The Conquest part is a bit outdated. The old two player starter set (which is being discontinued) offered more than 800 points of two armies. I would put it around 100-150$ for a full armies with terrain nowdays.
I think you could add independent games like Space Weirdos or Sword Weirdos and free download games from One Page Rules. I am surprised Frostgrave made the list, but Stargrave and Silver Bayonet did not. I am really happy to see Gaslands and Battletech made the list. There is an excellent Battletech Alphastrike starter too. Finally, BT Alphastrike had a free rule set with standies to print and play all for free. Great video and thank you!
I have recently discovered Mythic Battles Pantheon 1.5 , what a great skirmish with such a simple rules to follow however offering a lot of tactical decisions , can be played in 90 min so this is a great benefit to me, offers some campaigns and comes with cartoon trees and pillars, truly recommend
Crooked Dice 7TV, OPR AoF-Skirmish, OPR-GF-Firefight, (curiously OPR is on your intro screen but not in the content?), Rangers of Shadow Deep, 5 Parsecs from Home, 0200 Hours and Judge Dredd (WG) to name but a few. There's also tons of Historical skirmish games, although you did mention Blood Red Skies, but probably too many for your video.
Yeah, historical games will get their own video, OPR is getting a highlight in the minituares agnostic video I'm making, I thought I had removed all mentions of it but guessed ai missed one. Thanks for the other recommendations!
Space Wierdos and Sword Wierdos are both fantastic indie skirmish wargames that only cost 5 bucks each and then you just need a handful of minis and some scenery. As they are model agnostic you can use whatever you want and can be as cheap as you want to make it.
Turnip is made to be played with kitbashed minis. The kickstarter miniatures are highly optional You can start playing at the cost of a box of napoleonic minis and some random bits
Add Nuts!, Forbidden Pslam, Turnip 28 and Infinity Code One. The least expensive Skirmish games will always be the "minis agnostic" games where you can use or kit-bash what ever minis and terrain you like. They also happen to be co-operative or solo games, great for new entries. SO, PUT, Nuts! WWII by Two Hour Wargames and Forbidden Psalm by Will Rahman on your list. These also both use a core mechanic that they extend to their other games / genres. Two Hour Wargames has the great "Reaction System" and Forbidden Psalm's sytem which doesn't have a name but it is used in their Fantasy, Cyberpunk, Weird WWI, etc games. These skirmish games are alsp well suited to be played campaign or even RPG style. I would also recommend Turnip 28 a weird Black Powder skirmish game but it is slightly more expensive (you need more troops) and a little larger in scope and offers artistic challenges that might not be suitable for players new to minitures gaming. My other Honorable mention is Infinity Code One by corvus Belli, you only need 3 to 5 minis per side, but Infinity is significantly more complex. Code One is the entry to Infinity N4. These are not tournament style rules sets that engage in never ending chasing of army lists and miniatures. But have a HUGE replay value.
Games that could replace those dumb GW games: achtung cthulhu skirmish, brutality, blood and plunder, five parsecs from home, guildball, hell dorado, the other side, pulp alley, forbidden psalm/last war, don't look back, verrotwood
the fun fact about 40k - originally titled Rogue Trader, it was a role-playing game with skirmish rules. only presented as either a hard or soft cover book. was miniatures agnostic. the white dwarf magazine had articles about 'crafting' terrain and vehicles. the typical game would be two forces similar size: 1 hero or champion 1 Sergeant 8 troops 1 support weapon optional 1 heavy support weapon or 1 vehicle that's it, that's all both players would field. soft cover $19.99 hard cover $29.99 1 box of 30 marines $19.99 (plastic) 1 box of 20 orcs $19.99 (metal)
@Wargamerofalltrades it was exponentially better! the thing that GW removed, which also ended my use of thier rules, the sections which gave you the points cost for individual stat block items. with 2nd version of the rules, you could no longer 'create' your own troops or heroes. you would only be able to use the troops or heroes that GW created. that alone, killed the game for me.
I'm surprised you didn't mention Grimdark Future Firefight or Age of Fantasy Skirmish, by One Page Rules. They are miniature agnostic and the rules are free.
Mainly since a focus on Minituare Agnostic games wasn't the point of this video, I will be making a video more focused on them. In my brain it made sense
Frostgrave also has lines of specific miniatures they produce and sell, while OPR specifically markets as miniature agnostic. Not saying your wrong either, just showing my logic train
I would like to suggest Carnevale. There are two incredibly generous starter sets that both come with terrain. One at £65, and the other at £35. Convert to your local currency on your own. The game is about groups fighting in the city of Venice with a whole slew of fantasy and weird additions. It is very terrain interactive as your models get to jump over canals, climb on the roofs, and push the enemies into the water and try to drown them. All of the miniatures are cast resin though. My least favorite material to work with.
Dirtside 2, Stargrunt 2, One page rules, Space Weirdos ($5) and any other free ruleset or under $5. The best when you can use cheap miniatures like rebased heroclix.
Happy that you found something new! I read through the free rules and really enjoyed the concepts, and I'm a sucker for anything that looks like Titanfall
It's weird that people see Kill Team as intro to WH40K, when it has a much smarter, challenging and engaging ruleset focused on player agency, maneuver and decisions not on rolling buckets of dice. I was done with GW games due to how obsolete and random and tedious and boring they are, but KT surprised my by being anything but - like a non-GW game, rules-wise. Thanks for the list, it was really interesting to watch :) ! It was great to see Gaslands as the first place :) I would add Warmachine there - as with many other systems it has different official point levels and most of them (apart from the highest one for the most veteran players) feel pretty "skirmishy" with armies' model count not that dissimilar to Kill Team. The game would be pretty low on the price scale, unfortunately, but it is an excellent, deep game for someone who is more into an intellectual challenge than rolling dice and seeing what happens. (a side note - plural of "mini" is "minis". "Mini's" doesn't make any sense in the contexts where it appears in your summaries - neither as "mini is", "mini has" or possessive "mini's something".
