Review of Beyond the Gates of Antares: Strike on Kar'A Nine

Blurb from the publisher: 'Strike on Kar'A Nine is a complete introductory game set in the wide universe of the Beyond the Gates of Antares game. Humankind has spread throughout time and space following the discovery of an ancient trans-dimensional nexus: the Gates of Antares. Exploratory probes and ships roam the reaches of the vast universe in search of valuable resources, allies and knowledge. Planet Kar'A Nine, seemingly a desert of sand and rock, seems to contain more than its barren surface would suggest.

This set includes two rival forces: Strike Squads of the PanHuman Concord, a vast and influential society and the most advanced technological power in all of Antarean space, and Armoured Infantry Squads of the Algoryn Prosperate, a proud, militaristic civilization which values honour, courage, and battle prowess more than anything.'

What you get: Your EUR 42 or GBP 35 or equivalent will buy you Strike on Kar'A Nine, the smaller of the two introductory boxed sets for the Beyond the Gates of Antares game line, the sci-fi setting by Warlord Games.

In addition to the 48-page full-colour Introductory Book and the 64-age full-colour softback Rulebook, the game contains the plastic components necessary to create 10 plastic Concord Strike Troopers, 2 plastic Concord Support Drones, 4 plastic Concord Spotter Drones, 15 plastic Algoryn AI Troopers, 3 plastic Algoryn Spotter Drones, as well as plastic templates, shot tokens and pin markers, 6 six-sided Orders Dice, 10d10 in three different colours, one d6, one d4, and one d3 (!), one full-colour poster that doubles up as a 84 x 61 cm Battle map, and 20 2D cardboard pieces to be cut out. A Quick Reference Sheet, as well as two 10-inch rulers, also to be cut out, are included.

Gameplay: Kar'A Nine looked worthless, until it wasn't. The PanHuman Concord cannot leave it in the hands of the Algoryn Prosperate; there will be war. The box contains five different scenarios with different victory conditions like escaping from the opposite edge, destroying as many squads as possible, forcing the opponent to bring in reinforcements, or fully eradicating the opposing side. Scenarios can be played autonomously or as a unified campaign. The Introductory Book introduces segments of the rules slowly, scenario after scenario, all of them however can be found in the soft-cover rulebook.

The game is played in a 84 x 61 cm battlefield (or 33'' x 24'' for the SI challenged). Recruitment rules are not included; each scenario states precisely which units from the present box can participate. Each unit has six characteristics: Agility, Accuracy, Strength, Resist, Initiative and Command. Each scenario lasts for a predetermined number of turns (from 4 to 7 for the scenarios in the present box). A turn is divided in the Orders Phase and the Turn End phase.

In the former, an Order die is randomly drawn from a non-transparent bag. Depending on whose it is, that player activates a unit that hasn't acted until then, giving it an order. There are six orders in the game: Fire, Advance, Run, Ambush, Rally and Down (taking better cover). An order test might be needed to establish whether the unit follows that order, which it then promptly does. Once all units have executed their orders, the game proceeds to the End Phase. There, those that are Down need to pass a Recovery test to remove it, while those that remain on Ambush can keep it for the next turn.

Luck is regulated by rolling a number of ten-siders. The system is roll-under, with 1 being always a success and 10 always a failure. Tests are needed on Fire, Resist etc. As an example, on Firing, the number of dice rolled is the number of shots of that unit (standard weapons usually have one shot). The target number is the shooting unit's Accuracy value. Modifiers for range etc also exist. Each hit is allocated to a single miniature (defender's choice), even though they have to be spread as much as possible to the viable targets of that unit (meaning: those in the line of site of the shooter). Target units can Resist hits incurred, shaking the damage off if successful. If they fail however, they suffer casualties or they are thrown out of the game, depending on the sort of unit that they are.

Overall there are rules for moving and sprinting, area terrain, how close the components of each unit should be, line of sight, pinned units, order retention, multiple order dice units, overhead fire, assaults (moving into contact with the attacked unit), reactions (that interrupt the usual turn order), discussions on terrain, and many, many more.

Half of the Introductory Book is devoted to fluff for the two opposing factions that are described in the present box, providing also glimpses to the setting overall. There is also advice on miniature assembly, and a more profound immersion to the wargaming hobby.

The strong points: This is probably the smallest a set can become while still remaining a meaningful and crunchy game. Beyond the Gates of Antares is not a licensed universe; it is Warlord Games' own creation, meaning that some easing into it is required. The information in this set is intriguing, to say the least. The PanHuman Concord, which one could initially perceive as the closest to today's humanity, is in fact a beautified, slick and more pleasant version of Star Trek's Borg, all connected to one another in some way but in other still retaining their individuality. The Algoryn on the other hand are a strand of humanity with a keratinous layer on top of their skin (scales, in other words). They remained militaristic and aggressive in order to survive both the harshness of their environments they live in as well as assimilation from their numerous opponents. I definitely want to know more for both these factions as well as others, and there is a lot more information on the publisher's website.

