Unboxing: Dystopian Legions, Kingdom of Britannia Starter Set

I have had one eye on the new Spartan Games rule set since it was announced. So when the starter sets arrived at my FLGS, I had to dig out some birthday money to go get them straight away. I plumped for the Kingdom of Britannia starter, with a side order of drummer boys, so to speak.



There's a link to the official unboxing for all the starter sets here.

Contents

On to the unboxing. The contents of the kit are as follows:

14 Miniatures
Model Bases
Token Sheet
24 Dice
8 inch Ruler
Stat Sheet
Activation Cards
Game Cards
Quickplay Rulebook


It's been quite a while since I bought a game that came with its own dice, but as I read into the rules, it was made clear that the main mechanic of the game is based on dice colour. 'Upgrading' the dice colour has in-game effect, hence 8 dice of each of the colours used (black, blue and red). Also, including a ruler of the right length for game use is a nice touch. The quick play rules are really quite in depth, and with all the cards needed, a stat card AND all the necessary tokens, this really is a game in a box, there's nothing you'll need to add to get right on with gaming, except for an opponent.

 

Miniatures

Arial Hussars

the first thing I noticed about the miniatures as I unpacked them from their little baggies was the flash. There is a hefty amount of flash that will need to be carved off these boys. Not all minis were too bad, but some were quite terrible. On the plus side, the mould lines seem to be minimal.

The second thing I noticed was that when they say heroic scale, they mean it. It lists on the website that these are 28mm minis, but I would put them nearer 32mm. I do not mean this as a criticism, just an observation. When compared to, for example Infinity 28mm (which may be nearer 25mm), these will definitely be easier to paint.

The kit contains enough minis to place 2 units or 'sections' on the table, along with the appropriate number of leaders and NCOs. there are a standard Rifle section, and the flying cavalry, or Flying Hussars, which come with their resin smoke plumes to really let them take flight. One minor quibble of these is that, except for one figure, they all look up, as they are taking off, which means not too many are paying attention to the enemy. This may lead to some conversions where I put a flying base on their chest to allow them to zoom across the battlefield, so all is not lost.

It is nice to note that there are no duplicates amongst the miniatures. Each is an individual sculpt. I like this, and I feel it is especially important when you're playing a skirmish game with very few figures, so this is a definite plus.

 

Cards, Rules and other bits

Flashman Flash

All the cards are of high quality, with the tokens being laminated. This means they'll be able to withstand some wear an tear. There are 4 activation cards, upon which I assume you have to write the name of the sections and characters so you can chose their order of activation. there are also laminated, and I will have to check what kind of pen is best to write on them with, but it looks to be simple enough. The rulebook that is included is not so much a quick start edition, but seems to be quite comprehensive, and includes quite a number of colour images. Since I have yet to see a full version of the rule book announced for release, this is not a huge surprise, but is also welcome for the stingy gamer like myself. The dice are not too cheap either.

 

Summary

In conclusion, I am more than happy with this set. It is a real starter set with everything you need to game, and with all the bits and bobs being of high quality. The amount of flash is the only let down, but is not irreparable, and I can only assume this will improve as production continues. There was rumours that the release may be delayed, as had happened with previous Spartan games, so maybe the pressure was on at the company end to get these boxes on the shelves. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt, and assume we'll have no problem with a what is to come.

 

Extras

Drummer boys from the s

I also bought a box of musicians, this is the first attachment figure available for the faction, and contains 2 drummer boys, with stat cards. I was happy to see that there were two separate sculpts here, and not just 2 versions of the same mini.There wasn't so much flash here, although one of the poor blighters has no boots!

The only other box that has been released for this faction is a Section of Riflemen, as per the minis that come in the Starter Set. I can definitely see me buying this, and having them painted up in Rifleman green, or maybe after a little trip to Victoria Minis, converting them into Highlanders. The possibilities abound.