We have been talking a lot about different Grimdark Fantasy wargames of late. Verrotwood was in the news last week and this week, I was pointed towards two more thanks to 28 Mag. The first of these is The Weald.

The Weald // Max McComsey

The Weald comes from Max McComsey with additional work by Steve Rowlinson and Alessandro "Sturmgaard" (and more!).  As you might have guessed by the tagline, this is another chance for you to dive in and create some fascinatingly bizarre miniatures.

"Deep within the Hollar, a large valley sheltered by mountains, lies a forest known as the Weald. The Weald is a quiet place, a wide expanse of wilderness broken only by a sparse few hamlets and villages, connected by trading routes and footpaths. Life in the Weald, however, is changing. A certain rumour spoken by the mouths of Travelers from the North is gaining popularity. They tell of a blight that is spreading South through the once lush and lively forest, corrupting all that it touches. They say that the disease changes people into monsters, horrid creatures that they have only seen in their nightmares. The travellers seek refuge in the towns, but are quickly turned away for speaking such nonsense."

The game is a quick and brutal clash between warbands with rules for upgrading your miniatures and diving into a campaign within "a dying forest". You will take on the role of warbands like the Wardens who have been tasked with cutting back the foetid and blighted filth of The Weald.

Download The Weald Rulebook

You can also play as the forest itself with The Gnarl. These are lost souls and others blighted by The Weald and turned into shambling masses of twig, root and mushroom. As you might have guessed, this offers up some fascinating chances to customise and tinker with your miniatures to create some truly bizarre warbands.

The rules are totally free for The Weald and it's worth diving in and finding out more. The basic mechanics seem pretty neat and the game can be played out in a space as small as a 2x2 board. If you're into kitbashing then it might be another great outlet for you.

Lobsterpot

If you want something a little bit different then maybe check out the rules for Lobsterpot.

Lobsterpot // Ben Doane

The Lobsterpot rules come from Ben Doane and features artwork by the talented hand of Samuel Allan. Similar to The Weald, Lobsterpot has been designed as a small-scale skirmish wargame where you take kitbashed miniatures and fight through a world filled with paranoia.

"Welcome to Lobsterpot, a 28mm skirmish game set in a paranoid world, where witch-finders and their lackeys chase shadows and eye each other with suspicion. Long ago, there was a great persecution of Witches, followed by a Cataclysm which warped the world and its people. Or maybe the cataclysm happened first. What legends and documents survive are contradictory at best, and no two villages have the same account of the time that led to now. It is only known that something is to be feared, and it is probably lurking right around the corner."

Lobsterpot uses a neat d6 system (again, the rules can be downloaded for free!) where you will be taking on the role of Witch-Finders who all have some hidden shame and something "odd" about them. As well as featuring versus scenarios, Lobsterpot also introduces solo and cooperative scenarios that you can play with your friends against the monsters of the Lobsterpot world.

As well as offering up free rules, the folks behind Lobsterpot have also created a set of free Paper Miniatures and Paper Terrain for you to use when trying out the game...

Download Lobsterpot Rulebook

Download Lobsterpot Paper Miniatures

Download Lobsterpot Paper Terrain

I like the weird and uncanny twist to this 17th Century world that you get with Lobsterpot. Much like The Weald, this will offer up plenty of chances for tinkering and kitbashing your miniatures. If you've got some Lovecraftian bitz lying around then this seems an apt time to mix these with a bunch of plastic kits.

Are you going to be giving these games a go?