"Ancient Warfare: The Miniatures Game?" Topic

How interested would you be in seeing the people behind Ancient Warfare magazine at Karwansaray produce an ancients ruleset?

On a scale of 0 (no interest) to 10 (extreme interest).

10 I'm always looking for the next rules like Jason looking for the Golden Fleece.
John

Not particularly, 0-1.

Zero.

I don't know the magazine and I'm actually happy with the rules that I use at the moment (Big Battle DBA using Impetus basing for 15mm and Hail Caesar for 28mm).

My contentment with these rules sets is such that for the first time in 30 odd years of gaming, I really don't care what anyone else is thinking…

That's a zero if ever there was one.

Great magazine. Are they planning to?

It would probably turn out as the ancients version of Advanced Squad Leader.

I suspect that the more one knows about ancient history, the harder it is to write a set of ancient rules. So they would probably find it very challenging! ;-)

Great magazine, BTW, if you don't already order it. The painting on a lot of my units have been based on the illustrations in there.

Low there are enough good sets about.

x42

These days most successful rule sets are supported by established publishing companies:

Dadi e Piombo – Impetus
Vae Victis – L'art de la Guerre

The English mags somehow lack this aggregating ability as today, maybe because the market is comparatively very wide as the company interests clash. This could lead to fragmentation of the audience.

We even see an heavy weight prestigious organization such as the SOA having difficulties to establish a default good set.

I'm just curious to see where AW would be heading to: more stochastic commercial nonsense or truly innovative proposals?

As I've never bought or read the magazine it's unlikely.

0-1 for me

Hi gents,

Guy from Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy here.

Ancient Warfare is our sister magazine. If there were any plans for a rule set, then I'd know about it.

There's a lot of good rule sets out there already.So the question would be 'Why bother?'

But let's play "What if?"

Ancient Warfare has a high production value and excellent illustrations. IF they were to do a game it'd be top quality. However to succeed it'd need to be innovative and something truly new. Knowing my boss, it'd have to be all of the above if it was going to be in print.

Nice idea tho.

Guy

Depends on their design criteria. If it is going to be another 250 page coffee table book and complex rules set, count me out. If it is a simple and approachable rules et, I'd be interested.

0.

Absolutely none. I write my own rules. I find them far superior to anything that has come out in twenty years. This goes for all periods not just ancients. I'm with "Who asked." My rules are modeled on Featherstone and Moreschauser and have to be 12 pages or less which contains all rules, examples, charts, illustrations, cover art and comments and the obligatory designer drivel.

Ottoathome. You're my kind of guy. Kudos to you sir.

Ottoathome, I've played lots of sets like yours (homebrew) and they usually deserve to stay in that person's basement. Gaming has also moved conceptually far beyond Featherstone.

As far as a new set of ancient rules, I think the market seems pretty saturated at the moment.

Gaming has also moved conceptually far beyond Featherstone.

Have they really? Chain of Command, for instance, uses a hit/save mechanic. Saga does the same. The GW stable of rules were the first to bring back that time honored mechanic. Now where have I seen that before? Don't kid yourself. Most rules sets out there these days are a variation on a theme. I applaud anyone who desires a simple game and makes his own rules to his own taste. He will likely get that which he desires.

If a simple set of rules could incorporate command and control better than the pip system, I'm all for it. The pip system is just too generic for all armies.

What do I mean by new command and control rules? GMT's Great Battles of History series has different command rules for Romans, Alexander the Great's army, and so on…It can be done, but so far no miniatures rule system that I've read has attempted it.

Doesn't it make sense that Paulinas had a better organizational structure than Boudica did at the Battle of Watling Street? And that is what contributed to the Roman victory?

0 since its ancients.

Modify to a 2 since from what I've seen of the mag, they produce stellar work so it could tempt me in.

"Gaming has also moved conceptually far beyond Featherstone."

Yes it has, but very few care to recognize. For the large majority a good new set is that one that uses exactly the same engine as before: roll-to-hit-roll-to-save or opposed die rolls with doubling, preferably.

"If a simple set of rules could incorporate command and control better than the pip system…"

Anything can be better than the pip system. Yet every single miniature rules I know allows to modify the command system for each side, officially or by simple custom rules. But in practice who wants to unbalance games further towards the Roman side?

0 for me. AW is a great magazine I've been a subscriber for years. Always happy to be proven wrong though :-)

They could publish some rules but it is more important who writes the rules than who publishes them in terms of measuring interest. Unless the Ancient Warfare team are a gang of crack rules writers that is.

Are these the same as Terry Gore's version?

I'm not sure it would be wise for a magazine, so closely linked with a particular wargaming period, to bring out a set of rules, range of figures, or anything else for that matter. For some reason magazines being used as a marketing tool for an associated 'in house' product can put people right off the magazine. I'm for ever hearing people slating Wargames Illustrated for the link with Battlefront / Flames of War.

Are these the same as Terry Gore's version?

Ancient Warfare Magazine. No relation to the rules by Terry Gore of the same name.

Enlightening and interesting though this discussion is, I should probably point out that Bill posted this question on his own initiative. We're not testing the water. It's hard enough to make Ancient Warfare fun & interesting without worrying about how it would play out on the tabletop. ;-)