Warpath’s epic miniature wargame want to woo you away from Warhammer 40,000

Wargaming might be enjoying a spree of skirmish-sized titles, lately, but that doesn’t mean the grandiose table-stretchers that dominate hobby shops and convention floors are mouldering in a cupboard. Mantic Games, makers of Kings of War, Deadzone and Friefight, have just launched a Kickstarter campaign for their epic-sized Warpath, and it looks like a killer Warhammer 40,000 clone.

English wargaming giant Games Workshop produces a ton of gamelines, but the recent revival of The Horus Heresy – Legions Imperialis reintroduced itty-bitty troops that be amassed into ‘epic’ battles (that’s as much a categorical descriptor as it is an adjective). Mantic Games’ Warpath is a direct competitor to this model, filling 24 square feet with miniscule miniatures that could number in the triple digits if two opponents really wanted to fill an afternoon.

Warpath shares more than a scale and science fiction trappings - the ruleset was co-designed by Alessio Cavatore, a former Warhammer designer whose portfolio includes Mantic’s Kings of War, Middle-earth Strategy Battle Game, Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer Fantasy Battle. Along with Matt Gilbert, the duo’s sprawling wargame wants to convince you that there’s a better way to move around tiny plastic bases and measure line of sight.

Whereas Legions Imperialis’ narrative battles showcases the schismatic infighting of one faction, Warpath will launch with four different armies - the mercenary and precise Enforcers, the space-zombie analogue of the Plague, clannish Norse culture-meets-dwarves called the Forge Fathers and, finally, the Protoss, er… I mean the Aeldari, wait… I’ve got it: the Asterians. Mantic obviously believes wargamers have very specific tastes, and they’re all too happy to provide.

The rules borrow quite a bit from Mantic Games’ smaller entries in the studios catalogue, such as Deadzone and Firefight. Players will use eight-sided dice for most shooting and attacks, while a separate pool of Command Dice will activate special moves and purchase rerolls. On each of their turns, units can either activate in order to move and shoot, sprint further at the expense of their attack or sit very still and hold an overwatch position in case the opponent closes in. This is a huge oversimplification but also showcases the wargame fundamentals that Warpath keeps at its core. The studio breaks down the full rules via a series of videos and articles on its website, for those curious on the finer details.

Epic Warpath’s Kickstarter campaign will run through March 1st in order to fund the core rules and production on the four basic armies. Backers can choose to pick one, two or all four armies, each of which ship with at least 160 plastic miniatures across a range of foot soldiers, heavies, vehicles and artillery. Shipping to backers is currently expected to begin in March 2025.