The adventures of an 18th century imagination, located in Northern Europe formerly ruled over by joint rulers Duke Karl Frederick and Duchess Liv.Not to mention the American colony of Ny Tradgardland the 17th century Colony of New Tradgardstadt and the newly restored territory of the Shetland Isles.
Featuring a supporting bill of gaming in a diversity of times,places and scales.Hopefully something to interest all who pop by...
Thursday, 4 January 2018
Small number of fantasy figures per side rules suggestions sought
Any recommendations welcome. I have tried Songs of Blades... in the past and can’t quite get into it.
Games Workshop do a set of skirmish rules for their Age Of Sigmar fantasy figures , not sure what they are like although the main set of rules only has four pages and is simple enough .
There is a Fantasy game version by Maudlin Jack Tar of Bob Cordery's Portable Wargame http://wargamingmiscellany.blogspot.co.uk/2017/08/a-fantasy-version-of-my-portable.html And an Arthur Harman version of this in Miniature Wargames mag Nov 2017 https://www.tabletopgaming.co.uk/board-games/news/the-november-issue-415-of-miniature-wargames-is-available-for-pre
Are you looking for battles or skirmishes or individual characters? I agree that Dragon Rampant can be played with a small number of figures (for example, by halving the number of figures used, and/or by having some "units" represented by just a few figures). Bob's Portable Wargame also seems like a viable option. Those are both more like unit-level battles or skirmishes.
For more individual level games I have been enjoying Pulp Alley - in spite of the name it can be used for all sorts of genres. One of the supplemental rule books has suggestions for playing various genres with just a few simple rules modifications. The basic rules are simple and fun; there is a deck of cards for playing vs. an opponent and another deck for playing solo.
There is a fantasy supplement to the 5-Core Medieval skirmish "Chavauchee" called "On Samhain's Eve." (I may have misspelled that.) It even has instructions for making your own monsters.
It's mostly been said but "small number" of figures is very relative. One man's 6 is another man's 60.
Hordes of the Things still gives a good game and dependin on the army udusl less than 50 figures counting cavalry as 2 and special characters as 4.
Dragon Rampant has been mentioned and so has Bob's Portable Wargame. I'm out of my league with simple 1 figure is 1 man but did have some very enjoyable Dark Age skirmishes with the Warhammer Skirmish rules. I downloaded them from the 15 years ago. No idea where to get them now.
I've used Song of Blades and Heroes for my 40mm Bronze Age Europe games. I played them last in November after a long hiatus and found that I liked them more than I recalled. Advanced Song of Blades and Heroes has some new twists that make the game a bit livelier, e.g., reaction.
Apart from that, Dragon Rampant is appealing. With fantasy gaming, you have a lot more options for creating reduced- or single-model units. That keeps the figure count down. My Dragon Rampant warband is just 31 figures.
Open Combat is a very nice rules-set, where you stat your own figures. Works with a couple of figures per side, up to a dozen or so. https://www.secondthunder.com/ I like it a lot and play far to seldom :-)
Games Workshop do a set of skirmish rules for their Age Of Sigmar fantasy figures , not sure what they are like although the main set of rules only has four pages and is simple enough .
ReplyDeleteDragon Rampant ? Seems to work ok.
ReplyDeleteThere is a Fantasy game version by Maudlin Jack Tar of Bob Cordery's Portable Wargame http://wargamingmiscellany.blogspot.co.uk/2017/08/a-fantasy-version-of-my-portable.html
ReplyDeleteAnd an Arthur Harman version of this in Miniature Wargames mag Nov 2017 https://www.tabletopgaming.co.uk/board-games/news/the-november-issue-415-of-miniature-wargames-is-available-for-pre
LotR strategy battle game?
ReplyDeleteFrostgrave in a different setting.
Are you looking for battles or skirmishes or individual characters?
ReplyDeleteI agree that Dragon Rampant can be played with a small number of figures (for example, by halving the number of figures used, and/or by having some "units" represented by just a few figures). Bob's Portable Wargame also seems like a viable option. Those are both more like unit-level battles or skirmishes.
For more individual level games I have been enjoying Pulp Alley - in spite of the name it can be used for all sorts of genres. One of the supplemental rule books has suggestions for playing various genres with just a few simple rules modifications. The basic rules are simple and fun; there is a deck of cards for playing vs. an opponent and another deck for playing solo.
Yes, I've had some success playing Dragon Rampant with base units of 6 or 3 figures. You just have to mark odd hits, but otherwise it looks fine.
DeleteThe Pulp Alley supplemental rule book/pdf referred by Fitz-Badger is "Pulp Leagues."
DeleteThanks, Tomo! That's the one. I want to get more of the supplements! :)
DeleteIs there anything in the 5 Core series by Nordic Weasel?
ReplyDeleteThere is a fantasy supplement to the 5-Core Medieval skirmish "Chavauchee" called "On Samhain's Eve." (I may have misspelled that.) It even has instructions for making your own monsters.
DeleteIt's mostly been said but "small number" of figures is very relative. One man's 6 is another man's 60.
ReplyDeleteHordes of the Things still gives a good game and dependin on the army udusl less than 50 figures counting cavalry as 2 and special characters as 4.
Dragon Rampant has been mentioned and so has Bob's Portable Wargame. I'm out of my league with simple 1 figure is 1 man but did have some very enjoyable Dark Age skirmishes with the Warhammer Skirmish rules. I downloaded them from the 15 years ago. No idea where to get them now.
I've used Song of Blades and Heroes for my 40mm Bronze Age Europe games. I played them last in November after a long hiatus and found that I liked them more than I recalled. Advanced Song of Blades and Heroes has some new twists that make the game a bit livelier, e.g., reaction.
ReplyDeleteApart from that, Dragon Rampant is appealing. With fantasy gaming, you have a lot more options for creating reduced- or single-model units. That keeps the figure count down. My Dragon Rampant warband is just 31 figures.
Open Combat is a very nice rules-set, where you stat your own figures. Works with a couple of figures per side, up to a dozen or so.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.secondthunder.com/
I like it a lot and play far to seldom :-)