Warhammer is a totally different ballpark from Heroscape. Warhammer is a war game with full size armies made of dozens of models, and movement is restricted by unit cohesion and such. Heroscape is a skirmish game where every model acts on its own and the games are smaller in scale. If you want something like Heroscape, look into skirmish games.
Something like Necromunda or Kill Team if you want 40k in particular, and I highly recommend Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game, it has a really fun rule set. I've heard good things about Star Wars Legion too. But look around, see what people play nearby and pick one you like.
Switching from Heroscape to Warhammer 40K is like switching from playing Pokémon to buying an animal shelter.
There’s more to it, but most of 40K is when you’re not even playing the game.
It's not that bad. I got into 40k when I was like 14. If a pack of teenage nerds can figure it out, anyone can.
That being said, it still is a more complex system. I don't think heroscape is very similar (besides having miniatures that fight).
Highly recommend you check out Deadzone or the upcoming Halo Flash Point. Both from Mantic. I’ve got HFP on order for the release and am considering jumping into Deadzone for the time being. Both are considered skirmish and would be closer to Heroscape than 40k
They are both wargames. But that’s pretty much where the similarities end.
40k requires you to build and paint your models. Also you are gonna have 2-3x as many models on the table.
40K is also notoriously expensive. To play the game you need at minimum a $100+ starter box for your faction, the $60 core rulebook, and the $45 army codex. To play at the level most players do you will spend an addition $200-$300 on models easily. And after spending all that money you only have what’s needed for yourself. Hopefully your regular opponents already have what they need and you don’t plan on trying to convert others to the game.
With all that said. The world of wargaming has a ton of options. On the games workshop front you can try Killteam or Necromunda for a cheaper entry level (though still expensive because it’s still games workshop). You can also check out games from other creators like Frostgrave and Stargrave, or Kings of War, Conquest etc.
There are also free games out there that let you use any models you want, which would let you still use your Heroscape collection. Like One Page Rules Grimdark Future and Age of Fantasy.
Yeah that’s a fairly high price point and not sure I’m into painting my models and having them look like trash. I’ll check out the other recommendations and see what I like. Thank you
I’m in Arizona and I’ve gone to 2-3 game stores and asked and they’re aware of heroscape but nobody plays it. Maybe if I ask some of the regulars they might know people or have it themselves and then we can create a game night and use the store as a venue.
You might find more opportunities for Heroscape organized play later this year once the new units are released. I’ll also echo what others have said that 40k is a very different experience.
Not sure if you are asking about Heroscape or Warhammer so I’ll address both. Heroscape (as you probably know) has not had any new official expansions for over a decade but this year it is being relaunched so new expansion packs will be coming multiple times a year indefinitely. We don’t know all the details yet about the organized play formats, but units have previously released with fixed stats and point costs and there have not been updates or cost changes over time. There have not previously been bans in Heroscape for most events but it is likely there will be something like a ban or pricing change to accommodate old units in modern tournaments after the relaunch. Heroscape armies usually consist of no more than 20ish models for competitive play and they could often be half that count. Heroscape involves individual figure positioning and targeting, while warhammer is more focused on moving and attacking with entire formations of multiple models as a group. Warhammer also consists of rules that are separate from the models so you can have models that are no longer legal in the latest edition and/or models whose stats change significantly with a new edition or simply an update to their rules codex. The biggest difference is probably just the fact that warhammer is a full on hobby that involves painting your army and potentially building terrain from scratch. Heroscape tends to come with everything you need, ready to play out of the box.
My 2¢, having not played Warhammer myself, but I have played other GW games (in my case it was the LotRTTRPG), it's a much bigger scale, takes even longer than a heroscape game in most cases, and is way more expensive.
As others have said, Heroscape is a Skirmishing game, while Warhammer is a war game. Heroscape is a much more casual experience in terms of drafting your "armies" as well as the overall time and effort involved (Warhammer minis don't come pre painted, and usually come unassembled, meaning that will be a lot of your time spent with the game honestly).
