The Guards of Traitor’s Toll are here to shake you down
“You generally won't ever fight the other players.”
Many people, myself included, will use terms like wargames, miniature wargames, and minis games interchangeably, but the fact is that you can have wargames that don’t use miniatures and minis games that aren’t about war. Graham Davey, the man behind Grey For Now Games, makes games that fall into this latter category. 0200 Hours may be a WWII game, but it specifically focuses on stealthy commando actions, a sort of analog version of the classic Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines video game and its sequels. Samurai skirmisher Test of Honour is perhaps his most traditional offering, but even that has an honor system that goes beyond typical skirmish game fisticuffs.
His latest release, Guards of Traitor’s Toll, invites players to step off the battlefield and into the shoes of the hapless fantasy guardsman, an archetype that players are more likely to spend beating up than actually embodying. Guards still features combat, but it exists alongside investigation and chases on a board packed with civilians going about their lives, making for one of the most intriguing skirmish games in years.
Guards of Traitor’s Toll was released at the end of March and has been broadly positively received. My read through of the rules has me very excited to try it out, but the game’s steep physical requirements — a board densely packed with medieval urban terrain and 20-30 civilian minis — have meant that it’s not hit my table just yet.
Rascal reached out to Davey to discuss Guards of Traitor’s Toll, British gamers of a certain age, and the past and future of Grey For Now Games.
This interview has been slightly edited for clarity.
