Category table top games

Warcry returns with a new starter, two new warbands and a new setting- outside the Eight Points in the Realm of Ghur with The Heart of Ghur!

With the official preorder of the Heart of Ghur starting on July 30th and the official release on August 13th we have a new edition and a very different roadmap for Warcry than we have experienced previously. Officially this is the fourth starter box for Warcry itself, but if you are anything like me all Age of Sigmar starter boxes are secretly Warcry boxes as well. This is the third box to feature only Chaos warbands, this time with the Nurgle themed Rotmire Creed and the industrialist Horns of Hashut. So why are warbands venturing further and further away from the Eight Points?

To really answer the above question we have to first look the changes to the region and then the reasons for THESE two warbands. The location itself underwent a massive change after a Seraphon Templeship crashed and to protect itself and it’s contents it reshaped the area around it, turning it even more inhospitable. The Rotmire Creed has been promised by Grandfather Nurgle that he will gift them with an elixir of immortality if they retrieve the ingredients from the area. The Horns of Hashut are looking to make room for their forge fires to further expand their industry, this means leveling it all to the ground. Now if they worked together they would be able to achieve both goals but when has the forces of Chaos ever really worked smarter? I can say this with certainty as a Slaves to Darkness player, they don’t unless it is the most direct path to their goals.

To go with the new locale we have the start of a themed collection of terrain. I say a start because it is exactly that. You receive enough to play the game but to truly capture the wilds of this forest it is a bit lacking and that’s where the roadmap comes in. Every three months we will be new box similar to this in scope with new warbands and new terrain. If you collect all of the boxes you will have an impressive table with a single terrain theme. I am predicting (I have received no information that this is true or not and is purely my own guess) that the final box will have a either a related Age of Sigmar release that will incorporate this themed terrain OR a campaign book like what we have that followed the recent Thondia boxset- I’d place my money on the book direction.

What are the biggest changes between both editions of Warcry?

To start with we have something that I have personally thought should have been included for years in nearly all tabletop games- Reactions. If these two forces were to face each other in the real world (abilities, gods and magic aside) when one unit attacks the other there is a brief period with the other can react, whether it is turning and running, throwing a rock, stabbing the attacker or something else, they would still react in some way and most games don’t account for this. Warcry finally fills this need and makes planning your actions even more strategic as you have to be aware of which units still have the option to react. Like Counter for example could potentially be more deadly than that fighter’s normal attacks would have been.

Final thoughts on the new edition:

The models alone make The Heart of Ghur worth picking up but the promise of a huge thematic table if you collect each starter over the next year has me beyond excited. Reactionary rules added to the game took Warcry from my favorite title to whatever you would call something ranked above it especially since the overall mechanics are relatively unchanged meaning most players won’t have difficulty transition between play styles. Venturing outside the Eightpoints is HUGE. This opens up the possibilities between ALL of the other realms. #WarcryHoG

Exploding Kittens brings us another food based fighting game. Throw Throw Avocado is both sequel and expansion to its predecessor Throw Throw Burrito.

Ever since I was a kid I wanted to take part in one of those epic food fights where the whole school is involved. Sadly this dream was never realized but Throw Throw Burrito and Throw Throw Avocado are the next best things. Even better is cleaning up after this food fight is much preferred to a real food fight.

Players take turns passing cards around the table, scrambling to find matches until matching duel cards are played and the throwing of avocados commences. There is an added variation this time around called Leg Duel where the players stand back to back, take three paces, turn and throw them through their opponent’s legs in order to score a point. What makes it even better is chucking this little avocados at your own kids, even with hard a throw these things are so soft that they make a satisfying hit without injuring them.

Combing this game with its predecessor makes for a longer experience that is pure chaos. This variation is the best way to play the game but not as suitable for younger players as the chaos can be overwhelming or they grow tired of the game before it is over.

Exploding Kittens brings us this latest gem to their library of game titles and I sincerely hope this isn’t the final installment in the Throw Throw franchise.

