The Alternative Armies Blog

Welcome to the Alternative Armies blog. This blog tells you all about what we are up to and it is where we post our latest tabletop gaming news and articles.
We cover Flintloque and Slaughterloo, High Fantasy, Other Ranges as well as our 15mm scale fantasy, science fiction and historical ranges.
Our game systems and free content such as PDF downloads and reading articles. Enjoy and do dig back in time to see what was going on before now.

Feel free to comment and ask questions. We are always happy to help gamers with their hobby.
Showing posts with label Digital Download. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Digital Download. Show all posts

Wednesday, 16 March 2022

USEME Series all twelve titles now back in stock and future development

News long delayed due to circumstances beyond our control and awaited is now with us at Alternative Armies.  The entire USEME (Ultra Simple Engine for Miniature Engagements) range of rule booklets is back in A6 print and in deep stock once more.  Go HERE for the dozen titles plus two starter sets with miniatures and scenarios.  Oh and loads of free downloads too.

Very affordable and pocket sized the booklets are also in 'ease print' format as paid for digital downloads too on the same page.  Choose from...

UM001 USE ME Science Fiction

UM002 USE ME High Fantasy

UM003 USE ME World War Two

UM004 USE ME Modern Warfare

UM005 USE ME American Civil War

UM006 USE ME Starship Battles

UM007 USE ME Post Apocalyptic

UM008 USE ME Wild West

UM009 USE ME Zombie Dawn

UM010 USE ME Support Pack (Expansion Title)

UM011 USE ME Cyberpunk

UM013 USE ME Eldritch Horror

UM014 USE ME Valiesk (UM004 Modern Warfare Campaign Book)

You can learn all about each one on its page of the website.  Go HERE and you will also find a lot of free downloads and files for USEME which will add in play including a lot of scenarios for Starship Battles written by Vic Dobson.

The USEME series is active once more in development too and there shall be new titles coming this year with the first one now UM014 USEME Valiesk.  Written by Gavin Syme, Omer Golan, Vic Dobson as well as Robin McAlister and Steve Rysemus these will each cover a new area of tabletop gaming with miniatures.  As always we are open to suggested titles and if you wish to take on penning a USEME then contact us at Alternative Armies for the guidelines.

Get into USEME 15mm Science Fiction with a starter set containing a print booklet, miniatures and scenarios.  There are two to choose from.  Outpost 32 which sees a group of Human troops and alien people trying to hold off a force of Grey Aliens intent on mischief.  Or you could try The Ziggurat of Clem IV in which a force of Zidhe Space Elves encounter Octopod Aliens with both sides intent on victory.  Codes are UMS01 and UMS02.

Thank you for Reading.

GBS

Tuesday, 17 November 2020

Age of Might and Steel 15mm fantasy rules and loads of free articles

Steve Hazuka wrote a great set of fantasy wargaming rules which Alternative Armies published in an expanded edition way back in 2009.  The book is out of print but it is in a very affordable (we always price our digital titles at least 20% cheaper than print) downloadable format.  See it HERE.

Have you ever wanted to field large fantasy armies with many blocks of infantry and cavalry with lots of monsters, artillery, heroes and magicians that looks great on the gaming table? Have you been put off by ever more complex rules and the need to spend many hours playing to get to the glory and thrill of victory? Then The Age of Might and Steel is the rules set for you!

Play a full game inside an hour with 100-200 15mm Miniatures on the table. All the action played out using 1 six sided dice (1D6). Armies built from Units made up of Stands of several miniatures. Add Generals, Monsters, Magic Users, Heroes and more to your Units. BIG Fantasy Armies easily controlled. The look of a complex battle without the headaches. Create original scenarios or use the included Points System and Army Lists. Combine Armies into Nations for even bigger games! For busy gamers who enjoy a rewardingly simple game that encourages tactics.

Age of Might and Steel is not a complex game rather it allows you to take your 15mm scale fantasy armies and get playing with a minimum of fuss.  In fact read what was said about playing AoMaS back in 2011 on Orcs in the Webbe HERE. You can use any miniatures such as those in the HOT Range or Tabletop Fantasy Range or even the Sengoku Japanese Fantasy Range.

