Rank and File games are a special type of fun when it comes to miniature wargaming, and there’s a huge amount of variety in the genre and how or what constitutes the size and scope of these types of games. At Goonhammer, a lot of our writers enjoy lining up little painted weirdos in rectangles and shuffling them around tabletops, and today we’ve got a roundtable of our writers talking about systems and games they enjoy and why you may want to give them a shot.
Here at Goonhammer, we do occasionally receive products early to review on our site. In the event one of our writers discusses a game that they were given by a publisher, they will mention it in their section.
Writer Introductions
Rob: I’m Rob. A quick countback suggests I’ve been wargaming for over two decades now, which is terrifying to contemplate. I’m primarily a skirmish wargamer, with Infinity being my main game, but I’ve been getting into rank and flanks for the last few years games like the Song of Ice and Fire miniature game and Conquest: the Last argument of Kings.
Carly: Hey everyone! I’m Carly, and I have grown up with wargaming over the last decade with my first ever wargame being The Lord of the Rings Miniatures game, with my current game being A Song of Ice and Fire. The main drive for enjoyment in the tabletop wargaming hobby is narrative, making a conversion, decorating a unit tray, or how my army is built for the game, is all in service to a grand narrative.
Roxin: Howdy, I’m Roxin. I paint and play a number of systems, generally fantasy over Sci-Fi, and particularly those with interesting or unusual mechanics. At the minute, that means a lot of Age of Sigmar, Spearhead, and Warmaster Revolution.
Emma: Hey lovelies, I’m Emma. I’ve played a whole bunch of stuff, but currently split my time between 40k and Kings of War, with a Napoleonic glint in my eye and the odd wistful glance at Halo Flashpoint. I’m mostly a tournament grinder, but have recently been trying to step it up on the hobby front… or at least paint my own armies for a change.
Game Name
Rob: Conquest: the Last Argument of Kings, by Para Bellum.
Carly: A Song of Ice and Fire: The Miniatures Game by CMON.
Roxin: Warmaster Revolution, by the Warmaster Rules Committee.
Emma: Kings of War, by Mantic Games.
What’s the Appeal
Rob: Conquest sits in the middle of a Venn Diagram composed of three circles: firstly, an unapologetic love letter to Warhammer Fantasy and especially the feel of rank and flanks, maneuver and the slow unfolding of a medieval battle. Secondly, a living world built by the writers from the ground up to accommodate fantasy that’s both familiar and wonderfully weird. Thirdly, properly modern game design, without any of Warhammer’s sacred cows, with regular developer attention, army and rules updates, and balance passes.
This produces a game that plays mechanically as an exercise in deep strategic foresight, where decisions made turns ago come together or unfold in horrifying or glorious ways – in a setting where orcs ride massive feathered tyrannosauruses, dwarfs mount sorcerous cannons on the twisted progeny of dragons, undead byzantine legions are born from a time when man tried to kill god and only mostly succeeded, and clone armies are driven into battle by uncaring alien nobles. Or, you can play the Hundred Kingdoms, the brave humans with sticks, and face all those foes down with honest steel and a thunderous cavalry charge.
Carly: ASOIAF is more like a board game with miniatures added on, think something similar to Chess where the 3d pieces aren’t important to the game but makes it look a lot more badass. Furthermore, this similarity continues with the design of the game; being easy to understand whilst it can be mastered at high skill level. The difference between ASOIAF and other games? The Tactics Board.
The world of Game of Thrones is nothing without the court intrigue and political backstabbing that many of the characters take part in, but why would Varys or Cersei Lannister be on a battlefield? So the Tactics Board was born. A small side table where Non-Combat Characters can spread their influence that will impact the battle taking place on the table. Tyrion Lannister could take the Crown Zone invoking the dominance of holding the Iron Throne by weakening the resolve of troops, or Catelyn Stark could take the Maneuver Zone to give your Commander valuable information to reposition their forces for the best advantage.
Like other games, ASOIAF’s Factions change their identity depending on the character leading the force as the Commander. Greatjon Umber focuses on all out aggression for extra damage potential at the cost of recoil damage to your forces, bringing Umber Units synergises with this as they get better the less ranks then have in their Unit. Robb Stark on the other hand, prioritises positioning with retreats right after a combat so that you can prevent further confrontation whilst preparing to collapse on the opponent in the flanks or rears.
Rank and file mechanics are simple for the game. You will have a profile on the card that matches the amount of ranks you have, with the stats for combat getting worse over time in most instances. Abilities could become better the fewer ranks you have such as better morale or more combat effects based on your battle scars. They’re also crucial for deciding who holds objectives in game modes, and sometimes even towards Faction mechanics such as the Greyjoy’s Pillage Tokens which are generated when destroying ranks.
Whilst it is a simple foundation for a rank and file game, it can be twisted and bolstered in various ways to create interesting strategies and ploys towards an epic clash for the Iron Throne. With the 11th Faction just about to release, and a skirmish version of the game on the horizon, the game isn’t slowing down in growth anytime soon.
Roxin: Warmaster Revolution is unusual for several reasons. Firstly, unlike the other games we’ve been talking about today, it’s a fan-made project based on the old Games Workshop Warmaster ruleset. It’s a best-of-both-worlds situation where the game receives regular updates, balance passes and new content while remaining entirely free. Secondly, it’s at 10mm scale with multiple strips of miniatures per base (similar to Legions Imperialis). Personally I find that rank and flank systems (and to be fair, wargaming more generally) can often struggle to convey the fantasy of a pitched battle: the fate of the entire world somehow rests on the shoulders of about 40 mixed infantry, two cannons and some prick on a horse. One of Warmaster’s great strengths is that even at lower points values it looks like an epic battle ought to. Another is that if you’re used to painting at larger scales, you can blast through units at 10mm at a much faster pace and still get beautiful results.
