Waking Dead

First of all, if you’re waiting for my write-up of the recent 40k Doubles Tournament, it’ll be a little while longer as the Warhammer World blog hasn’t put the results up yet. Once I’ve got the final placings for the Fighting Cocks I’ll make a post about it.

Anyway, on to the main topic. I’ve decided to make 2009 a major year for War Gaming. I’m getting that itch again like never before, and as I’m really enjoying painting and modeling these days I thought I’d keep the train running. I can’t keep asking the loyal Cocks to keep playing lots of different types of games if they have to shell out some cash first, so I’ll be making all the purchasing up-front. Gasp!

OK, that’s not quite as batshit crazy as it sounds. I generally spend around £100 a month on video games, and I’ve really fallen out with those in recent months. I’ll keep it to my job, but my hobby time is much better spent elsewhere. For £100 I can buy a couple of starter sets for most modern skirmish games, and I’m getting pretty quick with my painting and modeling, at least to tabletop standard. So, with that in mind, I’m going to become something of a war games crack dealer.

This post will focus on the new games I’d like to play this year; I’m still keen to fire up the likes of Blood Bowl and Battlefleet Gothic again, but I don’t need to spend much time convincing people about those. No, these are the games that are outside our usual collection of minis, and I want to get in at least 2 or 3 games of each this year. And here they are!

Warmachine/Hordes
http://www.privateerpress.com/

Technically we’ve already played a few games of this, and we have at least 350 points worth in three factions right now, but we’re still yet to give it a thorough play. This is probably the main event in terms of non-GW miniatures games, and most of the Cocks are likely to pick up a starter box.

Gameplay is skirmish-based, with an interesting mix of magic and machinery. Each side usually fields 1 or 2 Warcasters, and each of these can command massive engines of death called Warjacks (for Hordes read Warlocks and Warbeasts). The rest of the force is made up of tough single models called Solos, and larger Units that offer a few rules variations. The game is pretty fast-paced and has been likened to a CCG in playstyle. I can see the similarities, but it’s very much its own game.

Hell Dorado
http://www.helldorado.fr/

I remember someone once telling me that the Rackham catalogue was like Playboy for geeks; those original Confrontation minis were works of art. The style and detail was incredible, and leagues ahead of anything GW – save perhaps Forge World – could produce. While Hell Dorado isn’t quite in the same ball park, those crazy French people at Asmodée are producing the next best thing.

Hell Dorado is a 30mm skirmish game, similar it appears to Warmachine/Hordes, but with a fascinating theme and some incredibly lavish miniatures. The rules seem to favour tighter, melee-based combat rather than ranged or magic-heavy games, and this really appeals to me. The only English language stuff available for now is via download, but Asmodée are releasing a full English rule book in the second quarter of 2009. Colour me interested.

Alkemy
http://www.kraken-editions.com/

Alkemy is another French-produced skirmish level game, but the appeal here seems to be in the combat system, with three types of unique dice to roll, plus the usual card-based stats. Another change though is in the Combat Cards which allow you to change the type of attack you are performing. The miniatures are also multi-part plastic models, and the detail is pretty good. Some of the minis I’m not utterly sold on yet, but overall they do enough to get me interested. I’m playing this primarily for the rules though, particularly as it won Tabletop Gaming News‘ Game of the Year award for 2008.

Secrets of the Third Reich
http://www.westwindproductions.co.uk/

Nazis + zombies + mechs = awesome! Another skirmish-level game (I guess they’re all the rage now because they’re fairly cheap to start up), this sees an alternate-history WWII fought out among the trenches and bunkers of Europe. The minis are the best that West Wind has produced so far, and the rules are apparently very tight indeed. I’ve never been one for real-world war games, but the explosion of ‘weird’ war games has definitely expanded this niche into the wider war gaming community.

The Uncharted Seas
http://www.spartangames.co.uk/

We all look back on Man-o-War with a rheumy tear in our eye, but the truth is that despite the fluff, the game was pretty poo. Enter Spartan Games with their thinly-veiled attempt to capture us grognards’ interest once again. I’ll be honest and admit that, apart from the Dragon Lords and Humans, most of the miniatures aren’t that great, but the rules are apparently fantastic, so it’s a game I’ll be playing for that sake rather than to line up pretty figures on the table.

Confrontation
http://www.confrontation.fr/

Well, despite it moving into pre-painted minis, I still have a soft-spot for Rackham’s long-running game. 4th Edition has driven away the old guard, but from what I can gather it’s actually a far superior set of rules. Sitting somewhere between skirmish and army-level combat, the fact that you can now use the old metal minis with the new rules is enough to peak my interest again.

I know very little about the new rules save what I’ve gleaned from forums, but the main draw is definitely the factions. Typically French, and beautifully quirky, Rackham’s original creations are still the best miniatures money can buy. Even the new pre-painted stuff is decent once you’ve applied your own painting over the top. This is pretty low down on my list simply because of the initial outlay, but I’d like to get a couple games in towards the end of the year.

Incursion
http://www.incursiongame.com/

I thought I’d briefly mention this, even though it’s not out yet. Developed by Grindhouse Games, one half of the team that produces Secrets of the Third Reich, it uses similar minis but is usually described as ‘Nazis meets Space Hulk’. Consider me very excited indeed!