Recent active interest led to Craig over at Orcs in the Webbe setting up a dedicated Age of Might and Steel (AoMaS) page where he has placed all of the free articles written by the author for the game. These have not been seen online and were in print a decade ago.  They expand the game with a lot of fun material. Go HERE for the page. Articles include an Errata for the game, using Heroes, fielding Mercenaries, the Undead and much more.  Our thanks to Craig!

Thanks for Reading,

GBS

Wednesday, 17 June 2020

Fist full of Coins free DarkeStorme three part scenario by Vic Dobson

While he usually opts for penning adventures for USEME the talented Vic Dobson is also a fan of high fantasy skirmishing.  It is our delight to present to you now a three part linked scenario for the DarkeStorme game system.  You can download it for free below or see all of our free content HERE on the website. 


Fist Full of Coins - DarkeStorme
An eight page three part linked scenario for two players written by Vic Dobson. Markus Dante's Mercenary Company is trying to rescue the kidnapped daughter of a rich merchant, whilst the bandits who kidnapped her are determined to prevent that.  Can you defeat the bandits?  Also includes suggested miniatures and ways to expand the scenarios.  Find out by CLICKING HERE to download the PDF from our website storage.


DarkeStorme
Skirmish Level High Fantasy Wargames Rules  (28mm or 15mm)
A character driven skirmish game written by Gavin Syme (GBS) creator of Erin 2nd edition, Typhon and Flintloque 3rd edition along with many other wargame rule systems and fiction. These rules can be used with our High Fantasy miniature range or any other suitable range of miniatures. Easy to learn D6 engine. Full rules for character combat. Full Magic System with ten levels of spells. Monster Handling system with 'Amok' rules. Creature generation formula and many Mortal and Undead races. Expansion rules for Cavalry, Artillery and Chariots. A Full Points System. Terrain and Weather generation and special terrain generator. Create Characters from nothing and lead them through linked adventures and progression. Units of roughly ten to twenty characters in games lasting twenty minutes to over an hour in length. A game system suitable for younger gamers, those with less time or starting out or those looking for an easy play wargame with a traditional high fantasy feel from the era of the 1980's and 1990's.  You can have the book in PRINT or as a DIGITAL TITLE at 20% less.  There are links to an impartial review as well as free files and scenarios on the website when you click through.


Alternative Armies has a huge selection of miniatures for fantasy wargaming in two different scales including Mages, Knights, Barbarians, Skeletons, Zombies, Orcs, Goblins, Elves, Dwarves as well as many Monsters and much more.  Have a browse through.  You can see above all of the range are down the left hand menu of the website.  Go HERE and enjoy!

Thanks for Reading,

GBS

Friday, 27 September 2019

Sengoku Monster Hunter expansion Rampage now released in print and as digital download

Written by Steve Danes and with artwork from Sam Croes and John Bell the expansion title to Sengoku Monster Hunter is now shipping worldwide in print after its pre-order offer and we are delighted now to release the book as a paid digital download too. The digital download version of this title is twenty percent less in price than in print as with our other digital books.  Go HERE for all our digital titles.


If you are not familiar with Sengoku Monster Hunter then you can read all about it on our website HERE.  It is a tabletop game in 15mm scale for one to four players where you take the part of a Hunter and seek out Japanese Mythological creatures who are terrorising the countryside.  The very nature of the game makes every play of it different and it has a loyal following.  The Sengoku 15mm Japanese Fantasy miniature range sculpted by John Bell has over one hundred and thirty different miniatures and its growing.  So what can you expect to find in the fifty two pages of Rampage?  Here is a run down with a couple of page images.  Go HERE to see those and more pages larger.



Rampage is the second book in the Sengoku Monster Hunter series; the game set in a mythical Japanese past of fierce monsters and even fiercer monster hunters. This is a supplement to the original rules and it provides much more material for playing Sengoku Monster Hunter. Players will need to be familiar with the original rules and will of course need the first book to be able to make use of Rampage.

More Monsters More Encounters
This includes a whole new batch of monsters such Rokurokubi, Tsurube-Otoshi, Nurikabe, Snakemen and more. There are also a whole new set of profiles for the various demons and devils that can be encountered, obviously all more powerful than those previously described - but with greater risks comes greater rewards! Also included are a new set of encounters that can be played out during the hunt such as the Soba Shop, Mile Markers, Police, Komuso Monks and many others. These new encounters will provide an interesting array of new challenges, distractions and even some benefits to the hunters on their expeditions.