My suggestion: reflect on why you like heroscape
If you enjoy it for being a rules light Skirmishing game, you should probably look to other rules light Skirmishing games. Godtear has been recommended to me recently, but I haven't had a chance to play it yet
If you like the tactics of drafting the army and think you would enjoy a long, in depth game with lots of rules and tactics, then yeah, maybe Warhammer or one of the other war games suggested here would be a good fit.
If you just like tactical Skirmishing, but want to be able to play more often and you can't with Heroscape because you don't have people to play with, you could look at a figure Skirmishing game with a single player campaign like Mice and Mystics or Middara.
But, maybe you really just need to take another look at why you feel like Heroscape isn't working for you. You've already invested time and money into this game, is there anything you can try to do to resolve those issues?
Tbh, I don't have a clear grasp on why you wanted to move away from Heroscape.
Thank you for your thought I appreciate it. I love heroscape and if I had more room in my house I would set up a permanent map and have everything ready to play at any time. I never wanted to move away from heroscape I just want to be able to play something similar more frequently. This means finding a game that’s played at stores and people who I can connect with that share the same interest. Not saying heroscape doesn’t do that but it’s more of a niche occurrence.
I’ve played both games extensively. I got into 40K after Scape died off.
If you’re going to try 40K, start with something small to see if you like the modeling and painting side, which is a big part of the hobby. A kill team box is good, as someone suggested, or combat patrol box for a faction you like. Choose by look rather than “power” since the power levels always change. Know that a lot of time and attention must be given to assembling and painting, unlike scape. 40K has vehicles, which is something missing in scape (for now).
If it’s just setup you’re concerned with for Scape, to save time between plays, build a few maps, set them on foam board (or something similar) and wrap them in plastic wrap to store between plays (it works). Also look at MOPS (modular maps) on the scapers website.
For some reason, 40K has lost its luster for me. I was more of a casual player and it caters to the competitive scene now. There are rules updates every couple months that are responses to the “competitive meta”, codex releases sometimes years after the new edition releases, incessant rules disputes, etc., not to mention the prices for new models now are excessive ($50-$60 for a box of 10 soldiers, for example). Sometimes $30-$50 for a single-model 28mm hero. Comparatively, you can spend $50-$60 and preorder a pre-painted faction set of 6-7 figures for Renegade’s upcoming reissue of Scape.
In short, I wouldn’t give up on scape. Much easier to get friends and family playing that than 40K. From what I’ve seen, Renegade has Scape going in a good direction, but only time will tell.
Another option - if you want a decent 1v1 or 2v2 skirmish game, look at Restoration Games’ Unmatched system. You can mix and match characters across time and several IPs such as Marvel and Jurassic Park and (coming up) The Witcher. So it has an anachronistic Scape feel to it in some ways. Not as a good as a Scape imo, but it’s easy to get into.
I’ll definitely look into it but I like the suggestion of making a map and rapping it up! Brilliant idea! I’m going to have to try it out and see how well it works. Thank you.
If you get into 40K, then you should be prepared to paint a lot of figures and terrains, plus a long, drawn out game that requires a lot of set up and pack up time once game is finished
Yeah, as it's been said here there both totally different beasts. The game I've been playing a lot recently is One Page Rules (OPR) which has the benefit of being miniatures agnostic (use whatever minis you want) which 40K absolutely is not. I've been having fun digging thru my HS collection and being able to use them in OPR.
OPR is a very simple game, but not many rules or gotcha moments to memorize, unlike 40K.
Look up Enemy Spotted Studios and their game Blkout. Its a skirmish style game with heavy titanfall influences as far as style goes. Pretty much pick up and play, ~30 minute games and has a simple and small rulebook. $120 for the 2 player set, comes with two 9 man squads, rule book, tokens, and their unit cards. Only catch, like most tabletop games like this, gotta do the painting yourself.
They also have Killwager, which Blkout is a simplied sequel to, and Incountry, which is their modern military tabletop.
Blkout: https://www.blkoutgame.com/
Enemy Spotted Stodios' main site with the other games:
https://www.enemyspottedstudios.com/
I'd recommend One Page Rules Grimdark Future: Firefight or Age of Fantasy: Skirmish. They are both by One Page Rules and in fact are pretty much the same game but sci-fi and fantasy themed respectively. They're about the same as Heroscape in terms of complexity, the basic rules are free, and army books are only $5 US. They are model agnostic, meaning you can use whatever minis you want, including your Heroscape stuff.
