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 CMON's ASoiF Tabletop Miniatures game is a 32mm scale tabletop miniatures game set in the world of Westeros from George RR Martin's popular novels. Note that the licence is for the books specifically and not their popular HBO TV adaptation, so don't expect perfect likenesses of Peter Dinklage or Lena Heady rendered in molded plastic.  The game is a relatively light and quick-playing rank-and-flanker in the vein of Warhammer Fantasy, though instead of I Go- You Go turn structure, each turn players trade off activating combat and noncombat units, so thinking about the optimal order to perform your actions in is important, complicated by the fact that your opponent isn't just sitting around waiting for their turn to play. Unit trays are a fair bit more maneuverable than in conventional mass battle games, meaning if you position poorly your little sword guys aren't necessarily just out of the fight.  One of the more novel innovations of the game is the tactics board, representing the intrigues that happen away from the storm of swords. Instead of activating a combat unit to charge, maneuver, make a melee attack or loose a bunch of arrows, etc, you can instead activate a non-combat unit to claim a zone on the tactics board, granting a powerful boon to your army and often synergizing with unique abilities of that model itself. Once a space on the tactics board is claimed by your opponent, it's theirs for that turn, creating an tension between activating units for an immediate board impact, or making sure you get the optimal position in the... game of thrones. The game is very breezy, the rules pamphlet covers everything plus several different objective-based scenario modes in 30 pages and the unit cards aren't terribly covered with stats and keywords. Morale is handled in a very straightforward way- failed checks cause extra wounds based on the margin of failure. Works for me-- those guys exercised the better part of valor. There are currently four and a half armies. The well-equipped and duplicitious Lannisters. The stoic and ferocious Starks. The versatile and durable Men of the Night's Watch The numerous and savage Free Folk and... the Neutrals. Currently this is represented almost entirely by units from House Bolton, but presumably other lesser houses that switch allegiance during the series will get slotted in here. You can either play a complete Neutral army, or take them as an option in another force, though never more than 50% of your total build points. Evidently the next release is the Baratheons. The game is sold in the Stark vs. Lannister starter, as well as single player starters for the Night's Watch and Free Folk. Individual units are available as expansions, as well as "hero sets," which give you new commander, character, and non-combat unit options from your faction. The Starter set is one of the more "complete" I've seen for this sort of game, fielding all the options in it in a fairly normal army gets you to 35ish out of 40 standard sized game points on each side, just getting a single additional unit should get you to a legal army. Of course like all these sorts of games you can go hog wild and get a lot more than that. I enjoy it and think it's reasonably fun, a few games into it. If you don't like it, that's cool too, I just wanted to make a thread to talk about it.  Valar morghulis.  Here is a builder, so you can marshall your forces to take the iron throne: https://asoiafbuilder.com/ Owlbear Camus fucked around with this message at 01:01 on May 18, 2019 |
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May 15, 2019 23:29
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Owlbear Camus posted:Evidently the next release is the Baratheons. Boo! There's so many interesting options for armies with different models and playstyles - Dorne, Dothraki, White Walkers - that this feels like a boring choice. I guess it makes sense from a model-making perspective, though. You said the starter sets were really good; how do you feel the overall value and buy-in compares to other fantasy wargames like WHFB? Do the models look nice? This could be a game that I could sell to non-wargaming friends who like ASOIAF/GOT.