New Hunters
As well as new monsters and new encounters, these rules contain new hunter types including the shape shifting Yokai and the dreaded Water Shadow Clan. Players who are familiar with the game and have their own favourite hunters can try their luck with these new characters and the new skills and abilities that they bring. This book also includes five new named characters, legendary hunters of old who continue to inspire new generations of hunters. Players can take these characters from their humble origins and turn them into the heroic hunters that they became.

New Hunting Grounds
These rules provide extensive details about a new hunting ground that players can try out - the dreaded wave washed caves of the Underworld. In this gloomy underground realm, not only are the hunters at risk from the hostile denizens of the caves but there is the dark and dangerous environment of the caves themselves with the ever present risk of rock falls, floods and the other more sinister consequences of the little understood Ghost Light. Only the bravest hunters will try out this new and hostile environment.

Monster Rampage!
Contained within these rules is a new way to play Sengoku. This is still a solo game but as the heading suggests, now the hunters face a different challenge, now there are more monsters, now it is the monsters that are on the attack. To coin a phrase - “now the hunters become the hunted”. Players may wish to ignore this section because it contains information that will put their cherished hunters at severe risk. In a Monster Rampage, hordes of monsters will try and overwhelm the stealthy hunter and exact severe and bloody retribution. I won’t be offended if players choose to avoid this section. But if players do take up this challenge they will find six new hunting scenarios plus additional material such as monster spells and all manner of other nastiness. You have been warned…

Gashadokuro giant skeleton of the dead in Sengoku Monster Hunter
This one page free article which adds to Rampage gives you the rules in play to field the biggest monster thus far in the game.  It includes monster tokens to add to your collection.  Download it from our website storage by CLICKING HERE.


Free Simple 20mm Grids for Sengoku Rampage
In your games of Sengoku Monster Hunter Rampage you can choose to fight in the Underground with all the hazards that presents.  You can use any squared grids or tiles in your collection but we are happy to present to you a free article containing simple grids of all the types of chambers and caverns you can expect in play. These simple 20mm grids work with the 15mm miniatures and can be reproduced as many times as you wish.  Download this article from our website storage by CLICKING HERE.

Thank you for Reading,

GBS

Monday, 16 September 2019

Free downloads for Sengoku Monster Hunter expansion book Rampage

Written by Steve Danes and with artwork from Sam Croes and John Bell the expansion title to Sengoku Monster Hunter is now online for print pre-orders at 10% off list until 27th September.  Go HERE.  

Pre-orders will ship then and at that time we will release a digital download paid version of the book too (as normal it will be twenty percent cheaper than print). Pre-orders are building up now and we wanted to bring to your attention three things.  Firstly that the print run of the book has now arrived!  Beyond this we have two free articles which bolt right onto Rampage for you to download right now.  See these on our Free Downloads page or read on for more details and links.


If you are not familiar with Sengoku Monster Hunter then you can read all about it on our website HERE.  It is a tabletop game in 15mm scale for one to four players where you take the part of a Hunter and seek out Japanese Mythological creatures who are terrorising the countryside.  The very nature of the game makes every play of it different and it has a loyal following.  The Sengoku 15mm Japanese Fantasy miniature range sculpted by John Bell has over one hundred and thirty different miniatures and its growing.  Rampage is the second book in the Sengoku Monster Hunter series; the game set in a mythical Japanese past of fierce monsters and even fiercer monster hunters. 


This is a supplement to the original rules and it provides much more material for playing Sengoku Monster Hunter. Players will need to be familiar with the original rules and will of course need the first book to be able to make use of Rampage.  Go to the website for a full run down of what is in the book HERE.

Gashadokuro giant skeleton of the dead in Sengoku Monster Hunter
This one page free article which adds to Rampage gives you the rules in play to field the biggest monster thus far in the game.  It includes monster tokens to add to your collection.  Download it from our website storage by CLICKING HERE.