Argh I thought I had removed all the mini's and changed them to minis... thanks for the feedback, Warmachine did get a shout out in my cheapest wargames list I made a few weeks back. And the intro to 40K point literally is what my local group calls it and it makes me so sad, Kill Team is one of the better GW games on the market right now IMO
This is an impressively comprehensive and detailed list for a 23 minutes video. Nice work! Awesome to see Moonstone and Bushido get some spotlight too :)
Battletech number 1!!!! lol Cheap, deep deep lore and it scales in complexity and model count so well with its variations. I am really interested in BLK and the cyberpunk one.
I know others have mentioned Forbidden Psalm/Kill Sample Process/The Last War, but I can't sing their praises enough. A book for $40. A single box of Frostgrave or Stargrave minis for $20-$30. Whatever random terrain (or poorhammer soda cans) sitting around you have, and you've got enough for two players with detailed campaigns in the books already. And since rolling up a warband or crew takes only 15 minutes or so, they are wicked easy to pick up and play, while not taking away from actual substantial gameplay.
If you’re looking for another skirmish game to try out or add to future lists may I suggest Eldfall Chronicles. It has 2 different start sets that each contain 2 of the 4 current factions for around €80 with every thing you need to play except terrain, which they sell for €25. The game gives me a fantasy infinity style with a it’s rules, but with fewer reactions and model count. It also has rules for Co-op and solo play.
With the MCP one, the starter set comes with terrain and you probably only really need one extra terrain pack for a good spread, depending on which it is.
Nuclear Renaissance is a great set of post-apocalyptic, gang warfare skirmish rules from Ramshacle Games. It's miniature agnostic, and makes a great replacement for Necromunda if you want something less complex.
I think it's only fair to mention the grandaddy of Fantasy Skirmish, Mordheim. It's long dead if you ask GW but the rules are free on Broheim, and there's a whole world of miniatures available to buy as proxies or 3D print that equate to the originals. It still has a very dedicated community.
I would be interested in actual prices of these games to get an actual experience of the game. I play necromunda; and that $185 doesn't even scratch the surface of actually playing the game as intended. Not a criticism I genuinely want to know your opinion.
It's why I specified with Necromunda how deceptive it can be with pricing, it costs way more. In general, I'd say other then Necromunda most games need at most another $20-$50 to get everything your selected faction would need to be fully playable and have every option you'd want.
Turnip 28 is all about kitbashing. Seems odd to disqualify them because the minis arent out yet, when Gaslands has no minis. The kickstarter wasnt for rules, it was for optional minis.
X-wing has a bigger competitive scene than any of those? 400+ players at last Adepticon, between LCQ and invitational. It's true it is not well supported, comparatively, minis seem to be too expensive to produce these days (pre-assembled and pre-painted). Would love to get into Battletech though.
I mean, it is acknowledged but if you can't currently buy the product I didn't feel the best making it a recommendation. This video was geared towards newer players especially. I do wish X-Wing was more supported, and hopefully AMG stops mismanaging the games they own
Ok, interesting to see GW get numerous entries yet again presumably based on availability and marketing but they don't tend to be great games but a license to print money (my anti GW bias but you've also missed another of their skirmish games listed below). I've seen comments saying that historical skirmish should be separate, I'm not sure why. Fantasy and SciFi skirmish rules are skirmish rules with made up factions doing similar stuff (hand to hamd fighting and ranged fighting using different terminology to describe range and impact) So onto game systems not mentioned in no particular order Mantic - Kings of War Ambush Mantic - Kings of War Armada Great Escape Games - Dead Mans Hand TTCombat - Carnevale Firelock Games - Blood and Plunder Warlord - Achtung Panzer Warlord - SPQR Footsore - Gangs of Rome Wargames Atlantic/ Zombiesmith - This Quar's War: Clash of Rhyfles Modiphius - Rangers of Shadowdeep Osprey - The Silver Bayonet Gale Force Nine - World of Tanks GW - Aeronautica Imperialis If we are then going for rulebooks and you source the minis you and terrain could look at Wiley - Fistful of lead and era spin offs Osprey - All the rulesets based off of Songs of Blade game engine by Andrea Sfiligoi John Lambshead - One hour Skirmish - any era The key to me, and it's a personal thing, skirmish should be quick to setup, play and then replay. Personally I prefer simple and fun rather than complicated simulations. I deliberately haven't mentioned Modiphius/ Nordic Weasel's Five Parsecs/ Five Leagues/ 5 clicks/ 5 men series alongside Joseph A. McCullough's Deathship One and Snarling Badgers Deth Wizard and Space Sation Zero as these tend to be solo skirmish games.
OPR IS Rules free armybuilder free Paper Terrain free Paper Miniatures free or use any Terrain and any Minis that you Like to Play it... Or buy the l3d printed Minis can BE about 20$ Up for Skirmish per Team
Battletech is he only game I can think of where the war game plays like a skirmish game and alpha strike their skirmish game is arguably better as a war game. But in either scenario each game will take at least 2 hours to play
@@Wargamerofalltrades I don’t play online I play in person, tabletop simulator frustrates me (it’s a personal problem not a reflection on online players) and we usually play company sized games of alpha strike. Our record right now is a battalion of mercs vs a cluster of jade falcons.