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May 15, 2019 23:39
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No. 1 Apartheid Fan posted:Boo! There's so many interesting options for armies with different models and playstyles - Dorne, Dothraki, White Walkers - that this feels like a boring choice. I guess it makes sense from a model-making perspective, though. Yeah, probably the most "exotic" one so far is the Free Folk. They get no-fooling giants! I would be surprised if they drag their feet on Targ forces too long... The icon for "solo" units (monsters and such) is a dragon, and that's probably not for nothing. quote:You said the starter sets were really good; how do you feel the overall value and buy-in compares to other fantasy wargames like WHFB? Do the models look nice? This could be a game that I could sell to non-wargaming friends who like ASOIAF/GOT. Compared to WHFB back in the day where you needed to buy like 4-5 boxes of spearmen/handgunners/goblin brick throwers/whatever just to make a unit, it's great. You spend 30 bucks MSRP and you have a full unit and maybe an attachment for it, nothing more to buy to field it, slots right into your army. The starter is a really good value if you pick it up at a discount, which you can do nearly all the time. For about a hundo you get 4 units for each army with multiple commander and attachment options, a real credible starter unlike some games that just give you the tiniest taste of a full size game. The plastic on the models is decent. I'm not like a plastic scientist but it's certainly better than Wizkids or WotC crap, though a bit softer than GW. It holds detail really well and the figures are quite nice painted up:  In the interest of full disclosure I should point out that currently some of the models are only available to people who backed the kickstarter or buying second hand from said people. CMON has said they will make every one of them* available at retail At Some Point. So if you care about having all the options NOW, it's a bit of a hurdle. *they made a joke noncombat figure with rules that say it literally does nothing to represent GRRM as a chronicalling maester that you can put on the table with your army, this is truly KS exclusive. E: One thing that appeals to me as a Gamer Dad witha full time job and too many loving hobbies for his negligible spare time is all the models are pre-assembled. You can grab a unit off the FLGS shelf, open it, pop the dudes in the tray and be playing it in minutes. Owlbear Camus fucked around with this message at 00:03 on May 16, 2019 |
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May 15, 2019 23:48
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Thanks for making the OP Owlbear. I played WHFB years ago, drifted around with Warmachine and some skirmish games for a while, then went all in on Runewars (rip) and most recently got into Kings of War, and this game is my current favourite. I initially dismissed it because the high mobility upset my inner simulationist, but having accepted that it's quite gamey, I really like it. The variable initiative dial system from Runewars is still the pinnacle of minis gaming in my mind, but alternating activations is also good, and especially so with the tactics board - the zones are once per round, so it creates a sense of urgency, and you have to weigh getting in good unit activations vs claiming effects. No. 1 Apartheid Fan posted:Boo! There's so many interesting options for armies with different models and playstyles - Dorne, Dothraki, White Walkers - that this feels like a boring choice. I guess it makes sense from a model-making perspective, though. I agree, I think they're crazy not to prioritize Targaryen. Starks have the direwolves, Free Folk have giants, and Night's Watch have an artillery piece, but nothing grabs the eye like a dragon. Apparently the next neutral units are Stormcrows though, so we get some non-Westerosi content. Buy-in is good. The starter plus one additional box of virtually anything gives you a full 40-point army, but of course there are various internal synergies that will push your list-building in one direction or another so the game WANTS you to buy way more than you need for variety. Still, each purchase is a full unit, so you can buy something and immediately change the way your army plays. The models are quite nice, some of the posing is a little bit wooden, but sculpts are crisp and the plastic is much better than the PVC and restic I've become used to. Annoyingly the Stark vs Lannister starter only has one set of terrain and objective cards, so it's tough to split with someone you're not going to be playing with regularly, but the Free Folk and Night's Watch starters have everything so that's nice.
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May 16, 2019 00:34
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Wrong thread, kill me
Punkinhead fucked around with this message at 01:09 on May 16, 2019 |
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May 16, 2019 00:55
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Finally, Stannis the Mannis can conquer all of Westeros outside my fanfiction
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May 16, 2019 03:27
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Clawtopsy posted:Finally, Stannis the Mannis can conquer all of Westeros outside my fanfiction I am 100% going to get Baratheons to run the Westerosi Nixon Also Davos and the Red Woman should make for baller NCUs.
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May 16, 2019 04:01
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I ordered the starter box and have been watching videos of this game. The one thing that keeps jumping into my head is how absolutely perfect this rule set would be for a Legend of the Five Rings wargame. Sure, FFG owns that property now and any Clar War reboot would probably use a variation of the Runewars system, but the non-combat unit system is absolutely perfect for that setting.
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May 16, 2019 21:16
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EverettLO posted:I ordered the starter box and have been watching videos of this game. The one thing that keeps jumping into my head is how absolutely perfect this rule set would be for a Legend of the Five Rings wargame. Sure, FFG owns that property now and any Clar War reboot would probably use a variation of the Runewars system, but the non-combat unit system is absolutely perfect for that setting. Hm, and Privateer Press is doing a few L5R minis in their minicrate subscription thing, so I assume they're somehow entangled in the licensing. Pretty unlikely, unfortunately, because you're right.
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May 16, 2019 23:45
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So if Stannis is going to be announced soon, is there much point to picking up some Boltons? I like the look of the dog unit.
