My Top 10 - Tabletop Games I Want to Play

Tuesday's post really got me thinking about all those games out there that I'd really like to play on a more regular basis. Not that it's remotely feasible to learn the rules for 10 more game systems, especially with my need to fully understand the rules before I'm comfortable playing them, but it's always fun to dream!

10. Dystopian Wars/Uncharted Seas/Firestorm Armada
These are made by the same company and, as far as I know, are basically the same idea. These are games based around ship-to-ship combat - whether naval, space, or... naval with a steampunk twist. I haven't seen these games in action, but a break from games where most models are bipedal would be a breath of fresh air.

9. Warhammer Fantasy/Kings of War
Kings of War is basically a simplified version of Warhammer with models I can actually afford. However, Warhammer Fantasy has some beautiful pieces, including having the best dwarf-models I've ever seen. Some armies, like Skaven and Greenskins, have such character to their models and fluff that they seem like they'd be a blast to play.

Kings of War is setting itself apart, although the more generic Warhammer armies are also featured here. What the two games share is brick-style combat, where your models aren't individual pieces but are moved as an entire unit. When I was younger it sounded dreadfully boring, but I definitely wouldn't mind having 10 big pieces to move instead of 100 smaller ones! Plus both games really capture the fantasy genre that we all love!

8. Battletech
When I was younger I was really in to Gundam Wing, which is basically a show about people duking it out inside giant robots. One thing that initially grabbed me about Warmachine and Warhammer 40k was their use of robots (warjacks and dreadnoughts, respectively), and having a game using nothing but huge pieces of machinery sounds fun. Battletech isn't the only game I'd settle for, and I'm not sure how much I'd like playing on a hexagonal grid, but the models look great and I know the Battletech franchise is popular enough to have a solid setting for the game.

7. Flames of War
"Eww, WW2 combat. There's no magic there at all!" Oh how my tastes have changed. Flames of War has a huge following, and the scenery tutorials I've seen for it have made me really want to get in to small-scale combat games like this. Plus the small Flames of War commission I did awhile ago also made me appreciate the detail involved in the models.

I've never been a war buff so being softly restricted in my paint schemes for sake of "historical accuracy" might be a downer. On the flip side I can see the appeal of playing a game that is firmly rooted in our reality. Having troops and vehicles behave realistically is something most games strive for, but sometimes models need to behave in a hyper-reality for more dynamic battles. Playing a real war game could be a whole new experience that I've been missing out on!

6. Dust Tactics/Dust Warfare
And coming off my spiel on reality, I move on to the Dust series. This alternate history game set in the 1940s uses alien technology to completely alter the way war is done. Armies use giant robots to fight over resources instead of the standard armored combat we're familiar with, giving a whole new feel to the era. Despite the $80 price tag, buying Dust Tactics (a game played on a gridded board) gives you immediate access to playing Dust Warfare, a game that uses the same models but with different rules to let you play it on a 3d landscape.

This is one that I don't remember too much about after my initial research so many months ago, but I remember being excited about the prospect of the game. The models look good, and being made by Fantasy Flight Games gives me a lot of confidence about the game itself. The real downer is that some models come pre-painted, and if I'm going to paint 1 model in my army I want everything else to match my scheme and painting style.


5. All Things Zombie
This one is a bit of an oddball since it's not a competitive game per se. ATZ is a 10mm realistic zombie survival game. Characters in your game make food run, suffer long-term injuries, and overall you don't get to play the action-movie hero who can take on everything and survive. In a sense it's almost set up like a solo/cooperative version of Dungeons and Dragons with the option to have someone control the zombies for a more ruthless campaign.

I bought this game and some minis years ago thinking I'd set up a small table with some cardboard terrain and just enjoy some quiet time with my zombies. As it turns out kids take up space, so having a dedicated area for the game didn't really pan out. That was also before my discovery of painting, and I was terrified of trying to paint something so small, yet I also didn't' want to play with little pieces of metal. I've kept the game around because the ability to run a campaign seems really fun, and the rules seem like they would make for a realistic zombie experience.

