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This set comes with 14 metal miniatures (unpainted), a copy of the rules booklet, dice, a small drawstring pouch, a set of "initiative counters" and a set of "combat stones". The miniatures represent two of the races from the world of Twilight: the Fubarnii of the Empire and the Devanu. The Fubarnii force consists of 3 Knights (including a Knight Captain), 6 Militia (including a Militia Captain) and 1 Engineer. The Devanu opposition are a solitary Devanu Kopa and 3 fierce Grishak. The apparent imbalance of forces is explained as soon as you see the figures. The Fubarnii are diminutive fellows, even the Knights on their riding beasts are overtopped by the scary Devanu Kopa which definitely has the edge for teeth and claws.

The style of these miniatures and the world designed for them by Mike Thorp, is a welcome alternative to the plethora of "standard" fantasy settings. Elves, goblins and wizards are out and instead there are a growing number of unique and imaginative races with their own cultures and history. The figures have a "lizardy" look to them with a hint of Dark Crystal also thrown in there.

The sculpting is top notch; the figures are posed and balanced in a believable way despite their alien physiology. The casting is very good with mould lines barely visible. All of the figures in this starter set are multi-piece castings, so some experience with assembling metal miniatures is an advantage.

You don't have to be an expert however as the pieces fit together with minimal preparation required. The components join together quite snugly so give a good surface to use superglue, even on the larger pieces pinning the joints probably won't be vital to them holding together under normal gaming use.

This starter set comes with everything required to start playing (apart from a table and some terrain) but I am not going to pass comment on the rules that are included until I have had a chance to try them out and get a good feel of how they play. Suffice to say that the rules booklet that is included is 24 pages, A5 in size, printed on glossy paper and bound in light card/heavy paper. Inside it includes background information on the planet of Bakahn and the history of the races who inhabit the continent of Anyaral. The basic combat rules are explained and well illustrated with examples.

There are also some simple scenarios included and a preview to forthcoming additional factions (how I hate that term!) for the world. Most if not all of this information is available online and the basic rules are downloadable for free but it is nice to have the properly printed booklet, with all the atmospheric drawings between the text, to flick through. Updates to the rules as well as new scenarios are also available on the Twilight website In addition there are inspiring photos of some of the miniatures painted by the talented Ben Brownlie.

The other components that are supplied are the combat stones which are small fat counters, cast in white metal and with a symbol moulded on one side and a small bag of multi-coloured glass stones, which are used as initiative counters. Each figure has a round, lipped slotta base appropriate to its size.

The Small Starter Set is a claimed £10.00 cheaper than buying the components individually but it would be almost the same to buy the equivalent unit deals and download the rules for free. It is very convenient to get everything that you need in one box however. Individually the miniatures are at the pricier end, costing more even than similar sized Games Workshop figures. For example, the standard Fubarnii are quite dinky, around 22mm to the tops of their heads, so at £3.50 each (bought separately) quite pricey. The Devanu are a fair bit larger, over 30mm tall in their crouching predatory stance, and have a price tag of £6.00. The uniqueness of the subject matter, as well as the quality with which it has been produced does explain the higher price point and the rules are intended for small scale skirmish encounters not massed battles with large units of models. Despite the enticing background world that comes with these figures I could easily see them also finding a use as allies for Slann or lizard man armies, low tech aliens in SF or Lost Earth tribes for Victorian SF/ Pulp games. So these figures are both versatile and high quality, a rare combination.