Mutant year zero: Zone wars is an apocalyptic skirmish game with fast and easy rules. Base game is geared for 1-2 players (solo mode is included). It is ready to play from the box with two teams of five characters each ( unpainted but sun coated). The components are good quality. The game includes: 10 high-quality miniatures* 83 playing cards 105 tokens 10 custom dice 36” × 36” game mat 3 full sheets of cardboard terrain Measuring ruler Rulebook The components are good quality There is also an expansion with two more teams, allowing for a 1-4 players game. The expansion includes: 10 high-quality miniatures* 79 playing cards 100 tokens 10 custom dice 3 full sheets of cardboard terrain Measuring ruler Scenario booklet
Dunno if you took this into consideration but necromunda also uses speciality dice that must be bought separately (cheapest I've found is $15) unless you use some conversation charts or DIY dice
Okay, so I've noticed that some other comments have mentioned Forbidden Psalm but i'd like to list its spin-offs as well: Kill.Sample.Process (cyberpunk), Last War (Weird War I), Dread Nights (Victorian), and an upcoming Lovecraftian cults vs cults game. Additionally, id also like to throw Necropolis28 in the ring as well for any upcoming video you might make that focuses on mini-agnostic, kitbash focused wargames for players with too many skeleton minis gathering dust on the shelf.
hands down one of the cheapest systems you could get into is the 'USEME' range from alternative armies. for about £25 with a starter set containing 30 smth minis in total, making two armies, and all the rules, which fit on a dozen pages of a booklet. plenty of options for settings, but the one i went with was the cyberpunk theme. because the minis are 15mm they paint up in just a few hours total, so its a really cost effective way of scratching an itch you might have for a new genre/ setting, without a big buy in or huge time investment.
You might want to have a look at Freebooters Fate. It's a card based game and the Starter Set with 2 factions, the rulebook and the cards is only € 90,-. A set for one of the factions is about € 34,- to € 40,- If you want to expand your faction it can get expensive though because single minis are about 15 to 20 Euros. But they are wonderful.
Marvel Crisis Protocol has replaced it's core set and it's more expensive. For Necromunda you need the book for your chosen faction so that adds to the price and should be taken into account.
I mean, that's the first time I've heard of most of these. I'm only one person and I make this videos as well to set up for follow ups and show people less known games, so I'll add these to the list
I like the video. I want to point out a problem with the methodology, but consider it like pointing out the problems with map projections: there's no way to perfectly project a globe onto a plane. There's also no way to perfectly summarize the cost of starting a wargame. However, I think it should be mentioned which games require starter sets and which don't. For example - Infinity's operation boxes are brilliant, but if you don't like either faction (or don't want to buy 2) you can grab a terrain pack which comes with the terrain, mat, templates and tokens, and then whatever miniatures from whatever faction you like. Rules are free PDFs Alternatively, if you want to play Necromunda you need the starter box for the templates, plus the core rulebook as the full rules aren't included in the soft cover rulebook, plus a book for your gang to get the full rules for them, and if you want to play a different gang than what's in the starter you have to buy that as well.
Your correct in saying there's no perfect way to do the methodology, and in the next video like this I'll take some of these suggestions and work them in. Thanks for the comment!
Using the price of a starter set as monetary entry points can be very misleading as a way to gauge prices between different games. There is a huge difference in what the starter sets provides you with compared to what you need to play a full game "as intended" between different systems. MESBG should probably be mentioned for a good value starter set though, if that is the metric used. Throwing Blood Red Skies, Battletech and Gaslands into the mix with 28mm games strikes me as an odd choice as well. For GL and BRS most because they are different scales and the miniatures are a major selling point for most people, but also because the complexity of BT blows everything else on this list out of the water. It's not an easy system or even setting to get into. Heavy Gear would probably fit better to the rest of the games on that list rules-wise. Naval Battle and Airplane/Spaceship dog-fight games are a genre of their own and merit their own list imo. Still an interesting list though.
I understand your thought process on this, but after playing multiple different scales I don't believe that they actually matter that much. What really matters is the rules. Minituares and model scale is great but if you have a bad game it's a bad game. I do believe that it should also be highlighted that we have some very cheap options in this hobby, as I believe to many people are funneled into the GW price mindset. Thanks for the feedback
I'd second the suggestion to include Heavy Gear Blitz. Despite scale, it is very much a skirmish game, in the same price ranges as the games you're looking at and arguably more compatible to most of the list than e.g. BT, which is more technically a simulationist game than a skirmish game.
Great list here are a few more. Other mini agonistic games are Space Station Zero, Five Parsecs from Home, Def Wizards (brand new), and Five Leagues from the Borderland. If your interested in western theme, Dead Mans Hand, Dead by Lead, and Gunfighters Ball fit the bill. A couple others that I find interesting and I am not sure where they fall are Core Space and Maladum. They are a cross between a skirms game and boardgame.
@@andersand6576 Those are great too. There are so many I keep forgetting about so many. I forgot about a great '80 horror nostalgia one called Don't Look Back.
UA-cam recommended this for me, I enjoyed it. Used to play X-Wing, it has a community still but they can be hard to find if they're not in your local area, also finding ships is now very hard. So you are right to not include it, despite being a great skirmish game. Fun list. Some of the games look really cool.
They have gotten a highlight in a previous video, and I am planning a more in depth breakdown of everything OPR offers, but your right it should have been an honorable mention at least
Great list! You have me interested in combat zone, something I had passed over previously. Fallout Wasteland Warfare is an amazing an incredibly flexible game! Nice callout for Xenos Rampant too, it's a fantastic game!
Glad you enjoyed the video! I will sing praises for Combat Zone for a long time, I absolutely adore the game and it's gotten so many of my non wargame friends interested in it
I doubted you would say Mordheim, but then that stock photo with the ruined city just screamed Mordheim so I thought maybe. But no matter, I will sing the praises of my favourite game instead. These days it is mostly a miniatures agnostic game (perhaps less so if you choose Skaven, but for most warbands use whatever minis you like) that doesn’t need support because there’s so much already online for free. I’m in the camp that would rather GW left it alone as everything’s there already with a buy in as cheap as a box of minis from pretty much anywhere. Terrain though, you need a lot for a quality terrain for a Mordheim board!!