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May 17, 2019 01:35
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Clawtopsy posted:So if Stannis is going to be announced soon, is there much point to picking up some Boltons? I like the look of the dog unit. Yes! Unless they radically change the rules on us, your Baratheon army can be up to 50% Bolton by volume. Perhaps that cruel bastard son of Roose's can be redeemed in service to The Lord of Light. Also Bolton heavy cav is the only cav in the game so far with a 2 up armor save.
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May 17, 2019 01:42
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Gimmie Varamyr.
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May 17, 2019 02:49
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Owlbear Camus posted:Yes! Unless they radically change the rules on us, your Baratheon army can be up to 50% Bolton by volume. You can even have one of the Boltons as your commander in a Baratheon army, correct? Not that I imagine they'll have much synergy with the panic stuff, but the option exists.
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May 17, 2019 03:09
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Double posting, but is The Hound out yet? Is he unaligned or Lannister?
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May 17, 2019 03:33
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You can use a Neutral commander in a house army. Loose the Roose! Sandor is in the Lannister Heroes I box. As you might guess he's a Lannister alligned unit attachment with a keyword that also indicates he's house Clegane (but nothing really looks for such a keyword currently.) They have already released multiple variants of the same peeps (mounted and foot Mountain and Brynden Tully, Regular and Maimed Jaime) so a neutral version of Sandor at a later point isn't out of the question. E: I hope the Nights Watch and Free Folk starters being sold the gently caress out everywhere means the game is doing well Owlbear Camus fucked around with this message at 04:43 on May 17, 2019 |
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May 17, 2019 04:29
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I am tentatively interested in this game as and when they release some more factions (Greyjoy for lyfe) - is there any hint of how fast they intend to do so? Some of the units, especially mountains men, look like really good general purpose models as fantasy-medieval soldiers.
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May 17, 2019 09:38
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Owlbear Camus posted:You can use a Neutral commander in a house army. Loose the Roose! The Mountain's tactics cards all have bonus effects when they target a house Glegane unit, so with him as your commander and Sandor in a unit, you can make most of an army Clegane. Sounds like some of the stocking problems were the switch to Asmodee distribution, but allegedly they've got that sorted out by now. They're something like two months behind on new releases? But they said they're looking at accelerating releases to catch up, so hopefully we see at least a couple new factions per year.
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May 17, 2019 20:18
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this seems poorly timed
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May 17, 2019 22:53
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A big flaming stink posted:this seems poorly timed Because the television show upon which the books is based has absolutely cratered in quality, or because Trump's trade war is going to spike the price of all our little plastic dolly games?
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May 17, 2019 23:04
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https://asoiafbuilder.com/ This is a helpful tool, should it go in the OP?
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May 18, 2019 00:59
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Clawtopsy posted:https://asoiafbuilder.com/ Done, thanks.
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May 18, 2019 01:01
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Owlbear Camus posted:Because the television show upon which the books is based has absolutely cratered in quality, or because Trump's trade war is going to spike the price of all our little plastic dolly games? yes
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May 18, 2019 01:14
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Owlbear Camus posted:Done, thanks. https://asoiafcc.com/ has some stuff too. Seems a bit anaemic, but I've browsed it previously. No dates yet, but here's some info on upcoming releases!  Night's Watch gets a second war machine, Blackguards show up, and Baratheons arrive! Also pretty stoked for those activation banners, they had me sad I missed the kickstarter.
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May 18, 2019 15:02
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I want to 3d print up my own if I can find some nice files. Especially because I can do flayed men ones.
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May 18, 2019 17:24
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I picked up the Bastard's Girls today. I'll have a go at painting them up this weekend. Gonna have some cute murder pups.
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May 19, 2019 14:59
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Glad to see they're not basing the armor on the tv show. I've been watching some older clips this week and it's all terrible, even for fantasy.
