Got a special wee blog post here with an introduction to Guildball by 3 (in)famous Scottish tournament players talking about why they love this new sports based miniature game. I haven't had a chance to play many games yet (despite painting my team months ago lol) but I am certianly looking forward to trying it out more!
Personally I love the models and look forward to painting the season 2 models in the coming months, here's my team for time being:
Here's a link to the guildball website and the free rules:
Website: http://guildball.com/
Free Rules: http://guildball.com/#downloads
Quite a few of us on the Blog now have teams too, think we have Me, Mike, Dermot, Scott, Andy, Joe, Tim, Trev and Dave. Anyway on to the content! (Thanks again to the guys for writing up their thoughts:
I love my ‘I love Ben Diesel bottle opener’.
As an avid Warhammer player, and not really anything else, I hadn’t played in other gaming systems in a long while (other than 4 games of 4th edition 40k, I don’t think I had played another game system to Warhammer in about 15 years). As a semi-regular listener of podcasts, I liked to listen to the Black Sun (who doesn’t enjoy those lovable ragamuffins, always playing unusual game systems, and talking about ginger pubes?).
Well, those plucky lads harped on about Guild ball during the Kickstarter, so I gave it a look over and, being a fool easily parted from my cash, invested into the Kickstarter, ending up with 2 teams, some basic tokens, and a physical copy of the rulebook. I didn’t give it much more thought until I got a visit from the postman…
Guildball dropped in to my life at a convenient time. WFB had just died (RIP) and, while I by no means have given up on Warhammer (the special editions on my shelf can attest to that), I wasn’t quite ready to jump in to a new edition of massed battles. Guild ball seemed just the ticket for a bit of a break. I didn’t know anyone locally who played… Luckily, I know another fool, and Trev was soon on board. With him by my side, we soon built some critical mass, getting 8 or so players in Edinburgh on board to provide regular and varied opposition. I think I only directly got Trev on board, he has been doing a lot of leg work on my behalf!
The game is great, with a really simple basic rules set. After only 3-4 games I was pretty comfortable with all the mechanics of the game. The ‘fun stuff’ really comes from individuals teams and players capabilities, and boy are there are a lot of players! While it is a lot of fun, and I think will work great as a tournament game (first one comes up in November!) I think it is really a game you are going to need to play regularly enough to be familiar with what the other teams can do. More that once I have been undone… ‘he does what!?’ (for reference, Obulous is a dickhead). But I guess that is part of the fun of the game!
There is also an appeal in the few number of models that need painting… although, let’s be honest, I am still as slow as ever!
Still feel I am taking my baby steps in to this game – I was never that good at meta analysis, much preferring to learn by doing – to this end I am really looking forward to getting tournaments, and the multiple games these entail, under my belt.
The game is still fresh, and I am very much looking forward to seeing where it goes next! (Beating Trev more, probably).
Cheers!
James Esland
Having played WFB for 20+ years, I was experiencing a bit of a hobby hiatus after AoS dropped. I imagined the effort of rebasing everything or starting a new army for a game I might not enjoy, and thought I’d wait for the dust to settle before committing the time to ‘re-invest’. Neil suggested I might want to try Guild ball - so I read the rules, got in a quick intro game with Trev and was hooked. Why?
· The rules and figures allow for a lot of personality - small differences in stats, traits, playbooks and plays make for big differences on the tabletop. I’m excited for new stuff coming out. I can buy and try models at a low cost in money, time and effort – and the majority of models are useful. It’s how you combine them into a team and how you play them that seems to matter more – and there isn’t a ‘right way’ to play; you can win by scoring, doing damage or a bit of both.
· I love a bit of resource management - balancing influence, momentum, current HP is huge – and the order of activations is a game within a game. Do you build a stack of momentum to try and get initiative next turn or burn it on flashy play? Should you put influence on your injured player and hope you get to activate him before your opponent can kill him, or leave him to get punched and give the influence to your own beat-stick and put the pressure on?
· It is constantly engaging - the alternating activations (or ‘I-go, you-go’) feels like the high-speed internet of board-gaming technology (yes I realise that high speed internet is the high speed internet of gaming technology). This keeps the pace up and allows for a very elegant game where I can see what you might be trying to do without you having overcommitted, and can counter - and you can’t execute that series of perfect synergistic moves you planned at the start of the turn. Thrust, parry, riposte… no more ‘massive swings’ where one turn changes the game. The initiative roll for the following turn, or taking an opposing player out can help you get multiple activations in a row - and you can capitalise on this – so just like politics it’s all about ‘accumulating advantage’. But the playbooks allow for luck to play just a large enough part to unseat even the best laid plans (not to worry, time for plan B… parry, riposte).
