For many years the only game system I actually played was Games Workshops Warhammer 40K with the occasionally dalliance with other Games Workshop systems and didn't really look at anything else as (to be fair) I was quite happy with the game system I was currently involved in...then 6th Edition came along...To be fair I was growing a bit weary of 5th edition anyway and was hoping that we were going to get a tweak and instead we got a big pot with everything dropped into it...
He...had...nine...flyers...sob...and a 2+ re-roll-able save... |
Those of us who had decided that we didn't want to risk starting a system that required a lot of models went with Malifaux and those of us who still had the 'actual army' bug moved to Warmachine with a few people doing both. Bolt Action and Dystopian Wars also acquired a few recruits but I had no interest in models that looked like actual soldiers and was put off Dystopian Wars by the fact that it was produced by the same people who did Firestorm Armada which I still consider to be one of the worst games ever produced*
*The new rule system has apparently sorted out many of these issues from a game-play point of view but as I still hate the models I can't see my overall opinion of it changing any-time soon...
I've always had a preference for Gothic and Steampunk styles and in fact it was the overall Gothic look of Warhammer 40K that had first drawn me to it...
That's about as 'Gothic' as a spaceship can get..... |
I also was a big fan of the art style and the later books as well as the version 2 rulebook only increased my admiration...
...and the fact that the models very closely matched their artwork was nice as well...
For example, when I was looking for alternate Desperate Mercenaries for a list that required four (Wyrd Games only produced two at the time) I found some appropriate proxies from a company called Freebooter Miniatures. The pictures below are direct from their website though I converted some of the models slightly for my own crews...
As I should have one of every Malifaux crew painted within a couple of months and most of the rest of the range bar the Avatars done by later in the year I can give some time to looking at some other systems. Now Malifaux is always going to be my go-to but it's a big world and I thought I'd see what else is out there.....
This series is going to explore what Miniature Wargames are out there with a Steampunk theme that we can either steal models from to play Malifaux with or perhaps occasionally actually play...
I mentioned Freebooter Miniatures earlier from a model point of view that apparently also has a game system for it that appears to be themed more towards Steampunk pirates, Wild West Exodus has a nice cowboy vibe (as you'd expect given the name) though there are plenty of Steampunk elements to it judging from the artwork and models, Wolsung looks to have a nice Viktorian Steampunk vibe going on (As well as Having a Kickstarter funded expansion just started), Empire of the Dead from West Wind Productions might be worth a a gander at and I've also been pointed to a skirmish game system called In Her Majesties Name that I may have a look at as well.
For the first few articles in this series I'll limit myself to Skirmish level games though if there's enough interest I'll also look at larger scale Steampunk and Dieselpunk games such as Warmachine, Warzone Resurrection, Dystopian Wars and the like...
Well that's the intro over...in part 2 I think we'll take a look at Wild West Exodus...
Terribly excited to see the rest of this Series. I seem to be on pretty much the same path as yourself when it comes to branching out in to different games while leaning mostly towards the Steampunk-esque style. I have several WarMaHordes armies on the go as well as a Crew for Malifaux. I've recently backed the Malifaux RPG Kickstarter because I am a big fan of the Horror Element that Wyrd has blended in to its game.
ReplyDeleteA few of us seem to be taking the same journey at the moment. Hopefully you'll find some things of interest in the upcoming articles.
DeleteI really enjoy Dystopian Legions for my steampunk skirmishing.
ReplyDeleteI'll give it a look.
DeleteIt was just the fact that it was made by the same company that did Firestorm Armada that put me off because the ruleset for that game at the time was terrible....the models were terrible as well imo, lol. I'm hoping Dystopian Legions is a different animal altogether...
Have you looked at Dark Age www.dark-age.com or Wrath of Kings www.wrathofkings.com ?
ReplyDeleteNot Dark Age but I pledged to the Wrath of Kings Kickstarter in quite a big way...
DeleteDark Age is awesome. My favorite game.
Deletejack nicks - I'll give it a look.
DeleteDark Age is very awesome you should give it a look, the rules and cards are free to download.
ReplyDeleteYou're the 2nd person to mention Dark Age so I'll give it a look.
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