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I'm really interested in it.

How does it play?

Really fast and smooth is the answer. It uses an expanded version of the Bolt Action system. Units can perform one of six actions, and are activated on the pull of coloured dice from a bag - each side has a different colour, and chooses which of their units to activate when one of their dice is drawn. Units can also activate as a reaction when threatened.

As units take fire they accumulate "pins", making them harder to activate and reducing their effectiveness. A unit that fails to activate goes "down", forcing successful hits on it to be rerolled: it won't just stand there.

The game uses a D10 rather than a D6, and units have an expanded statline compared to BA to account for the general availability of armour, and the range of unit types.

The rules get a lot of 40k "problems" right - casualty removal, a closed armour scale, and list building that only allows heavy armour above a certain level.

Weapons often have several modes of fire, and units have a range of buddy drones - spotters, shields, medics for example - to help them out. There's a lot to remember, but you learn the options quickly. Fast and smooth, as I said.

The ruebook layout is poor, and the Ghar in the big starter set have a lot of unique rules - not the best place to begin. Rules, gear and special abilities are all over the book. Warlord have a cutdown rules PDF and living army lists for free on their website - a much better proposition.

Plastic models are ok, but decent value. Metal models are really crisp sculpts.

To be fair the casulaity removal issue for 40k was fixed with 8th,

That said, the battle of khar 9 box set for 50$ is a great intro to the game and really helps you understand how it plays step by step and its good.

I enjoyed it a lot and would like to get 2 starters for small little forces to play but time of other games takes that away. A good game over all

It's a solid title, and I think significantly improved by being d10 based instead of d6. And the background/fluff is pretty well done overall, too.

It is a tough market out there, though. I thought Maelstrom's Edge, Fallen Frontiers, and Gates all had their good points. But the industry is dominated by 40K/Warmahordes/and now Star Wars. it is very difficult for any game, no matter how good, to be more than a ripple in the pond, before sinking away. There is so much product coming out these days, something has to be a mega hit immediately, or it is doomed to fast obscurity.

I like the rules from what I've seen, but 100% lost on the aesthetics. Really zero things in that universe to attract me to buy into their models.

Probably the most ugliest miniatures of any wargame from a medium or major company ... it is beyond me they went with those... I would never check it out for that alone....

I've been looking at the game, but not particularly sold on the aesthetics of the factions.

Can someone give me a short rundown of the factions, and if they're reflective of any of the 40K factions? I'd be most interested in a Tau-like faction (high tech, tends towards gunlines).

Not really positive on if there are direct comparisons to 40k. Besides some special units, mostly things are close to the same or use the same weapons for squad type to keep it streamlined.

I don't have amazing experience with all the factions but on the surface I would say there really isn't a tau one.

Concord - I guess space marines
Algoryn - Maybe CSM
Isorian - Robot/Organic mix. Tyranids? but not really
Ghar - Lots of battlesuits. Very elite. Its like a army of dreadnoughts
Freeboorn - Kinda maybe Eldar
Boromite - Really don't know.
Ghar Outcast Rebels- Army of Grots

I don't play Antares, but if I were to get back into platoon scale 28mm scifi, it would probably be the game I'd choose. At the moment, I'm waiting for the Isorians to be released in plastic, although the Freeborn look kind of interesting (apart from the mouth-bat riders).

From what I can find about the factions:
Concord: High quality, low model count faction that likes long range combat. Plastic.
Ghar: High cost but tough battlesuits, funky close range weapons. Plastic.
Algoryn: Less flexibility in squads, but can specialize units for better output. Plastic.
Freeborn: Flighty, a mix between Concord/Algoryn styles, but can take weird units like Misgenic Rejects. Plastic
Boromite: The big, heavy, melee focused faction with high morale and rock-based animals.
Isorian: Like Concord, but "sneakier," can take genuine intelligent aliens in their list.
Ghar Outcasts: The opposite of the main Ghar faction. Swarms of infantry backed up by big guns.

In Antares, everything is "high-tech" - even the faction that has the most "out of date" tech, the Ghar, are using battlesuits basically equal to the Tau's with weapons that can distort the space-time continuum.

Really like Antares so far. Random activation the pin system give it a dramatic feel. Laying down fire on the enemy accomplishes something even if it doesn't kill. Melee feels like a sci Fi game with point blank shooting taking place before the hand to hand.

Concord. Shooty army good armor. Weapon drones. To me. Feels a bit tau like. I almost painted mine like an army of buzz lightyears. I imagine these guys have the personality of a deluded buzz.

Algoryn. Remind me of star trek Klingons, proud warrior race. Very focused squads (3 types of tactical squad) probably my favorite army sculpt wise.

Freeborn. The pirates merchants smuggler faction. Access to a lot of gear. Command squads can be tricked out like no other perfect army for proxies since they use such various tech and gear.

Don't have experience with the others yet.

Interesting... no response from the OP to his own question after two weeks. So, Shakespeare, are you sold on it?

Don't know about him, but I ordered a copy of the starter set to try out. I'm thinking Concord might be up my alley.

Base starter with the Ghar vs Concord isn't all that good. Our group found it a very uphill battle learning the rules and many of us know bolt action very well.

The Assault on Kar Nine or whatever its called was vastly better in teaching, as you learn rules over the coarse of a few games plus its cheap and gives you a mini rulebook. (Not a full rulebook mind you but close)

This coming Sunday I plan to teach and show a 1500 point game on each side. Ive spent a little more then id like to on it all currently, but im the only one buying it so purchasing for two armies.

Each side is mostly s of troops units (bought starter for each) but each will have a "tank" and a heavy weapons team plus a specialist team each. Droptroopers for Concord and Heavy Hazard Troopers for algoryn. Should be a good mix.

 Stormonu wrote:
Don't know about him, but I ordered a copy of the starter set to try out. I'm thinking Concord might be up my alley.

Cool, let us know how it goes. I've dabbled with the idea but couldn't find someone to split it with.