How easily can AT be played with friends

[burningsky25]

Hey all,
I’ve been considering getting into AT for a while as it sounds like a great ruleset, with amazing models and (hopefully) a slightly smaller amount of models required compared to 40k.  The big thing that keeps me from playing 40k more though is that it’s hard to find more people to play it with.  It takes a lot of dedication to be familiar with all of the rules well enough to play the full game – there’s datasheets, then faction traits, then force org rules, special rules, CP, stratagems, etc etc.  Without reading some books and playing a few games you won’t really know what’s going down. 

I’m wondering if AT can be played a bit more like a board game in a box, so that it’s easier to introduce and play with friends casually. With a pre-set maniple for each side with terrain ready to go could the game be learned and played similar to any other board game? Or is it still significantly more (too) complex or time consuming?

Just wondering what other people’s experiences are, or if getting into it I should still expect that the people who would enjoy playing it would pretty much first also have to get into the collecting of it?

And if you think that would work, what would people suggest collecting? Have you guys been able to play games with other friends who don’t collect AT, what worked best? I’d like to have a force with at least one of each titan other than Warmaster for each side, but maybe that would be better for a game 2, and use something like just the starter set for a first game?

Let me know what you guys think, I appreciate the info.

[SkimaskMohawk]

If you split the starter kit you can easily do intro stuff with the basic rules. What slows the game down the most is usually the strategy phase, and when you cut that and some of the extra dice rolls it can stream line things pretty well.

[Mandragola]

Honestly I don't think this would be playing to AT's strengths. It's a game with quite a lot of crunch to the rules. The rules aren't simple and the game rewards skill. As awesome as AT is as a game, it's better after a few practice games and once you understand all the nuances and corrections in the FAQ.

[General Zodd]

I think this genuinely depends on your friends. If they are familiar with tabletop Wargaming and its conventions, they should hopefully be able to pick it up pretty quickly, and have an enjoyable game. I’ve played demo games with a number of friends, almost all of them loved it, a couple got into collecting it themselves as a result. I think that last point is probably the best you can hope for. Like Mandragola, I think it works best when people have a deeper understanding of the game and have created a battle group that allows them to play it in the style that most appeals. If you are simply looking to get a pick up and play version for your game library I’m not sure it’s a great pick. But hey, if you’re just looking for an excuse to get it yourself, go for it!

[Noserenda]

AT is certainly much easier to keep in your head than 40k right now, its crunchy but the rules are at least fairly directly tied to stuff.

The Rulebook is also well laid out as a starter product to introduce the game and rules (Albeit to its detriment once you do get the hang of it)

[LameBeard]

I am early in my AT journey, but I think there is a lot to appeal compared to 40k. I would recommend starting with no Legio-specific rules. Then you have literally one rule book, no library of codices to worry about. And the “data sheets” - ie the terminal and weapon cards - actually play a physical role in the game, so they don’t feel like extra work. The main units are then symmetrical, so by learning your own rules you also learn your opponent’s. For our practice games we dispensed with maniples and stratagems too, to strip it down a bit further.

 

But getting (say) 1000 points on the table plus terrain is still an undertaking. If you are looking to get friends to play in the GW universe then there are actual board games that could be an option instead.

Edited October 9, 2021 by LameBeard

[burningsky25]

Thanks for the feedback everyone! That sounds about what I expect. The game clearly offers a lot more depth than can be grasped in a game or two, but without adding in legios and maniple rules it sounds manageable for the friends I have who have played other tabletop games before, and still keep the core appeal of big robots with guns duking it out. And I'm certain there's at least one person I can rope into playing 'full-fledged' games too.

 

As has been mentioned, partly a justification to get into it!

[Gryphonicus Walks]

Where are you based?

[Xenith]

AT is easier to learn, and easier to get into than 40k, but probably has a steeper learning curve.

 

The starter set is a perfect gateway into it, and I'd say that a starter set each is maybe all you'd ever need (about 1200pts?) to play the game. Half the starter contents each will get boring after a game or two. 

[burningsky25]

I'm up north, Red Deer Alberta for me.

 

Titanicus seems a little more approachable with the amount of physical tokens and trackers it provides to organize things compared to 40K, but yes, after watching a rules intro video there's more interconnected systems than I had realized. That being said, I think most serious board games (Root, Dominion, Dead of Winter, etc) provide much more on subsequent playthroughs than first time, and the people I'd try introduce would be ok with that. There's also things that could be added on later if people get more into it from the looks of it - maniples, legios, and maybe even certain reactor rules?

 

Double starter set also looks pretty appealing Xenith. Still a great deal overall, and with a couple Warlords in the future it would be a great spread.

 

One other consideration is game length - is there a set amount of turns? How long is a ~1200 pt game on average? I expect it would fluctuate, and beginners would be slower, but nice to know what it usually is.

[schoon]

Yes, most Titanicus games last between 4-6 Rounds (AT's name for Turns), though larger "games with buddies" could be longer by agreement.

 

The length of a game depends on how familiar everyone is with the rules, but once the learning curve is out of the way a game can be completed in 1-3 hours.