The Other Side Rulebook and Allegiance Boxes: A Beginner's Overview

Quick Answer

Start with The Other Side Rulebook, then pick one Allegiance Box for the faction that matches how you like to play. The rulebook gives you the core rules and shared mechanics; the Allegiance Box gives you a playable starting force with its own identity. Buy both before adding Titan or Unit Boxes so you can actually play games and learn what your faction needs next.

The Other Side is a rank-and-file miniatures game where armies clash across a war-torn world, and the two purchases that matter most at the start are the rulebook and an Allegiance Box. Get those right and you have a functioning army; get them wrong and you end up with models you cannot field. This guide walks through what each product does and how to choose without overspending.

I will focus on the decisions a new player actually faces: which rulebook to buy, how Allegiance Boxes define your faction, and when expansions like The Other Side: Beyond the Other Side Expansion are worth adding. If you are coming from Malifaux or another skirmish game, the scale and list-building assumptions are different enough that it pays to read this before you order.

What the Rulebook Actually Gives You

The Other Side Rulebook is your core rules reference: how units activate, how duels and damage work, how terrain and objectives function, and how to build a legal force from your Allegiance. Without it you are guessing at the shared framework every faction uses. The rulebook is not faction-specific, so it stays useful no matter which Allegiance Box you choose later. Buy it first, read the core turn sequence, and keep it at the table during your first few games.

One honest tradeoff: the rulebook is a reference, not a tutorial army. It will not give you models to push around. If your budget only stretches to one purchase this month, buy the rulebook and borrow or proxy models for a learning game, then add an Allegiance Box when you can. That order prevents the common mistake of buying models with no way to learn the actual rules.

• Read the core activation and duel rules before your first game, not during it.
• Keep the rulebook on the table for the first three games; referencing it is normal.
• The rulebook is faction-neutral, so it never becomes obsolete when you switch Allegiances.

How Allegiance Boxes Define Your Army

An Allegiance Box is your faction's entry point. It contains the models, cards, and identity that let you field a legal starting force for that Allegiance. Different Allegiances play differently, so the box you choose effectively chooses your playstyle: some reward disciplined shooting and holding ground, others lean on speed, summoning, or attrition. Because the box is self-contained, you can play real games with it before buying a single expansion.

The practical decision rule is simple: pick the Allegiance whose models you want to paint and whose playstyle you enjoy watching, not the one a forum calls strongest. You will spend more time assembling and painting these models than reading their rules. If two Allegiances appeal equally, choose the one with the simpler starter force so your first games teach you the core rules instead of a complex combo.

• One Allegiance Box is enough for your first several games; do not buy two factions at once.
• Match the box to a playstyle you enjoy, not to internet tier lists.
• Check that the box is a complete starting force before assuming you need extra Unit Boxes.

When to Add Expansions and Extra Boxes

Once you have played a handful of games, you will know what your Allegiance lacks: more objective holders, a heavy hitter, or a Titan. That is the moment to add Unit Boxes or a Titan Box, because you are solving a problem you have actually experienced. Buying expansions before your first game usually means buying the wrong ones. Play first, then expand with purpose.

Setting expansions are a separate decision. The Other Side: Beyond the Other Side Expansion is a 176-page softcover that brings the Three Kingdoms and Kimon into the game with new Allegiances and supernatural forces. It is a good buy if your group wants new factions and setting material, but it is not required to play your first games. Treat it as a content expansion for invested players, not a starter purchase.

• Add Unit Boxes only after you identify a specific gap in your games.
• A Titan Box is a meaningful escalation; make sure your group is ready for that scale.
• Buy setting expansions for new Allegiances and lore, not because you think they are mandatory.

Budget Order for a First Purchase

If you are starting from nothing, the efficient order is rulebook first, Allegiance Box second, and everything else third. This sequence gets you playing the fastest and keeps your early spending focused. A second Fate Deck is also worth knowing about: Malifaux and The Other Side both use cards rather than dice, and two Fate Decks are needed to play, one for each player. Confirm what your chosen box includes before you assume you are ready to play.

For players splitting the cost with a friend, each person buys their own Allegiance Box and you share the rulebook. That is the cheapest route to two legal armies and real games. Avoid the temptation to buy a large combined lot up front; a big pile of unassembled models is the most common way new players stall out before their first game.

• Rulebook, then one Allegiance Box, then expansions in that order.
• Split costs with a friend: one rulebook, two Allegiance Boxes, two Fate Decks.
• Do not buy a second faction until your first one has seen the table several times.

Decision Rules for Your First The Other Side Purchase

• If you have no rulebook yet: Buy The Other Side Rulebook before any models. It contains the shared rules every faction uses and stays useful for the life of the game. Rulebook first, always.
• If you have the rulebook but no models: Choose exactly one Allegiance Box based on the playstyle and models you enjoy, not on which faction is considered strongest. One box is enough for your first several games. One faction, played repeatedly, beats two factions played once.
• If you already own an Allegiance Box and have played a few games: Identify the specific gap your games revealed, then buy the Unit Box or Titan Box that fills it. Only consider The Other Side: Beyond the Other Side Expansion once your group wants new Allegiances and setting material. Expand to solve a problem you have actually experienced.

Products That Fit These Decisions

• The Other Side: Beyond the Other Side Expansion: A 176-page softcover expansion that brings the Three Kingdoms and Kimon into The Other Side with new Allegiances, supernatural forces, and setting material explaining how Earth's struggle has changed. This is the expansion to buy once you want new factions and deeper setting material, not a first purchase. It adds Allegiances rather than replacing your core rules.
• Malifaux Fourth Edition: Dashel Barker, The Old Guard: A Guild faction, Guard keyword box in which Dashel Barker directs a steady, well-organized crew that supports its rank and file, controls important ground, and can call on additional Guard when pressure mounts. A useful example of what an Allegiance-style starter force looks like in practice: a defined faction, a keyword identity, and a clear playstyle of holding ground and supporting the rank and file.
• Malifaux Third Edition: Fates Entwined: A 32mm heroic scale miniature set supplied unpainted in high-quality plastic, requiring preparation and assembly, featuring Jedza, the Kurgan, and Zoraida across Explorer's Society, Neverborn, and Bayou factions. A reminder that Wyrd miniatures arrive unpainted and unassembled. Budget time and tools for preparation and painting before you plan your first game.
• M3E Fate Deck - Bayou Theme: Malifaux uses cards rather than dice, and this deck uses the four Malifaux suits (Rams, Crows, Tomes, and Masks) with Weak, Moderate, and Severe markings, made of high-quality linen cardstock. Two Fate Decks are needed to play, one for each player. If your group is coming from Malifaux, you already understand the card-based duel system. Confirm your The Other Side setup includes enough decks for every player before game night.

Who This Approach Fits

Best for

• New players who want a clear, low-risk order for buying into The Other Side
• Groups of two or more splitting the cost of a rulebook and separate Allegiance Boxes
• Miniature painters who want a defined faction to build and paint before expanding

Not for

• Veterans who already own the rulebook and multiple Allegiances and are looking for advanced list-building advice
• Players who want a fully painted, ready-to-play product out of the box, since Wyrd miniatures require assembly and painting
• Buyers who only want lore and setting material with no interest in playing games

Buy the rulebook, pick one Allegiance Box that matches how you want to play, and get a few games in before expanding. That order keeps your first The Other Side purchase focused and gets you to the table faster than any bundle.