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So getting back into the hobby seemed like it was a good idea, then I got to the price tag. So I began searching for alternatives Malifaux, infinity, DZC, warmahordes. All of them, but i think they are missing one thing that really pulled me into 40k and that was scale. Not miniature scale, but battle scale. 40k was able to be a small skirmish but if you and your buddies wanted a massive battle you could go apocalypse. I was wondering if I missed a game, or maybe an aspect of the above games that allows them to scale up that big/small. They all appear to be thrown to one side of the spectrum. Either small skirmish game(infinity, malifaux, warmahordes) or massive battle (DZC). If anybody has some insight please do share.

Buy 2-d hand?

Still looking at 200 bucks and most of those lots don't have the codex. I have noticed It's hard to find a deal on something like that

Is it a futuristic game you want to play? A Sci-Fi game on a similar scale? If so then I only know of DZC as you've already come across on this sort of scale

Haven't really thought about the setting, fantasy would probably be okay with me. But KoW seems like a setting designed for mass battles and AoS appears to have done away with all large battles.

Ooo in that case, for a historical / fantasy setting (you can pick or choose as these game systems are flexible)

Saga: has between 30-something and 60-something models per side depending on if you want a 4pt or 6pt battle. Larger sizes are allowed (limit is your choice) but thankfully turns will still be quick between players (unlike the 'I move everything, you move everything' of 40k). There is also an undead faction (revenant) but I like to just use a normal army rules and proxy with fantasy models.

Lion Rampant (historical) and Dragon Rampant (fantasy) are both similar in size to saga and scale up nicely (again limit is your choice) and also benefits from a turn system that's different to Saga but with the same result of quick turns regardless of army size.

Have you heard of Beyond the Gates of Antares?

http://www.warlordgames.com/gates-of-antares/

Beyond the Gates of Antares is smaller scale but you can't go far wrong with it. I'm glad Baron brought it up - the game is written by one of the original 40K designers and plays like a much more refined, mature game (I mean as in the issues have been ironed out). Plus after meeting the guys in person, I can say they have their hearts and souls in that game and really have a passion to make a good game system (they're gamers first rather than just selling models).

Posting to subcribe.

Good Q OP

 Wulfmar wrote:
Beyond the Gates of Antares is smaller scale but you can't go far wrong with it. I'm glad Baron brought it up - the game is written by one of the original 40K designers and plays like a much more refined, mature game (I mean as in the issues have been ironed out). Plus after meeting the guys in person, I can say they have their hearts and souls in that game and really have a passion to make a good game system (they're gamers first rather than just selling models).

Yup, you can also scale up the size of the battles even though right now there aren't any vehicles/monstrous units. I really like the idea of random turns too (ala Bolt Action).

My one issue is with the Algoryn race, they look way too similar to the Turians from Mass Effect.

Just took a quick glance through their site and it seems like a really solid game. Although, I would probably have a hell of a time trying to find a game. The models peak my interest and the random action spices things up, as others have mentioned the scale may be off. I feel like once scaled up to a point the random action may become clunky.