So I discovered Flintloque, a 28mm Napoleonic-Fantasy skirmish game, by stumbling over Alternative Armies’ very nice miniatures. Being a lover of all things Napoleonic, I was immediately intrigued by its style, so I got me a rulebook and had a look at it. I haven’t gotten very deep into the lore yet and never played a game, so this post does not endeavour to offer any kind of comprehensive overview; the aim is mainly to call attention to the game and perhaps get some thoughts from those who may have already given it a try.
The setting can be summarised very briefly as a classic fantasy world that has gone full Napoleonic after the invention of gunpowder. One thing I like very much is that it does not take itself seriously at all, thoroughly embracing its nature as a parody of both history and fantasy. Reading through the lore sections and snippets provided some good chuckles. The rules, too, reflect this tongue-in-cheek approach: The game is all about fun-based narrative play, with balance being an option but not a requirement. There is a point system for warband creation, which does not only offer upgrades for individual characters (e.g. a bullet-proof beard), but also the option to give them flaws so you can deduct points from their cost (e.g. a beard that is actually too long for its owner, hindering his movement and reducing his accuracy).
The factions in the setting mirror the nations of Europe during the Napoleonic Wars. There are, for example, the Ferach Empire (French High Elves):
The Great Britorcn Army (British Orcs):
The Undead of the Witchlands (Russian Undead):
The dwarven factions are modelled after the fractured German states, some of them belonging to the Confederation of Finkelstein (based on the Confederation of the Rhine):
The rulebook also encourages players to come up with their very own comic opera states, such as existed during the era on the territories of the former HRE. And while Alternative Armies does not (yet?) have a range of dedicated “evil” dwarves, there is this highly intriguing snippet in one of their books (Bier & Bones Rulebook, p.41):
There’s potential for our beloved evil stunties here, for sure!
Have any of you ever played Flintloque? I would very much like to hear of your experiences with the game system.
Cheers!