Category Board Games

Games Workshop releases the first expansion for Kill Team in nearly two years- Pariah Nexus!

Kill Team has been a staple of the Warhammer 40,000 family for many years now and it wasn’t until a couple year ago that I gave it a try. The concept of Kill Team is quite simple, a small force for either faction tries to complete their objectives. Pariah Nexus is not quite the first step towards a newer style of Kill Team. Traditional games will play out like any other game of 40k or even Age of Sigmar where you play three dimensionally, where Pariah Nexus and Kill Team Arena before it were more two dimensional. 

One main item of note is that this truly is an expansion. It requires a rulebook for Kill Team itself for full gameplay. Other than the two dimensional rules this book includes six story missions and two scenarios for matched play. More importantly though is that it includes rules for nearly every (if not all) infantry types for both the Necron and Space Marine factions.

The biggest problem with this box is it’s natural imbalance. From the start (without modifying the lineups) the Space Marine forces make up nearly double the cost of the Necron force. However, the total number of models per side is comparable and the new sculpts look fantastic.

Gameplay for this style is reminiscent of the similar release for Necromunda a couple years ago where you had a face paced game that was a ton of fun but felt somewhat lacking without the third dimension. With a little imagination though this easily will feel similar to crawlers like SpaceHulk where you navigate corridors and all of your fighting requires your head on a swivel but there being no need to look high or low as everyone is one the same level. For value and replayability this box offers a lot especially for those that are already fans of the KT and 40K properties. My best recommendation though would be to homebrew a few extra scenarios and look to upcoming issues of White Dwarf for more.

Feel free to check out our live unboxing video on the official Table Talk channel:

Aeronautica Imperialis returns with it’s second starter box Skies of Fire with two new factions- Adeptus Militarum and Tau!

At this point Skies of Fire is more or less old hat having been released about a year ago now but we just love all things with Aeronautica Imperialis so here we are! We’ve talked about AI in the past, when we were with PopNerdTV, and gameplay-wise the game hasn’t really changed since then. Where similar games play on a two dimensional board and those two dimensions are the only ones you need to worry about it was a shock to consider my movements on third dimension. Height is a big factor in the game, too low and you’ll crash, too high and you’ll stall your craft.

The models have a lot of detail, far surpassing those of games like X-Wing and with comparable costs. With X-Wing I can purchase a single ship for about $10-20 where in AI I can purchase four craft for $40-60 and have more detail. The only downside to this comparison is that X-Wing models are preassembled and prepainted.

Verdict:

This game is a must play for fans of the dog fighting/space ship variety, especially if you are looking to improve on the basic mechanics of X-Wing. Whenever I played X-Wing I always wanted something more and variety wasn’t what I was craving, with Aeronautica we got it in spades. The complexity and realism of the fight makes this game a much more impressive contender in the genre and I hope we continue to see it in shops for years to come, some of us are still waiting on the Chaos releases.

Warhammer Underworlds returns with Direchasm! Will the Realmlords survive the return of Hedonites of Slaanesh?

The Hedonites have returned with their own warband for Warhammer Underworlds and face off in Direchasm against the Lumineth Realmlords. This pairing of forces is a huge plus by itself for me. Back in the Old World of Warhammer Fantasy many elves, now called Aelves, followed the Chaos god Slaanesh, known as the God of Excess and it’s followers were some of the most perverse. Eventually it splintered the elven people into two primary factions High Elves and Dark Elves. The Dark Elves were the group that followed Slaanesh and eventually stopped and moved to follow Khaine, the god of murder. Now the two forces are facing each other once again and have brought along some of the finest sculpts the franchise has released to date.

One of the biggest changes between versions of this game is models that now have a 6+ Wound characteristic and are defeated you will earn 2 Victory Points instead of the customary 1. Another change is that the Support mechanic is slightly modified. Basically before any models adjacent to the one attacking would support but you would subtract your support from the opponent’s support. Whomever had more support remaining receives the bonus. Now you simply take the support regardless and each support roll counts as a success instead.

