Games you can play for free (or close to it)


After some conversating at the FLGS, I thought to compile a little directory of small wargames that are $0-10 USD that might come in handy if you've got dice, maybe a few minis, and perhaps a printer. I'd really like to make a list like this for solo games as well, but there's still a bit of a derth in that department, (please prove me wrong.) Luckily there are plenty of ways to convert games into one player puzzles, and I'll try to follow these rec's with a quick treatise of mods.

Some Neat Rulesets

Battle Havok - A game of rank and file battles between armies of less than two dozen minis aside! Resintomb showed me this the other day, and I really appreciate the streamlined aspects of it, as with the two stats and the alternating activation it reminded me quite a bit of Song of Blades and Heroes, but on a warband scale that scratches my itch for movement tray machinations.

Pocket Tactics - This wargame reads like a boardgame, but has all of the depth of list building and deployment strategy that you'd expect from the most aged ruleset, but with none of the rules bloat or gritty slog. Elegantly resolving combats with a rock paper scissors stat system, the play is quick to pick up, and games dont outstay their welcome. Plus, its resource friendly with plenty of printing options.

Fabula - The rules here are quite a sandbox, allowing you to make characters of all walks and give them the depth of crunchier role playing games of yore. I really appreciate how the roleplaying is baked in (the game discusses concepts of a Games Master and challenge rolls,) and the characteristics/combat stats are evocative in the "words have power" sort of way one might expect from Puppetland or similar RPGs.

Wild in the Streets - Its one sheet of paper! One sheet!!! Quick play alt-culture skirmish game for anyone looking for a good beer-and-pretzels scrum. The only downside is that all of the pregen character cards are part of the model kits, so you'll have to make your own or read the cards during a Guerrila Miniatures Batrep. Not a dealbreaker, but might take a bit of imagination to get going.

Mini Gangs - Also one page! I've found that this game is really solid for teaching the most basic concepts of wargaming (measuring distance, unit roles, line of sight, ect.) and the game comes in several levels of complexity, so you can gradually build up to greater pregame stategy and customization while remaining accessible. Honestly, this is one of the best Starter Sets I've ever played with as well, and heartily recommend trying this if you and your playgroup are super wet behind the ears.

Planet 28 - Nick Evans' tiny games are always a delight, and Planet 28 really takes the cake when it comes to making a concise game with plenty of customization. Designed with Inq28 play in mind, character abilities really range from generic "he shoot good" to "this guy will talk your ear off so hard that your head explodes." Its a happy middle ground between Fabula and Wasteman, and is readily avaliable.

Ways to go Solo 

Since starting this blog with my forays into Frostgrave, I've given a lot more thought to the things that make solo gaming more interesting. Oftentimes I've found that the game side of things boils down to a storytelling excercise aided by dice rolls, but that in itself can be enjoyable if that too is your jam. Thinking of successful journaling RPGS like Thousand Year Old Vampire and Bucket of Bolts, one could swap 

Narrative Goals - now that we have the conceit of challenging a sneaky opponent out of the way, lets focus on you and your minis. I think its important to get invested in their stories and how those stories interweave with one another and the setting, since you'll be telling yourself a story in these solo endeavors. Consider writing up interlinked scenarios that influence eachother, with goals to accuire McGuffins or to accomplish heroic feats. These will give you personalized goalposts within the game, and also help determine when the screen fades to black and the day's adventure comes to a close.

Enemies - you could play a wargame without enemy miniatures, but it seems a little counterintuitive to the genre. Generally I've found the less mental math you need to do the better, so when I stat NPCs, they mostly have middling characteristics (or better if they're elite enemies,) and 1-2 abilities. Perhaps the big bad has a spell or talent that they might activate once per game that challenges your player characters in ways they're unprepared for.

Example generic enemy: only equipped for close combat, and has light armor. Gets a bonus for fighting when within 3" of a model from the same faction.

Big Bad enemy: can shoot or fight in close combat. on a d6 roll of 4+, may activate a model of the same faction, and give it a fighting buff. On a d6 roll of 5+, drains some life from a player character within 10' (maybe in hit points/wounds, or maybe by cursing with a fighting debuff for the next round.)

On the note of enemies that arent miniatures, perhaps they're locations on the table that force your player characters to make dodge, constitution, or will checks. These are likely traps, but could also be eldritch influence, strange mists, or perky poltergeists, and could provide interesting hinderances for your adventurers.

Table Behaviors - these are pretty easy. Just pick a die size, and fill a chart with preprogrammed actions. Roll whenever you fail an activation, or whenever its the enemy's turn to move their dudes. It'll keep you on your toes, but likely wont be as strategic as a real foe.

Example d4 Table

  1. Hemlock the Gunsmith loads his rifle (long range) with a special shot, making two shooting attacks against your champion this turn. He'll need to repair his gun however, and will have to reroll his behavior next turn should he score a 1.
  2. Hemlock pulls a pistol from his chest brace and fires (short range) at the nearest model.
  3. Hemlock runs towards the objective and shoots a pistol (short range) at any model he passes within 3" of.
  4. Hemlock needs to tinker with his weapons, and ducks behind the nearest cover within 5". The next attack he makes will deal double damage if successful.

Checked Behaviors - This is a bit more responsive to the gamestate, where whenever a mini activates it checks for things that are true to determine it's behavior. This is the predominant style in Frostgrave and feels a little like the stack from Magic the Gathering.

Example Behavioral Chart.

When the Beast of Wickham activates, if it is in base to base contact with an enemy model the model makes two attacks. 

If the Beast is within 6" of an enemy model and has a clear line of sight, it moves into base to base with the nearest enemy model and makes a single attack with a +2 strength modifier.

If the Beast is more than 6" of an enemy model or if it has no clear line of sight to an enemy model, it moves 6" in a random direction that is not off the edge of the board, and then does so again.

Ticking Clock - Maybe you need more pressure than hungry beasts and spiteful marauders to spice up your games and keep the excitement going! Consider a ticking clock where something gamechanging happens in the middle of a scenario, altering the course your party must take to ensure success, or perhaps the ticking clock ends the game and determines the scenario your soldiers must play next! 

Example: If by the start of turn 5 the lever on the central dias has not been pulled, the flood is not diverted and the sewer is washed through by a mighty wave. Each model makes a constitution check, and all that fail to pass it are moved 2d6" towards the southmost board edge. At the beginning of each following turn, repeat this process until the game ends.

Traps - A classic in any RPG, and now for your wargames! Perhaps your game has a handful of objectives a character must interact with, but only one of them isn't booby trapped! Maybe there's a certain kind of floor tile that spells doom should your intrepid adventurer engage in combat upon it! I'm spitballing here, but the key really is "thinking about when a trap is activated and what kind of consequences there are to that activation." That's it, the whole concept right there.

Example - Tracy moves through the doorway without stopping to check for traps and is promptly blasted into the air by a torrent of fire. She must make a successful dodge save, or take d6 fire damage and d3 falling damage, (maybe your game has different health tracks for each kind of damage? Beats me)

So that's the Quick and Dirty, thanks for tuning in! Let me know if any of these suggestions and ideas led you to a more fulfilling experience or at least a fun hour or so of playing with yourself. Stay safe fam, and have fun.

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