I appreciate you highlighting some lesser known skirmish games. One you could add to the list (and there are a ton of skirmish games so I don’t blame you for missing some) is Judgement Eternal Champions. Its starter set is $125 and it comes with everything 2 players need to get started.
Thank you for this Video! Really Imporant and Kickass! 11:32 Love the Crisis! Dude make timestamps in your Discription: 00:00 Intro 01:00 Game 1 - Name 05:00 Game X - Name 15:24 I love X-COM! I've got to try Battletech! Hordes and Warmachine still Alive? Didn't Play GASLANDS IN AGES!!!
@@oldAzekai Agreed. OPR is the closest we've had to an wargame for the people. Bring whatever models you want, make rules for whatever models you want, a universe of possibilities for truly forging your own narrative.
The Conquest part is a bit outdated. The old two player starter set (which is being discontinued) offered more than 800 points of two armies.
I would put it around 100-150$ for a full armies with terrain nowdays.
Thanks, I'll pin your comment as an update
Conquest First Blood has a dedicated Rules creator now at Para-Bellum and they just released a major update to the First Blood ruleset. Check it out!
a box of first blood with 14 minis is 49€ now ...
@@Bullwai83 It will definitely by on my next list, a few other games got cheaper as well which surprised me in a good way
I think you could add independent games like Space Weirdos or Sword Weirdos and free download games from One Page Rules.
I am surprised Frostgrave made the list, but Stargrave and Silver Bayonet did not.
I am really happy to see Gaslands and Battletech made the list. There is an excellent Battletech Alphastrike starter too. Finally, BT Alphastrike had a free rule set with standies to print and play all for free.
Great video and thank you!
Mostly due to me not hearing about Stragrave and Silver Bayonet, thanks for the recommendations, they'll be included in a future video.
100 percent agree on the Space and Sword Wierdos games. 5 bucks for the game and then you only need a handful of models.
I have recently discovered Mythic Battles Pantheon 1.5 , what a great skirmish with such a simple rules to follow however offering a lot of tactical decisions , can be played in 90 min so this is a great benefit to me, offers some campaigns and comes with cartoon trees and pillars, truly recommend
Crooked Dice 7TV, OPR AoF-Skirmish, OPR-GF-Firefight, (curiously OPR is on your intro screen but not in the content?), Rangers of Shadow Deep, 5 Parsecs from Home, 0200 Hours and Judge Dredd (WG) to name but a few. There's also tons of Historical skirmish games, although you did mention Blood Red Skies, but probably too many for your video.
Yeah, historical games will get their own video,
OPR is getting a highlight in the minituares agnostic video I'm making, I thought I had removed all mentions of it but guessed ai missed one. Thanks for the other recommendations!
@@Wargamerofalltrades Nice. Love Battletech btw although I tend to play Alphastrike these days. Good to see it included in a ratings list.
Space Wierdos and Sword Wierdos are both fantastic indie skirmish wargames that only cost 5 bucks each and then you just need a handful of minis and some scenery. As they are model agnostic you can use whatever you want and can be as cheap as you want to make it.
I'm gonna have to make a video on the minituare agnostic games people keep mentioning,
Thanks for the recommendations!
Great list. I would include Stagrave along side Frostgrave.
Somehow I completely missed stargrave while looking at frostgrave, I'll make sure to add it next time
I wonder if Star Wars Legion would fit into the list? The Core box sets are kinda skirmish size?
Legion is in my other list focusing on more traditional wargames
Turnip is made to be played with kitbashed minis. The kickstarter miniatures are highly optional
You can start playing at the cost of a box of napoleonic minis and some random bits
Yep! I'm gonna be highlighting it more in a video about minituare agnostic games
Combat Zone is brilliant. No MESBG in your list? It has a Battle Companies mode which starts with 6/7 figures.
I am trying to only count dedicated games in these videos or I'd have to many and be repeating myself a lot
@Wargamerofalltrades Got it. Mesbg is not a dedicated skirmish game. It is regarded as one of the best rulesets GW has ever made though.
Yep, I do enjoy the game a decent bit, although I've only played it once
Add Nuts!, Forbidden Pslam, Turnip 28 and Infinity Code One. The least expensive Skirmish games will always be the "minis agnostic" games where you can use or kit-bash what ever minis and terrain you like. They also happen to be co-operative or solo games, great for new entries. SO, PUT, Nuts! WWII by Two Hour Wargames and Forbidden Psalm by Will Rahman on your list. These also both use a core mechanic that they extend to their other games / genres. Two Hour Wargames has the great "Reaction System" and Forbidden Psalm's sytem which doesn't have a name but it is used in their Fantasy, Cyberpunk, Weird WWI, etc games. These skirmish games are alsp well suited to be played campaign or even RPG style. I would also recommend Turnip 28 a weird Black Powder skirmish game but it is slightly more expensive (you need more troops) and a little larger in scope and offers artistic challenges that might not be suitable for players new to minitures gaming. My other Honorable mention is Infinity Code One by corvus Belli, you only need 3 to 5 minis per side, but Infinity is significantly more complex. Code One is the entry to Infinity N4. These are not tournament style rules sets that engage in never ending chasing of army lists and miniatures. But have a HUGE replay value.
Thanks for the recommendations, I'll have to add them to my ever growing list
BLKOUT is amazing
Probably Battletech
Turnip 28 has skirmish rules?
Yes it does! They are rather fun as well
@@Wargamerofalltrades This I must find.
