Coming to da Grotto soon

hi all

so that was a lot of work that went into both playing but mostly writing up the games for Zombtober. I hope that you enjoyed reading the latest episodes of the English ZA I have been developing for the last few years.

As my appetite for smaller skirmish games has been growing, I have been on the lookout for other systems that fit the bill. While skimming You Tube I came across a video that was titled something like "The Top Ten Skirmish Games". Intrigued, I watched with more than a little interest as the author gave compelling reasons as to why the games made the top ten. To be honest I hadn't heard of half of them, or if I had heard of them i hadn't played them. It just goes to show how insular I have been as a former GW player, ignoring some of the nicest rule sets and miniatures that are currently in production. Following that, I started watching more and more of these types of videos and began to compile a list of the next 3 or so purchases that I intended to invest my hard earned hobby tokens in. note i have been super lazy and just pulled images and the descriptions straight from the websites...

So in no particular order we have - Moonstone

Moonstone takes place in the land of Tauber, a mythical isle of fantasy and fairytale where humans, goblins, faeries, gnomes, giants, fauns, trolls, merfolk and more, all thrive under the golden sun and pearlescent moons.

These days, Tauber is both turbulent but also relatively peaceful; there is little to no war, and most disagreements are seen as nothing more than squabbles or differences of opinion.

However, when the moons shine bright on a clear night the moonstones appear.

Sprouting out of the ground like so many crystalline toadstools, moonstones are both mysterious and valuable. The Wizards at the Tower of Grommel offer a fine sum of gold for any moonstones that are brought to them intact. The trouble, however, as soon as the light of the blazing sun touches them, moonstones will disappear as if nothing more than dust.

Still, the leaders of both Commonwealth and Dominion send forth their warriors, magicians and rogues to secure the moonstones to sell to the mysterious Wizards. The Leshavult seek stones for money, but also for their own arcane reasons. Shades, once thought lost to the ages, are skulking in abandoned cities and many fear that the time of peace, prosperity and unlimited teacakes is coming to an end…

This game has some of the lushest, quirkiest miniatures that I have seen in some time and I'm soooo excited to get my brush on them. The game play looks fun with a unique combat system, where you can mimic the hack and slash of swordplay that should keep the fights from just being a dice throw down.

Next is Malifaux

Malifaux, a twisted mirror of an alternate Earth in the 1900s; a world of gothic horror, Victorian structures, steampunk constructs, and wild west gunslingers. Rife with undead amalgamations, monstrous vengeful apparitions, and other creatures that bump in the night, these near-lawless lands are still worth treading for some, as the Soulstones deep within the cavernous catacombs are worth more than the sweat and blood it takes to obtain them.

The lure of Malifaux’s valuable Soulstones has brought the powerful, the desperate, the ambitious, and the cunning to Malifaux from Earth. The Guild’s control of the Breach ensures that it remains a dominant power within Malifaux City, but it is challenged on all sides by the sabotage and magical prowess of the Arcanists and the shuffling undead that serve the foul Resurrectionists.

The Outcasts, a loose collection of mercenaries and other ne’er-do-wells, sell their services to the highest bidder when not pursuing their own individual objectives, and the mysterious Ten Thunders crime syndicate works from the shadows to extend its influence throughout the city.

Not every threat to Malifaux comes from Earth, however. The ancient Neverborn will not easily surrender their lands to what they see as foreign invaders, and the Gremlins of the Bayou have become quite powerful by learning from and mimicking the humans that seized control of Malifaux City.

Malifaux is currently in its 3rd ed and has been around for a while. I've been looking at it for a long while and admiring the beautiful miniatures, but now it's time to take the plunge and purchase the game and some minis. The card driven combat system is particularly appealing to me as it mitigates poor dice rolling. The setting for Malifaux lends itself to just about any type of terrain - steampunk type cities, deserts, haunted forests, medieval type villages, so my extensive terrain collection and future terrain projects can all be used/satisfied. And have i mentioned the minis...

I mean phew!! they are just gorgeous.

Lastly I'm going to jump into Carnevale

The year is 1795. A great Rent has torn open reality and sunk most of Europe beneath the waves. Only one place stands untouched by the calamity: Venice.

By day the city bustles, the Queen of the Adriatic taking pride of place once again as the West’s capital of trade. However, by night Venice takes on a darker persona, both figuratively and literally masking itself. Gangs stalk the canals looking for blood, the clandestine secret societies making themselves known to fight for their own corner of the city.

But more sinister still, the Rent in the Sky has opened the path for otherworldly phenomena. Magic spills out from the world beyond the veil, bringing with it creature devoted to ancient deities. Deities who look on the burgeoning Venetian empire and smile at the madness unfolding.

Carnevale is a small scale skirmish game focused on freedom of movement combined with brutal combat and impressive magical abilities. Jump from rooftop to rooftop to hunt your opponent’s gang, or dive deep into the canals to drown your enemies.

This game really appeals to me and my love of beautiful and immersive gaming boards. This game rewards you if you take risky moves and jump across rooftops in a very parkour way. But most importantly look at these minis...