I would like to take a moment and talk about the board game Elder Scrolls Call to Arms. I have spent way too many hours on Skyrim, and own it on every console. Today I found out that there is also a board game, not for Skyrim, but for Elder Scrolls. While I may not have friends to play with, I enjoy window shopping games I can’t play. Call to Arms looks like a lot of fun, and if you are looking for a new tabletop wargame to play with your friends, this might be worth looking into.

The game lets players explore Tamriel with absolute freedom. You can complete quests, join the civil war, or go treasure hunting. You can even use the minis to play some other tabletop games. It has options for co-op, PVP, and even solo play, and there are already quite a few expansions and scenarios. A great place to start is the upcoming Call to Arms Starter set.

The starter set includes everything you need to get started such as:

  • 1 x The Elder Scrolls: Call to Arms Core Rules
  • Core rule book, Quests book, Escape from Helgen Quickstart
  • More than 200 cards including heroes, followers, adversaries, quests and more
  • 2 die cut counter sheets
  • 13 special game dice
  • Imperial Plastic Starter set
    • 1 x Hadvar, Hero of Helgen
    • 1 x Imperial Mage
    • 3 x Imperial Soldiers
       
  • Stormcloak Plastic Starter Set
    • 1 x Ralof, Warrior of the Resistance
    • 1 x Ysrald Thrice Pierced, Stormcloak Commander
    • 3 x Stormcloak Warriors with Greatswords
       
  • Bleak Falls Barrow Plastic Delve
    • 1 x Dragonborn, Champion of Skyrim
    • 1 x Draugr Deathlord
    • 3 x Skeleton Archers
    • 3 x Draugr Warrior with Greatsword

The figures come unpainted and unassembled, and I am very excited to see what the community comes up with. There are some pretty cool paint jobs displayed on the official website.

As of writing this, you can only preorder the starter set in the UK for 110 GBP, which is a pretty good deal for what you are getting. I assume that the price in the US will be around $136 if Google did the conversion right.

There is already quite a bit of content out for this game, so it might be a good idea to look at that while you wait for the starter set. Chapters 1 and 2 content is currently 15% off until June 30th. It’s a good way to save a couple bucks on some minis, but it might be best to wait for the starter set. They’ll be announcing chapter 4 preorders any day now.

Before you go spending any money, it might be a good idea to try out the game. You can download the rulebook for free, and the rules are pretty simple to pick up. There is also a good amount of print-and-play content to help you get started with the system on the official website. You can print out adventures, character cards, and even the dice. This is a very cool thing the publishers are doing because nothing sucks more than buying into a system you don’t like. You can also check out the store page for free content as well.

Make sure you check out some of the tutorials to see how some of the mechanics work.

Movement

Damage

Melee

Ranged

I’ve seen a bit of the gameplay, and I like what I saw. The combat looks fun, the magic and gear system look interesting, and the AI and leveling seem to be well-designed. The game pieces look like they are great quality. I would be interested in using some of the pieces for my D&D sessions as well. I’d love some hands-on experience with the game, so if I can find some folks to play with or carve out some time for myself, I’ll let you know.

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