Games that could replace those dumb GW games: achtung cthulhu skirmish, brutality, blood and plunder, five parsecs from home, guildball, hell dorado, the other side, pulp alley, forbidden psalm/last war, don't look back, verrotwood
the fun fact about 40k -
originally titled Rogue Trader, it was a role-playing game with skirmish rules. only presented as either a hard or soft cover book. was miniatures agnostic. the white dwarf magazine had articles about 'crafting' terrain and vehicles.
the typical game would be two forces similar size:
1 hero or champion
1 Sergeant
8 troops
1 support weapon
optional
1 heavy support weapon
or
1 vehicle
that's it, that's all both players would field.
soft cover $19.99
hard cover $29.99
1 box of 30 marines $19.99 (plastic)
1 box of 20 orcs $19.99 (metal)
I have the reprint they released and it shocked me how different the game used to be, I want to run the original rules at some point.
@Wargamerofalltrades it was exponentially better! the thing that GW removed, which also ended my use of thier rules, the sections which gave you the points cost for individual stat block items.
with 2nd version of the rules, you could no longer 'create' your own troops or heroes. you would only be able to use the troops or heroes that GW created.
that alone, killed the game for me.
Ahhh.... the good old deodorant stick tank 🥰
I'm surprised you didn't mention Grimdark Future Firefight or Age of Fantasy Skirmish, by One Page Rules. They are miniature agnostic and the rules are free.
Mainly since a focus on Minituare Agnostic games wasn't the point of this video, I will be making a video more focused on them. In my brain it made sense
Frostgrave is miniatures agnostic…
Frostgrave also has lines of specific miniatures they produce and sell, while OPR specifically markets as miniature agnostic. Not saying your wrong either, just showing my logic train
Glad to see Gaslands getting some love! A seriously underrated game with possibly the lowest barrier of entry on the market.
Yep, gaslands deserves all the love it can get!
😊
Agreed! Especially if you've already got some bits from other games, just get some cheap cars (I visit thrift/charity shops), and you're good!
Underrated by who? when? I enjoy Gaslands but with more cars it slows down a whole lot.
I would like to suggest Carnevale.
There are two incredibly generous starter sets that both come with terrain. One at £65, and the other at £35. Convert to your local currency on your own.
The game is about groups fighting in the city of Venice with a whole slew of fantasy and weird additions.
It is very terrain interactive as your models get to jump over canals, climb on the roofs, and push the enemies into the water and try to drown them.
All of the miniatures are cast resin though. My least favorite material to work with.
I'm kind of used to Resin at this point since most of the non GW games seem to use it, but I'll definitely have to try it out!
That X-Wing predictions got validated pretty fast :(
Yeah, I'm sad I was right I didn't want to be
Dirtside 2, Stargrunt 2, One page rules, Space Weirdos ($5) and any other free ruleset or under $5. The best when you can use cheap miniatures like rebased heroclix.
Yo BLKout looks cool, I gotta be sure to check that out.
Happy that you found something new! I read through the free rules and really enjoyed the concepts, and I'm a sucker for anything that looks like Titanfall
It's weird that people see Kill Team as intro to WH40K, when it has a much smarter, challenging and engaging ruleset focused on player agency, maneuver and decisions not on rolling buckets of dice. I was done with GW games due to how obsolete and random and tedious and boring they are, but KT surprised my by being anything but - like a non-GW game, rules-wise.
Thanks for the list, it was really interesting to watch :) ! It was great to see Gaslands as the first place :)
I would add Warmachine there - as with many other systems it has different official point levels and most of them (apart from the highest one for the most veteran players) feel pretty "skirmishy" with armies' model count not that dissimilar to Kill Team. The game would be pretty low on the price scale, unfortunately, but it is an excellent, deep game for someone who is more into an intellectual challenge than rolling dice and seeing what happens.
(a side note - plural of "mini" is "minis". "Mini's" doesn't make any sense in the contexts where it appears in your summaries - neither as "mini is", "mini has" or possessive "mini's something".
Argh I thought I had removed all the mini's and changed them to minis... thanks for the feedback, Warmachine did get a shout out in my cheapest wargames list I made a few weeks back.
And the intro to 40K point literally is what my local group calls it and it makes me so sad, Kill Team is one of the better GW games on the market right now IMO
This is an impressively comprehensive and detailed list for a 23 minutes video. Nice work! Awesome to see Moonstone and Bushido get some spotlight too :)
Thanks a ton!
Forbidden Psalm and its spin offs, and Space/Sword Weirdos would be perfect, given that each player only needs about five miniatures
These have been mentioned a lot, and will definitely be covered in the future!
Thanks for helping add visibility to alternative systems
Thanks! My main goal is to show how many amazing non Games Workshop cards that are out in the wild
Battletech number 1!!!! lol
Cheap, deep deep lore and it scales in complexity and model count so well with its variations.
I am really interested in BLK and the cyberpunk one.
I highly recommend Combat Zone, been my go to since it came out and I love all the variation the gangs bring!
I know others have mentioned Forbidden Psalm/Kill Sample Process/The Last War, but I can't sing their praises enough. A book for $40. A single box of Frostgrave or Stargrave minis for $20-$30. Whatever random terrain (or poorhammer soda cans) sitting around you have, and you've got enough for two players with detailed campaigns in the books already. And since rolling up a warband or crew takes only 15 minutes or so, they are wicked easy to pick up and play, while not taking away from actual substantial gameplay.
If you’re looking for another skirmish game to try out or add to future lists may I suggest Eldfall Chronicles. It has 2 different start sets that each contain 2 of the 4 current factions for around €80 with every thing you need to play except terrain, which they sell for €25. The game gives me a fantasy infinity style with a it’s rules, but with fewer reactions and model count. It also has rules for Co-op and solo play.
Literally everything else is cheaper than the overpriced plastic crack from Games Workshop.
Surprisingly some GW games are competitively priced on the skirmish side, but in general you are correct
BattleTech still one of top fav skirmish fighting but BLKOUT becoming my new addiction (my replacement for 40k)
With the MCP one, the starter set comes with terrain and you probably only really need one extra terrain pack for a good spread, depending on which it is.
