Fans of Warhammer: The Old World or rank-and-flank fantasy wargames in general have a new alternative to consider; Hobgoblin, a game of “Brutal Fantasy Battles”. Designed by Mike Hutchinson, best known as the creator of post-apocalyptic deathrace wargame Gaslands, the game is currently being crowdfunded on Kickstarter.
According to the Kickstarter page for Hobgoblin, “players can collect and field any fantasy army they can imagine and engage in brutal battles that last under two hours”. It adds that the game “provides an intuitive system for you to build your own unique factions and army lists… so you can build your army’s rules to match your playstyle”. The rules are totally miniatures-agnostic, so you can use your existing Age of Sigmar army or DnD miniatures collection and get playing.
Similar to classic Warhammer Fantasy Battles and the upcoming Warhammer: The Old World, Hobgoblin is a “rank-and-flank” game, in which large blocks of infantry rank up into formations, wheeling and manoeuvring to try and eek out a positional advantage before committing to combat.
The game has had “more than seven years in development”, and you can download a free PDF Quick-start guide from the Hobgoblin Kickstarter page to try it out now. The rulebook features “original artwork from graphic artist CROM”, a tattoo artist and comics author with work published via Dark Horse, exploring the game’s gothic setting Rotvärlden.
A pledge of $29 (about £24) will get you a PDF rulebook, print and play cards, and STL files to produce a hobgoblin miniature on a 3D printer, which should be delivered in May. For $52 (about £42) you’ll receive a hardcover book and printed cards, which the Kickstarter says will arrive in October.
The project has already been funded on Kickstarter, and is open to pledges until May 17 9AM PST / 12AM EST / 5PM BST.
If you’re interested in indie wargames with a death metal twist, Wargamer recommends you check out Necropolis28, aka Dark Souls meets Warhammer. If you’re a fan of fast rank-and-flank fantasy wargames, Kings Of War has a well deserved place on our rundown of the best miniature wargames.