"Gothic Horror - Vampire Wars" Topic

Anyone playing this?

I think the figures are uniformly cool. I bought pieces from nearly every range but I can't seem to find any enthusiasm for it out there - there's a yahoo group that posts irregularly, no web sites (apart from the manufacturer), no fan sites, no nothing.

I know the rules are riddled with errors (all editions and supplements) but the system seems simple enough to modify.

Also people seem to think it's an RPG and it really isn't.

Are there sites I'm missing? Why won't anyone touch this game?

This is a great string of questions.

I have no idea why this game isn't doing well, the figures are great and reasonable at least. There are some very cool figures like Yeti's and Killer Clowns. Plus there is a very wide range that should have something that appeals to almost anyone.

I have given the rules a good read and there might be a few problems but not so many that they can't be overcome.

I have one suggestion as to why they might not be doing to well. The rules are lacking that "sexy" full color pictures of painted miniatures and like you said people might think of it more as an RPG than a miniatures game. Also the rules are fairly scenario driven.

That said I'm hoping to run some games at the upcoming conventions, maybe that will help.

Ted S

I agree, great questions all.

I think the killer is the unbelievable, unconscionably awfully edited rules. They are darned near incomprehensible - not because of the concepts, but because of the abysmal writing and editing.

I had to fight through the rules more than three times to get clear enough on them to play a small game. It's pretty good, and as noted above, the minis are great.

Anther flaw - some of the scenarios are presented as requiring a WHOLE LOT of minis, in a transparent attempt to sell more minis. The small scenarios work best and are more fun.

Final analysis: Potentially great game doomed to die because of poor development, lousy writing, and even worse editing.

I think the miniatures are great also. I haven't purchased any, but most likly will at Historicon. I don't know when I'll paint them, but too cool to pass up.

I don't have the rules and was going to write up my own because I'd heard so many bad things about how they are written.

I have purchased a whole bunch of the minis, but as others have mentioned, the rules just aren't worth the trouble. They did give me some good ideas though. I am putting together a large, Vatican Hit Squad/Villagers vs. Dracula and Minions scenario for a local Convetion. I am going to use the Gaslight rules.

Can't comment on the rules but if anyone is interested in playtesting a set of Vampire rules let me know. You can use any figures you want and is based on the Chain Reaction rules but very specific.
Can use any figures you want, cardboard counters or even popsicle sticks - long story :)

Ed the Two Hour Wargames guy
www.twohourwargames.com

Re the rules -
IMHO They are not as bad as is made out.
1) Where the examples and the tables clash, use the tables in preference to the example.
2) Prior to play I extract the relevant information from the various tables onto a handy playsheet for each faction - saves a lot of time in the course of the game.

Regards

Phil.

I love the figs. I have about 70 now. The rules, I gave up on but have done my own. My club (Dereham wargames club) are play testing them. Why there is not a big gothic horror following, I don't understand.

The rules look a lot like an inferior Rail Wars, which I feel to be a superb beer & pretzels system. I use GH:VW as a 'sourcebook' for RW. Figure requirements are minimal (you can get by happily with a dozen minis on a side).

And yes, the artwork is abyssmal. I always think: If you can't afford to HIRE decent art, don't you at least KNOW somebody who could turn out something decent if you asked them nicely? Sheesh, I could do better than that at twelve. You can't get by in 'the GW Age' with crap like that.

im working on a Quick referance sheet that will have all the main rules and will make looking up things dureing game much easyier and quicker .ill ask for permission from westwind and the sheet will be on my site so you can D/L and print .

even with my rough Quick referance sheet the game runs very smoothly and im a big fans of the game it realy is a exellent game but all the bad editing etc turned it into a major chore looking ap things while playing etc .the Referance sheet adresses this.

why westwind have nt made a good Quick ref sheet i dont know . maybe they can send me loads of money or minis : )

Have a look at my Vampire Wars site ,its still new but ill be working hard on it .and anyone who would like to give me ideas or help is welcome . home.iprimus.com.au/voyager10

all up i think this game is realy exellent .it plays very well .is a great idea with great characters and exellent figure range at good prices .it has everything going for it bare the crap editing .now let the editor beating begin

Ya, I agree the art is lacking - I would have loved just to see the painted figs pics blown up from the West Wind or Gothic Horror site . . . they really are well done . . (and no signs of Dipping - haaaa! ;))

Crisss - great! I'm gonna go check it out now . . .

