Getting tired of the meta-chasing game that is 40k, and are ready to bail on Games Workshop? Check out our list of the top five games that aren’t GW.
Have you been sticking to the GW crowd for a while and need a good palette cleanser? Give one of these games a try and tell us what you think! DISCLAIMER: We can’t mention all the good games out there. These are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to other tabletop games. With that being said, let’s dive in.
Frostgrave
Frostgrave is like Fantasy Wizard Kill Team (alot of you may notice a similarity to Mordhiem). It’s best played in progressive campaigns with at least two people. You essentially make a Wizard character that specializes in spells from a certain “school”. They’ve got everything from Elementalists that launch giant balls of fire at everything to Necromancers and the dreaded Bone Dart spell.
No matter what kind of player you are, there’s a Wizard that you can create just how you like. Once you do that, you get a certain amount of money to buy mercenaries to help you in the fight. There’s a whole list of units that you can take that will pair great with what your Wizard can do.
Be careful, you can’t be a reckless player because there are some serious drawbacks. If any of your models get taken out of action, you have to roll on a table at the end of the game to see what happens to them. They could just flat out die, or end up with something like a broken leg or jaw. (decreased movement or decreased spellcasting).
Give this game a try. It’s incredibly cheap and opens you up to a whole new world of gameplay.
Star Wars: Legion
Legion is Star Wars on the tabletop. It’s got all of your favorite characters from the universe with some badass stats in-game. Legion is constantly getting new units added to it. If the unit pool isn’ quite big enough for you just yet, give it time. Rest assured, there’s definitely more coming.
Looking into the game, each unit comes with some data cards that have their unique rules to them. Facing and firing arcs play a role in this game as well so it throws a new level of strategy and decision making into the mix.
You can play as Rebels with Snipers, Wookies, and Luke Skywalker. Or try to crush them with the Empire’s Stormtroopers, Scouts, and Darth Vader. It doesn’t stop there, though. Boba Fett can be contracted as a hired killer and cause all kinds of destruction.
Depending on what kind of Star Wars fan you are, you can cherrypick your favorite units from the movies and play them all on the tabletop.
Star Wars: Armada
Armada is still Star Wars… except it’s INNN SPPAAAACCEEE! If aerial battles in the voids of space are more your speed, you can bring the massive and iconic ships from the movies and lore and play them against your friends.
Like Star Wars: Legion, your ships come with data cards that show the stats and rules for the unit.
This game worries about firing arcs and is based normally around capital ships. There are alternating activations between units so you have to think ahead to come out on top. You can still take the fighters like X-wings and TIE fighters as well. It’s a lot like Adeptus Titanicus, but in space and without any resource management, on a 2D plane.
If you like large-scale battles and the Star Wars universe rolled into one, check this out.
Gaslands
Gaslands is like Mad Max and maximum hobby support rolled into one. To get into the game, all you have to do is buy something like a Hotwheels car and have some hobby-drive. You can look up templates for car loadouts and throw your own hobby twist into it.
The start-up cost is essentially nonexistent when you compare it to other games and it encourages full-on hobbying.
Smash cars together in a post-apocalyptic roller-derby and see who comes out on top. This is a great way to spend a Sunday with your friends.
Warmahordes
Warmahordes or Warmachine and Hordes are actually two different games set in the same universe and are totally compatible with each other.
Set in the Iron Kingdom, two players pick factions and go against each other with futuristic “warmachines” no pun intended.
For example, Warjacks are essentially suped-up Terminator suits that can chest bump most things into submission in the right circumstances. There’s a bunch of different factions packed with lore behind them as well. Read up on the lore and figure out what you align with most!
Obviously, Warmahordes isn’t the most popular game out there, but the game is well-balanced and has some really unique models.
So there you have it. There are some of the top five games we recommend to anyone that wants to stray away from GW.
Have you played any of these games before? Which one was your favorite? Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group.
This article inspired by our friendly neighbor to the north, GFinnigan.
About the Author: Wesley Floyd