The next small boxed Warhammer 40k game is here with Fireteam, putting Space Marines against Necrons.

Fireteam is meant to be a way to introduce Warhammer 40k to new players, giving them essentially a small kill team that can easily be a starting force towards a solid 1000 point army when they graduate to a true tabletop experience. Being a skirmish type game it is meant to be quick paced and the designers have more than achieved it. As tabletop gamers we have have those friends or family members we want to bring into our hobby and box is a perfect way to do that with 40k.

One of the best things about this release is the value. It sells for about $50 at book stores and if you were to take the same models from Games Workshop directly would easily cost at least $100! Gameplay is easy to learn and the campaign mechanic is a great way to bring experienced gamers and newer players together for a story where the war is not decided by a single battle. Essentially you mix and match key elements of a campaign to tell the tale of this fight you are waging while unlocking special gear that will benefit you later. Overall this is a great value to players starting out with either Space Marines or Necrons and will make for an engaging way to introduce other players to this wonderful world of 40k.

It feels like ages ago that Games Workshop announced Bladeborn, a game that appeared to mix Underworlds with Warcry but did they deliver the goods?

Games Workshop shared a copy of Bladeborn with us and almost immediately asked us to hold onto any recordings we made for a while due to the misprinting of some of the cards. At the time we were lucky enough to have been behind on our recording schedule and hadn’t recorded anything yet on this game. Once the replacement cards had arrived we finally got down to recording and shortly after playing. The link to that video is at the bottom of the article.

Before we get into gameplay I must admit that in the video below I made some mistakes. Specifically I felt that the quality of the minis were of a lower quality than their counterparts from Warhammer Underworlds. I was so wrong on this. About a month later I revisited the models along with their counterparts and the quality was exactly the same so I apologize my words that were so wrong. I hope this didn’t affect anyone and their decision in picking this game up.

If you have ever played Warcry and Underworlds will love this game because it truly is the daemonic love-child of them both. Combat is very much like Warcry (of the two games this is the better system so a huge win) and movement feels more akin to Underworlds. Even better it gives you cards for ALL of the Chaos Warbands from Underworlds released so far. Best yet is that these cards can also be used in Warcry! If you are a fan of Warcry or Underworlds this game will be a great addition to your library and is easier to learn. This means it is a great starting point for new players as well.

Without further adieu here is our official unboxing video of Bladeborn :

Space Marine Adventures is back for another round of murder fun with Doomsday Countdown 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, in Doomsday countdown, it’s time for hunting Chaos cultists. Players take on the roles of three Space Marines and move about the map trying to defuse a bomb before it detonates. All three Marines are members of the illustrious Ultramarines Chapter and facing off against seven cultists, these particular models were previously featured alongside Warhammer Quest Blackstone Fortress.

These Adventure boxes are intended to be an introduction into the world of Warhammer 40,000. The models for both the Space Marines and Cultists 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 will be lots of dice rolling to be had so it feels like a Warhammer game in that respect while using common model types.

The previous release had used tokens instead of models for the enemies so the fact they return to models, especially these cultist models, is a huge improvement. The mechanics are very much the same to the previous version so if you’ve played before this is very much a continuation. Even though this is the third volume you don’t need to have played the previous iterations to get into this one. Beyond getting additional Chaos cultists (which I always need) you also get some great tiles that can easily work along with tiles for Blackstone Fortress. This is another great way to introduce your friends and family to the world that is Warhammer 40,000!

Warzone Octarius has come to give us new rules for Orks and Tyranids as well as for using Rogue Traders and even Kill Teams.

Warhammer 40k is constantly evolving and over this year 9th edition is no different. The Warzone supplements expand on rules for existing factions and share the story of a particular warzone. The second round of this is Warzone Octarius with books 1 and 2. The previous books were based on Charadon but I suspect Octarius was chosen due to the recent release of Kill Team: Octarius which featured exclusive models and terrain.