Free Simple 20mm Grids for Sengoku Rampage
In your games of Sengoku Monster Hunter Rampage you can choose to fight in the Underground with all the hazards that presents.  You can use any squared grids or tiles in your collection but we are happy to present to you a free article containing simple grids of all the types of chambers and caverns you can expect in play. These simple 20mm grids work with the 15mm miniatures and can be reproduced as many times as you wish.  Download this article from our website storage by CLICKING HERE.

Thank you for your support and enjoy the free articles.

GBS

Friday, 7 June 2019

Army of Pudigrochumsberg free booklet to download for Flintloque and Slaughterloo

“A blackened and burned land is all that remains of the once thriving kingdom of Pudigrochumsberg the victims of the Ostarian Emperor Klaffenhund’s madness.  In an attempt to gain popularity during the Ferach Revolution the Emperor decided to test his newly uniformed in white and musket armed Dog soldiers against this prosperous nation.  The few ready corps of troops that the  Houndian King Bonio of Pudigrochumsberg could bring to battle were scooped up and binned after a few weeks of campaigning.  Klaffenhund the head of the Yapsburg dynasty would accept no surrender and ordered the sacking of every city in their land and sowed salt into the fields. King Bonio and several regiments escaped and sought refuge with the Elves becoming a small force sworn to destroy the Ostarians at any opportunity.  Some Pudigroan soldiers with  Finklesteiner assistance fight on in their  ravaged country in attempts to dislodge the Ostarians unfortunate enough to be assigned garrison duty in Pudigrochumsberg.” - The Ruined Kingdom of Pudigrochumsberg


Now online for free download our Army Booklet for players of Flintloque and Slaughterloo to add the Dogmen of Pudigrochumsberg to your games. Skirmishing and Mass Battle statistics plus profiles of main regiments and their uniforms.  As well as this a page on the the part King Bonio took in the Bier Wars after the Ferach Revolution.  To see this army from The World of Valon go HERE or read on for more and to download.


Army of Pudigrochumsberg
A six page booklet containing background for the ruined kingdom and allies of the Emperor Mordred of the Ferach.  Flintloque and Slaughterloo rules and game statistics as well as information on the Bier Wars plus many pictures and a link to another free download too on King Bonio.  A great short read which will slot right into your collection of published titles such as 5028 Bier and Bones and 5030 Slaughterloo.  CLICK HERE to get the PDF from our online storage.



There are more than ten different choices of troops in this Army. Above you can see core favourites 56589 Pudigroan Line and 56592 Cruellest DeVille Cuirassiers which is where many players begin their journey with this force.

If you are wanting to get into Flintloque then of course you should begin by checking out 5024 Escape the Dark Czar in which there are miniatures which work well with Pudigrochumsberg including a Dogman character.  If you are keen on Mass Battle then check out Slaughterloo and the Divisional Army Pack (DAP) for these Dogmen (saving 19% as code 56604).  As with all codes in the World of Valon range you can select a pack, or a unit, or single trooper booster plus the option of purchasing painted and based ready for play when it comes to the Pudigroan Army.


There are a great many other free files at Alternative Armies for download including a great deal for Flintloque such as the insert for the Regimenta Santa Annie and the expansion scenarios for the Escape the Dark Czar beginners set.  Check them out HERE and just scroll down and click on what you want.

Thanks for Reading,

GBS

Tuesday, 23 April 2019

Doom Squad solo rules released as a digital download!

Back in March we released Doom Squad in PRINT and now its time for it to come out as a paid DIGITAL DOWNLOAD at twenty percent less than print. Doom Squad is the latest wargame title published by Alternative Armies from the author Steve Danes. You take the role of a small team of special forces soldiers in one of four different historical or present time periods then go up against the game engine in a mission which changes every time. Use any miniatures and play a game in twenty minutes. It is great fun! 

If you play in the era of Horse and Musket, of Napoleon, the colonial wars of the 19th century, the first world war, the second world war or the cold war and ultra modern then Doom Squad will slot right in with your figure and rules collection. 