4. X-Wing/Star Trek
While I'm not speaking heresy and saying these are basically the same franchises, the two games don't seem to differ enough for me to really care which I play. I've played some X-Wing with my friend Josh, and I was surprised to find that I really enjoyed it. Having a pseudo 3d table is an interesting twist, and throwing out the I Go U Go turn structure adds a lot of strategy as you try to maneuver your ships to an advantageous firing position, while at the same time having no idea what your opponent is going to do to mess it all up.

I have yet to read anything about the Star Trek game, but if it's similar then the larger ships of the show could make for an interesting dynamic compared to X-Wings hit-and-run style.


3. Infinity
My group tried getting in to this, but as I said Tuesday it's just hard to move away from a game you're comfortable with. Infinity has everything I want in a game - it has beautiful models, uses a lot of terrain, has a cool sci-fi vibe with a strong anime flavor, and doesn't have a bunch of models bogging down the field. Combat is quick and brutal, and factions are distinct enough that everyone gets semi-unique rules without becoming too confusing. In theory it seems like a great game, and one that I really want to play.

The only thing that held this game back for me was the rulebook. As I understand it the game has had trouble getting the rulebook laid out well in its native language, and that hasn't gone well in translating it over to English. I may try rekindling interest in this game once the rules are a bit more clear, but right now the only thing keeping this from #2 is the muddy rules.

2. Dropzone Commander
Despite the initial buzz of the game dying out, I still think it seems like a great game to play. Small-scale stuff is becoming appealing in terms of cost, painting, and moving around the field. Terrain also seems more fun because a smaller scale lets you spend a fraction of the time creating objects for the battlefield. Plus DZC just has really cool looking armies, and getting to fight in an actual city, instead of a 4x4 table with a few buildings thrown in, would make for a very dynamic game.

DZC is a game I plan on playing one day. If they release a starter set with one of the armies I want (because of course the two in the starter are the only two I don't like) I'll have to look at picking it up. Having a starter box at a fair price that comes with all the terrain you need is just too good to pass up, and a game that is said to have great rules and balance makes me helpless to resist.

1. Malifaux
Who's surprised? None of you! No one is surprised by this one.

If you've been a regular reader for a month you've probably seen me reference Malifaux, and you'd be right in wondering if I've ever stayed up late just to read through the forums, watch battle reports, or just browse through the galleries again and again. If there was any game that could tempt me away from Warmachine, this would be it. The setting is appropriately dark, the models are the some of my favorites to look at, the unique dice-less mechanic adds a lot to strategy, the small skirmish games make it easy to pick up and play, and everything else about the game makes me look in to starting it at least once a month.

With the release of Malifaux 2.0, the call is stronger than ever. The cost to play a full-sized game is so low that I'm tempted to just snipe a couple of armies on Bartertown, paint them up, then kidnap a couple friends and make them try it out. The games I've seen online seem to go rather quickly, and only having a handful of models to move around the board means that games are quick-but-brutal.

Admittedly some of the models are a bit too dark. There are some that cross the line between tastefully horrifying and something a stereotypical pubescent boy would look at and say "cool!" And despite one of my earliest memories being watching movies like It, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Friday the 13th, I've never been a fan of something being shocking for its own sake. Of course most of that criticism is aimed at many Neverborn models, but since I like the Guild, Resurrectionists, Outcasts, and (to a degree) the Arcanists I don't think it's something I'd need to worry about.

The worst part is that there are no Henchman (volunteer community leaders) in my area, and the negative results to me asking around for someone to teach me makes me think that no one in the capital city of Iowa plays the game. Naturally I could drive an hour in any direction to find a Henchman, but it's a no-go for someone with limited free time on the weekends. If I could pick up some traction I'd be gung-ho about becoming one myself, but I'd need to actually, you know, play the game enough to learn the rules and support the game in my area.



You've read mine, now let's hear some of yours!


See you tomorrow!

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