Grim Dark Future. General discussion.

[Stumpydave]

My friends and I (after much badgering by me) have started playing One Page Rules 40k clone homage, Grim Dark Future.
For someone as rules and maths phobic as me, it's a revelation. It was the first wargame I've played in years that managed to evoke those tentative first games of orginal 40k.
So I didn't know/remember if anyone here had already mentioned it but thought it could be cool to discuss.

Given it's early days, we're only playing/building small lists. 750pts at the moment.
I'm aiming for a Thunder Warrior army using the "I can't believe its not Blood Angel Primaris" list, only swapping out Fearless ( a plus to morale checks) rule for Robot (automatically pass morale but risk wounds instead) to replicate the risk of genemod rejection and sudden organ failure.

 

[Atelerix]

Both the main rules and the Firefight skirmish game are tight. Alternating activation works really well (unsurprisingly) and prevents alpha strikes. With only 4 turns, every game I've played has gone down to the last couple of actions. It's a lot of fun.

It's not perfect - the rulebook can be a little too terse at times. The psychic and vehicle rules seem a little light, but I can live with that. It certainly isn't a simulation game, but nor is it intended to be.

We found the Prime Brothers and not-Custodes chewed through other armies, but focus on the objectives and you can beat them

I think if you treat it as its own thing, rather than another attempt at a 40k ruleset, you'll be happier. With the creator's STL Patreon, it's definitely changing. It does make for a fast, fun game with 40k models though.

Played from 1000pts up to multiplayer 6000 pt battles and it scales without becoming too exhausting.

 

[Stumpydave]

These are my Thunder Warriors for GDF - all 3d printed (whole army probably costs £10 in resin and PLA).

I love the background to the Thunder Warriors, especially the whole 'burns twice as bright' schtick.

This is what should have been introduced instead of Primaris.

 

[David Johansen]

I've always thought Thunder Warriors fighting to unify Earth would be a fantastic concept for a high powered skirmish game using =][=nquisitor (of course).

I even did some sculpts, art, and preliminary writing.

 

[David Johansen]

The problem, of course, is that I don't own the property or the mechanics and by the time I rub off the serial numbers and use different mechanics, it's really lost the selling point of being a game about the Thunder Warriors subduing Holy Mother Terra for the Emperor.

 

[Stumpydave]

The problem, of course, is that I don't own the property or the mechanics and by the time I rub off the serial numbers and use different mechanics, it's really lost the selling point of being a game about the Thunder Warriors subduing Holy Mother Terra for the Emperor.

Have you thought of filing the serial numbers off of Moorcock's 'Hawkmoon'?

 

[CRKrueger]

The Unification Wars would be a great campaign setting. The various geneforged troops like the Udug Hul of the Great King of Akkad, Sorcerer Kings like Kalagann of Ursh and the Priest-King of Maulland Sen, the endless list of tyrants: Cardinal Tang, Uilleam the Red, The Ur-Queen of Atlan, Dalmoth Kyn, The Unspeakable King, and the greatest of them all, Narthan Dume. Hell, throw in Khan Noonian Singh while you’re at it, that description of Earth sounds a lot like the Age of Strife.

It’s a cross between Heavy Metal, 2000AD, Ralph Bakshi’s Wizards & Moorcock.

The Great Crusade wouldn’t be a bad “Alternate Era” setting either.

 

[David Johansen]

Have you thought of filing the serial numbers off of Moorcock's 'Hawkmoon'?

Not really, I think I read one of those once. Long, long ago. There's a point at which that which you are stealing from is sufficiently obscure as to offer no real advantage over doing your own thing. Cool as it probably is, Hawkmoon is probably in that category.

 

[Stumpydave]

So what we need to identify is what makes these particular settings evocative and roll from there.

Is there a name for the melding swords and sorcery with far future, post apocalyptic Earth?

 

[David Johansen]

Vancian?

 

[CRKrueger]

So what we need to identify is what makes these particular settings evocative and roll from there.

Is there a name for the melding swords and sorcery with far future, post apocalyptic Earth?

I’ve heard the terms “Swords and Super-Science” or “Swords, Sorcery and Super-Science.”

”Seventies Science-Fantasy and the works of authors influenced by it” is kind of unwieldy though.

 

[Ladybird]

The Unification Wars would be a great campaign setting. The various geneforged troops like the Udug Hul of the Great King of Akkad, Sorcerer Kings like Kalagann of Ursh and the Priest-King of Maulland Sen, the endless list of tyrants: Cardinal Tang, Uilleam the Red, The Ur-Queen of Atlan, Dalmoth Kyn, The Unspeakable King, and the greatest of them all, Narthan Dume. Hell, throw in Khan Noonian Singh while you’re at it, that description of Earth sounds a lot like the Age of Strife.

It’s a cross between Heavy Metal, 2000AD, Ralph Bakshi’s Wizards & Moorcock.

The Great Crusade wouldn’t be a bad “Alternate Era” setting either.

My knowledge of that era is lacking; were there trained psykers other than the Emperor at the time?

 

[Ben Adams]

So what we need to identify is what makes these particular settings evocative and roll from there.

Is there a name for the melding swords and sorcery with far future, post apocalyptic Earth?

Sword & Bolt?

 

[Ben Adams]

I will say; I've never been a war gamer though I've liked the lore and models. But One Page Rules (and Mechwarrior 5) have really turned me onto it.