SDB01 Doom Squad – Go HERE. Digital Download 
Written by Steve Danes a new nerve-shredding game of special forces action that ranges across three hundred years of history. From the time of Napoleon through to the trenches of World War One and right up to special forces operations in the early 21st century. A small team dropped in against the odds. Doom Squad is meant to be played as a solo game system pitting your team against the game engine. You can also opt for a multi-player game of 'co-operation' of two or several players going up against the game. Your troops will be equipped with the latest high-tech weapons and equipment from their historical or current era; which can mean muskets, rifled carbines or assault carbines with red-dot sights. It all depends on which period you pick. Rules are very simple and easy to use and are based around the use of one or more six sided dice to test for firing and close combat. Players will control one or more special forces squads and will be faced with an enemy that can be tough, disciplined, confused, resolute, unsteady and always unpredictable. This title is 44 pages. On our Digital Downloads page and also our Tabletop Gaming Books page if you wish a print copy. Use any miniatures you possess which are suitable in 28mm, 20mm, 15mm scale or 6mm scale. Here is a run down of the contents of the book as well as some page images too. 


Frontis: Page 1 
Contents and Credits: Page 2 

What is Doom Squad? Pages 3-4 
Game Set Up and Deployment: Page 5

Sequence and Actions in Turns:  Pages 6 - 15 
Observation and Enemy Reaction 
Firing 
Close Combat 
Team Risk 


Time Period Weapons: Pages 16 - 23 
Jager Weapons 
Rifleman Weapons 
Stormtrooper Weapons 
Special Forces Weapons 

The Teams and Additional Assets: Pages 24 - 31 
Jager Doom Squads 
Rifleman Doom Squads 
Stormtrooper Doom Squads 
Special Forces Doom Squads 


Leaders of Doom Squads: Pages 32 - 34 
Doom Squad Formations: Pages 35 -36 


Event Cards and Target Marker: Pages 37 - 40 
Game Play Run Through: Pages 41 - 42 
Doom Squad Missions: Page 43 
Quick Reference Sheet: Page 44 

There are not many game systems out there like Doom Squad. 

Try it out solo or with your friend co-op today! 

Thanks for Reading, 

GBS

Monday, 12 November 2018

Black Friday Season Mega Event 2018 now on and biggest of the year!

Now on and until 9am GMT Tuesday 27th November there is a Black Friday Season Mega Event happening at Alternative Armies. We have automatic Free Worldwide Shipping on all orders over 15GBP of product placed in the cart (you need do nothing but add to cart but please note tracked shipping remains a flat 10GBP charge to select) and we have TEN brand new releases too during the event.  Each of these new releases ALONG WITH EVERY OTHER CODE ON THE WEBSITE is 10% off regular price during the event and they are all online now with a place holder image; getting their own news during the event.  We have new 28mm Fantasy, 15mm Fantasy, 15mm Science Fiction and new Flintloque releases too.   Go HERE or read on.


All of these releases (minus their images) are now online along with all our other special offers for the event and more. We will feature each new release in its own news article on its day in detail during this event. Here are the new codes and the top offers we have alongside our free postage! Its huge and it will end with a Cyber Monday (26th Nov) promotion on all our digital download books (all the other deals are still on during Cyber Monday too).  We will be shipping almost every day during the event worldwide. Enjoy and here are the details.

New Releases! 
All of these brand new codes are on the website now on the New Releases page as well as their own sections of the website.

28mm Fantasy Range


VNT43 Wraiths II (4 Miniatures)
VNT44 Wraith Riders (2 Mounted Miniatures)
VNT45 Wraith Riders II (2 Mounted Miniatures)
VNT28 Wraiths (4 Miniatures) (Re-Mastered 2018)

Flintloque and Slaughterloo





15mm Fantasy Range

HOT114 Wraiths (16 Miniatures)
HOT115 Wraiths II (16 Miniatures)
HOT36 Wraith Cavalry (6 Mounted Miniatures)
HOT74 Wraith Lord on Fell Beast (1 Miniature) (Re-Mastered 2018)

15mm Science Fiction Range

HOF121 SFA Bear Cat Battlesuit (1 Multi-Pose Kit)


Black Friday Mega Event 10% off Everything On the Website
That's correct during the event we have taken 10% off every single code on the website in all of the ranges in all of the scales.  This is on top of free shipping.  This applies to miniatures, books, downloads, dice, bases and of course our pro-painted service.  All normal priced codes (not bundles or divisional boxes which are already discounted) are ten percent reduced on screen.  All you need do is add to cart as the discount is already applied.  Have a browse of our ranges using this LIST on our blog or by going across the top menu of the website home page HERE.


