Freeblades is a fantasy miniatures skirmish game created by DGS games in 2012. It uses a new line of 32mm fantasy miniatures created by DGS games.
The ruleset uses a unique "tiered-dice" system that utilizes a variety of dice from a d4 (4 sided dice) to a d30 (30 sided dice). Whereas most games use a single type of dice such as a d6 or d20 and require lots of modifiers or buckets of dice to acquire a result, the tiered system uses increasing or decreasing die level to achieve results. This requires lots of different types of dice but fortunately DGS has sets for purchase along with the core rules, miniatures, game tokens, and more things soon to come.
The core rulebook is priced at $32 USD US dollars and a faction starter set with 6 or 7 figures is also $32 USD so this game offers a low entry price to get started. Currently there are 4 factions in the core rulebook and 3 additional factions have been added with more to come in the future. Another great point is that each faction doesn't require an expensive codex book since you can download all of the rules and stats for free from the DGS website.
Now let me give just a bit of background. I have actually been playing games with the guys from DGS for many years and I was one of the initial play-testers in the core rules. I had initially been helping out with a large mass combat system based on the same core Freeblades system but with units of troops which I generally prefer over the small skirmish based games. That game will be developed at a future date along with a role-playing game which will all be based on the same core mechanics. All of the DGS guys are great people and very dedicated to their hobby and now business.
I tend to get easily distracted by all of the shiny new games that cross my path so I have only recently really gotten back into playing the final product. However, now that I have truly gotten into the game and along with a couple of the new factions I have really experienced the true potential of this system and the skirmish level has been actually very nice change with low model count, thus less painting time for me.
The miniatures are 32mm which means that they don't scale well with 28mm figs but when just starting out finding appropriate 28mm figs is fine to try out the rules. Actually I was using some Lord of the Rings Easterlings to sub for the yet to be released Varkraal faction back when the initial play-testing was going on.
The only real issue I have with a few of the models comes down to the posing which I felt was a bit stiff in some cases and could have expressed a more dynamic posture that conveys a warrior in battle rather than standing at an odd pose. I believe this is an issue with early development and casting of the molds as the later factions have really great posing such as the Falkaar models.
The gameplay itself is a blast! I have played many two player games and can typically get in a couple of games in a single evening. The factions and scenarios are well balanced and the flavor of each faction gives a lot of variety. I have also played a bunch of multi-player games and these have worked out very well. With the idea of mercenary freebands it lends itself well for a cut-throat type of game with everyone attempting to form alliances or influence conflicts. These have probably been the best games as I really enjoy playing games with a group of friends having a good time.
I won't get into the mechanics in this review as that will probably be a separate review to dig into the nuts and bolts. Briefly though the mechanics are very unique with the tiered-dice system and the pace of the game moves along nicely this keeps players actively in the game even when it's not your turn. With the ability to choose reactions to charges and the melee abilities of being able to dodge or parry and then potentially being able to repost after a parry and then get to attack on your opponents turn keeps the action going. There are a lot of special abilities that sometimes require a check in the rulebook as to its affect, but after a couple of turns usually you have them down. As a bonus DGS provides some very nice character sheets that provide all of the stats and the rules for each of the special abilities.
Support for this game is top notch. The designer has been involved with other games and has always been extremely prompt and knowledgeable with any rules questions. The DGS website has a forum and any rules queries are always replied to promptly. I will guarantee that years from now even if the game is no longer being sold Jon will continue to provide support. I know this because he has some legacy games from many years ago that he still actively supports. Actually I don't think the guy ever sleeps…
If you want to know more about the game or even try out a free version of the rules then head on over to dgsgames.com and download the quickstart rules and give it a go. While you're there check out the store to see all of the factions miniatures and other items as well.
