by Are you a fan of Warhammer 40,000 but are feeling the impact on your pocket, or just have a desire to try something new? Then that is entirely understandable, because that is just human nature. A change is as good as a rest, as they say, so finding something new to spend time with can be a lot of fun, as long as you can convince some friends to come along.
In this article, I will make the assumption that as a Warhammer 40,000 fan, you lean toward science fiction themes and enjoy robots, aliens, and big stompy space dudes stomping and space duding. If you enjoy different things and are willing to give fantasy, sports games, or just general weirdness a go, there will absolutely be other such articles for you to read, so take a look at the bottom of the page for links.
One Page Rules – Grimdark Future
Grimdark Future is the quintessential “I want to play 40K but not PLAY 40K” game. Originally designed to replace the Warhammer 40,000 rules with a simple system, you can use all your minis, the same lore, and just play a chiller game. Be mad at me for saying it, but it lacks the pretention of modern-day 40K and doesn’t confuse rolling 60 dice in one go with having a good time.
Formerly the preserve of 3D printing fans, OPR has worked hard over the years and is bringing a plastic set to Gamefound soon. It’s great to see, and I hope it sells well and spreads the word that OPR can be more than just another way to use your 40K minis and stories.
You can find out more about Grimdark Future here.
Mantic Games – Firefight
It’s hard to be mad at Mantic for anything. Firefight would be the number one alternative to 40K if OPR didn’t exist. Mantic provides multiple starter boxes featuring various force options, free rules, and cheap armies. They avoid just about everything that might be making you mad at Games Workshop. While their fantasy offering of Kings of War is often lauded as the premier rank and flank game out there right now, Firefight tends to be slept on a little, but that might just change in the coming years.
You can find out more about Firefight here.
Steamforged Games – Warmachine
Warmachine has been through the ringer over the years, rising up to take a shot at the Warhammer crown (in competitive play, at least) before fading away thanks to what could only be considered odd choices and mismanagement. It was recently picked up by Steamforged Games, long-time fans who instantly put out a budget-friendly starter set featuring two forces that didn’t cost you $400 to buy. This is what we call a win. Steamforged has been doing a lot right with this property since picking it up, and diving back in now is a great time to experience the game.
You can find out more about Warmachine here.
Catalyst Labs – BattleTech
BattleTech is quite different from Warhammer 40,000 in that the model counts tend to be lower, but the level of detail per unit is higher. I worry lots of people out there haven’t played this game, but you may be tempted by the simpler Alpha Strike to start with, or the multitude of books written in the universe that could make you fall in love with the setting.
You can find out more about BattleTech here.
Corvus Belli – Infinity
I feel like Infinity is the best science-fiction wargame on the planet, it’s just not higher up the list, as it might not be the perfect alternative for Warhammer 40,000 players. This is, in a way, “Anime: The Wargame”, and you will need to get used to the ARO or automatic reaction order system. The game is rich, deep, and complex, and while it’s not as high a model count as Warhammer 40,000, the game length and complexity can get right up there.
You can find out more about Infinity here.
Warhammer 40,000: Kill Team
If you like your collection of miniatures and the world of 40K, and don’t have a huge issue with Games Workshop, then you might as well just play Kill Team. It’s all the same stuff, just more focused, although I do think it’s currently the second-best ruleset that GW is selling. This is a great option for folks who really just don’t have all the time required for Warhammer: 40,000.
You can find out more about Kill Team here.
Seb Games – Void 2.0
If you miss that distinctly ’90s vibe in your sculpts and really want to play something with a lot of that flavor, then Void is the way to go. Currently under the stewardship of Seb Games, and being admirably kept alive by them with updates and new sets, might I add, this one might surprise you.
I’m a huge fan of the sculpts here, and have been following along since Seb Games first announced they had picked this one up. We old folks like it when things are treated with a bit of respect, and that is exactly what they are doing here.
You can find out more about VOID 2.0 here.