Cyber Monday Mega Digital Event!
On our Digital Downloads page you can find titles such as Flintloque, Slaughterloo, Furioso, Sulphur, Sengoku Monster Hunter, USEME, HOF Fire Team, Age of Might and Steel and others.  Paid for downloads which are 30% cheaper during the event ending 9am GMT 27th November 2018.  This is ten percent further off the already twenty percent less than the print version.  A 30% saving. Go HERE.


If you have not already done so we urge you to go to our website home page, scroll to the bottom and join our mailing list through the box provided there. You will also not miss out on all the new releases and fun as we send out each day's new release and news as well as regular news and more after the Black Friday event.


Lastly if you wish to combine orders with our smaller sister site The Ion Age then you can and you get access to the offers and free shipping. Send an email to info@theionage.com and list out all the codes you want from both websites along with your shipping address and your paypal email. We will respond with a total and send you an invoice to pay. Easy and you can get ahold of the brand new Magog 15mm scale giant mecha.

Thanks for reading and enjoy the biggest event of the year! 

GBS

Monday, 23 July 2018

USEME Free Bundle II by Vic Dobson download now plus new Weekly Deals

One of my fondest creations as a humble creator of wargaming content and books is USEME. The 'Ultra Simple Engine for Miniature Engagements' system has a dozen titles to its name and in print and download has been all over the world with eight thousand copies sold since first release. I have played and seen played games with USEME from five 15mm figures a side to five hundred at conventions. Science Fiction, Fantasy, Historical, Starships, Zombies and more and all really easy plus without a setting you can fit them to your own wants. 

A prolific writer of scenarios and wargaming ideas it is my pleasure to present to you all the second free bundle for USEME written by Vic Dobson. This new bundle follows up on Bundle One as well as free Mini-Campaigns and other scenarios such as Outland 2114 all written for UM001 15mm Science Fiction and UM006 Starship Battles. Generic works which fit in great to your gaming. See all these others by working the history of the USEME TAG on our blog and download the new bundle below. Enjoy the free! 


USEME Free Bundle II 
A total of eleven new scenarios written by Vic Dobson for 15mm science fiction and for fleet scale Starship Battles with the USEME rule system. Rescue VIP's from a crashed shuttle in 'To Ride the Lightening', cultists try to summon the dark lord in 'My Name is Mort', a corporate vehicle carry supplies tries to escape any colonist miners in 'Three Wheels on my Wagon' and 'My Name is Ruin' where a small group of scientists and guards try to hold off wasteland mutants. For starship gaming there is 'Brothers in Arms' which sees Alien Greys entering Octopod space in a vicious encounter. Two small campaigns as well. The Federal Systems enter Neo-Sov space to destroy a moon base and more in the the three part 'Fire in the Ice' starship battle campaign. In the three parts of 'Inferno' the Neo-Soviet ground forces try to defeat the Xiberian Insurgency in close in battles. Hosted on the Alternative Armies website you can download the bundle by clicking HERE.



If you have enjoyed the free scenarios and bundles for USEME then perhaps you might like to get in on these great and simple rule systems. Visit our website HERE for the dozen titles currently in the series in print and as digital downloads. All play in less than an hour and you can learn them in one or two play through sessions. Great for getting children into gaming and if you only have short window to play plus play them solo. Science Fiction, Fantasy, World War Two, Modern Warfare, American Civil War, Starship Battles, Wild West, Zombie Dawn, Support Pack, Cyberpunk and Eldritch Horror. Little books at little prices. 



Here at Alternative Armies we have two new week long deals on two entire ranges every week. Each offer is 10% off every code in two entire collections of our website. Every pack, unit, box, book and so on in the collection is ten percent cheaper than its normal price for seven days. It changes every week at midnight GMT Sunday so it is well worth a look to see what we have on offer from our vast choice. Go HERE for the page and it is well worth seeing every Monday what the new deals are. This week the offers are on are the Von Rotte Legion Dwarves for Flintloque and the fantastic SHM 15mm Science Fiction range. 


If you would like to get the latest news, releases, free content and unique to email offers from us in one place then sign up for our Mailchimp list which will get you future email from us every week with first news of new releases and special offers plus unique email only deals. Please see footer of our website home page or below here to sign up. 

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GBS