I now have all but one of the books needed for the armies in my gaming group. My friend needed some catching up on his armies, so he ordered some Uruk-hai, Kroxigor, and Rat Ogres through me. They were ordered from Blue Table Painting as usual.
I thought I’d list a few companies for alternatives to the humdrum Warhammer Fantasy miniatures everyone has. I apologize for not going into detail about each company listed, but I thought it would be nice to make it short and simple. I’ve dealt with many reviews where the person’s point of view spoiled the review for me. There will also possibly be a few of these companies in future reviews on this blog. Thank you for reading, and I hope to help broaden the spectrum of miniatures people have in their collections.
Avatars of War is a great company for alternative models when you’re looking for heroes. They’ve been working on kits for rank and file troops, but the prices aren’t impressive enough for my liking. http://www.avatars-of-war.com/
Kallistra is more known for their 10mm miniatures, but they also have a small collection of 28mm miniatures. The miniatures are less detailed than GW models, but they have a certain old-style look to them, and the price is okay. http://www.kallistra.co.uk/?page=24
Reaper Miniatures knows how to draw in customers for both war games and RPGs. They have some great sculpts for a variety of races. Their most recent big release was their Bones line. The prices are fair and quite a bargain. http://www.reapermini.com/Miniatures/Bones
Crocodile Games has a great line of Egyptian mythology inspired miniatures. I’d suggest these miniatures especially for a Chaos army of sorts. The figures cost slightly more than the average GW core figures for Warhammer Fantasy, but they’re worth the detail and style. https://www.crocodilegames.com/
Wargames Factory makes “cheap” miniatures that are soft on detail. They don’t have many choices for Fantasy, but their kits have tons of bits and pieces to add something to the figures. http://www.wargamesfactory.com/webstore
The Perry brothers are well known for sculpting Games Workshop figures, but they also have their own company for historical figures. I’d recommend their Wars of the Roses line for alternative Empire figures. http://www.perry-miniatures.com/
When I was younger, I always enjoyed looking at the bigger kits that Games Workshop sold. Now that I’m a little more informed, I’ve found that the giant sold by Games Workshop looks puny compared to the Ultraforge Mercenary Giant. The Ultraforge line has all kinds of great miniatures of gigantic proportions. http://www.thewarstore.com/ULTRAFORGEMINIATURES.html
Mirliton Miniatures are definitely for those with nostalgic intentions. They have a HUGE line of figures with an old-school style. If you’re into the old Grenadier figures, then I’d suggest checking out this company (they have quite a collection of them). http://www.mirliton.it/
If you’re looking for cheap, one-piece orcs and dwarves, then check out http://www.em4miniatures.com/ for their great deals. The metal figures cost more obviously, but the plastic figures can be bought in bulk (major bulk) at a ridiculously low price.
Black Tree Design has a large line of figures at okay prices. I don’t know why, but I seem to enjoy simple figures (maybe because I’m a lazy painter). The figures are all metal (like most of the figures from the list of companies I’ve given).http://www.blacktreedesign.com/northamerica/home.php
Battlezone MIniatures are quite lovely and simple. They don’t have oodles of extra detail, but they have character, and that’s what’s important. The prices are definitely reasonable (or at least I think so). The range has enough variety in my opinion. It has the basics for a few common races (no dwarves for some reason). http://www.battlezone-miniatures.co.uk/shop
Old Glory Miniatures is a company that dedicates itself to making a huge variety of miniatures for both historical and fantasy lines. They also sell miniatures from the Dwarf Wars line (another interesting line of figures). If you join the Old Glory army, then the miniatures become 40% cheaper! http://www.oldgloryminiatures.com/categories.asp?cat=13
If you’re interested in a more Dark Age style line of fantasy miniatures, then I’d suggest the beautiful, yet simple Bloody Day Fantasy miniatures line (formerly Vendel). I would describe them as LOTResque style figures. http://www.sgmm.biz/Bloody-Day-28mm-Fantasy_c_23.html
I have already talked a bit about Mantic Games. I enjoy the rules, just not the miniatures. The prices are great though. http://www.manticgames.com/
I thought I would “save the best for last” by mentioning Ral Partha. This company has an amazing history in the world of war gamers and role-players alike. They have great prices, and miniatures made by amazing sculptors (including my favorite sculptor known as Kev Adams). http://www.ralparthaeurope.co.uk/
I apologize about the flash. This was bought for my friend’s Lizardmen Army, but I’m very tempted to just hold onto it. This relic of metal goodness is actually pretty easy to put together. It’s also easy to take apart though too. Putting it all on a larger base is quite useful for stabilizing purposes. The detail is quite impressive, and I’d like to point out that this is the first Slann miniature made for the Lizardmen army. I will keep you all updated on the figure’s successes in battles to come.