The rules are simple and easy to understand. They are purposefully neither holistic nor complete: you will find no exhaustive army lists, rules on army creation or on scenario creation. This is the absolute bare bones version in order to start gaming. However, perusing the Introductory book alone will allow you to game as soon as you construct your armies even without painting the miniatures (gasp!). The rules are well-written, as easy to understand as they are to teach. They are not dissimilar to other rulesets out by Warlord Games, they do have however their own little details and idiosyncrasies. I found them to fit the fast action sci-fi genre well. The scenario by scenario by approach works fine, and I do recommend it for the new adherents to the hobby. Somebody acquainted with wargaming on the other hand can refer to the rulebook straight away, and play with the full compliment of the rules from game one.

The sculpts are very well done. They have a very clean, far-future feel, mostly with full face helmets, even though there are bad ass units whose face remains visible. I really liked the pin markers. These explosion-like plastics can be used not only here but in a variety of modern or sci-fi boardgames.

I know it's nothing but an after-thought, but it deserves to be mentioned. A d3? This is the second d3 in my collection, and I am quite happy about it!

The say that the line is extremely well-supported is an understatement. I am counting seven factions, one of them broken into two sub-factions, as well as Mercenary units. Each faction has collections of armies in either Starter Army sets, other configurations, or even solitary miniatures. I am counting just under fifty products for the Concord faction alone. There is a lot of meat in the game; I hope we will see more products for the game soon.

The weak points: I can't stress enough that Strike on Kar'A Nine is the short teaser trailer for Beyond the Gates of Antares; The Xilos Horizon, which we will see together shortly, is the long one. There isn't a way to just take it from here if you like what you see. You can't build your own armies, create your own scenarios or campaigns. You will need the hardcover rulebook to do that.

There were a couple of questions when first reading the rulebook, they are however easy to solve. Some of the rules do not have an immediate impact with the material that is provided in this game, by now however this should have been fairly obvious.

The present boxed set is addressed to the gamer as much as it is addressed to the miniature enthusiast and painter. When it comes to miniature assembly, this is not a plug and play game. It falls somehwere in between is nowhere near Doctor Who: Exterminate! - The Miniatures Game, where all miniatures can be assembled within a quarter of an hour and Test of Honour: The Samurai Miniatures Game whose miniatures feel thinner. You will require dedicated hobby tools, time, and steady hands. The most committed amongst us already have a magnifying lens, this is not however a requisite unless you are going for really impressive painting results and especially when it comes to faces without helmets. Be prudent when you cut the pieces, especially if your assembly does not take place immediately after cutting. Storing them all mixed up is not the way to go, unless sorting a couple of hundred pieces is your idea of having fun. If you have an adequate number of small resealable bags, the best option is to separate all pieces relevant to a single sculpt from the very beginning, until you decide to assemble it.

The fonts in the rulebook are ultra small. It is good as a casual reference around the gaming table, this is not however the rulebook that will engross you with the game. At some point you will require the hardcover edition.

I am disappointed by the quality of he 2D material in this box, the two rulers and the quick reference sheet. These are all printed in light- or medium-thickness cardstock, yet they have to be cut by either cutters or scissors. This simply looks cheap and is a very unwelcome return to the 1980s. Any game nowadays includes those on thick, pre-cut cardstock.

When used with the map the terrain will provide the desired results, yet you won't escape this feeling of something missing; the divide between miniatures quality and scenery quality is too high. On the other hand, those amongst us who want to invest seriously in alien terrains have a number of options for exactly this sort of game. The Kraken Wargames: Scarlet Planet Mat / Scrap Pile Set / Huge Scrap Pile is just one of them.

In a rather quaint incidence which I am certain that it is a one-off occurrence, one of the sprues with the elements of each figure had a single component missing (namely the legs of a miniatures). It's a good thing that Warlord has a cool customer service and resolves this sort of incidents efficiently and without fuss.

Conclusion: There is a lot of crunch in Strike on Kar'A Nine, the small starter box of the Beyond the Gates of Antares sci-fi wargame line. An inexpensive solution for the gamer who is uncertain as to whether he wants to invest more, it provides a meaningful glimpse of the full experience. Should you like it however, buying the hardcover rulebook or even The Xilos Horizon starter box afterwards is a one-way street.

For more info on Beyond the Gates of Antares: Strike on Kar'A Nine as well as Warlord Games, visit the websites https://www.gatesofantares.com and https://store.warlordgames.com.

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