All of this is before we even get to the rules, and this is where for me the game really shines. In order to get your forces to move, they need to have a command issued to them from a hero or general rolling under a value on 2d6. If they fail, then they can’t command anything else; if the general fails, that’s you done with orders for the turn. It’s such a simple system but one which really conveys the sense of directing (or failing to direct) manoeuvres on a grand scale. Everything else builds up from this: for example, shooting is more about disrupting enemy formations than taking models off the board, combat typically lasts several rounds of advancing and retreating before a unit is finally slain, and so on. Each faction (based on the Warhammer Fantasy Battles setting) has a unique twist or units that interact with the systems nicely while still allowing for thematic lists and fun playstyles. Will you run your Vampire Counts army as a shambling horde of zombies and skeletons, or an elite cavalry regiment of Black Knights and winged horrors?
Compared to other games it’s extremely cheap to get into. The rules are free, and there are a number of sources for 10mm scale fantasy armies. Forest Dragon probably does the nicest-looking sculpts out there, and you can either buy their work through a number of third-party sellers or purchase the STLs yourself to print at home. At the time of writing it’s possible to pick up a 1000 point starter force from £50 / $70, an absolute steal. There’s even the option to print out paper standees to try the system first before you bite the bullet. If you’re a fan of the Old World but dread the thought of investing in yet another huge army, or simply want an interesting system that excels at its core fantasy, then Warmaster is almost certainly the game for you.
Emma: There’s a lot to love about Kings of War, from the very aggressive price point of a tournament army to the very nicely refined rules and game balance, but the first thing I’m gonna wax lyrical about is the ability to play your army your way. Kings of War has nearly 30 factions, and is entirely model-agnostic, so there are boundless options when it comes to what you put on the board. If you have an existing fantasy – or even non-fantasy – army, and are willing to base it using Kings of War’s system, you can get going really quickly, and literally any of the ranges mentioned above (even 10mm if you’re brave!) can be used if you happen to like them.
But, if you’re willing to go the extra mile and really take advantage of the medium, you can make some absolutely stunning hobby projects that are entirely playable on the tabletop. Each unit can be a miniature diorama, and the scale combined with the range of options means you have plenty of room to work with. I’ve seen trench networks, modular ruined cathedrals, spawning pools… The sky really is the limit. On that very note, I personally really want to make use of vertical space for my next army, and do some cool effects for the flying models, while the ground pounders get to… well, you’ll see when I write it all up 😉
I mentioned how good a game engine it is for a reason, though. The Kings of War rules are simple, direct, and enable the maximum amount of violence. Even with that dizzying array of factions, the fact they all draw from a common and easy to interpret set of universal special rules – and every unit uses the same block of stats – makes it really easy to pick up what your opponent’s stuff does, and the real skill of the game is less in gotchas than in setting up chains of attack and counter-attack. The “piece trade” is always integral to competitive miniature wargaming, and Kings of War has the absolute best approach to making it in-depth that I’ve ever had the pleasure of trying.
The last thing I’ll go on about is just something I personally like. You don’t have to roll any dice in your opponent’s turn whatsoever. Hell, if you trust your opponent enough, you can in fact walk away from the table and go get some drinks for you both, and just come back when it’s your turn. It makes Kings of War a fantastic game when you can’t commit a fully uninterrupted two hours, because you can toddle off to do whatever you need to and it won’t completely stop play. Fantastic if you need to give some attention to bored kids, check on your work, or just take a minute away from the table.
Which Grass Looks Green?
Rob: I can’t ever go back to Games Workshop, but the nostalgic call of the Old World is incredibly strong. I just have so many core memories associated with that setting. Surely… surely one unit of Empire Handgunners wouldn’t hurt?
Carly: Other rank and file games have no problem catching my attention for their gorgeous models and fantastic story. The main problem with them is ease of access. For ASOIAF, it is quick and easy to learn and the rules are short and simple. This has allowed the developers to innovate extensively when designing new effects that can birth new strategies upon the table. It is also cheap to pick up since a Starter Set is all you need for a game rather than dropping $500 on an army you haven’t even tried out yet, and that is before buying terrain and game aids whereas that is all in the starters.
The Old World is an incredible setting where you want to create your own characters and launch a full campaign just like playing the Total War games. If there was a far more simpler rules system that allowed players to hop into the game, but without losing depth to the rules, then the game would flourish. Until then, I am still collecting miniatures from The Old World as they are stunning!
Roxin: Although I’m afraid the setting leaves me cold, Conquest: The Last Argument of Kings has some very interesting tactical depth to it. I love the unit arrival mechanic and that you’re making interesting decisions right from the word go. Perhaps some City-States as a little treat?
Emma: ASOIAF has a really strong local scene in my area, and the TO goes absolutely all-out. So, it wouldn’t take much for the game to draw me in, and I confess to stopping for a quick watch whenever I see it being played in-store. Meanwhile, Conquest’s popularity among Goonhammer folks is definitely a draw, because if cool folks like a thing, I’m almost guaranteed to find it interesting – and Rob’s art for it fuckin’ rips. Finally, Warmaster looks like a great way to scratch the itch of smaller scales without ageing myself 70 years by playing Napoleonics, and would be a great way to hide my painting errors behind a smokescreen of tininess. I just like everything! More people more games!
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Conquest: Last Argument of Kings
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