Steampunk Miniatures Games - Part 2 - Wild West Exodus

For those of you who are irregular readers to my blog the introduction to this article series can be found here.

Were going to be taking a look at a number of game systems that fit into the Steampunk genre specifically and the skirmish game genre generally (there's a few none Skirmish games I'd like to look at as well). I decided to start with Wild West Exodus...there's no particular reason...

Wild West Exodus.

Though cowboy/girl themed this game system appears to have many Steampunk and Dieselpunk elements and as it's been done through a Kickstarter one would hope that backer feedback throughout the process has created a balanced system. Wild West Exodus is played by 2 to 4 players in control of their choice from a varied selection of factions. In the world of Wild West Exodus, every model has the potential to be a hero or a villain which isn't a great leap from my experience in Malifaux where good and evil are largely a matter of perspective.

Each player will be allowed to field a posse of 3 to 40 models so hopefully some consideration has been put into the balance issues that scaling can create when applied to skirmish game mechanics and my enquiries into the system itself have led me to believe that they have done a good job of doing so with the feedback I've received being positive in regards to both the quality of the rule-set and the relative balance of the various factions. It also is done at the slightly larger than Malifaux scale of 35mm (Malifaux being 32mm) but to be honest even Malifaux is admittedly quite flexible when interpreting how tall a person would actually be...giant Death Marshal I'm looking at you...we'll have a look at some size comparisons a bit later on in the article.

The system itself requires D10's and uses the 'Action Point' system familiar to many skirmish game players whereby each model gets a number of 'Action Points' that it can use to perform from a variety of standard options such as moving, shooting, melee, etc. as well as including an 'influence' mechanic that allows you to re-roll certain unfavourable rolls (amongst other things). Each model has an 'Influence' score which contributes to this pool relative to the importance of the model and which is lost should the model be removed from play.

For those of you interested in a more detailed look at the rule system then the 'Quick Start' rules are available for free from their website or by clicking here.

The background is a fairly standard divergent history one..here's a basic overview I've lifted direct from their website...

In the twilight years of the Nineteenth Century, mankind is perched upon a new age of discovery and enlightenment. But beneath the hope and optimism, a rising darkness taints the air, touching the heart of every man, woman, and child. The United States has clawed its way out of a terrible civil war, but the wounds are deep. The nation finds itself poised on the edge of ruin, the agony of division eating at its very marrow.

Into this dark time a light of hope emerges, carried from the Old World by Dr. Burson Carpathian, scientist, visionary, and would-be savior. But Dr. Carpathian, too, follows a path laid out for him by the darkest of powers:  a force of remorseless corruption. The Dark Council.  Under the  influence of these mysterious strangers, the men and women of this terrible new age struggle with every fiber of their being, clawing for the least scrap of victory. There is no certain future as a continent is torn apart, each isolated faction struggling to maintain their share of power beneath the gathering darkness.

Of course if your anything like me first you have to be grabbed by the models that we're going to be using and as with most games of this type we'll need to pick a 'side' or faction which each should have it's own style. Though the 'Wild West' theme is evident in pretty much all the factions there are some significant differences between them and I could easily end up just showing you pictures of every model in the range, lol. For the purposes of this article we'll look at four of them, though there are a few more and we'll have a very brief look at their background and a few sample models from each range...

The Union:
Having mercilessly crushed the Confederacy in the recent Civil War, the full power of the North now turns its greedy eyes westward. Fuelled by the full destructive potential of stolen scientific technologies, the Union's might seem unstoppable. It seeks to defend itself against any threat that might rise up against it by crushing all those who could even pose such a menace. Without pity or compassion, the stampeding juggernaut annihilates anything in its path as it continues to consolidate an entire continent beneath its armoured boot.

The Outlaws:
Desperate men, who have turned their backs on the very concept of decency and honour, live as wanted criminals.  These degenerates of society struggle for a moment in the spotlight, caring only for the recognition of infamy.  Their egos drive body counts higher and higher with each town they pass through. With the clandestine assistance of renegade scientists these men will stop at nothing to be the strongest, fastest, most frightening spectres in the Wild West. From bio-mechanical implants to stolen experimental weaponry, only death may stop their headlong quest for fame and wealth. Powerful weapons and a reckless way of life have made the Outlaws a force to be reckoned with.

The Warrior Nation:
The proud descendants of the men who were once the lords and masters of the entire continent, now fight to regain power.  These Native American warriors have thrown off the noose of enforced servitude to the United States.  Joining their tribes together they form an alliance of unparalleled strength that taps into ancient spiritual power.   No longer does the Warrior Nation allow others to take from them the land of their ancestors. Confronting the twisted science of tomorrow with the purity of the Earth, the Warrior Nation has taken up the mantle of protector of the land, and will stop at nothing to eradicate this new threat.

The Enlightened:
The greatest scientific minds of a generation have been twisted and corrupted by the whispered words of a dark and mysterious force. Once, in another reality, soaring towers of graceful steel would have risen up into the sky built by these men. But now brutal machines of destruction, powered by the very essence of evil, seek to crush the ignorant beneath their iron weight. Medicine that could have saved countless lives now drags the helpless dead back into the land of the living. Mindless automatons moving solely at the direction of these crazed geniuses. Men so convinced of the purity of their own motives and ideals that nothing can be allowed to question them.  Once heralded as the saviours of mankind, they now stand to provide the tools and weapons set on destroying all living things on earth.

As many of my blog readers are familiar with Malifaux models here's a comparison picture featuring from left to right The Apache Kid (WWX), a Guild Rifleman (Malifaux), an Enlightened Abomination (WWX) and Sonnia Criid (Malifaux) courtesy of Geoff Smith from the 'A Wyrd Place' Facebook Group.

For those of you who are interested in more information on this game then the website for the game can be found here and the Kickstarter page (though long completed and funded) has some nice pieces of artwork and information on it as well.

The only downside to looking at the Kickstarter page if you weren't a backer is that you'll get all irritated at all the exclusives you missed out on...

Thoughts and comments are (as usual) most welcome.