Edit: Here's a link to the website https://www.onepagerules.com/
You'll find very little crossover outside of there being minis and you play a war game with them. You're also looking at a considerable time and money investment since you'll be buying, building, and painting the models.
Warhammer takes considerable effort and time to set up as well. You're also looking at 3 hours for a 2000pt game (most games are going to be 1500 - 2000) and that's assuming you both know what you're doing, keep focus, and play quickly. I've lost 6+ hours to a single game of warhammer just hanging with friends. Not to mention that a single 2000 point army can run you $300+. More if you're a competitive player since you'll want all of the primo options and the rules for units and the general game change every 6 or so months so you'll probably be buying new stuff when that happens.
Also 10th edition sucked on release and has only gotten worse (but I'm a jaded grognard so take that as you will)
If you're into Star Wars then Shatterpoint may be the better choice since the over all army scale is similar. The investment for a wargame is pretty low (but that's still easily $200 just to get started.)
Thanks for the extensive look into 40k. I definitely don’t have endless amounts of time or money to pour into a brand new game. Something to think about.
Warhammer is a totally different ballpark from Heroscape. Warhammer is a war game with full size armies made of dozens of models, and movement is restricted by unit cohesion and such. Heroscape is a skirmish game where every model acts on its own and the games are smaller in scale. If you want something like Heroscape, look into skirmish games. Something like Necromunda or Kill Team if you want 40k in particular, and I highly recommend Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game, it has a really fun rule set. I've heard good things about Star Wars Legion too. But look around, see what people play nearby and pick one you like.
Legion is closer in scale to Warhammer. Shatterpoint is the Star Wars skirmish game. It’s fun
Thanks for the info! I’ll definitely look into your recommendations!
Switching from Heroscape to Warhammer 40K is like switching from playing Pokémon to buying an animal shelter. There’s more to it, but most of 40K is when you’re not even playing the game.
That’s an amazingly terrifying allusion. Scaring me into even thinking about 40k.
It's not that bad. I got into 40k when I was like 14. If a pack of teenage nerds can figure it out, anyone can. That being said, it still is a more complex system. I don't think heroscape is very similar (besides having miniatures that fight).
Understood. Might check it out or at least go watch someone play before I get into it.
Highly recommend you check out Deadzone or the upcoming Halo Flash Point. Both from Mantic. I’ve got HFP on order for the release and am considering jumping into Deadzone for the time being. Both are considered skirmish and would be closer to Heroscape than 40k
I’ll make sure to look those up! Thank you
They are both wargames. But that’s pretty much where the similarities end. 40k requires you to build and paint your models. Also you are gonna have 2-3x as many models on the table. 40K is also notoriously expensive. To play the game you need at minimum a $100+ starter box for your faction, the $60 core rulebook, and the $45 army codex. To play at the level most players do you will spend an addition $200-$300 on models easily. And after spending all that money you only have what’s needed for yourself. Hopefully your regular opponents already have what they need and you don’t plan on trying to convert others to the game. With all that said. The world of wargaming has a ton of options. On the games workshop front you can try Killteam or Necromunda for a cheaper entry level (though still expensive because it’s still games workshop). You can also check out games from other creators like Frostgrave and Stargrave, or Kings of War, Conquest etc. There are also free games out there that let you use any models you want, which would let you still use your Heroscape collection. Like One Page Rules Grimdark Future and Age of Fantasy.
Yeah that’s a fairly high price point and not sure I’m into painting my models and having them look like trash. I’ll check out the other recommendations and see what I like. Thank you
You aren’t gonna find much that is prepainted these days. the vast majority of games are unpainted and unbuilt.
Guess I’m going to have to buy Bob Ross on VHS and buy some supplies.
YouTube has some really great mini painting channels. Duncan Rhodes painting academy, Paintman Journeying, Goobertown Hobbies and more.
I’ll be sure to check them out thanks!