I applaud the scholarship on display in this video. May you ride eternal.
I did not expect the creator of gaslands to comment on my video, kudos to all your amazing work!
Nuclear Renaissance is a great set of post-apocalyptic, gang warfare skirmish rules from Ramshacle Games. It's miniature agnostic, and makes a great replacement for Necromunda if you want something less complex.
Thanks for the recommendation, it's the first time someone's mentioned Nuclear Renaissance so I'll have to check it out
I think it's only fair to mention the grandaddy of Fantasy Skirmish, Mordheim. It's long dead if you ask GW but the rules are free on Broheim, and there's a whole world of miniatures available to buy as proxies or 3D print that equate to the originals. It still has a very dedicated community.
Thanks! Mordheim is actually planned to be in the next video as well, so it will get a spotlight as it deserves
I would be interested in actual prices of these games to get an actual experience of the game.
I play necromunda; and that $185 doesn't even scratch the surface of actually playing the game as intended.
Not a criticism I genuinely want to know your opinion.
It's why I specified with Necromunda how deceptive it can be with pricing, it costs way more.
In general, I'd say other then Necromunda most games need at most another $20-$50 to get everything your selected faction would need to be fully playable and have every option you'd want.
Turnip 28 is all about kitbashing. Seems odd to disqualify them because the minis arent out yet, when Gaslands has no minis. The kickstarter wasnt for rules, it was for optional minis.
It's always hard to price minituares agnostic games, but Turnip28 and other agnostic games will get a video to highlight them
X-wing has a bigger competitive scene than any of those? 400+ players at last Adepticon, between LCQ and invitational. It's true it is not well supported, comparatively, minis seem to be too expensive to produce these days (pre-assembled and pre-painted). Would love to get into Battletech though.
I mean, it is acknowledged but if you can't currently buy the product I didn't feel the best making it a recommendation. This video was geared towards newer players especially.
I do wish X-Wing was more supported, and hopefully AMG stops mismanaging the games they own
Ok, interesting to see GW get numerous entries yet again presumably based on availability and marketing but they don't tend to be great games but a license to print money (my anti GW bias but you've also missed another of their skirmish games listed below). I've seen comments saying that historical skirmish should be separate, I'm not sure why. Fantasy and SciFi skirmish rules are skirmish rules with made up factions doing similar stuff (hand to hamd fighting and ranged fighting using different terminology to describe range and impact)
So onto game systems not mentioned in no particular order
Mantic - Kings of War Ambush
Mantic - Kings of War Armada
Great Escape Games - Dead Mans Hand
TTCombat - Carnevale
Firelock Games - Blood and Plunder
Warlord - Achtung Panzer
Warlord - SPQR
Footsore - Gangs of Rome
Wargames Atlantic/ Zombiesmith - This Quar's War: Clash of Rhyfles
Modiphius - Rangers of Shadowdeep
Osprey - The Silver Bayonet
Gale Force Nine - World of Tanks
GW - Aeronautica Imperialis
If we are then going for rulebooks and you source the minis you and terrain could look at
Wiley - Fistful of lead and era spin offs
Osprey - All the rulesets based off of Songs of Blade game engine by Andrea Sfiligoi
John Lambshead - One hour Skirmish - any era
The key to me, and it's a personal thing, skirmish should be quick to setup, play and then replay. Personally I prefer simple and fun rather than complicated simulations. I deliberately haven't mentioned Modiphius/ Nordic Weasel's Five Parsecs/ Five Leagues/ 5 clicks/ 5 men series alongside Joseph A. McCullough's Deathship One and Snarling Badgers Deth Wizard and Space Sation Zero as these tend to be solo skirmish games.
Thanks for the extremely thorough comment! I appreciate all the time, and the recommendations you put in!
Check out Brutality Skirmish Wargame!
Will do!
OPR IS Rules free armybuilder free Paper Terrain free Paper Miniatures free or use any Terrain and any Minis that you Like to Play it... Or buy the l3d printed Minis can BE about 20$ Up for Skirmish per Team
Bro Burrows and Badgers, Guild ball. 2 of the best rules sets you'll find and GB is relatively inexpensive (free rules etc)
Thanks, I'll have to look into them!
@@Wargamerofalltrades I think GB may have been one of the pioneers of free rules and standees...
Please do look at Burrows and badgers, awsome little Indi game.
Before i watch the Video the cheapest Skirmish Wargames are the OPR Skirmish Games you can Play them for a few cents
Mutant: Year Zero - Zone Wars just got released.
Thanks for the recommendation!
What about Hordes of the Things?
I did not know that existed, so I have to add it to my list
No mention of burrows and badgers, very sad.
Carnivale! and Wild in the streets.
Carnivale has been heavily recommended so I'll definitely have to try it out soon!
Battletech is he only game I can think of where the war game plays like a skirmish game and alpha strike their skirmish game is arguably better as a war game. But in either scenario each game will take at least 2 hours to play
Really? Alpha strike games usually only take me an hour or so to play.
@@Wargamerofalltrades I don’t play online I play in person, tabletop simulator frustrates me (it’s a personal problem not a reflection on online players) and we usually play company sized games of alpha strike. Our record right now is a battalion of mercs vs a cluster of jade falcons.
I play in person as well but didn't really consider table setup time, and how large you can go
@@Wargamerofalltrades that’s true honestly I probably do spend at least half an hour setting up, more if we count objective set ups
I'm glad Gaslands made first. You can pick up 3 cars for a $1.25 from the Dollar Store, plus dice from them, so yeahn very cheap.
VergeOfWar also not bad
I'll have to check it out and add it to my list, thanks!