The 4th and 5th editions of Warhammer Fantasy Battle are often referred to as Herohammer. This is due to the large concentration on the Heroes and Lords of a battle. They were believed to be over-powered compared to the regular rank and file troops. I have decided that it’s about time that I made the switch from 8th edition Warhammer Fantasy to an older edition. I thought that since I already had the 5th Edition Rulebook, I might as well choose the edition that had the most epic stories of valiant heroes being beaten to a pulp by other valiant heroes while the rank and file troops kind of shamble around like zombies.
As I read through a few battle reports of people who have played this edition, I thought the level of humor was right up my ally. The books I have purchased are Orcs and Goblins, Bretonnia, High Elves, Skaven, and Lizardmen. My friend who I game with the most often will be playing as Lizardmen and Skaven, while I command the forces of Orcs & Goblins, High Elves, and Bretonnians. I have a feeling my Night Goblin Shamans will be no match for his Slann Mage Priest. All I know is that my High Elves will have a fun time against his Skaven (known to be one of the strongest army books of the 5th edition). I look forward to posting many interesting battle reports on this blog in the near future.
Since I was first introduced to the hobby of miniature gaming, I was a fan of Warhammer Fantasy miniatures. I loved to collect them, and I’d spend the majority of my extra funds on the plastic crack. When I started making my own money, this worsened. It became the search for classic Citadel miniatures. Any miniature made before the 21st century was on my list of wants. I searched again and again for the older starter sets. I always preferred the older editions of Warhammer Fantasy Battle due to the character of it.
Recently, I acquired a copy of the 5th Edition starter set. The miniatures in the set are 12 Knights of the Realm, 24 Peasant Bowmen, 20 Saurus Warriors, and 32 Skinks. The set also includes a 5th Edition Rulebook, Battle Book, magazine to advertise GW products, dice, 2 red wacky sticks, a roster pad, cardboard buildings, and a how to guide for painting the miniatures.
The quality of the set is far greater than that of the current starter set. You get so much more than you do in the Island of Blood starter set. You actually get everything needed to start playing the game. The miniatures aren’t as detailed as the ones in the current starter set, but I prefer them for sure. They’re clean, characterful, and fun. If you’d like me to post pictures, please comment what you’d like to see, or leave a like.
There has been rumors here and there dealing with the topic of Warhammer Fantasy Battle not making enough money (compared to Warhammer 40,000). Some have said that it will even be canned. This post deals with the topic of the most viable options for Warhammer Fantasy fans if it is dropped.
I personally believe that Warhammer Fantasy will prevail, and last at least another edition. However, if it doesn’t, then I believe the best option would be to continue playing. There are many already who play the older editions. This is due to them not being pleased with the system of the current edition. We already have the books right? Those who don’t can pick them up off of an online retailer. There are so many Citadel miniatures created for the Warhammer Fantasy game. They will always be around no matter what happens to the system. If this doesn’t work for you, then you can always get into a different game system.
My first game system I played (other than my own) was Kings of War. It’s a great introduction, and you can use the miniatures you already have from your existing Warhammer Fantasy Armies. The only problem I have with this system is the restrictions. There seem to be more and more the longer I play it. You’re limited as to what you can equip your troops with, and there are limited troop types compared to Warhammer Fantasy Battle.
Hordes of the Things is a great game system that may actually be far cheaper to play than Warhammer Fantasy Battle. I have never played the rules system myself, but I really enjoy the potential of the game. It has plenty of fans, and I’m sure there’s plenty of room for new players to join in.
Armies of Arcana is another option, and I know of many gamers who say the system is far better than Warhammer Fantasy Battle. The system is closer to Warhammer Fantasy than Hordes of the Things is, but is apparently better balanced than Warhammer Fantasy.
These are just a few simple suggestions. I’d have to say my favorite option would be to switch over to an older version of Warhammer Fantasy Battle. If you would like to know of any companies that make great alternative miniatures for Warhammer Fantasy, then leave a like.
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