Arena Rex: Let The Battles Begin

In yesterday’s post about attending GenCon on Sunday, I had mentioned that I am now vested in the game called Arena Rex.  Arena Rex has been around for quite a few years now and started off on Kickstarter back in 2013.  Each year, it seems like there is more and more interest in the game.  I first came across Arena Rex back at AdeptiCon 2017, my son and I walked by their vendor booth and I had thought the models were very nice looking.  At the time I was still vested in Bolt Action and I knew I still had a lot of Warmachine/Hordes models to build and paint, plus we were just getting into the game of Guild Ball and I was not able to get into another game.  At this years AdeptiCon 2018, we came across the game again in the vendor area, but once again “not enough time for anymore games”.  It had turned out that my friend TJ had bought into the game and purchased a Morituri Starter Set, so I was still considering it.  Fast forward a few months and GenCon is approaching, as I mentioned yesterday I originally had no plans on attending, but once I did, I decided to look into Arena Rex again (knowing they were going to have an area setup in the Vendor Hall).  I knew Arena Rex makes a gaming mat for their game, so if I was going to get into the game, I wanted to have a mat and it would be easier to pick it up actually onsite.

So what drew me into Arena Rex now?  I enjoy small model count games that play quick.  Less time to dig out all the models and setup the battlefield and to actually play the game.  Arena Rex average playtime is around 30-45 minutes (from what I have been told), I am sure our first few games will run a bit longer as we get familiar with the rules.  I also enjoy playing games that do not have a complicated rules set, which Arena Rex does not.  I want to get into battle as quick as possible and roll some dice and see who the victor is.  I am also currently on hold with Guild Ball until Season 4 releases in October and then we shall see what happens.  I still enjoy Guild Ball, but at the moment it is a little bit more complicated than Arena Rex, that is why I probably like playing my Butcher’s Guild in Guild Ball...go and kill things.  I always enjoyed the concept of a “Beer & Pretzel” game, and I think Arena Rex may just be this for me.

Here is a description of the game taken directly from the Arena Rex website.

Arena Rex is a game of gladiatorial combat.  Battles of 3 to 6 combatants per side are recommended, and take approximately 30 to 40 minutes to play. Simple, intuitive rules offer myriad tactical possibilities.  Maneuver and arena terrain play key roles in the game along with a fatigue-based activation system that twists a traditional round structure in new and exciting ways.

Arena Rex is a miniatures line that features high quality 35mm gladiators, and encompasses not just classic styles, but much of the ancient world.  Gladiators train together in ludi; the classic styles of Ludus Magnus compete with more exotic fighters from farther afield.  Anachronisms are present and intentional -- the ability to combine the best aspects of disparate things is just as important as unity of purpose, and this is reflected in Arena Rex not just aesthetically, but mechanically.  Players can choose gladiators freely, whether for their look, their playstyle, or because of unique benefits and synergies within a given ludus. 

Getting back to my visit of the Arena Rex booth at GenCon, well I walked out of there with almost two complete factions.  Legio XIII for my son, and Ludus Magnus for myself.  I picked up the Starter Set and Faction Dice for each of these, then I added some models for both factions so we could expand to playing some 6v6 games which seems to be the size in tournaments.

Legio XIII

Ludus Magnus

I had to add ‘Leo’ into the mix, because what gladiator arena doesn’t have a lion, then I also added ‘Cato’ and ‘Ladon’ to my Ludus Magnus faction simply because I love the look of the ‘Ladon’ model.

‘Ladon’

Now comes the assembling and painting of the models.  My plan will be to first assemble the Starter Set models and get in a few 3v3 games in against my son while we familiarize ourselves with the rules.  Then I will go ahead and start to tackle the painting of the models.  As of now there are not too many official events for Arena Rex, so having fully painted at the moment is not a must have.  I do possibly see myself playing in an Arena Rex tournament at next years AdeptiCon in March, so that will be my goal for my Ludas Magnus faction.