With amazing wargames and tabletop skirmish board games like Warhammer, BattleTech, and Undaunted, there's never been a better time to be a wargamer! But maybe you're introducing your kids or a friend to the wargaming hobby for the first time? Necromolds is the best war board game for young kids and adults that teaches the concepts of miniature wargaming!
What makes Necromolds the best introduction to wargaming for kids?
Building Armies
(Hint: It's not a point buy system)
In many traditional wargames, armies are designed around a point buy system—where each miniature is assigned a value based on its in-game skills and abilities. More powerful miniatures cost more points... and each player's army is limited by a maximum amount of points. Because of the complexity of the point buy system, armies are oftentimes designed in-between game sessions.
In Necromolds, players build their armies at the start of the game using their Necromolds' Spellbooks and Spell Clay (a soft compound similar to Play-Doh). Each player begins with the same amount of clay—using it to mold any miniatures they choose until running out. Stronger monsters require more clay, so you can't mold as many when compared against the smaller weaker monsters. This turns the point buy system into a fun tactile core game experience with no math required!
The Minis
Miniature wargames are known for their armies of beautifully painted minis. These small works of art take hours to paint and are delicate. If a player isn't careful, you might easily end up with a broken mini!
In Necromolds, the miniatures are molded out of a soft Play-Doh like compound called Spell Clay. And molding the miniatures is only half the fun! During the game, whenever you defeat your enemy's mini in battle, you get to smash it using your Caster Ring! And those smashed minis actually become terrain—creating "dead zones" on the battle map.
Are your kids interested in painting their own minis? Let them mold and air dry their favorite Necromold monsters. It makes for a inexpensive way to paint a bunch of miniatures. Plus if they make a mistake while painting, they can easily create a new one!
Gameplay and Playtime
Many wargames take 2 to 5 hours to play and involve a complex rules system. Although they make for fantastic wargaming experiences, they are more difficult to play with younger kids who might have a harder time remembering the abstract rules and staying engaged for so long.
Necromolds has a simple, easy-to-learn rules system that still includes the most fun and fundamental aspects of wargaming. Movement is freeform and uses a distance tool. Unit positioning is important. Knowing when to be offensive or defensive is critical. Learning the probability of victory and choosing your battles is key to winning.
And the best part is that the game takes around one hour to play. Plus, you can easily adjust the playtime by starting the game with more or less Spell Clay per player.
The core rulebook offers three levels of play depending on the player's experience: Basic, Standard, and Advanced.
The basic rules are a simple, fast, and fun way for adults to play a war game with young kids. They even include a guide on slowly introducing rules to grow the basic game into a standard game. Your kids will be advanced Necromolds wargamers in no time!
General Tips for Playing Wargames with Kids
Keep it Simple
Wargame rules are usually easy to strip down and simplify. When introducing wargaming to young kids, simplify the rules to the core game experience. Try to keep the rules physical and not abstract. Rules that you can see are easier to remember.
Keep it Fast
To keep your young players engaged with the game, make sure turns are fast. The longer they are forced to wait between turns, the more anxious and frustrated they might become. And after awhile, if they start to become distracted or less engaged with the game, don't be afraid to end it. But don't end it on a disappointed or angry note. End it in an exciting grand finale of a battle that determines the outcome of the game!
Keep it Fun
The most important thing is to keep the experience fun. If a game rule doesn't feel fun, don't be afraid to remove it or improve it. Later, when your kids are older and more experienced wargamers, you can reintroduce the rule.
For example, in the basic rules of Necromolds, players smash their own monsters when they lose in battle. This is because younger players might not be emotionally ready for losing and watching someone else smash the mini they created. By allowing them to smash their own, the loss doesn't hurt as much.
Are you ready to start wargaming with your kids?
The Necromolds Battle Box includes everything needed for two players to start having fun wargaming! And if you enjoy the game, you can expand your collection of spellbooks and unique monster minis by picking up some Monster Packs.
Note: All of our products are currently being manufactured and will be back in stock soon. Be sure to sign up for our email restock notification.
TLDR: Necromolds stands out as an exceptional war board game for both kids and adults, offering a unique and engaging experience in the world of miniature wargaming. By eliminating the complexity of traditional point buy systems and introducing a tactile, creative approach to building armies with Spell Clay, Necromolds transforms the gaming experience into an enjoyable hands-on activity. With its innovative use of soft, moldable miniatures and a rule-lite gameplay system, Necromolds not only captures the essence of wargaming but also provides a fast-paced and adaptable game that caters to younger players, making it a perfect choice for introducing kids to the exciting world of wargames while ensuring a fun and memorable experience for everyone involved!