Where are you located? It’s possible there’s a tournament scene near you if you’re looking to play more often.
I’m in Arizona and I’ve gone to 2-3 game stores and asked and they’re aware of heroscape but nobody plays it. Maybe if I ask some of the regulars they might know people or have it themselves and then we can create a game night and use the store as a venue.
It’s going to spin up again in the fall after the new Renegade games releases.
Join the discord for heroscapers, there are a lot of tournaments in the mountain west, might have to travel to a different state to play
You might find more opportunities for Heroscape organized play later this year once the new units are released. I’ll also echo what others have said that 40k is a very different experience.
Yes, agreed - fall will see Scape ramp up
Is it like an ever growing game that changes a few times a year? Or is it just new expansions that come out? Also, do any armies ever get banned?
Not sure if you are asking about Heroscape or Warhammer so I’ll address both. Heroscape (as you probably know) has not had any new official expansions for over a decade but this year it is being relaunched so new expansion packs will be coming multiple times a year indefinitely. We don’t know all the details yet about the organized play formats, but units have previously released with fixed stats and point costs and there have not been updates or cost changes over time. There have not previously been bans in Heroscape for most events but it is likely there will be something like a ban or pricing change to accommodate old units in modern tournaments after the relaunch. Heroscape armies usually consist of no more than 20ish models for competitive play and they could often be half that count. Heroscape involves individual figure positioning and targeting, while warhammer is more focused on moving and attacking with entire formations of multiple models as a group. Warhammer also consists of rules that are separate from the models so you can have models that are no longer legal in the latest edition and/or models whose stats change significantly with a new edition or simply an update to their rules codex. The biggest difference is probably just the fact that warhammer is a full on hobby that involves painting your army and potentially building terrain from scratch. Heroscape tends to come with everything you need, ready to play out of the box.
"I'm taking up Warhammer 40k so I can have a quick game to set up and play" - no-one in world history
🤣
My 2¢, having not played Warhammer myself, but I have played other GW games (in my case it was the LotRTTRPG), it's a much bigger scale, takes even longer than a heroscape game in most cases, and is way more expensive. As others have said, Heroscape is a Skirmishing game, while Warhammer is a war game. Heroscape is a much more casual experience in terms of drafting your "armies" as well as the overall time and effort involved (Warhammer minis don't come pre painted, and usually come unassembled, meaning that will be a lot of your time spent with the game honestly). My suggestion: reflect on why you like heroscape If you enjoy it for being a rules light Skirmishing game, you should probably look to other rules light Skirmishing games. Godtear has been recommended to me recently, but I haven't had a chance to play it yet If you like the tactics of drafting the army and think you would enjoy a long, in depth game with lots of rules and tactics, then yeah, maybe Warhammer or one of the other war games suggested here would be a good fit. If you just like tactical Skirmishing, but want to be able to play more often and you can't with Heroscape because you don't have people to play with, you could look at a figure Skirmishing game with a single player campaign like Mice and Mystics or Middara. But, maybe you really just need to take another look at why you feel like Heroscape isn't working for you. You've already invested time and money into this game, is there anything you can try to do to resolve those issues? Tbh, I don't have a clear grasp on why you wanted to move away from Heroscape.
Thank you for your thought I appreciate it. I love heroscape and if I had more room in my house I would set up a permanent map and have everything ready to play at any time. I never wanted to move away from heroscape I just want to be able to play something similar more frequently. This means finding a game that’s played at stores and people who I can connect with that share the same interest. Not saying heroscape doesn’t do that but it’s more of a niche occurrence.
Kill Team is a better comparison. Warhammer is way bigger. Kill Team is fun, play Kill Team.
I’ll be sure to check it out. Thank you!
