Getting Monstrous

Recently I've picked up playing a little bit of Hordes from Privateer Press. This isn't so much a review as it is a write-up of Hordes through the eyes of a Malifaux player.

Backtracking to a little over a year ago, my experience with miniature gaming conisted of Uncharted Seas. Since naval combat is quite different than skirmish games, I didn't have any idea what to expect when I picked up Malifaux.

So with Malifaux being my benchmark, and with all the minis players that have come to Malifaux from other games, I wanted to share a breach-side view of Hordes.

Disclaimer: I am not switching games, Malifaux is still my favorite, just diversifying my miniature collection.

I picked up a Legion of Everblight battlebox. I chose Legion, because, as a painter, I liked the color scheme. Sure, I could have painted another army with the same color scheme, but with no other real reason, I didn't have a reason not to start with Legion.

First of note, is the attacks. Obviously Malifaux's card-based system is different than any dice-based game, but it's still different because the defender doesn't have a chance to defend. They only have a set number you have to beat. In Malifaux, you could win a duel against the same model in two different situations, with two very different numbers, and conversely lose those duels just the same. So it is different to get used to that the defending player doesn't get any real interaction except for providing their model's stats.

I picked up the Hordes MKII rule book. This is truly a rule book from a company that has been in the gaming industry for too long. So much is spelled out in the book that you can tell PP has been dealing with people who try to work around the rules for a very long time. MKII goes so far as to tell you that a model with an ability can be referred to by that ability, for example, a model with say the "tracker" ability, can be referred to as a "tracker". If that's not desperation in the face of extreme rules lawyering, I don't know what is.

Fixed heights based on base size is another interesting aspect. All models with a large (50mm) base have the exact same height (2.75"). In Malifaux, the base size and height are independent; though there is some correlation, that doesn't stop Pere Ravage from being Ht 1 on a 40mm base.

Hiring works much the same way, including the Warlock's warbeast points, which they add to your hiring pool, but only for hiring warbeasts. The difference being, that you don't get to use your leftover points in game. It seems to me like you'd want to make sure to have a few extra low cost models just to fill in your points, otherwise they feel wasted.

Encounter sizes become more various as Hordes supports much larger sized games. From a small duel, to a 4+ Warlock Apocalypse.

A big difference in gameplay is when the game is over, sure there are scenarios to gain VP, but if your Warlock is eliminated, it's game over, and your warbeasts just wander away. This is largely different from Malifaux as not only can your Masters die and your crew keeps going, but some Masters have a nasty habit of dying excessively and coming back to life (looking at you Outcasts).

Activating your whole army at the same time is a little bit daunting as well when you're used to being able to respond to your opponents moves. It definitely seems to take more strategy so as not to walk right into your opponents trap, especially when you don't really know what all the models do.

Overall, Hordes is a good game, and much easier to pick up than Warhammer. I like the idea of bonded warbeasts over campaign or league play, and look forward to getting some more games in.

Feel free to leave your comments, especially if you'd like to see any games reviewed.