"Warhammer Ancient Battles V.2 at Britcon August UK" Topic

As the title suggests Warhammer Ancient Battles V.2 has returned to Britcon Fri 11 Aug- Sun 13th 2023.

5 games, just Saturday and Sunday.
3000pts, but 8 foot tables.

Please use the lists from WAB V.2; Chariot Wars Lists and the Armies of Antiquity Volume 2 and the Errata for said edition. From Biblical up to 50BC, a large classical period basically.

Prices are:
£50.00 GBP entry, but this includes £5.00 GBP voucher to spend on toys at the event.
AND meal both days, a butty, crisps, drink etc.

Accommodation is £75.00 GBP/ bed and breakfast at Notts Uni.

Any questions etc, please contact the organiser at:
timhaslam1 AT ntlworld DOT com

Linkage:
bhgs.org.uk/britcon---warhammer-ancient-battles.html?fbclid=IwAR2UYxvEnLmYZ4pmpNknt5BSH-4mIWYFUl2Gr0i2dGvq56vY9rS3s5YNf6Q

Blast from the Past! Love WarHammer Ancients

Frederick

Blast from the Past! Love Warhammer Ancients

Indeed. There seems to be a bit of a mini renaissance among some old WAB players in the UK at present.

WAB play never really stopped at my club.

My Just Add Water Miniature Painting Blog:
justaddwater-bedford.blogspot.com

Is this related to the upcoming old world game?

I don't think ancients are any more?

H Man

Warhammer Ancients was the GW side project based on 5th ed WFB. It had its fans and its detractors GW pulled the plug on the game about a decade ago however, it still has a small following in the North of England. Down South in London Town and the Home counties it is so dead that its corpses no longer smells.

What is the ruleset of choice for 28mm ancients these days then?

Thanks.

That should clear it up nicely.

However, depending on exact dates, Fantasy battles ended about a decade ago also.

Now the old world is coming back, which brings GW closer to historical in its own IP.

Maybe a new historical game from them is not 100% out of the question?

TOW is here, no doubt because of KOW and all the other games taking money from GW (and they can't have that).

Why would be more natural than a move into the popular relm of historical? Says me.

However, depending on exact dates, Fantasy battles ended about a decade ago also.

Warhammer Fantasy Battles was dropped out of production around July 2015, when the AoS was released.

Warhammer Historical Wargames (sub-branch of GW) was closed around May 2012, so around three years earlier.

Maybe a new historical game from them is not 100% out of the question?

Depends on whether there is interest from somebody within the company.

Warhammer Historicals started as a spin-off by a few staff members around 1998, and was run as a very small sub-operation within the company (around one dedicated staff member in the form of Rob Broom), with the books written by external authors or by GW staff members (including John Stallard) on their leisure time.

AFAIK those game designers and staff members who were involved in Warhammer Historical products have largely left GW to work on other companies (e.g. John Stallard went to found Warlord Games).

You said it.

Warlord games.

Also, the people responsible for most GW games have left, so that doesn't mean anything.

Also, the end times and Aos didn't happen overnight. Historical was no doubt dropped around the time they were planning the demise of wfb. Three years would seem about right for that.

Its an IP GW can probably do something with. And give warlord a run for its money also.

At the least, I'd expect fan/wc rule vatients and lists to start popping up not long after tow release.

I suspect a lot of warlord and Perry and tow (from people flipflopping between the two) being used.

The question is, will GW like that?

People using derivatives of their new game to play made up lists using competitors models?

No.

I see them at least releasing a supplement, or more, to get the people at least buying the rules from them. At least.

aybe a new historical game from them is not 100% out of the question?

I think this highly unlikely for the simple reason that GW make money selling figures based on their universe; there is no way they will make historical figures( though the Empire and Brettonia are kind of historical)

What is the ruleset of choice for 28mm ancients these days then?

Probably a skirmish game like Lion Rampant or Saga

GW make money selling figures from other people's universe also, such as Mr Tolkien.

Again, if the don't do it, fans will.

But only one of those options gives GW any control.

Also, the end times and Aos didn't happen overnight. Historical was no doubt dropped around the time they were planning the demise of wfb. Three years would seem about right for that.

I would presume that planning for the AoS started latest 2 years before release.

However, I don't think that the dropping of the historical sub-branch (which did much more than WAB) was directly related to WHFB discontinuation. Rather, GW seems to have been streamlining their product range at the time, dropping various side games. After the historical sub-branch, they gradually did away with the specialist games branch (Blood Bowl, Necromunda, Mordheim, Epic, Battlefleet Gothic etc.).

That said, in the years since then some of those former specialist games have been re-released.

GW make money selling figures from other people's universe also, such as Mr Tolkien.

AFAIK the LotR/Hobbit ranges are the only externally lisenced ranges that they have done since the 1980's. And they have an explicit lisence for wargaming figures based on those movies.

It is much more difficult to crank up a time machine and send your lawyers a couple of thousand years back to negotiate exclusive lisences for producing e.g. late republican Roman figures (and those Romans tended to be tough negotiators anyway…).

I will believe GW making a new Historical game when I see it. They have zero IP protection with it, and that seems to be a core element of their business plan these days. They can't create a quasi monopoly of selling their exclusive models at an absurdly high price just to play their game.

GW just nuked all of the old Space Marine line last month, what makes anyone think that they will get involved into a genre that they have zero way to make the kind of money that they are accustomed to is beyond me.