Warhammer has a vast array of board games, and they’re generally of very high quality. You’ve got the Bloodborne-esque style oozing from Cursed City, the brutal sporting contests of Blood Bowl, and cult classics like Mordheim that helped spawn myriad spiritual successors. None of these games have particularly robust rulesets, however, with the latter two especially relying heavily on dice rolls. If it’s rules you’re after, Games Workshop has you covered in different ways.
I maintain that The Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game has the best ruleset that Games Workshop has ever produced, but it’s a skirmish game rather than a boxed game, so we’ll conveniently ignore it for now. Adeptus Titanicus has a surprisingly robust system to govern your tiny titans as they belch smoke into the air and drool oil onto the battlefield, but one of the best in recent years was Gorechosen.
Gorechosen was originally an Age of Sigmar game that saw you oversee pitfights between denizens of Khorne. A Warhammer 40,000 version was soon made, Combat Arena, using the same rules but replacing the models with a Tech-Priest, Adeptus Ministorum Crusader, Rogue Trader, Imperial Psyker, and a heavy-duty Servitor. A second edition of the game, Combat Arena: Clash of Champions kept those great rules but switched out the models again, this time opting for a Primaris Lieutenant, Necron Royal Warden, Blood Angels Terminator, and Plague Marine. This was a disappointing edition model-wise, but those great rules still propped matches up.
Games Workshop yesterday announced a new edition of Combat Arena, Lair of the Beast. We’re back to the top of Games Workshop’s model tier list with the third futuristic instalment of those excellent Gorechosen rules, as the Blackstone Fortress protagonists take to the arena. These are some of the finest models Games Workshop has produced, with a range of characters from Imperial Navigators and Ministorum Priests, to Kroot Shapers and Eldar Rangers. If the promise of Ratlings and Rogue Traders (and an added Space Marine for some reason) isn’t enough, the game even comes with the Ambull, which has been out of production since its Warhammer Quest expansion ended its limited run.
The Ambull appears to be a villain in the game, adding a PvE element to the 2-4 player PvP ruleset that made Gorechosen and Combat Arena shine. Veteran designer James Hewitt perfected a sleek and streamlined ruleset with Gorechosen, and I hope the addition of the Ambull doesn’t change too much of that vision. If it does, then at least we have the cool model and the old rules, I guess?
Combat Arena is a classic among the Games Workshop canon, perfect for an evening with a couple of friends. It’s annoyingly difficult to get your hands on, though, only stocked at Barnes & Noble in the US and Müller, Thalia, Elbenwald, and GameStop in Germany. Sometimes these boxed games turn up in Game stores in the UK, so keep your eyes peeled and fingers ready to email me if you see one in stock.
As with the previous editions, Lair of the Beast is probably limited, and will likely stop being printed when a new version is released. If you haven’t snagged a version before, then this is the best one to go for, because I highly doubt the included models will get any better. Previous iterations of Combat Arena have contained five and four models respectively, with the second edition including really boring characters to boot. Lair of the Beast includes more protagonists than the previous two editions combined, plus the Ambull, and they’re fantastic designs.
Gorechosen and its successors are great introductions to Warhammer, but are arguably better as contained experiences in their own rights. If you’re a board game fan, a miniatures fan, or a fan of the convoluted corner of the Warhammer universe that contains Rogue Traders and their tenuous allies, then Lair of the Beast is worth your time. It’s got something for everyone, and everything for someone. It’s me. I’m someone. And I’m very excited.