John Blanche left Games Workshop in 2023 after decades of defining the grimdark look of Warhammer and 40K, and the question ever since has been what he would do next. The answer landed on Kickstarter on 1 May: En Garde, a 54mm fantasy dueling game co-designed with Mordheim and Warhammer 6th Edition's Tuomas Pirinen, set in a baroque Venetian-inspired city of Blanche's own invention.
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Set up your group for freePirinen, Blanche and a team that includes sculptors Paul Hicks and Patrick Masson are running a "Vanguard" Kickstarter via Harrowhound Miniatures that ships the figures first, with the full ruleset following later. The 54mm resin miniatures use metal arms and weapons to fight off warping, and the scale is big enough to show off the kind of gilded armour, ratty fur and jewellery that defined Blanche's old Inquisitor and Warmaster artwork. Named launch characters include vampire-hunter Mi'lady Carmilla, swordmaster Geminiano Caravello, the rogue Van Ryn, undead horror The Cursed Shambler, the ratman Rattus Rattus and Cap'n Rodolphus Noble. Single-character pledges start at $35, with a $100,000 stretch goal that unlocks an extra duellist.
Mechanically, En Garde aims for 10 to 15-minute one-on-one fights inspired by The Duellists and the Rob Roy showdown, with stances, parries, ripostes, counter-steps and backstabs across a wide range of weapons. Pirinen says the team has "cracked the formula" for one-on-one tactical combat, which is a bold claim from the man who made Mordheim. The full ruleset is targeted for later this year.
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Find events near youWorth a look if you have ever owned more Blanchitsu reference photos than is sensible. If the Kickstarter delivers, this is the kind of game crying out for a Saturday afternoon duel tournament. Time to rally the group and find a game night near you.
Sources: The Gamer | OnTableTop | Kickstarter