Great start Chrisss! . . . you got everything in there I would have put in . . . thanks

Hi Flashman14,
as for Vampirewars I always wondered why there are so few sides to support the game. The fluff is realy nice, the models are great, the ruleswriting is a horrible. Somehow the company doesn't manage to support the games well. They have a nice website with the big drawback you have to nake a lot of clicks to see the models, but they don't manage to get "fansites". There is a list at yahoo that has 30 member and next to zero mails.
(I wanted to get in touch with you anyways, will send you a message at CMON later)

I agree with about all that has been said. Great game, great figs, lousy suport. Even the FAQ and errata seem to be as unclear as some of the rules. I mannaged to figure the game out, but play it so infrequently that each game is a new learning experience. People in my region (Des Moines) tend to play the latest fad, or old stand-by's, thus it is hard to get any more than a few people into a new game. I don't know if that is an issue elsewhere though. I do know that the figs sold well when they were first put in the local shop, but since no one really plays the game there the shop does not restock stuff very often. So I guess there might be a hobby dynamic that games like this have to overcome as well.

The fact that Westwind had so many complaints about their editing, but did no real eratta and did not do a better job in their supplement does not bode well for the company. It makes the company seem haphazard, like they don't care about customer concerns. Though I love the game, this perceived attitude will keep me from buying further rules products from them in the future.

Glad you like the site Flashman14 !
ill have the quick referance sheet up next week . ill post here when its up .print it out have a look at it and let me know if it needs anythin extra or bits taken out .
Cheers

home.iprimus.com.au/voyager10

Basic Quick ref sheet is up . have a look and let me know what else it needs done or any faults ive made , any re wordingg etc .
Cheers

I've picked up the game based off the mini's. Found the rulebook not impossible to figure, but definitely should have seen the hand of an editor.Still the quality of the minis and price allows me to be more forgiving. Main problem I have found is finding players. Anyone play in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area of Texas by chance?

Played it, found it OK if not overly inspired. Big butch things are incredibly big and butch, and go through ordinary joes like a knife through fresh air, but that's kind of appropriate to the genre. Bought the rules, found em badly edited, hard to work through, lots of bad gothic "colour" text and OK art. Reading the scenarios was like a marketeer's wet dream. "To play this scenario you will need X packs of such a pack, Y packs of another etc etc". Makes GW marketing look positively half-hearted. The irony is that if ever a range of figures didn't need a game to hard-sell them, the Gothic Horror figures don't. Very nice sculpts on the whole, very useful for VSF gamers and others. I'd already bought a ton of the figs before seeing the game. Of course £4 each for the special characters is appalling GW-ism, but the regular and mob packs are good value.

Oh and the scenario maps are simply appalling. Five minutes work with paint.exe, if that!

If Westwind shifted their focus a bit more on making a playable, readable game rather than just being a promotional tool to plug the figures, then I'd get behind the game more. As it is I'll just cherry pick the figure ranges for GASLIGHT and THW games.

Oh and Flashman, don't think I missed that dipping jibe. We dippers will rule TMP yet, mark my words :-)

crisss, your site seems to be down. Is it still possible to get the QRS?

I must admit my admiration on your optimism in hoping for an answer in a twenty year old thread.

However, I will point out the URL is in the Wayback Machine )archive.org).

Haven't found a QRS, but there's an Errata and FAQ document in a 2004(?) snapshot which may be what was intended.

I'll search some more, but it's not easy as the formatting is a bit muddied from the Wayback process.

Good luck, indeed!

Doug