"Any Black Powder II reviews already?" Topic

Whhat changed, new itemsor rules etc.
Anything around?

… be patient. They will start to talk soon ….

The facebook group has complaints about typos in the QRC already.

There's plenty of news out there. An introduction and walk through appeared in Septembers issue of Wargames Illustrated, Warlord games have a good article highlighting the main differences. You can watch Rick Priestly explain them here:

YouTube link

There will also be a gamers review in the November issue of Wargames Illustrated. It's very positive because it's written by a fan of the rules set….me.
There are a couple of typo's in the book but the overall approach to the rewrite has been to tidy up the rules, introduce some mechanisms that were already being used by regular players and of course to refresh the pictures, scenarios etc.
If you are currently using the rules, you will not be disapointed – it's a welcome update and refresh. If you didn't like them before, you still wont.

My copy just arrived today. I have not read it yet but the cover is one of the worst pieces of graphic design I have seen for a long times. Confused, grim and unattractive. For example, just reducing the size of the rider (Napoleon?) so he fitted within the shield outline would be a great improvement. As it is his head gets jumbled in with the crown.

> As it is his head gets jumbled in with the crown.

Art imitating life…

Smells funny, there's ten pages of photos of Quatre Bras in the Scenarios and no Scenario of Quatre Bras itself and on Page 19 there's a photo saying its of French Curiassiers when they are Chasseurs.

Production is kind of busy with photo's and Warlord Games box art all over the place but the Scenarios look good.

Probably some improvements in rules and clarifications in there but they will take some finding as the eye candy to text ratio is off the charts. Not played for ages so I'm likely needing to sit down with the original and compare section by section.

I really didn't like BP1. Hard to say I I would be willing to try BP2.

I got my copy in the post today and while I can't yet comment on the rules I do have one complaint. I was going to wait until I could buy them at my FLGS but when they announced that pre-orders would get a free figure of a certain Naval officer I jumped at it. It was the perfect figure for some scenarios I have for Sharp Practice. Naturally, I assumed that the figure would be 28mm. Long story short, it's more like a heroic 32mm. I mean it's large for a 32mm. I'm rather disappointed. I understand the character is supposed to be 'larger than life' but I took that to be figurative.

Should of said that "Smells Funny" was meant literally, must be something to do with the printing or binding process. No doubt it will wear off.

Yes it has a strong ink/glue smell. Will out gas over time. First time BP player other than two convention games a couple of years ago. Enjoying going through it so far. As soon as I play a game i'll Post my impressions. There are a couple or rules my regular gaming group is going to protest I'm sure. But we'll play it through as written a couple of times before changes are made.

Personally I'm looking forward to getting back into BP. I enjoyed it when it first came out years ago when we played in 15mm, then tired of its over simplicity, compared with other rules that specifically kept to a single period rather than the whole Black Powder era.

However, we have recently been looking around for simpler rules to accommodate my friends crazy quest to play Napoleonic games of a Division per side using 28mm, with battalions of 30+ figures. All this started as a project to satisfy his excellent painting skills but has gotten a bit out of hand!

As this big battalion, 25/28mm, approach was embraced at the outset by BPs creators it seemed obvious to go back to them as a quick and simple game.

so the answer is no?

Just bought a set of the new rules at our Hobby Shop. My first impression is that I would have been happier if someone just posted a summary of the significant rules changes, For $52 USD, I'm not sure they are worth it. When you pay for Scenarios, you don't expect some general discussion of the battle and then just a bunch of photos. That's all there is to the Quatre Bras scenario as someone mentioned above. I was most interested in the AWI period, but the Bunker Hill Scenario is not one I am likely to do. Overall, I'm disappointed.

I believe there is just such a summary posted on the Warlord website.

A summary is there, but not in enough detail to preclude you from having to buy the new edition in order to incorporate them into your games.

The most annoying feature of Black Powder and Warlord Games Marketing is the fact that a couple of dozen extra rules that really add to the period feel are tucked away in the three Napoleonic supplements.

Even more annoying is that they are not evenly distributed across the books and that those buying the Penninsular War and Waterloo items are probably not going to be interested the 1812 Campaign or at least not have Armies for all of them.

Thereby missing out on the suggestions in there which are universal to the period and make for a more rounded game.

This video might help:

YouTube link

Thanks for that Steve most helpful.

I have to confess whatever's new has passed me by as its so long since I played the original it all looks the same! :o)

The new book still looks worth the money to me but maybe more so for newcomers.

Like I've mentioned above, my only beef with the whole set up is that they could have included all the additional rules from Albion Triumphant – Peninsular, Albion Triumphant – Waterloo and A Clash of Eagles in the new book and left out a dozen pointless pages on Quatre Bras and pictures of box art!

Plenty of stuff on troop stats and army lists included in those other books to make those who want them still hand over their cash.

I'm afraid the whole thing just confirms the view of some that Warlord Games is more about money than customers!