Book 1 brings us rules Cadia, Tyranids and the Armies of Renown: Kill Team. Now with the branding of Kill Team I originally assumed this would be the squads from Kill Team: Octarius but instead these Kill Teams are part of the Deathwatch and are comprised of Space Marines. Book 2 however brings the Kill Team flavor with rules for the Blood Axes, the Ork team from the Octarius box, along with Rogue Traders (Astra Cartographica) and the Speed Freeks Speed Mob as this book’s Army of Renown.

These books are less for casual or competitive players but more for those that like to follow an official campaign. Charadon did not see a Kill Team release but with Octarius receiving it’s own warzone books so soon after it’s Kill Team release I am fully expecting that the next warzone will be centered around Chalnath.

The Genestealer Cults are facing off against the Adeptus Custodes on Terra in Shadow throne from Games Workshop for Warhammer 40,000.

About once, sometimes twice a year, Games Workshop releases a new starter, typically surrounding a specific theme. To end 2021 they brought us Shadow Throne and it is centered around the Genestealer Cults infiltrating Terra. These days it seems like there is some form of Genestealer Cult activity on nearly every planet so it was only a matter of time before some reached Terra. You would think that there would be ways of preventing this in a place where the Emperor of Mankind himself resides.

Originally this release was meant to coincide with the release of codices for both the Genestealer Cults and the Adeptus Custodes but due to delays with production they have been delayed until January of next year. Currently the Shadow throne boxset is on preorder and will be released this Saturday. Games Workshop also promises that any preorders made beyond their initial run will be done as part of a second production run! The majority of this box has been released previously but that doesn’t make it any less worth picking up. For the GSC the Genestealer Patriarch is by far one of the greatest sculpts released thus far for the army and is joined by an exclusive Reductus Saboteur. The GSC though are not the only ones to get a new model- enter the Blade Champion for the Custodes! This is possibly the MOST dynamic model we have seen in quite some time for them and the pose reminds me of the Black Templar’s new champion.

What I am most looking forward to with this release though is the fact that I get to revisit one of my favorite armies from 40k- Tyranids, if only slightly with a single model. Additionally though both factions come with nearly enough to be full kill team patrols for the aptly named Kill Team.

With the recent release of Dominion and the more recent release of Battletomes for Stormcast Eternals and Kruelboyz Games Workshop is releasing the next tome and this is for the Maggotkin of Nurgle!

At the time of writing/publishing the new Battletome for the Maggotkin of Nurgle is officially available for preorder and the official release date is December 18th, just in time for my birthday! Games Workshop was kind enough to share the tome and even a few models with us to prepare you with the pending release!

To start with we will be focusing on the Battletome itself. The cover art is amazing and only Games Workshop can take a truly revolting army as the Maggotkin, really anything that is Nurgle based, and do it so beautifully! I mean look at that ugly Rotbringer on the there, he not only looks fantastic but there is even a matching model available for preorder as well! There are already more exclamation points in this article than most I write, that should tell you something about this release. I have always been a fan of Grandfather Nurgle and that hasn’t changed but I’ve been focusing my Chaos forces to be more Undivided because of the amazing Warcry warbands but nothing makes disgusting fun like a Nurgle based army.

The tome has many new rules as well as others that have been tweaked. My favorite of these new rules is Diseased. Basically for each diseased model near an enemy you add one disease point (up to seven) and at the start of the Battleshock Phase you roll a dice for each point and on each 4+ the enemy receives one mortal wound. Just walking around the stench and viral output of the Maggotkin is so high that you can kill your enemies by just being close to them. If only we could do this with a horde style list.

Rotbringer Sorcerer

I don’t recall the last time, in Age of Sigmar, we saw new releases for the forces under Nurgle, with the exception of the Great Unclean One and a few other daemons which also worked for 40k. This is the first Rotbringer of any sort I have seen since returning to the hobby about five years ago and the sculpt is fantastic. Not only that but it comes with two alternative heads, one is a fly head. I understand why flies are so prevalent in the Nurgle forces but I have never been a fan of the fly heads themselves, they always looked a little goofy to me BUT this one is by far one of the best I’ve seen so far. Of course if you were to also purchase the next item we will discuss you will have many other heads to choose from.