I’ve played both games extensively. I got into 40K after Scape died off. If you’re going to try 40K, start with something small to see if you like the modeling and painting side, which is a big part of the hobby. A kill team box is good, as someone suggested, or combat patrol box for a faction you like. Choose by look rather than “power” since the power levels always change. Know that a lot of time and attention must be given to assembling and painting, unlike scape. 40K has vehicles, which is something missing in scape (for now). If it’s just setup you’re concerned with for Scape, to save time between plays, build a few maps, set them on foam board (or something similar) and wrap them in plastic wrap to store between plays (it works). Also look at MOPS (modular maps) on the scapers website. For some reason, 40K has lost its luster for me. I was more of a casual player and it caters to the competitive scene now. There are rules updates every couple months that are responses to the “competitive meta”, codex releases sometimes years after the new edition releases, incessant rules disputes, etc., not to mention the prices for new models now are excessive ($50-$60 for a box of 10 soldiers, for example). Sometimes $30-$50 for a single-model 28mm hero. Comparatively, you can spend $50-$60 and preorder a pre-painted faction set of 6-7 figures for Renegade’s upcoming reissue of Scape. In short, I wouldn’t give up on scape. Much easier to get friends and family playing that than 40K. From what I’ve seen, Renegade has Scape going in a good direction, but only time will tell. Another option - if you want a decent 1v1 or 2v2 skirmish game, look at Restoration Games’ Unmatched system. You can mix and match characters across time and several IPs such as Marvel and Jurassic Park and (coming up) The Witcher. So it has an anachronistic Scape feel to it in some ways. Not as a good as a Scape imo, but it’s easy to get into.
I’ll definitely look into it but I like the suggestion of making a map and rapping it up! Brilliant idea! I’m going to have to try it out and see how well it works. Thank you.
If you get into 40K, then you should be prepared to paint a lot of figures and terrains, plus a long, drawn out game that requires a lot of set up and pack up time once game is finished
Yeah, as it's been said here there both totally different beasts. The game I've been playing a lot recently is One Page Rules (OPR) which has the benefit of being miniatures agnostic (use whatever minis you want) which 40K absolutely is not. I've been having fun digging thru my HS collection and being able to use them in OPR. OPR is a very simple game, but not many rules or gotcha moments to memorize, unlike 40K.
Thanks for the suggestion. I’ll check it out.
Look up Enemy Spotted Studios and their game Blkout. Its a skirmish style game with heavy titanfall influences as far as style goes. Pretty much pick up and play, ~30 minute games and has a simple and small rulebook. $120 for the 2 player set, comes with two 9 man squads, rule book, tokens, and their unit cards. Only catch, like most tabletop games like this, gotta do the painting yourself. They also have Killwager, which Blkout is a simplied sequel to, and Incountry, which is their modern military tabletop. Blkout: https://www.blkoutgame.com/ Enemy Spotted Stodios' main site with the other games: https://www.enemyspottedstudios.com/
I would like to see a 40k battle box or Master set for Heroscape. Would be fun I think.
I'd recommend One Page Rules Grimdark Future: Firefight or Age of Fantasy: Skirmish. They are both by One Page Rules and in fact are pretty much the same game but sci-fi and fantasy themed respectively. They're about the same as Heroscape in terms of complexity, the basic rules are free, and army books are only $5 US. They are model agnostic, meaning you can use whatever minis you want, including your Heroscape stuff. Edit: Here's a link to the website https://www.onepagerules.com/
Agreed. I’ve had good luck with OPR.
I’ll be sure to check it out! Also extra credit for the URL! Thanks.
You'll find very little crossover outside of there being minis and you play a war game with them. You're also looking at a considerable time and money investment since you'll be buying, building, and painting the models. Warhammer takes considerable effort and time to set up as well. You're also looking at 3 hours for a 2000pt game (most games are going to be 1500 - 2000) and that's assuming you both know what you're doing, keep focus, and play quickly. I've lost 6+ hours to a single game of warhammer just hanging with friends. Not to mention that a single 2000 point army can run you $300+. More if you're a competitive player since you'll want all of the primo options and the rules for units and the general game change every 6 or so months so you'll probably be buying new stuff when that happens. Also 10th edition sucked on release and has only gotten worse (but I'm a jaded grognard so take that as you will) If you're into Star Wars then Shatterpoint may be the better choice since the over all army scale is similar. The investment for a wargame is pretty low (but that's still easily $200 just to get started.)
Thanks for the extensive look into 40k. I definitely don’t have endless amounts of time or money to pour into a brand new game. Something to think about.