As a starting box is concerned this iteration of Underworlds can be a bit overwhelming with some of the cards specifically. Previous versions a majority of the cards were more simplistic but allowed a bit of room for interpretation. The cards in this box give much longer descriptions but there is little room for interpretation. Everything is laid out exactly how they will work but the amount of wording can overwhelm newer players. For seasoned gamers though this will provide a dynamic experience in the realms of Warhammer Underworlds with some amazing models that would be fantastic starters for a Slaanesh or Realmlord based army. If you are a fan of Chaos armies or the Underworlds franchise then you will love this box.

Space Marine Adventures is back for a second round of Xenos murder courtesy of Games Workshop and local bookstores like Barnes and Noble.

With the first volume of Space Marine Adventures players took turns facing down the Necron threat, however this time it’s time for the Orks to rise. Players take on the roles of five Terminator Space Marines and move about the map searching for supplies while protecting a shield generator. Each Terminator hails from a different but classic chapter of Space Marines and as such have their own weapon load outs. To make this easier each marine is printed in the dominant color of their chapter (green for Dark Angles or red for Blood Angles for example).

These Adventure boxes are intended to be an introduction into the world of Warhammer 40,000. The models for the Terminators are push to fit and easy to assemble, making that part of the hobby much less difficult to ease in to. Even in this game there is lots of dice rolling to be had so it feels like a Warhammer game in that respect while using common model types.

My only complaint about this game is the lack of models. The other titles that game pre-boxed like this had models for both sides but Rise of the Orks only offers tokens for the Orks. One of the best things is the value overall. For the price of this box you get five Terminators where a box of only those models would be more expensive by far. As a tower defense style game this is quite enjoyable and an excellent value for the models you get. I highly recommend hitting up the local book store and scoring yourself a copy!

Will you have what it takes to take down the undead threatening Glymmsforge? Join the hunt with Crypt Hunters from Games Workshop!

Our friends at Games Workshop shared their latest self contained game found at bookstores– Crypt Hunters! Players choose to take control of either the Stormcast Eternals or the Nighthaunt Chainrasps. Perhaps one of the most unique features to come out of a boxed game is the map. Each turn the player in charge of the Chainrasps adds pieces to the map while during the same sequence of actions the Stormcast player removes any tiles that are not in Line of Sight. This means there is a virtually endless combination of map variations that can be played from game to game.

Like any other game from GW this box includes miniatures for each faction, allowing you to add models to your warbands/armies. As can be expected you will find assembly instructions contained within the box. The Stormcasts have limited wounds so the odds will be against this player as the Chainrasps constantly regenerate.

The game is enjoyable for the first couple of games but beyond that gets a bit repetitive. Even though the maps stay fresh it is the same foes to fight and the lack of variety makes it less engaging between playthroughs.

It’s time to hit the pitch with a second season of Blitz Bowl from Games Workshop and sold in book stores!

Who’s up for a game of Football (and I don’t mean European Football)? Either those crickets are pretty loud right now or I’m asking the wrong group of people. For those of us that don’t enjoy watching the American game of Football or playing for that matter there is a game where we can actually enjoy the sport but scratch our table top itches as well and that is Blood Bowl. Games Workshop though has taken a more inclusive approach with trying to bring more people to the hobby with Season 2 of Blitz Bowl!

One of the best things about the parent game Blood Bowl is how a single action can turn one play into several, dice willing of course. This can lead to games where only one player is taking a long turn while the other has to wait a while though. With Blitz Bowl you have three set actions per turn which means that everyone gets equal play. While being more dynamic it is still just as bloody. The biggest difference however is the fact that points can be earned by not just scoring a touchdown but also by completing various objectives. With a faster paced style of play with more opportunities to score this is probably the best version of the Blood Bowl franchise to introduce to your friends.

Secret Neighbor Party Game by Arcane Wonders is here to make your next party deceitful!

Video game players have known about the naughty Neighbor for many years from TinyBuild, but did they know there is now a party card game? Thanks to a partnership with Arcane Wonders the Secret Neighbor Party Game is here. Arcane Wonders sent us a review copy to enjoy with the family and friends. With a global pandemic playing a game with the family is much easier than with friends or both.

In the Hello Neighbor franchise players try to avoid the Neighbor and sneak around his property, trying to uncover just what dark deeds he is up to. In the party game players take the roles of either the Neighbors or the kids. As kids you must manipulate others to get the keys. If they use all of the keys to unlock the basement then the kids win.