Mutant year zero: Zone wars is an apocalyptic skirmish game with fast and easy rules. Base game is geared for 1-2 players (solo mode is included). It is ready to play from the box with two teams of five characters each ( unpainted but sun coated). The components are good quality.
The game includes:
10 high-quality miniatures*
83 playing cards
105 tokens
10 custom dice
36” × 36” game mat
3 full sheets of cardboard terrain
Measuring ruler
Rulebook
The components are good quality
There is also an expansion with two more teams, allowing for a 1-4 players game. The expansion includes:
10 high-quality miniatures*
79 playing cards
100 tokens
10 custom dice
3 full sheets of cardboard terrain
Measuring ruler
Scenario booklet
I actually brought it up in the follow up video to this, but thanks for the suggestion!
Dunno if you took this into consideration but necromunda also uses speciality dice that must be bought separately (cheapest I've found is $15) unless you use some conversation charts or DIY dice
The starter sets do advertise coming with the dice, but I haven't bought it so it may be an oversight
@@Wargamerofalltrades ahh my mistake! Thanks for the video. I got the frostgrave and Gaslands books a few weeks ago
Okay, so I've noticed that some other comments have mentioned Forbidden Psalm but i'd like to list its spin-offs as well: Kill.Sample.Process (cyberpunk), Last War (Weird War I), Dread Nights (Victorian), and an upcoming Lovecraftian cults vs cults game.
Additionally, id also like to throw Necropolis28 in the ring as well for any upcoming video you might make that focuses on mini-agnostic, kitbash focused wargames for players with too many skeleton minis gathering dust on the shelf.
Thanks for all the recommendation!
Battle tech one mech is can be an unstoppable killer in a chaos campaign
hands down one of the cheapest systems you could get into is the 'USEME' range from alternative armies. for about £25 with a starter set containing 30 smth minis in total, making two armies, and all the rules, which fit on a dozen pages of a booklet. plenty of options for settings, but the one i went with was the cyberpunk theme. because the minis are 15mm they paint up in just a few hours total, so its a really cost effective way of scratching an itch you might have for a new genre/ setting, without a big buy in or huge time investment.
Thanks, I'll look into them
Gasland your are on point best gateway to war gaming i made it itno mario kart gaslands
You might want to have a look at Freebooters Fate. It's a card based game and the Starter Set with 2 factions, the rulebook and the cards is only € 90,-. A set for one of the factions is about € 34,- to € 40,- If you want to expand your faction it can get expensive though because single minis are about 15 to 20 Euros. But they are wonderful.
Thanks, I'll have to look at it!
Marvel Crisis Protocol has replaced it's core set and it's more expensive.
For Necromunda you need the book for your chosen faction so that adds to the price and should be taken into account.
It's true the new Crisis Protocol core is more expensive, but it also contains a good amount of terrain now.
What about Car Wars? AKA AutoDual? What about Melee or Wizard?? Both are skirmish games and are either cheap or free.
I mean, that's the first time I've heard of most of these. I'm only one person and I make this videos as well to set up for follow ups and show people less known games, so I'll add these to the list
You should check out Burrows and Badgers. One of the best skirmish games I have ever played.
Will do, thanks for the suggestion!
carnevale miniature game is another great one
Thanks! A few people have recommended it so I'll be looking into it
@@Wargamerofalltrades also take a look at Arcworlde and its Battle for Troll Bridge starter set. I smell vol 2 video inc :)
Yeah, a Volume two is for sure in the works
Mythic Commander by Modiphius is a incredibly cheap fantasy wargame
Thanks for the recommendation! I'll add it to my now very long list
IDK you have MCP but miss Batman miniature game but it’s cool
I didn't even know it existed, I'll have to take a look!
Star Wars X-Wing can be inexpensive.
Nvm, just watched the whole video. I thought the game was incredible ( same as Armada).
It can be, but many of the minis are not being restocked and show as out of stock constantly are not good signs
@@Wargamerofalltrades I just did an edit( watched till the end).
surprised more miniatures agnostic games weren't listed, maybe that could be it's own video?
Yep, that's the plan. It's easier to cover them all together, especially since it's a category if it's own
Quar: Clash of Rhyfles
I like the video. I want to point out a problem with the methodology, but consider it like pointing out the problems with map projections: there's no way to perfectly project a globe onto a plane. There's also no way to perfectly summarize the cost of starting a wargame. However, I think it should be mentioned which games require starter sets and which don't.
For example - Infinity's operation boxes are brilliant, but if you don't like either faction (or don't want to buy 2) you can grab a terrain pack which comes with the terrain, mat, templates and tokens, and then whatever miniatures from whatever faction you like. Rules are free PDFs
Alternatively, if you want to play Necromunda you need the starter box for the templates, plus the core rulebook as the full rules aren't included in the soft cover rulebook, plus a book for your gang to get the full rules for them, and if you want to play a different gang than what's in the starter you have to buy that as well.
Your correct in saying there's no perfect way to do the methodology, and in the next video like this I'll take some of these suggestions and work them in. Thanks for the comment!
@@Wargamerofalltrades you are doing the best job of all the youtube videos I've seen on this subject, though.
I appreciate the vote of confidence!
I remember playing Bushido back in the early 80s
Probably not the same Bushido. This one was originally released in 2011 as a response to the Confrontation skirmish game dying.
My homebrew was cheapest for me.
Forbidden psalm. Miniature agnostic and you need 5 models I think. It's played on a very small board so minimal terrain is needed.
