As I’ve previously written about, Legions Imperialis is in its infancy as a game system. Coming out nearly one year ago, event organizers around the world are having to organize tables for a scale that previously was often overlooked or are now looking for options to flesh out their less dense AT boards and give variety to their existing collections.
Enter stage, Mundus Imperialis from Thunderhead Studio and Gale Force 9. Their latest offering is specifically designed for Adeptus Titanicus, Legions Imperialis, or any sort of Epic Scale gaming in a grim, Sci-Fi Universe. Like their previously reviewed products, Mundus Imperialis is a set of pre-painted, cast resin buildings that are designed in the classic Gothic Style that any fan of Warhammer would be familiar with. Despite that familiarity these buildings are aesthetically distinct from any option provided by Games Workshop and serve as a great alternative or addition to build out a table. We would like to thank GF9 for sending a complete set of the Mundus Imperialis range to demo.
I’ve been watching this product range for quite some time, dating back to when they were originally announced in March. I love painting but terrain has always been a struggle for me. I was thrilled to get the set and honestly they are great for LI. Well painted, sturdy, but also not overly heavy (they are hollow), the 5 box set with a couple hills and forests made for a great 4×4 table to play a 1500 point game on. Given that this has really turned into my favorite game size for LI and the size that worked best at NOVA this year, that is perfect.
The terrain arrived well packed and in perfect condition. There is no assembly except for the Manufactorum Depot which has optional / removable supports on each side. You could glue them but they slot into place and hold well on their own. Each piece was double rolled in bubblewrap and honestly it stuck out to me how much nicer this packaging was compared to other terrain products that I’ve gotten in the past.
Ranging in price from $25 for the Administratum, $35 for the Librarium or Scholar, and $50 for either of The Manufactorum and Civil Defense boxes, frankly these are a great deal. While terrain is often touted as the “third army” of the table, the number of gray or 2-3 color armies we see on tables at game stores give plenty of evidence that people struggle enough with just getting their own models painted, let alone tabletop terrain. I wouldn’t expect unpainted terrain to be much cheaper so having the models tabletop ready out of the box is a huge time saver. As an EO, this range also opens up a lot of doors for cost effective and effortless ways to quickly increase the number of tables that I can have ready for an event.
Visually, I think these buildings are excellent. Like I said, they are well designed, well painted, and have plenty of space to keep units stable, showing garrison without teetering on an awkward edge (a big problem for a lot of terrain not tailor made for LI). While I do think some of the larger buildings could use a bit more variety in their coloring (the Manufactorum and Civil Defense Bastion especially), the “pre-painted” nature of the terrain is great for a quick and easy way to have a table ready to play. A wash or two or additional details to windows would be appreciated, but I’m nitpicking and I can very easily do this myself.
So what’s the verdict? I’m going to get another set myself. These on top of other terrain by the team at GF9 offer a lot of out of the box options for EO’s or just general tabletop wargamers. From what I’m seeing on their Instagram, this is likely just the first wave of Mundus Imperialis terrain and I can’t wait for additional options (roads, ruined buildings, etc) to further flesh out my tables while I focus on getting more games in while painting what I enjoy most, the minis.
