Resolution

So after failing to buy a copy of the new Warhammer last week, I bought the Battle for Skull Pass at the weekend. And much like Chinese food, I already want another! The rules are subtly different to the previous version, but there are many place to find out in what ways and how it affects the game; to be honest I haven't finished reading them yet. The main appeal was the figures.

When GW has a reputation for charging upwards of £2-3 for a rank and file figure, and even over a quid for a plastic trooper, it's refreshing to find that for £40 the new boxed set is crammed with over a hundred varied and well made models. Many of them are of course quite small, nothing like the massive orcs or empire knights of the previous edition, but in value terms I think its a better deal, producing two reasonably balanced armies to oppose one another. The sculpts show, particularly in the goblins, but also in the better of the dwarves (miners, cannon crew), that Games Workshop are masters of plastic figures in fantasy games.

Inclusion of cavalry, monsters, artillery and characters helps round it out in a way earlier versions never seemed to as a starter set. Granted many board games and figure systems now come with excellent plastic models - even painted ones - but the quality shines through for me here.

They may end up playing more HOTT than Warhammer, but they do look nice. I'm now tempted to buy a second box, funded by painting and ebaying the dwarves. It'd allow me to round out my goblins to a neat 200 foot, to accompany my orcs...

Sigh, here we go again. And still the Samurai stand untouched.