Good day to all. I am a huge fan of wargaming and mantic from the jump. I backed the original kickstarter what seems like a lifetime ago and started with the dwarves. Always a fan of them. My real dilemma now is selecting a faction.
Halflings are dope and different.
Basilea is cool but I feel some of their models are a little fiddly to build. I could be wrong though.
Dwarves are an old favorite and are 3rd party variants worth it? Like the osprey guys?
I guess I’m just looking for some perspective on the current state of the game and how fun my three finalists are. Thank you and nice to meet you all.
I would say if you don’t mind about using alternative models then any of your choices are absolutely fine, in fact any faction you pick are viable due to the Rules Committee’s work on balancing lists.
If you are after a Mantic based army Basilea contains a fair chunk of PVC plastic minis which are more of a pain in the hole to deal with, which is why I’m hoping that they are the mystery list that is due a revamp later this year to add more hard plastics.
Dwarves are dead on, solid list and with the option to use them as free Dwarfs using Osprey’s plastics for that would make a lot of sense as they’re more foresty and not as heavily armoured so the Tolkien feel is nailed on for those.
Halflings would be my pick as they play very differently to most other armies with no spell casters and the use of auras instead, coupled to that the real baked in combined arms due to the plastics mean you start with a good mix of cav and infantry that you can add in the resin figures like Grenadiers and Aeronauts for a lot of interesting combos.
TL:DR go halflings, or failing that fine a model range you fancy painting and you will still be golden.
The dwarfs are the oldest range, although there are some nice mantic 3d print bits in the Vault. If you like the style go with it, otherwise loads of 3rd party options - oathmark and fireforge in plastic come to mind, plus the west wind dwarf wars range for cavalry.
There are Imperial and Free Dwarf lists - the latter has access to fliers, while the former has de6 infantry and mechanical stuff. Both are solid competitive armies
List wise, Basilea is in a really good place, although as mentioned above the mantic range is quite dated - outside of the plastic m@a, the lovely resin phoenix and some of the Vanguard/Vault bits. Again, loads of model options from fantasy humans to historical models (fireforge byzantine stuff fits nicely) or 3rd party 3d print.
Halflings are the newest and have pretty much a full mantic range. Note, get the aeronauts 3d printed from the Vault rather than buying the resin ones - they are a pain! Wargames Atlantic plastic infantry is sweet and TTCombat/MaxMini have loads of really characterful resin stuff. List has plenty of different builds and definitely viable tournament army.
Welcome @Eternal_Warrior12 I’m not a great fan of the Mantic Dwarfs flat topped helmets, but other than that they are great. The newer ones with the Free Dwarfs /Northern Alliance Frostclaw riders and the nekkid Badger riding Berserkers are great , As are at least most of the newer models such as the halflings, Ratkin, Goblin. Northern Alliance … I haven;t bought them all , yet…
My worst were the Naiads, and the ones that came with the upgrade for Northern Alliance. Very fiddle, and delicate to the touch.
But a little challenge is needed in life, don’t you think?
Some of my armies are all Mantic, others a combination, and then some Historical based and have no Mantic models,
Basilea is one of the armies that will get an overhaul. I don’t remember when, though. Early 2025, maybe? There is info in one of the roadmap videos or Ronnie interviews.
Anyway, you might want to consider that.
the new plastic Men at Arms are lovely, far better than the original plastics if you’ve not seen them here’s a photo I stole from the MUP page belonging to Steve Hildrew (because mine are still on the sprues)