While attempting to procure the keys kids must collect cards in triplicate in order to use their powers. Secretly though Neighbors will be posing as children to undermine their efforts or steal the keys for themselves. If a Neighbor gets the key and the majority votes to use them and they refuse to do so then the Neighbors win.

The game was more fun than I expected. Party games have a tendency to feel tedious but the game was fluid, easy to pick up and everyone found it enjoyable.

Are you ready to improve your painting game? DrTableTop’s Droptops and Paint Pills are here to help!

Many people that know me know that I am an avid painter and always looking for tools to improve either my setup or skills. A local shop started sharing some ads on Facebook for DrTableTop’s Droptops and Paint Pills. Intrigued I sent the team an email and they graciously sent us samples of both.

Check out our coverage of them both:

I highly advise to watch the setup video with Dr K himself as it shows you exactly how to put the tops on your Citadel bottles (check the bottom of this article for the video itself).

When I tested the top in the video I used a single pill as I didn’t have that many. Using it on one of my favorite metallic colors it blended it better than I expected. The only problem I found with the pills was that I simply didn’t have enough. I recently ordered 100 of the little porcelain balls, adding three to each of my metallic paints and got to shaking them. I have never seen those metallics come out so smooth. I paid about $24 including tax and shipping (in Arizona) to get 100 of them and for how well they are mixing my paints they are absolutely worth it.

The droptops themselves are smooth and easy to control paint flow. Caps fit snuggly and even handling them aggressively I have yet to knock one off without intending to. Even better the lids pop on so easily that you could do your whole collection in a matter of minutes (unless you have the whole line and then maybe an hour or so). The tops themselves are a bit more expensive than I first expected ($24.60 for a dozen before tax and shipping) but after you use them the pricing is completely justified. I refuse to spend money unless absolutely required and I’m already planning on my next order, which is saying a lot!

Here is the aforementioned video from DrTableTop!

https://youtu.be/yAizffLBY5c

The Eighpoints are seeing new wars waged starting with the Tome of Champions 2020 edition!

The fine folks at Games Workshop has once again graced us with the Tome of Champions, this time for 2020! Originally I intended to have my thoughts on the latest edition out before the New Year but the holidays have a way of derailing plans. Better late than never I suppose. Click here to see my coverage of the 2019 version of Tome of Champions back when I was writing for PopNerdTV. The big takeaways from the previous edition were the added challenges.

The rules for the game as a whole remain unchanged. Like the Grand Alliance books this is meant as a supplement that will further enhance the game. Returning to the Tome are more challenges and options for tournaments. One of the biggest changes is a full campaign! Not just that but this campaign has a story behind it. Yes, please! That has always been one of my favorite things about the Warhammer and Warhammer 40K intellectual properties, the ability to tell a story while your armies clash. On a smaller playing field like Warcry the story becomes much more personal.

Another huge (pun intended) addition are some of the challenges, not just to fight Gargants but to even fight the Mega Gargant! I expect each year we will see bigger and better things in the Tome but at the current rate I already can’t keep up with all of the challenges I want to try out.

Once again, this is not meant as a game changer for Warcry but it is a hell of an improvement!

Grand Alliances have joined Warcry in a big way with faction books and we are discussing Bringers of Death!

As many players of Warhammer Age of Sigmar are already aware there are four Grand Alliances- Death, Chaos, Order and Destruction. As such you can combine units from different factions due to those keywords allowing for a much more dynamic and varied army. Doing this however loses some cohesion as some armies work better with faction specific abilities and similar visual aesthetics. Bringers of Death strives to do the same thing for Warcry with the Death Grand Alliance but due to the small force size the decreased cohesion is less noticeable.

This book features updated versions of all the cards previously released in both card packs and the various faction boxes. Additionally it features heroes and allies you can include in your warband. Your warband as a whole cannot mix and match across all the factions but the heroes and allies are the real feature of this book. Previously in the Monsters and Mercenaries book each faction added a couple mercenaries that could be taken alongside your warband.

For anyone interested in expanding their game with a few choice models to outfit your warband or to try something new these books are a must for your collection.