My painting goal is now 66 out of my 100 minimum for 2026. Which is good; as I've got +12 Bloodbowl in, and am about to have +80 or so 15mm arrive (I count them as .5 each). Must keep ahead of the incomings!
There are some space skaven (from Mantic judging by the bases); I have no idea what project I originally intended them for but nevermind; space rats are cool.
My current d12 Infinity project had me dig out some 40K models and give them a quick basecoat. After thinking about how specific Zone Raiders was (to the point of having difficult-to-fulfill model requirements despite being minis agnostic) I wanted to make sure the rules encompassed popular models - or rather everything I have lying around the shed. These Eldar were only basecoated but I'll count them as I also tidied up/detailed an equivalent amount of other models (Necrons, IG, Tau etc).
In my "chuck out rules to make room" I came across these 40K rules which I looked at for reference.
I reckon Shadow War got done dirty. It was a 2nd edition(?)/Necromunda published in 2017 to allow kill teams to fight in a hive city. You could use your 40K models (Kill Team) for not-Necromunda, basically, and the one book had profiles for every faction - everything you needed. Kinda both games combined.
GW promptly squatted it, releasing Necromunda later that year and Kill Team in 2018. Guess they couldn't make enough from SW:A rulebooks (a core+house rulebook for Necromunda in Australia is north of $200; add $88 each extra faction you want...) and it was too easy just to play with the 40K models you had. They probably couldn't monetize it effectively...
I'm not a fan of SW:A's IGOUGO and I'm not claiming it is peak game design or some hidden gem (it isn't - it's rejigged 2nd ed), but I have 2018 Kill Team too (I noped out in... 2021? once they got hitpoints and special rulers) and I find them an interesting contrast. Kinda a good example of the 'boardgameification' of wargames.
Kill Team 2018 (presumably based on... 7th ed? 40K) had so much of the detail and narrative removed to make a more streamlined pick-up game/fairer competitive experience. It's smoother but blander.
There is more gimmicky 'gamey' strategems added as a layer on top; the weapons are more samey and abstract; the skills you can gain are very limited - restricted to only as few models and locked into minimalism path A or path B 'trees' for ease of balance. Kill Team finally moved away from IGOUGO into phases - but even then it was weird; each side moved all their models in the move phase, but alternated in the shoot phase. You can see the boardgame-y soullessness creeping in.
I'm not going into vast detail: I'm sure most readers have played a bucketload more than the few games of either I tried; but contrasting them side by side (published within a year of each other) was pretty interesting, as both seemed based on very different design philosophies/goals within a theoretically similar system and theme.
What is a beer and pretzels game?
I see it being bandied around a lot when I'm searching up new games to play. Wikipedia (the source of all wisdom) says:
A beer and pretzels game is any of a class of tabletop that are light on rules and strategy, feature a high amount of randomness and a light theme.
This is in direct contrast to Eurogames, which involve complex rules and emphasize strategy over randomness.
The term was originally coined to describe relatively simple wargames that did not require extraordinary focus to play. The name was then adopted by gamers to mean casual, short and easy to play games in general.
Bold bits added by me. I'd question that should complexity=strategy and simplicity=randomness as the quote seems to read. Some thoughts:
- Light on rules, easy to play (=easy to teach/learn/little reference to rulebook? Can be taught on the spot?)
- Light on strategy/more random than average (=not an insurmountable gap between veteran and newb)
- Short (obviously shorter than the average 2-3hrs)
- Casual, relaxed vibe (i.e. not super competitive Warmachine)
- Does not require deep focus to play (you can chat, drink etc and still 'keep up.')
For example, I often hear BLKOUT described as 'beer and pretzels.' Games are short (30min or so). It has simple(ish) mechanics but it's activation sequence may be unfamiliar to the average 40K-raised wargamer.
BLKOUT isn't random. Stand in the open; expect to get shot. A misplay will be lethally punished - you need focus. There's definitely strategy and difficult choices. You're unlikely to randomly roll your way to success.
I find it a bit irritating: for me, beer and pretzels is something light, casual, quick, random and requires little thought - kinda exactly in the first part of the quote. But every game I look up seems to be described as "beer and pretzels." It makes the term meaningless.
Is it a codeword for "there's nothing to this game?" or "random dice rolling" or "takes 30min or less?" Or does it mean you need to drink a lot for it to be fun? Or is it saying how you played a game i.e. stuffing around with mates, drinking involved? A low barrier to entry? A game that allows you to chat by not requiring full mental commitment?
Is beer-and-pretzels just a state of mind? If so, stop using it to describe games!
Question for the audience: What are some examples of a beer and pretzels games for you? What leads you to class them as such?
I could really use some miniature games that are light on rules but DEEP on strategy. Preferably with a low miniature count & small table space.
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