· The game plays until someone wins, and not a minute longer. Let me explain. In WFB, I spend 30 minutes getting my models out, 30 minutes deploying, 30 minutes on turn 1… if on turn 3 I realise my generals unit is 1” too far forwards or angled 5 degrees too far to the right, and I’m about to get flanked and wiped then this 1.5hrs investment has been ruined by a few seconds of sloppy play. We could play out the game but the rest of it becomes ‘what can I salvage’. In Guild Ball, if you take out my striker on the cusp of scoring it’s not the end of the world. He can jog back on (alarmingly quickly) and someone else can probably tackle you and score. If I do score – not to worry, it probably meant I was distracted and you get to take one of my players out. The game is pleasingly balanced when you play and the gains/losses are all incremental and not final. So you always get a good return on your investment of time
Trev Moffat
Similar to James the onset of AoS had me take a bit of a break from the Fantasy side of things since I wasn't enamored with a huge level skirmish game. I dabbled a little in Malifaux since there were some cool models and a relatively low number required to have a basic force. I quickly painted up enough models to enter an event. It was pretty enjoyable but I didn't know many people nearby playing the game and its also quick terrain intensive which I can't cater for at the moment.
I was informed that Guildball was the new up and coming game by Neil. I didn't back the Kickstarter (though now I wish I had) because I wasn't sure about a game with just humans as the characters (I like my goblins, trolls and other beasties). Seeing the miniatures and playing a couple of practice games convinced me though. There looks to be enough depth to keep me in this game for a long time too :)
The things which really had me hooked:
1. The miniatures
I like a lot of models across the ranges and the new models they are producing are getting better and better. I flirted briefly with a Morticians team but the Butchers were the ones for me. Slightly larger 30mm scale miniatures with a lot of individual character. I really enjoy painting and love the fantasy genre but plugging away at a unit of 20+ almost identical models is not really for me. Teams of 6 very different models (with the occasional sub) I can really get into and have painted a large chunk of a team.
It is also relatively cheap for a game. £50 will get you a basic team and about £80 gets you almost all the options you can take. The trickle new releases also mean you are never splashing too much cash at a time and you have the chance to paint up what you buy, this concept unsettles me as a mass battle player with more shiny metal and grey plastic than you can shake a stick at. Also you don't need to carry much about either.
2. Gaming
Easy to set up, especially if you have the very nice mousemat, very little terrain is needed either. Engaging and easy to pick up mechanics, it seems to pick all of the good parts from several other games. Quick-ish play time, it takes about 90 minutes for a full game which means I can easy play a game in an evening or a couple at the weekend.
The game is fairly well balanced. Apart from a few very good models *cough* Union *cough* and big guys not being all that almost all of the choices in the game are usable in some way. The designers have even hinted that new releases will be more synergistic with the less commonly used players. Basically for the most part I can play with the models I really want to use and not many games can say that!
3. Scene
Its a new game but there are events popping up regularly and has a strong scene on social media. The designers are keen to promote and support the game in tournament format which is also a huge plus, there is a structured format and regular prize support.
The buy in being relatively low has seen a lot of locals pick up teams so I've also been able to play much more frequently :)
If you haven't already considered Guildball you really should. I see this as the rising star in the current games scene. Lots of new and interesting additions are also promised.
Cheers
Trev
How I got into Guildball, or ‘The Power of Persuasive Marketing’
Well, those plucky lads harped on about Guild ball during the Kickstarter, so I gave it a look over and, being a fool easily parted from my cash, invested into the Kickstarter, ending up with 2 teams, some basic tokens, and a physical copy of the rulebook. I didn’t give it much more thought until I got a visit from the postman…
Guildball dropped in to my life at a convenient time. WFB had just died (RIP) and, while I by no means have given up on Warhammer (the special editions on my shelf can attest to that), I wasn’t quite ready to jump in to a new edition of massed battles. Guild ball seemed just the ticket for a bit of a break. I didn’t know anyone locally who played… Luckily, I know another fool, and Trev was soon on board. With him by my side, we soon built some critical mass, getting 8 or so players in Edinburgh on board to provide regular and varied opposition. I think I only directly got Trev on board, he has been doing a lot of leg work on my behalf!
The game is great, with a really simple basic rules set. After only 3-4 games I was pretty comfortable with all the mechanics of the game. The ‘fun stuff’ really comes from individuals teams and players capabilities, and boy are there are a lot of players! While it is a lot of fun, and I think will work great as a tournament game (first one comes up in November!) I think it is really a game you are going to need to play regularly enough to be familiar with what the other teams can do. More that once I have been undone… ‘he does what!?’ (for reference, Obulous is a dickhead). But I guess that is part of the fun of the game!
There is also an appeal in the few number of models that need painting… although, let’s be honest, I am still as slow as ever!
Still feel I am taking my baby steps in to this game – I was never that good at meta analysis, much preferring to learn by doing – to this end I am really looking forward to getting tournaments, and the multiple games these entail, under my belt.
The game is still fresh, and I am very much looking forward to seeing where it goes next! (Beating Trev more, probably).
Cheers!
