Warhammer Skirmish is a small gaming supplement for Warhammer Fantasy Battles (AKA Warhammer). WH Skirmish appears to be written for WH fans who want to do smaller scale games and for newcomers who may not want to spend the full $75 to buy the boxed set. I haven't reviewed the rulebook itself because it isn't included with the skirmish booklet. However, WHFB has been reviewed elsewhere on rpg.net for those who want to know about the game's mechanics.
For the uninitiated, the difference between skirmish and full-scale wargames is that skirmish is generally small scale actions with only a few models played per side. Full scale wargame armies can fill a 4' x 6' table quite easily. Another point about skirmish is the time factor. Because skirmish games have fewer pieces, they tend to resolve more quickly (maybe 30 minutes per game versus a couple of hours) than games with armies containing 200 plus figures per side.
Warhammer Skirmish is a scenario supplement that requires the use of the full Warhammer rulebook, which retails for $30--recent price drop from $45. Miniatures are not included with the rules, but a decent box of 20 generic human figures (able to armed with flint-locks, swords, axes, etc) is available for $25.
The book contains around 25 scenarios for playing small scale skirmish battles. The scenarios range from out and out fun to incredly cumbersome to set-up and play. There are also some modelling hints and scenery for the avid hobbyist to drool over and adapt for his/her own table.
NOTE: GW (and any other mini company) is in the business of selling minis. Their scenarios are designed around you buying their minis to play specific scenes out. For example, a caravan is part of one scenario and the book makes a big deal of how you can model one of these using unique pieces from the GW bins. USE PROXIES (stand-in models/items to represent certain models that may be unavailable) unless you simply love making models and spending money. Soapbox retracted.
The sad (or maybe it's the happy part?) is that GW provides a good number of FREE scenarios on its website. They also have a nice hobby section, which currently features scenery specifically designed to spruce up making skirmish battles. If you've got a computer, the bottom line is you can get about the same amount of stuff directly from the company website for free.
A truly savvy buyer could do the following to try out the game/get started more cheaply. Buy/borrow the actual Warhammer rulebook and reference the 20 or fewer pages in its appendices that actually are the skirmish rules.
Use paper miniatures from a free site (www.microtactix.com or Cumberland Games' SPARKS are great examples) and download some scenarios from GW's site (www.games-workshop.com). If you like the game and aren't overly interested in building and painting miniatures, you may want to go with paper miniatures anyway (you can print as many paper minis as you like for $10-15 as opposed to spending $25 for 20 miniatures in a boxed regiment set)
Next, call a friend over (maybe the one who loaned you the full rulebook) and try the game. If you bought the book and you don't like the game, you're out $30 versus the $50-75 you could have been had you bought models (and that's not including glue, paint and sweat:).
When you look at the cost comparison, it sadly may be cheaper to go ahead and buy the boxed set--if you are convinced that this is the game for you. I recommend borrowing the game/getting a demo at a local gamestore to try it, just to save you any possible anguish and wallet-assault.
Overall, for $3.95 WH Skirmish is a competent collection of stuff. It's handy, but really only of much use to the guy who already plays the game. I'd put my money on downloading the free stuff directly from their site, but I'm notoriously cheap. Happy Hunting.
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