Oh man. Here we are. I finally fell for the weirdest damn thing: Quar. We’ll get some resources out of the way at the top:

Wargames Atlantic Quar Stuff

Lore, Background, Official Website

MyMiniFactory from the author himself

The Base Rules

The Unit Stats

All images used in this article are coming from these sources.

Quar are anteater people in a world with a tech level somewhere around 1920 real world. They have some fantastical elements, like squirrel messengers and strange aquatic beasties, or glowing purple swamps. These are contrasted against the grim realities of war which has scarred the face of the planet for just about the whole of Quar history. It’s “Grimsicle” in theming–a clash between the colorful and the stark. It grows on you.

Everything about the universe, from the models to the watercolor artwork really drives this home. I didn’t really like it at first, truth be told. I dismissed the setting when Wargames Atlantic adopted it. I assumed it wouldn’t be a great ruleset and it’d be another light affair with almost no real tactics. My impression is coming, but at first blush I was unfair to judge it so. The ruleset has some teeth and the setting provides for some neat conflict.

But the thing that really convinced me was the Crusade. It’s not a religious crusade–it’s a rising of the proletariat. The world was ruled by various aristocracies and monarchies, with the upper class using war to maintain control. Alykinder, readily the most important Quar in the setting, appears to bring up a simple observation: that’s pretty messed up. He starts the Crusade in an effort to smash the existing systems, throw out the aristocracies, and bring about a more fair world with democratic republics in which the average Quar gets a say in government.

I love it.

I also love the odd vehicles, each of which is lovingly crafted and given their own unique damage cards to account for variable armor. Also, they’re not called “Tanks.” They’re tractors, because… of course they are. The Quar had no reason to name them tanks as we did. They settled on a different name.

Each army in the game has a basic squad structure you’re encouraged to use. One army might emphasize the use of a squad LMG, whereas another might use a squad based marksman rifle, while yet another has people wielding swords.

Why swords? Well, I’m glad you asked! See, they were driven from their homeland hundreds of years ago, so they gathered the dirt of their home country and encapsulated it in lockets. These lockets are attached to the swords passed down through the generations–swords they now take into battle to reclaim their home.

There lore here goes reasonably hard. I’ll caution that it’s still actively being fleshed out, but what’s there is pretty good, with more than enough to hang your hat on as you tell your own stories.

So how do you tell those stories? A Clash of Rhyfles is a skirmish focused ruleset, with perhaps 14-20 models per side at a normal size. You command each base individually, even inside a tank. Tractors (tanks) are present, though you should discuss with your opponent. Not every basic squad structure carries an anti-tractor weapon. You are not forced to follow squad structure, but it’s heavily encouraged.

Battles feature variable activation, a 3D6 base system, and enough thought to them that they seem like they’d be fun to play. The game plays on a 2×2′ board normally, with the option to expand to larger sizes. It’s a narrative-first ruleset and as a result I foresee some pitfalls–specifically tractors as mentioned above. If you don’t bring what you need to handle a tractor, it’ll give you a bad time. To me, this is a classic marking of a historical ruleset and I’m genuinely glad to see it.

Okay–but how am I getting into it? Well, I’m 3D printing the Tollyn Maeryn force off MyMiniFactory. There’s a bundle for it as well as the Gloam Hynn, with more 3D printable factions incoming quite literally this month. Otherwise, you can buy the plastic kits and fit together a force that way just fine–and there’s 3D printable bits if you’d like some further specific customization. It’s a very “modern” mix to me, with 3D printing unlocking more options but plenty of accessibility in the form of plastics.

The Tollyn Maeryn are the home guard militia force protecting Maer Braech. They’re formed of tradesquar and teenage kits, meaning they’re full of less experienced soldiers who rely heavily on their officers to lead them into battle. They follow a fairly normal unit structure and their rules emphasize the importance of their officers and the homely nature of their squads–right down to possibly having a “Home Dyna” come along, which is, literally, their mother.

On the other side you have the Gloam Hynn, my second faction of choice. They’re the swamp people serving the Croftyrans. They’re independently minded but fight for the Royalists. Oddballs, every last one of them, they roll into battle alongside Sarf-cyns, these salamander like creatures they release into trenches to charge their enemies. Their default squad structure is pretty sensible and their hard nosed attitude toward life makes them ideal fighters ready to take on any condition.

The base ruleset is free. The plastics are readily accessible and the resin prints are as accessible as your local resin printer. As it stands, I hope to get a few games in early next year and I’ll post along the way. My son is into the theming, so worst case I’ll at least throw in a game or two with him. I really look forward to the painting–the colorful yet drab style really appeals to me as a change of pace.

So there you have it: how Quar slowly sunk its claws into me. No guarantees about how far this goes, but I’ll have a ruleset impression up later this month and some painted models to show off soon enough. Looks like we’re ending 2025 as weird as possible–and I wouldn’t have it any other way.