BoLS Unboxing: Beyond The Gates of Antares Starter
Come check out the contents of the new starter set for Beyond the Gates of Antares: The Xilos Horizon!
Hello again BoLS Readers! AdamHarry here with the new starter set for Beyond the Gates of Antares – The Xilos Horizon starter box! I’m excited about this game and was pumped to take a crack at this new set. Join me as we take a stroll through the gates and see what’s on the other side:
via Warlord Games
In a war-torn universe advanced human societies are bound in a bitter struggle for control of inter-dimensional gateways between worlds – the Gates of Antares. It is a war fought across a million planets and in the depths of space. It is a war that has raged for thousands of years.
Now it is a war that threatens not just the existence of worlds but the fabric of space-time itself – as a new and terrible discovery reveals the most destructive force ever created – the Xilos Horizon.
The armies of the PanHuman Concord include the most effective weapons, the best equipped troops, and the most advanced fighting drones in all of Antarean space. When the forces of the Concord Combined Command move upon the world of Xilos they are in for a shock – for they have been beaten to it! The world has been occupied by a battlegroup of the brutal Ghar Empire. The Ghar are bio-engineered troopers created in millennia past to fight a war now long forgotten – but unfortunately no one told the Ghar! Implacable and without mercy the Ghar prepare for war – for war is all they know.
Beyond the Gates of Antares is a new science-fiction skirmish wargame that pitches technologically advanced human civilizations into a conflict that no one can afford to lose. The game is rich in detail and extremely ambitious in scope with initial rules and army lists that describe six different Antarean factions: the PanHuman Concord, the Ghar Empire, the Isorian Senatex, the Algoryn Prosperate, the Freeborn Vardos, and the Boromite Guilds. Beyond the Gates of Antares game play makes use of the successful and exciting dice activation system first pioneered in Warlord’s popular Bolt Action WW2 wargame – ensuring that both sides remain active and engaged throughout every game. Resolution is by ten-sided dice offering considerable expansion and great range of detail compared to traditional six-sided dice.
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Contents:
- Full colour 260-page hardback rulebook.
- Quick reference sheet.
- Getting started booklet.
- 3 multi-pose plastic Ghar Battle Squad walkers.
- 3 multi pose plastic Ghar Assault Squad walkers.
- 20 multi-pose plastic Concord Strike Troopers.
- 4 plastic Concord support drones.
- 8 plastic spotter drones.
- Strike Leader Kai Lek Atastrin metal figure.
- 12 order dice.
- Ghar distort dice.
- 13 Polyhedral dice.
- Launch Edition plastic templates and tokens.
- 12 red plastic pin markers.
The Miniatures
I’m happy with the miniatures, particular the Ghar. I’m really like the tri-pod designs and mechanical theme of them. The PanHuman Concord faction models are solid sci-fi humans and everything fits together very smoothly. As far as build them goes, all the miniatures (save 1 – which is metal) are industry standard plastics. I’ve had zero issues building the models – clip and clean-up times are relatively quick and assembly is a breeze. I definitely recommend using plastic glue for the stronger bond than just super glue.
The Bases are different than other industry bases. They don’t the same “bumper” like Privateer Press or Malifaux and they aren’t the same style as the GW bases either. They are much flatter and have a ridge that actually raises up. I could see this being uses very effectively for people that want to use water effects. Time to practice resin pouring!
I also like the designs of both factions, they have sharp details and edges but also lots of flat space. I think painting these models will be a breeze and will turn out nicely. Since I’m claiming the Ghar in the Box, I’ve decided to go with a red paint scheme. Time for the Crab People to ride again!
The Accessories
The custom dice are the same as the Bolt Action D6’s – this isn’t a bad thing. They are used for the order pool and if you’re familiar with that system, it’s going to be a very easy transition for you. The D10’s that are included were a random assortment – I was expecting the bright yellow dice from the picture but instead got a bunch of cool looking “chessex-marble-esq” dice. Again, not a bad thing!
The templates and the pin/hit markers are a nice addition. The templates are a clear-ish blue plastic that has custom etching on them. The pin/hit markers are a more opaque red plastic and look neat when assembled. The only thing that was missing was a “range finder” but if you’ve played a wargaming hobby or tabletop game – or have a toolbox – you probably have a tape measure laying around.
The Book
I was immediately impressed with the 260 page hard back book. I think my eyeballs were playing tricks on me at first, I thought I read 290 page book in the video. But after a quick page check, it’s 260 – still it’s a hefty tome of knowledge. There are of course rules and backstory in the hardback, but also army lists/points for all the current faction available on Warlord’s site. It’s full color and laid out in an easy to navigate manner.
I’m going to spend some time reading the book and I’ll have a proper review of just the Rulebook in a few days. I’ve got to digest all the awesomeness after all!
Overall I’d give this starter box a thumbs up. If you’re looking to get started play Warlord’s new Sci-Fi game “Beyond the Gates of Antares” then this is the starting point for you! Go check out their website and read-up on the factions. If you’re just interested in the Rulebook you can pick that up directly from their store. Bolt Action fans should definitely give this a glance! I can’t wait to see what else Warlord Games has in store for Gates of Antares.
Beyond the Gates of Antares Starter Set $112.00
Prepare for WAR – The Gates are open and battle is upon you!