Thanks for the recommendation
@@Wargamerofalltrades you're welcome. There's also a weird WW1 themed version called last war
Using the price of a starter set as monetary entry points can be very misleading as a way to gauge prices between different games. There is a huge difference in what the starter sets provides you with compared to what you need to play a full game "as intended" between different systems. MESBG should probably be mentioned for a good value starter set though, if that is the metric used. Throwing Blood Red Skies, Battletech and Gaslands into the mix with 28mm games strikes me as an odd choice as well. For GL and BRS most because they are different scales and the miniatures are a major selling point for most people, but also because the complexity of BT blows everything else on this list out of the water. It's not an easy system or even setting to get into. Heavy Gear would probably fit better to the rest of the games on that list rules-wise. Naval Battle and Airplane/Spaceship dog-fight games are a genre of their own and merit their own list imo. Still an interesting list though.
I understand your thought process on this, but after playing multiple different scales I don't believe that they actually matter that much. What really matters is the rules.
Minituares and model scale is great but if you have a bad game it's a bad game. I do believe that it should also be highlighted that we have some very cheap options in this hobby, as I believe to many people are funneled into the GW price mindset.
Thanks for the feedback
I'd second the suggestion to include Heavy Gear Blitz. Despite scale, it is very much a skirmish game, in the same price ranges as the games you're looking at and arguably more compatible to most of the list than e.g. BT, which is more technically a simulationist game than a skirmish game.
Wait, combat zone is the one from em4?
Because the price is way off and i cannot find anything else
Cyberpunk Red Combat Zone is the full name, from Monster Fight Club.
@@Wargamerofalltrades oh, that make sense!
One page rules.
Space Weirdos/Sword Weirdos is the right answer
They will be mentioned in my next video, for good reason!
Great list here are a few more. Other mini agonistic games are Space Station Zero, Five Parsecs from Home, Def Wizards (brand new), and Five Leagues from the Borderland.
If your interested in western theme, Dead Mans Hand, Dead by Lead, and Gunfighters Ball fit the bill.
A couple others that I find interesting and I am not sure where they fall are Core Space and Maladum. They are a cross between a skirms game and boardgame.
Thanks! I love how many games this channel has exposed me too
@@Wargamerofalltrades There just so many great games out there. I always love finding new ones.
@@Wargamerofalltrades Also if you like Battle Tech you might take a look at Steel Rift.
Great list!
Adding a few of my own. Reign in hell, space weirdos, guilders, wasteman, silver bayonet and forbidden psalm.
@@andersand6576 Those are great too. There are so many I keep forgetting about so many. I forgot about a great '80 horror nostalgia one called Don't Look Back.
UA-cam recommended this for me, I enjoyed it.
Used to play X-Wing, it has a community still but they can be hard to find if they're not in your local area, also finding ships is now very hard. So you are right to not include it, despite being a great skirmish game.
Fun list. Some of the games look really cool.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great video. Subbed.
Thanks for the sub!
Surprised at the lack of OPR?
They have gotten a highlight in a previous video, and I am planning a more in depth breakdown of everything OPR offers, but your right it should have been an honorable mention at least
Where is underworlds? 😢
I honestly forgot it existed
They have a starter set for Frostgrave?
It's a starter bundle on the website, so yes!
@@Wargamerofalltrades oh, I get you. Great video. ❤️
Great list! You have me interested in combat zone, something I had passed over previously.
Fallout Wasteland Warfare is an amazing an incredibly flexible game! Nice callout for Xenos Rampant too, it's a fantastic game!
Glad you enjoyed the video! I will sing praises for Combat Zone for a long time, I absolutely adore the game and it's gotten so many of my non wargame friends interested in it
I doubted you would say Mordheim, but then that stock photo with the ruined city just screamed Mordheim so I thought maybe. But no matter, I will sing the praises of my favourite game instead. These days it is mostly a miniatures agnostic game (perhaps less so if you choose Skaven, but for most warbands use whatever minis you like) that doesn’t need support because there’s so much already online for free. I’m in the camp that would rather GW left it alone as everything’s there already with a buy in as cheap as a box of minis from pretty much anywhere. Terrain though, you need a lot for a quality terrain for a Mordheim board!!
I will definitely mention Mordheim in the future, it's a solid game that deserves the love
I appreciate you highlighting some lesser known skirmish games. One you could add to the list (and there are a ton of skirmish games so I don’t blame you for missing some) is Judgement Eternal Champions. Its starter set is $125 and it comes with everything 2 players need to get started.
Thanks for the recommendation!
I would add Carnevale from TTCombat.
Thanks for the recommendation, I'll add it to a list for a follow up video
I like to throw my hat into the ring for Freebooters Fate. I'm not sure how available it is in the US but i just ask one question: Pirates?
Thanks for the recommendation, I'm sure I can get ahold of it somehow
Nice video, and great analysis!
Funny thing, I painted the four mechs on the screen at 18:21. Nice to see them displayed still!
It is a small world! I just searched up BattleTech painted and grabbed the best looking example, amazing paintjob!
@@Wargamerofalltrades Thanks!
Thank you for this Video! Really Imporant and Kickass!
11:32 Love the Crisis!
Dude make timestamps in your Discription:
00:00 Intro
01:00 Game 1 - Name
05:00 Game X - Name
15:24 I love X-COM!
I've got to try Battletech!
Hordes and Warmachine still Alive?
Didn't Play GASLANDS IN AGES!!!
I'll have to start doing timestamps for these for sure, especially since I'm actually getting a decent bit of views on them
@@Wargamerofalltrades It's an easy Task!
Games Workshop games and One Page Rules should be banned from videos like this. They're all anyone talks about.
They are popular for a reason, but I prefer including at least games workshop to show how much better other options can be
Why should 1 page rules be banned? It's FREE. And minis agnostic.
GW shouldn't even be mentioned. They are NOT cheap!
OPR gets talked about because it’s a game changer. Grab your favorite dudes and play an intuitive game almost completely free of kludge and ‘gotchas.’
@@oldAzekai Agreed. OPR is the closest we've had to an wargame for the people. Bring whatever models you want, make rules for whatever models you want, a universe of possibilities for truly forging your own narrative.