Games Workshop and Warhammer are synonymous with the hobby of playing tabletop war games and painting miniatures. But the miniatures hobby is a big sandbox, and Warhammer is by no means the only path to joining in. Some hobbyists put their armies together in a rush to play. Some paint their minis to a “deployment” or “tabletop standard”, so their collection looks cool and has a personal touch. Still others treat the hobby as an art medium and simply paint for fun, often with staggering results. Regardless of which type of hobbyist you are, here are Boss Rush’s recommendations for great tabletop war games that deserve to step out of Games Workshop’s shadow. Each title gets a brief description and a five-point rating for game complexity, model quality, price, and availability. Listed in no particular order.
Kingdom Death: Monster
Probably the most famous Kickstarter success story in the TTWG world, Kingdom Death is lauded for its high-quality miniatures and dark fantasy aesthetic. And while KD‘s miniatures rightfully dominate the game’s reputation (seriously, they’re gorgeous), its eye watering price and time commitment are usually mentioned in the very next breath.
As a game, it takes the form of a cooperative campaign. You and your group attempt to survive an incredibly harsh world and foster a small culture of survivalists. Campaigns take place over several in-game year cycles, with each cycle culminating in a quest to vanquish a boss monster. Video games like Dark Souls are a good touchpoint as player character death is part and parcel to the experience.
Game Complexity: 5/5 Learning and playing is a huge undertaking.
Model Quality: 5/5 Kingdom Death is arguably the best looking miniatures game going.
Price: 5/5 This title is expensive, but individual models can be had for around $25 USD.
Availability: 1/5 Kingdom Death is technically in print, but famously hard to obtain.
Star Wars: Legion
Star Wars: Legion hits a great intersection for Star Wars fans. It holds the spirit of role playing by virtue of which side you play and what models you deploy. Its miniatures are a great mix of fan-favorite and obscure characters and vehicles. And it strives to be approachable and available outside of dedicated hobby stores. Its official description says it best:
Star Wars: Legion invites you to join the unsung battles of the Galactic Civil War as the commander of a unique army filled with troopers, powerful ground or repulsor vehicles, and iconic characters like Darth Vader or Luke Skywalker.
Game Complexity: 4/5 Star Wars: Legion is streamlined compared to Warhammer, but still a complex game.
Model Quality: 4/5 Stylish models with an exciting spectrum of the Star Wars universe depicted.
Price: 3/5 Star Wars: Legion has a reasonably priced core set, but expects players to buy expansions that can range from $25-$100 USD.
Availability: 5/5 Star Wars: Legion is widely available in local hobby stores as well as some chain retailers.
BattleTech
The OG mech miniature game is also available to play as both a TTRPG and a stand-alone board game with a cool collection of miniatures packed in that can be bought at mass retailers like Target.
The BattleTech/MechWarrior aesthetic defined the western version of the giant robot genre. And while the miniatures in BattleTech products still retain that look, the models definitely lack the fine detail and panache that other games on this list have.
Game Complexity: 3/5 BattleTech benefits from two rulesets: Modern and Classic. Modern is often described as quick-to-pickup. Enthusiasts often move up to Classic.
Model Quality: 3/5 The BattleTech look is utilitarian and chunky, but not without a retro charm.
Price: 2/5 BattleTech is quite affordable, with sets including several models and usually retailing for around $25 USD.
Availability: 5/5 BattleTech is widely available in local hobby stores, with its stand alone board game for sale at mass retailers like Target and Wal-Mart.
Infinity
Spanish game designer Corvus Belli’s Infinity has arguably the most exciting sci-fi models across the whole hobby. The anime-tinged aesthetic can easily go toe-to-toe with Warhammer 40k. Where Warhammer famously gave us the adjective “grimdark,” Infinity has a sunnier, kinetic look. Classic anime like Appleseed, Dirty Pair, and Evangelion are clearly evoked.
The game itself has a bit of a reputation as fussy. And if you don’t keep terrain models at your gaming table, Infinity will lose one of its strengths, since it revolves around keeping cover and minding elevation. Another of its unique gameplay features is that opponents’ attacks play out simultaneously, making turn upkeep tricky.
Game Complexity: 4/5 Infinity offers a couple of starter sets that allow players to learn via “missions”, not unlike modules in a TTRPG. It also has a quick-play version called CodeOne. The full game has a reputation for being as complicated as Warhammer, however, particularly when learning rules for individual hero units.
Model Quality: 5/5 Infinity has gorgeous mech and humanoid models. Corvus Belli is one of the only miniature publishers still mass producing their models in pewter.
Price: 4/5 Infinity is priced to compete with Games Workshop, and thus quite expensive. However, Corvus Belli offers many more affordable individual models than Warhammer, making it a fun choice for painters who don’t intend to invest in an army’s worth of miniatures.
Availability: 3/5 Infinity is available in the US, but is much more established in Europe. Buying online is pretty much required as not even local hobby gaming stores are guaranteed to give it any shelf space.
HeroQuest
HeroQuest evokes a rare kind of nostalgia for gen X and millennial gamers because it absolutely lives up to their memories. Originally made by an ex-Games Workshop designer and released by Milton Bradley in the 80’s, HeroQuest offered a light, D&D-style dungeon crawl in a single box that is approachable and enjoyable for families, RPG enthusiasts, and casual board game players alike.
Hasbro’s reboot is easy and fun to play, with just the right amount of dice rolling and ability management. A whole kit of exciting models and terrain to paint are packed into a modestly-sized box. Having clear start and end points for hobby painters makes HeroQuest an enjoyable project. Especially since its models offer some nice detail, but lend themselves to simple color palettes.
Game Complexity: 2/5 HeroQuest is easy to pick up and play, and has long served as a nice taste test for new RPG players or groups who want to introduce minis into their sessions.
Model Quality: 4/5 HeroQuest has a classic sword and sorcery aesthetic that loses nothing despite being mass produced by a conglomerate like Hasbro.
Price: 1/5 HeroQuest is the most affordable game on the list. Expensive relative to boardgames, but as a self-contained, stand alone game, you only need to buy one product.
Availability: 5/5 HeroQuest is widely available online and in stores.
And their you have it! Five games to scratch any number of hobby itches. Whether you’re looking for a new game to dive deep into with your group or simply find some exciting new minis to paint, all of these titles offer seriously cool alternatives to Warhammer. And if you simply want to add some new models to your painting queue, they all have readily-available minis at several price points.
Do you have a recommendation for painting or playing a table top war game? Tell us about it down in the comments or over at the Boss Rush Discord!
Featured image: Kingdom Death/Adam Poots
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