-Wing as alot of the fighters i like the look of all seem to be out of stock...infinity may overwhelm her as she has no back ground in minis were ive played 40k, fantasy, warmahordes etc these dont appeal to her hence the breaking out of the wallet to fund a new project...all in the name of love eh! lol
typical women though taking a long time to make up her mind!


Automatically Appended Next Post:
Had a look at mercs as well thanks for the vid links!

Actually I'v been wondering my self, how easy are brushfire/endless fantasy to get a hold of in the UK?

Brushfire and Endless are easy enough to get a hold of, but sadly we don't have a distributor for the UK, and the easiest bet is to figure out your order, and then send an email to either contact@on-the-lamb.com, or emily@on-the-lamb.com. You'll get an invoice with a proper shipping charge for your order, as our webstore software is very xenophobic and doesn't believe in countries outside of the US, so it can never give proper shipping details.

I believe our overseas players have gotten their stuff in like 3 weeks tops (I'd have to double check, but Florida to Hungary is a bit of a trek )

If you guys have any more questions, I'd be happy to answer them, or you can stop by our forums here on Dakka.

Thanks for the info! Had tried getting the Endless rules from the webstore a few times, but kept giving up when it became apparent the site didn't like me

 doc1234 wrote:
Thanks for the info! Had tried getting the Endless rules from the webstore a few times, but kept giving up when it became apparent the site didn't like me

Your best bet for getting our PDFs is through WargameVault.

I hate our webstore with a fiery passion, buts it only cart software that has remained stable for me. -.-

Damm we were both stoked on x-wing until we found it in a local shop and by jeebus those ships are small..put the SO completely off...so back to the drawing board once again...

If you go for Brushfire or Endless be careful of customs charges, lots of small orders are best. I think anything around £18 and over and you'll be paying customs and RM a nice sum each.

DevilBear wrote:
Damm we were both stoked on x-wing until we found it in a local shop and by jeebus those ships are small..put the SO completely off...so back to the drawing board once again...

They are meant to be small, they're not micro machines small, but you get 6+ ships on the board an it becomes a little hard to maneuver.

Note: The rules scale up and down in size extremely well, people have played floor versions of this game for like two years now.

 GiraffeX wrote:
Have a look through the links and see what takes your interest, there's also a load of skirmish games that dont have starter sets like... Dust Warfare,

While technically correct, the Dust Tactics Revised Core Set has two fully legal Dust Warfare armies in it, and at $80 or less is a great deal. All you need to add is the Dust Warfare rulebook and you are all set.