Since 2008 Mantic Games, based in the UK, has been delivering consistently high quality tabletop experiences on both sides of The Atlantic. With their flagship game series Kings of War and Warpath, comparisons to Games Workshop’s venerable Warhammer line might seem inevitable. However, Mantic has managed to keep familiar tropes fresh, and their rigorous attention to detail and fan support has given GW a run for their money. Their work has even garnered them the rights to the Walking Dead series, which gamers will get to experience this fall with The Walking Dead: All Out War miniatures game.
In 2014, the company raised over $1 million in an incredibly successful crowd funding campaign to back their stand-alone Dungeon Saga: The Dwarf King’s Quest tabletop game. Featuring easy-to-pick up and play rules, gorgeous minis, and high replay value; it was lauded as a modern update to the classic.
With just under two weeks to go of an already successful Kickstarter, the company is on pace to bring sci-fi fans the same thrill with Star Saga The Eiras Contract.
Set in Mantic’s Warpath universe, the game is definitely more Star Wars or Mass Effect than Warhammer 40k, with aliens and bots a plenty on top of a slightly less grim sci-fi setting. One to five players take on the role of mercenaries hired by the mysterious Blaine (pictured below) to perpetrate some corporate espionage, and as you might expect things quickly go sideways.
Based on the Dungeon Saga rules, the game is meant to be easy to set up and play. Modular corridors make up the game board with plastic-molded doors and scenery fixtures helping to augment the experience. The basic mechanics will seem wholly familiar to most tabletoppers. On your turn, you move, explore, and engage enemies as needed. Not terribly complicated on its face, but Mantic promises a satisfying bunch of bells and whistles for veteran gamers including a mission-based story system, as well as character creation and leveling for a more in depth storytelling experience. The inclusion of solo play is also an intriguing addition, with the player squaring off against a card-based enemy “A.I.” to achieve mission success.
Here’s a peak at what you’ll get inside the box:
The character models are gorgeous, and this is a very sharply presented package to say the very least. In addition, thanks to the fact that they’ve been funded twice over through Kickstarter so far, numerous add-ons and stretch goals have been unlocked!
While any Kickstarter backed game can be a bit of a gamble, and cautious optimism is always a good approach, Mantic seems bent on maintaining their well-deserved reputation with Star Saga, and G&S look forward to its release. You can still back this project through October 21st, so head on over to their campaign page for more info.
For some SERIOUS tabletop eye-candy, head on over to Mantic’s website for more information on Star Saga, The Walking Dead: All Out War, and much much more!
Photo Credit: Mantic Games