"Ares"--first published in 1999--might be the best game that time has forgotten. When I recently stumbled upon this rule set, they seemed quite intuitive, even elegant in the way it modeled things like combat. I was anxious to see if that translated to actual fun game play at the table. My group certainly thought so. In fact, I think these rules are some of the best I've come across, and I'm a little dumbfounded as to why they doesn't have a stronger reputation and a legion of loyal players.
I was excited to put the "Ares" rules through their paces, so I concocted the below scenario for our four-player game from this last Saturday.
THE LOST CITY OF AXZERMATHY: A few weeks ago, the city of Azermathy suffered a mysterious calamity, leaving the once burgeoning trade hub abandoned by the men who inhabited it, streets and structures clearly ravaged by a torrent of unidentifiable violence. Situated in the oft-contested borderlands between several nation-states, the city's neighbors have begun to send envoys to investigate Azermathy's fate.
Below are some photos from our game, though dozens more, along with my analysis of what makes the "Ares" rules so enjoyable, can be found at my blog, Scrum in Miniature:
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A more robust treasure table to roll against may have prevented two different warbands from acquiring cloaks of flying in our game, but then we wouldn't have been blessed with this scene of a flying giant about to square off with a flying goblin archer.
"Ares" rules review, home-brew scenario notes, and many more pictures can be found on my blog, Scrum in Miniature:
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will finish this project in time for the release of the next edition!
