Coming in stock on the 25th of November, we have the new Ancient rules from author Chris Peers, called In Death Ground.
In Chris's words:
Wargames rules for the pre-gunpowder era,. c. 2500 BC to 1300 AD.
In Death Ground is a new approach to wargaming the Ancient and early Medieval (or what we prefer to call the "pre-gunpowder") period, covering roughly the era from the first recorded battles around 2500 BC up to 1300 AD. It uses many of the successful mechanisms introduced in Ruga-Ruga Publications' 19th Century African ruleset, Death in the Dark Continent, but adopts an entirely new close-combat system which reflects the crucial importance of hand-to-hand fighting in ancient warfare.
The aim is to produce a game suitable for an evening's entertainment with modest-sized armies of between 100 and 200 figures. So, in the interests of speed and ease of play, the proliferation of troop and weapon categories have been kept to a minimum, and the command system simplified as far as possible, while retaining the flavor of the period and the individual armies. This approach can often give a more realistic game than more complicated systems, as it allows tactical situations to develop, and reduces the need to decide the battle by a headlong charge before you run out of time. At last, you can employ the brilliant tactical maneuvers you have always dreamed of, rally your tired men for a renewed effort, commit your reserves at the decisive moment, and still play the game to a finish in a few hours!
The rules are suitable for any figure scale. They include sample lists for twelve of the most popular armies, with many more lists due to be released at regular intervals as free downloads from the North Star website.
On a personal note, I enjoy playing Chris's rules Death in the Dark Continent. It is a unique system that gives a fast-flowing wargame. I'm looking forward to seeing how this set plays for the Ancient period, and I'd recommend other Ancient gamers give it a go as well, as some of the concepts could be quite radical. This might not be the rules to replace your favorite system, but it'll get you thinking about Ancient warfare.
There is a post-free worldwide offer on until the 25th of November. Cover price £14.00 GBP.
I'm expecting On Military Matters and Brigade Games to have these rules in the U.S.A., and Dave Thomas to stock them at U.K. shows. We will also be shipping them out to all our retail customers over the next two weeks, probably with the Victrix Old Guard and Perry Mercenaries!