Unboxing Warpath Marauders by Mantic Games
Mantic Games, creators of the tabletop miniature game Kings of War and board game Dwarf King’s Hold, are in the process of releasing a new game called Warpath. Warpath is Mantic’s sci-fi setting wargame. Currently there are only two races available of the known eight in their universe, the Forge Fathers and the Marauders (Orx). An excerpt from Mantic’s website begins the fluff concerning the Warpath universe:
The galaxy is burning. The malevolent Corporation is ever expanding its sphere of influence, annexing more and more star systems. Their strategy is to make contact with alien civilizations, dazzle them with a few gifts of techno-bauble and then offer membership ‘as equal partners’ in the Great Galactic Co-prosperity Sphere. In the space of a few years, of course, the governments of those worlds will be changed by bribery, corruption, political intrigue, blackmail, threats and assassination, into puppet-states. They will devote all of their planets’ resources to enriching the Corporation and the few local bureaucrats that ‘run the business’ for it, while their populations plummet into a state of poverty and servitude.
Warpath is a considerably less expensive alternative to Warhammer with a different rule set and can also offer an alternative to the GW models, if one were inclined to use them as such. We recently received a preview copy of models from the guys over at Mantic containing a Marauder Raptor, a sprue of two Orx commanders, and a sprue of three Orx troops.
The troops are cool in that, with some minor weapon mods, you can have a unique fantasy orc(k)(x). In general the Marauder guns have a vertical clip, which you may love or hate, I’m undecided yet on how much I like it, but I think it’s growing on me.
The Command sprue has some really nice close combat weapons. I’m a fan of the claw look Mantic has modeled them with as well as the over the shoulder gun. Again with some slight modification you can have some good fantasy stand in models.
The Marauder Raptor is an interesting take on the classic GW biker. These guys have fat trikes with enough engine to power a Chevelle, and they still find space to mount a multi rocket launcher…have to love Orx creativity. If you’re a fan of the green skins in any gaming format, there is lots of customization options here for the hobbyist.
In general the Warpath models are looking good, especially for the price point. That being said, if you were to look at just the Marauder model line, there may be a bit too much similarity to GW for your liking, but then if that’s something you’re interested in than it may be right up your alley. In general, like all new gaming companies, time will tell the response of the hobby gaming market. More options is always great, and the fact that it’s not just some model company out there that will get sued by GW’s lawyers for IP infringement, but an actual game company is a plus in my book. So if you get a chance or want to see some more of what’s going on with Mantic, check them out here.
