Fantasy has always been my bag, but many decades ago a certain yellow covered book introduced me to a fiendish cult of mutants that caught my imagination and never let go. An insidious seed was planted, corrupt leaves flourished and hypnotic flowers bloomed. The Genestealer Cults first appeared, at least to my knowledge, in the Warhammer 40K Compendium. For those too young to remember this fabulous tome worry not it’s time to move rapidly from memory lane to the here and now.
Although I dabbled in 40K it never really stuck, and that was back when it was a much simpler game (or maybe I just played it wrong). Roll forward twenty years, and some change, and the cults of the Four-Armed Emperor resurfaced with some very nice miniatures. Games Workshop grabbed my attention, and several hours of painting later I found myself giving 40K ago. It didn’t last.
Being the diplomatic type I’m not going to be give you all the gory details, because whatever I think it’s a game that attracts a lot of players and they seem to really enjoy it. I’m also conscious I might have needed to give it a bit more of a go. It was just very complicated for my liking and based on recent Instagram reels I suspect that continues to be the case. Without a suitable set of alternative rules to take my insurrectionists to I decided to send them somewhere where they might get a chance of a game (of course in exchange for some hobby funds).
A few years later I found myself persuaded to give another sci-fi system ago. It was pitched to me as being a bit Kings of War like. To me that means a straightforward enough game that I can get my head around the basic mechanics of in a couple of rounds, sufficient depth to keep me interested, and most importantly a faction I can be a little too excited about.
The first game I played certainly hit the first couple of must haves. I played a human military faction (not unlike Imperial Guard) and faced off against big bugs that may, or may not, be driven by some sort of hive brain. We played at 2,000 points which gave a decent amount of flavour in the armies across a lush jungle world with a reasonably generic take and hold scenario.
The outcome was a pretty quick and engaging game, and when I say quick, I don’t mean I was tabled in the first turn! All in all, it was a really enjoyable experience. I’ve since been wading through the various army lists and have been rewarded with a not unrecognisable force that a certain set of multi-limbed lovelies would feel at home with.
So, the inevitable question arises… would any wargamer, of sound mind and body, need any more of an excuse to start a new project?
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