James Esland
Having played WFB for 20+ years, I was experiencing a bit of a hobby hiatus after AoS dropped. I imagined the effort of rebasing everything or starting a new army for a game I might not enjoy, and thought I’d wait for the dust to settle before committing the time to ‘re-invest’. Neil suggested I might want to try Guild ball - so I read the rules, got in a quick intro game with Trev and was hooked. Why?
· The rules and figures allow for a lot of personality - small differences in stats, traits, playbooks and plays make for big differences on the tabletop. I’m excited for new stuff coming out. I can buy and try models at a low cost in money, time and effort – and the majority of models are useful. It’s how you combine them into a team and how you play them that seems to matter more – and there isn’t a ‘right way’ to play; you can win by scoring, doing damage or a bit of both.
· I love a bit of resource management - balancing influence, momentum, current HP is huge – and the order of activations is a game within a game. Do you build a stack of momentum to try and get initiative next turn or burn it on flashy play? Should you put influence on your injured player and hope you get to activate him before your opponent can kill him, or leave him to get punched and give the influence to your own beat-stick and put the pressure on?
· It is constantly engaging - the alternating activations (or ‘I-go, you-go’) feels like the high-speed internet of board-gaming technology (yes I realise that high speed internet is the high speed internet of gaming technology). This keeps the pace up and allows for a very elegant game where I can see what you might be trying to do without you having overcommitted, and can counter - and you can’t execute that series of perfect synergistic moves you planned at the start of the turn. Thrust, parry, riposte… no more ‘massive swings’ where one turn changes the game. The initiative roll for the following turn, or taking an opposing player out can help you get multiple activations in a row - and you can capitalise on this – so just like politics it’s all about ‘accumulating advantage’. But the playbooks allow for luck to play just a large enough part to unseat even the best laid plans (not to worry, time for plan B… parry, riposte).
· The game plays until someone wins, and not a minute longer. Let me explain. In WFB, I spend 30 minutes getting my models out, 30 minutes deploying, 30 minutes on turn 1… if on turn 3 I realise my generals unit is 1” too far forwards or angled 5 degrees too far to the right, and I’m about to get flanked and wiped then this 1.5hrs investment has been ruined by a few seconds of sloppy play. We could play out the game but the rest of it becomes ‘what can I salvage’. In Guild Ball, if you take out my striker on the cusp of scoring it’s not the end of the world. He can jog back on (alarmingly quickly) and someone else can probably tackle you and score. If I do score – not to worry, it probably meant I was distracted and you get to take one of my players out. The game is pleasingly balanced when you play and the gains/losses are all incremental and not final. So you always get a good return on your investment of time
Trev Moffat
Similar to James the onset of AoS had me take a bit of a break from the Fantasy side of things since I wasn't enamored with a huge level skirmish game. I dabbled a little in Malifaux since there were some cool models and a relatively low number required to have a basic force. I quickly painted up enough models to enter an event. It was pretty enjoyable but I didn't know many people nearby playing the game and its also quick terrain intensive which I can't cater for at the moment.
I was informed that Guildball was the new up and coming game by Neil. I didn't back the Kickstarter (though now I wish I had) because I wasn't sure about a game with just humans as the characters (I like my goblins, trolls and other beasties). Seeing the miniatures and playing a couple of practice games convinced me though. There looks to be enough depth to keep me in this game for a long time too :)
The things which really had me hooked:
1. The miniatures
I like a lot of models across the ranges and the new models they are producing are getting better and better. I flirted briefly with a Morticians team but the Butchers were the ones for me. Slightly larger 30mm scale miniatures with a lot of individual character. I really enjoy painting and love the fantasy genre but plugging away at a unit of 20+ almost identical models is not really for me. Teams of 6 very different models (with the occasional sub) I can really get into and have painted a large chunk of a team.
It is also relatively cheap for a game. £50 will get you a basic team and about £80 gets you almost all the options you can take. The trickle new releases also mean you are never splashing too much cash at a time and you have the chance to paint up what you buy, this concept unsettles me as a mass battle player with more shiny metal and grey plastic than you can shake a stick at. Also you don't need to carry much about either.
2. Gaming
Easy to set up, especially if you have the very nice mousemat, very little terrain is needed either. Engaging and easy to pick up mechanics, it seems to pick all of the good parts from several other games. Quick-ish play time, it takes about 90 minutes for a full game which means I can easy play a game in an evening or a couple at the weekend.
The game is fairly well balanced. Apart from a few very good models *cough* Union *cough* and big guys not being all that almost all of the choices in the game are usable in some way. The designers have even hinted that new releases will be more synergistic with the less commonly used players. Basically for the most part I can play with the models I really want to use and not many games can say that!
3. Scene
Its a new game but there are events popping up regularly and has a strong scene on social media. The designers are keen to promote and support the game in tournament format which is also a huge plus, there is a structured format and regular prize support.
The buy in being relatively low has seen a lot of locals pick up teams so I've also been able to play much more frequently :)
If you haven't already considered Guildball you really should. I see this as the rising star in the current games scene. Lots of new and interesting additions are also promised.
Cheers
Trev