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May 22, 2019 01:06
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It just gets worse as the seasons go on, as do all the costumes. Zombie Mountain looks like Shredder. I'm gonna paint all my Boltons first, and print some of these guys out as activation markers: https://pinshape.com/items/38963-3d-printed-game-of-thrones-bolton-marker Owlbear Camus fucked around with this message at 15:58 on May 22, 2019 |
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May 22, 2019 15:38
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Yeah it's funny, I hate the design of Lannister equipment in the show, but absolutely love it in the game. Those markers are sharp, and definitely more thematic than a bag of money! I would very much like to see some more Lannister NCUs. It's funny they have so few compared to the other factions now, and although I think the Kingsguard is a poor substitute, it's interesting and I can see why they did it. Still, give me another three point option! (as powerful as Pycelle wouldn't hurt)
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May 22, 2019 16:53
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They need to release the Blackguards. It's weird to run a Bolton army because you have this insane superheavy cav that's immune to practically everything but Wildfire and then these half-naked infantrymen who die to s stiff breeze, and no middleground. I want my men in metal dresses.
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May 22, 2019 18:45
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 I forgot how much I loved doing movement trays. Anyway, tomorrow is paint day for the Heroic Pitbulls That Travel Across Westeros To Maul Former Allies
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May 23, 2019 22:13
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Love the foliage tufts. Today is also release day for a bunch of bullcrap. I plan to pick up Geoffrey and the Kingsguard and the second Stark Heroes box. Apparently Barriston is in it, which is weird since Joffrey dismissed him as one of his first official acts. Probably gonna try to do Direwolf Skew at some point now that you can get up to three of the things on the table.
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May 23, 2019 22:21
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Any "standard" army builds that expand on the starter box? I figure both Lannister and Stark want their first hero box pretty early, but I'm not really sure after that. Knights of Casterly rock for Lannister and Bowmen for Stark?
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May 23, 2019 23:01
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long-rear end nips Diane posted:Any "standard" army builds that expand on the starter box? I figure both Lannister and Stark want their first hero box pretty early, but I'm not really sure after that. Knights of Casterly rock for Lannister and Bowmen for Stark? Yep, pretty much. Both get you to 40pts and add something new to your force. Beyond that, Tully Sworn Shields if you want an elite defensive unit and Umber Greataxes for an offensive problem-solver for Stark, with Crossbowmen for a powerful ranged threat and Pyromancers for an absolutely murderous glass cannon in Lannister. I also see Crannogmen Wardens used in Stark Bowmen a fair bit, and the Neutral Heroes box is a reasonable way to introduce more list-building diversity into both armies simultaneously, if you're putting together a sort of board game experience for friends.
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May 24, 2019 00:25
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I recently got the Hand of the King Kickstarter pledge secondhand off a fellow goon. I've only played the game once, but so far i'm really enjoying it. Planning on playing again this coming Sunday. All I've painted up so far are The Mountain's Men and the alternate sculpt for The Mountain.   I'm waiting for the new line of contrast paints to come out before I paint up the Stark side & the rest of the Lannister's. I also need to up my basing game.
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May 31, 2019 17:46
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New stuff previewed at CMON Expo! Baratheon Characters  Baratheon Warders and Stag Knight Noble  Stag Knight box  Dothraki!  Targaryen Heroes  They've also done a round of upgrade balancing, mostly under-used Lannister stuff. I'm super happy to see them do so, as it's always a shame to have under-tuned options taking up space.
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May 31, 2019 22:43
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STANNIS THE MANNIS
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May 31, 2019 23:46
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Now we can sell the rest of our models and serve the true king.
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Jun 1, 2019 01:03
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Yeah, I think I'm gonna skip NW and Free Folk and go straight to the Baratheons this year (rumored for November I think). edit: Actually watching the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quW5o9Sestg What they're doing with the Baratheons sounds really interesting. Stannis and Renly are both in the Baratheon starter, but they're introducing a loyalty mechanic where there will be units that are loyal to Stannis or loyal to Renly that can't be used with the other commander. I assume this is going to eventually give us stuff like Melisandre for Stannis and maybe the rainbow cloaks for Renly? If they introduce dual loyalties they could give Renly units from the Tyrell army or something, IDK. The Targ starter box is going to be entirely mounted units, because the game is getting releases in chronological order and the box represents Dany when she was just the Khaleesi with Khal Drogo. long-ass nips Diane fucked around with this message at 01:44 on Jun 1, 2019 |
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Jun 1, 2019 01:33
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I will finally be able to fulfil my dream of Stannis not dying like an idiot to House loving Bolton of all houses like the dumb TV Show.
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Jun 1, 2019 14:18
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Ackshually, he died to House Tarth I also like having a version of him that doesn't set his own kid on fire
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Jun 1, 2019 14:26
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