Mantic Games MGSS101 Star Saga : The Eiras Contract Core Play Set, Multicoloured

This game is complete in itself, with beautifully cast figures and a host of wonderful scenery pieces that put the other game manufacturers to shame, price wise. Being well under the usual prices expected when buying from Games Workshop or Cool Mini Or Not, this is so much more value for money in my opinion, as there are no extras needed to be purchased separately to complete the game. You can play as either an individual player on a solo mission, or with up to four other players in a group, and even if playing solo, you can swap sides and play against the characters you played first time round, which makes the game so much more fun all round. The card scenery sheets are beautifully printed, with counters and more added, a set of dice, and enough minis to make even an old Frother like myself jump for joy. The figures have been so well cast that I had trouble finding even the smallest piece of flash to trim off, and you get two factions in the set, the gorgeous mercenary group that have special missions to complete, and a host of corporate marines and plague zombie types they are pitted against, and that's before you get to the Abomination, a figure that from most game producers would normally cost more than this whole game in itself, and is something that is truly awesome to behold. There are some very small parts that may be overlooked at first, but thankfully the two books you get in the game make their inclusion clear, but I would advise using a zip lock bag to keep these pieces safe when storing the game away after playing, as they are so small that they could easily just disappear down the side of the couch, onto the floor and be vacuumed up later, or simply just be lost in so many ways. The scenery is spectacular, with detailed parts that just cry out for a good paint job, to make them really stand out among the card scenery and alongside the figures, so there's pretty much something for everyone in this game, from figure painters like myself, terrain junkies, and those who just love a good skirmish level game that is so much fun, with much more diversity of play than other games out there. Also, it's set in the same universe as most of Mantic Games' other games, so you can mix your forces in among the other Mantic groups on offer, or use them as an allied mercenary squad, just to add some colour to an expanded game. This has made me a HUGE fan of Mantic Games, speaking as a primarily figure painting/terrain making enthusiast, as there is just so much diversity among the figures and the scenery alone to keep me at my work table long into the night, but the price alone for the game is so much better than that of other games of a similar ilk, that have less scenarios and cost almost twice, if not more, as much as this beautiful game set. I'll be buying more Mantic games offerings once I've completed painting everything in this box set, as the production value alone has impressed me beyond measure, after over 45+ years of being in this hobby. I'd tell anyone who likes a good skirmish game to give this a try, as the rules are simple, the missions fun, and being able to swap sides and play the same scenario again, from a different perspective just adds to the sheer enjoyment of the game. Plus it's over and above one of THE best games available, with a price that is unbelievable considering just how much is in the box when you open it up and start pulling everything out. The packaging is also a beautiful work of art in itself, sturdy and with box art that is mind blowing, and the rule books have some amazingly helpful photo's and illustrations to help you see how to paint the miniatures. The Abomination figure is my personal favourite so far, just because of the sheer size and challenge of painting such an awesome model, with NO sub assemblies required - it's just one BIG piece of awesome waiting to be painted and played with. In my opinion, five stars is just not enough of a rating for the this boxed game, but that's all I could give it, so that's life, really :-)

FYI: I play this solo using the included nexus ruleset.When I first found this game, I looked through all the games that Mantic sell & wrongly though that it all looked like a second rate version of that well known game brand that is available on the high street.However what I have now learned is that Mantic are really very, very good at creating gameplay rules...they are very clean & easy to learn, but also extremely fun & don't get in the way.Solo dungeon crawlers are the type of game that I play the most. Star Saga has some of the best AI rules that I have come across - when you first look through them, you will be thinking 'is that it'...and yes it is - but it works really well. By the time you get to the 3rd scenario it gets a lot more involved & it does feel as though there is a force hunting you down.In case you're not aware as well (I wasn't when I bought this), the miniatures in this set can also be used in other Mantic games, including Deadzone - which really adds to the value for money aspect of this game.Also worth noting: The game actually fits back in the box easily after you have opened it - just have a few baggies to hand & you'll be good to go.For me, Star Saga has hands down provided the best combat experience that I have come across in a solo dungeon crawler - this will be kept in my easy access game pile for a long time to come.

I love this game! It's really well designed such that you can easily make up your own scenario. They give a book full of them but I'm just making up my own and setting the difficulty level depending on how much time I have to play. Not many games in which you can do that.It is also the first game I got which begs to be painted!Love it!

... so why did I say great starter set? that's because this was on offer and I bought it purely for the scenery content. However once it arrived, the rest of the figures were pretty good too - but then there is the resat of the content in the form of cardboard, counters and cards for the game as well as rulebooks and scenario!I am not regretting this game in the least.

Excellent value the figures are already assembled and good to paint