Vanguard: Maggotkin of Nurgle

The Vanguard box is the Age of Sigmar third edition version of the Start Collecting Box. Both featured the two Pusgoyle Blightlords and the five Putrid Blightkings. The difference between the two is the Start Collecting Box, while still available, comes with these and the Lord of Blights but this Vanguard box includes ten Plaguebearers of Nurgle and Spoilpox Scrivener. Literally every item in this box was something I wanted to get my hands on to build and paint as is but with all the customization options I think two boxes will be necessary.

Perhaps this is also the perfect time for me to get myself that Feculent Gnarlmaw I’ve been trying to justify picking up?

Battle in Balin’s Tomb is the latest board game from Games Workshop for The Lord of the Rings.

Recently my kids watched the first first Lord of the Rings movie and within an hour of watching the scene in Balin’s Tomb I received the press release for Battle in Balin’s Tomb. The timing could not have been more perfect and Games Workshop sent us a copy to play and share our thoughts.

Players take turns moving the heroes around the tomb, killing each orc and troll they meet. Each wave a card is played to determine the current list of foes added to the mix, some quite deadly. The box comes with a single troll and I saw at least one cart that forced you to fight two of them, thankfully it kept on in a holding area until the other is defeated but things can get pretty harry. Thankfully in our playthrough this card didn’t come up.

When playing we opted for three players, two to field the Fellowship and one for the Orcs and Troll. The cards were mostly in favor of the Fellowship and were able to prevent a majority of the forces from overwhelming us, things got a bit hectic when the Cave Troll was first unleashed but working together we were able to remove the threat. The combat system was very similar to that of Warhammer Underworlds in that attackers rolled a certain number of dice and defenders rolled their defense dice, subtracting the defense die from the attacks.

We found the game easy to pick up, the models very easy to build and the pacing to be quite quick. For those that play the Lord of the Rings Strategy Game may want to pick this up for the decreased cost of getting the minis here. Likewise fans of the films will want to collect these miniatures for their collection.

The Outcasts Gang joins the denizens of the Underhive with their own house book and a new terrain feature!

There are displaced residents all throughout the Underhive of Necromunda and now gangs of these Outcasts have started banding together, even worse they are taking their fighting to some of the Underhive Markets! These gangs are comprised of either those removed from the traditional gang houses or those that are less desirable. Many of these dregs of society are looking for a way of living outside the social hierarchy of the planet and doing so will usually leave them with shorter lifespans, but so does simply living on Necromunda. Check out our thoughts on the latest releases:

Underhive Outcasts Gang

What makes this team stand out is the randomness of their uniforms and that there is no unifying theme. Weapons, armor and clothes have SOME similarities but are more of a hodgepodge of all things that are found in the Underhive. I love how the heads have a lot of unique properties compared to the other gangs that look so similar to each other. One guy even has a faux-hawk!

The Book of the Outcast

This book contains the rules needed to run the new Outcasts Gang along with all their support options, weapons and gear available and even the hired guns they can, well hire. Everything you need to take them on to the table is contained here. All that’s left is finding an opponent and a table.

Zone Mortalis Underhive Market

Speaking of finding a table, the Underhive Market is here to help with that. Necromunda, when at it’s best, gives players a many tiered table to play against each other on. The more levels, passages, buildings, archeotech or just plain rubble on your table then the more on brand your game will be. This set changes that way of thinking, forcing players to have fights that are mostly in the open and for added personality you could add Sloppers to try and sell food to the gangs while they fight among the stalls. There will still be plenty of cover but no where near enough for most players. Combining all of the different Zone Mortalis, or at least the ones that are available, should make for quite the interesting board and this addition adds some very different flavor to the table.

The Market is by far the item that has me most excited, and leaves me hopeful we will see some vastly different terrain options in the future. Same goes for the gang itself, perhaps this is the precursor to us getting a Scavvies, Ratskin or Wastelands themed gang in the future.