Post by grubnards on Mar 6, 2016 20:39:15 GMT -5
Beasts of War just announced their best of 2015 awards, which were voted on by the gaming public. You can see the list of all the entries at: www.beastsofwar.com/eventslist/awards-2015-live-blog/
Why am I bringing this up? Well, for one I voted in it, so I had some interest in seeing the results, but also one of my favorite games from the past year made it into the top 4 of four of the eight categories and took home the best miniatures game in 2015... Frostgrave!
Here is the break down of each category: (I highlighted the winner in red)
Best Model Kit
Kingdom Death Phoenix
Forge World Warlord Titan
GW Archaon the Everchosen
Frostgrave Cultists
Best Gaming Accessory
Urban Wasteland Mat - Deep Cut Studios
Industrial Zone Mat - Frontline Gaming
Mod Cubes - Mod Cubes
Mars Mat - Wargames Mats
Best Terrain Products
Town Gate - Tabletop World
Fantasy Dungeon Set - Battle Systems
City Watch Tower - 4Ground
Arkham Asylum - Knight Models
Best Gaming Artwork
Age of Sigmar - GW
Frostgrave - Osprey Games
Infinity USAriadna - Corvus Bell
Guild Ball - Steam Forged Games
Best Paint Job
Guija Squadron
Thanos
Crimson Fist Captain
Minatour
Best Game Expansion
Malifaux Shifting Loyalties - Wyrd
Frostgrave Thaw of the Lich Lord - Osprey
Codex Cult Mechanicus - GW
Imperial Assault Twin Shadows - FFG
Best Board/Card Game
Exploding Kittens
HH Battle of Calth - GW
Kingdom Death Monster - Kingdom Death
Dungeon Saga - Mantic
Best Miniature Game
Guild Ball - Steam Forged
Frostgrave - Osprey
Star Wars Armada - FFG
Kings of War 2nd Edition - Mantic
I think this is pretty awesome. As many of you know, mini games took a back seat for me this past year as I hit a hobby slump. But I discovered this game in August and it really has reignited my interest in building, converting and painting minis again. To me the biggest pros for this game are;
1. You can use any models. While Northstar Games is releasing their own minis for the game, you can pretty much use anything you want. My initial warband is composed of GW Empire and Brettonian models and Reaper minis. I am currently working on a Necromancer Warband and a Lizardmen warband.
2. The game is narrative and campaign driven. For those who have played Mordheim in the past, this game is a lot like that except that the focus is on the Wizards and not so much the soldiers. As you wizards gain treasure, cast spells, and kill enemy models, they gain experience, which they can use to level up. Osprey just released a digital rule where you can upgrade the captain of the soldiers but the focus is still primarily the wizard and his/her apprentice. Also, its worth noting that the game runs on a d20 mechanic. I'll try to post up a sample game in the near future so you can see how the game plays.
3. The game is played on a 3x3 densely populated board with lots of LoS blocking terrain. Which, as a terrain fan this is the tits for me!
Cons
The only con that springs to mind is that some of the rules on certain spells are open to interpretation. But the author is active on Leadadventures.de and is quick to chime in and has a posted errta on their site. They keep a running FAQ on the site that is updated frequently. I think this is primarily due to the fact that he and Osprey did not think that the game would take off like it has in less than 1 year. He has mentioned several times that future expansions and updates will tighten the mechanics. But since this is a narrative driven campaign type of game, I don't see this as much of an issue since you and your opponent are not treating this like a tournament type of event. The main goal of this game is to kick back, have fun and create a story in a new and fresh world in a fantasy setting.
If anyone ever wants to check this game out let me know. I have a few warbands in the works and lots of monsters/creatures already painted up so you wouldn't need to bring any models.
Why am I bringing this up? Well, for one I voted in it, so I had some interest in seeing the results, but also one of my favorite games from the past year made it into the top 4 of four of the eight categories and took home the best miniatures game in 2015... Frostgrave!
Here is the break down of each category: (I highlighted the winner in red)
Best Model Kit
Kingdom Death Phoenix
Forge World Warlord Titan
GW Archaon the Everchosen
Frostgrave Cultists
Best Gaming Accessory
Urban Wasteland Mat - Deep Cut Studios
Industrial Zone Mat - Frontline Gaming
Mod Cubes - Mod Cubes
Mars Mat - Wargames Mats
Best Terrain Products
Town Gate - Tabletop World
Fantasy Dungeon Set - Battle Systems
City Watch Tower - 4Ground
Arkham Asylum - Knight Models
Best Gaming Artwork
Age of Sigmar - GW
Frostgrave - Osprey Games
Infinity USAriadna - Corvus Bell
Guild Ball - Steam Forged Games
Best Paint Job
Guija Squadron
Thanos
Crimson Fist Captain
Minatour
Best Game Expansion
Malifaux Shifting Loyalties - Wyrd
Frostgrave Thaw of the Lich Lord - Osprey
Codex Cult Mechanicus - GW
Imperial Assault Twin Shadows - FFG
Best Board/Card Game
Exploding Kittens
HH Battle of Calth - GW
Kingdom Death Monster - Kingdom Death
Dungeon Saga - Mantic
Best Miniature Game
Guild Ball - Steam Forged
Frostgrave - Osprey
Star Wars Armada - FFG
Kings of War 2nd Edition - Mantic
I think this is pretty awesome. As many of you know, mini games took a back seat for me this past year as I hit a hobby slump. But I discovered this game in August and it really has reignited my interest in building, converting and painting minis again. To me the biggest pros for this game are;
1. You can use any models. While Northstar Games is releasing their own minis for the game, you can pretty much use anything you want. My initial warband is composed of GW Empire and Brettonian models and Reaper minis. I am currently working on a Necromancer Warband and a Lizardmen warband.
2. The game is narrative and campaign driven. For those who have played Mordheim in the past, this game is a lot like that except that the focus is on the Wizards and not so much the soldiers. As you wizards gain treasure, cast spells, and kill enemy models, they gain experience, which they can use to level up. Osprey just released a digital rule where you can upgrade the captain of the soldiers but the focus is still primarily the wizard and his/her apprentice. Also, its worth noting that the game runs on a d20 mechanic. I'll try to post up a sample game in the near future so you can see how the game plays.
3. The game is played on a 3x3 densely populated board with lots of LoS blocking terrain. Which, as a terrain fan this is the tits for me!
Cons
The only con that springs to mind is that some of the rules on certain spells are open to interpretation. But the author is active on Leadadventures.de and is quick to chime in and has a posted errta on their site. They keep a running FAQ on the site that is updated frequently. I think this is primarily due to the fact that he and Osprey did not think that the game would take off like it has in less than 1 year. He has mentioned several times that future expansions and updates will tighten the mechanics. But since this is a narrative driven campaign type of game, I don't see this as much of an issue since you and your opponent are not treating this like a tournament type of event. The main goal of this game is to kick back, have fun and create a story in a new and fresh world in a fantasy setting.
If anyone ever wants to check this game out let me know. I have a few warbands in the works and lots of monsters/creatures already painted up so you wouldn't need to bring any models.
