"Savage Worlds Showdown vs Ares" Topic

Anyone tried both these systems? What are your thoughts on them compared to each other? Which do you prefer? What are short-comings and good things about both systems?

I've done both of them. Savage Worlds kind of bogged down if you had people of similar skill levels, but it had a good amount of detail. I tried it with a fairly large skirmish and that was where it broke down at. I had a lot of figs that spent several rounds locked in combat with no one getting the upper edge.

Ares works pretty well, but it is also geared towards smaller skirmishes. The downside is that there is some record keeping because all figures have multiple hits.

There are some rules on the MJ12 Yahoo group for lower hit figs so the battles speed up, and you can do bigger fights.

Of the two, I think that I like Ares a little better.

My favorite though has been Wargames Armies and Adventures by 2 Hour Wargames, because they are rather easy and play rather fast.

I have played both sets. I liked Savage Worlds Showdown. I just think Ares is a better choice. It has vastly larger numbers of troop types rated up. I think as a Fantasy skirmish set it wins hands down. Tracking wounds is simple. I just keep some small markers with a fig.

Thanks for the input guys. John, your description for Ares having more troop types rated up might be enough for me to not spend too much time on Savage Worlds. I love having more model types statted up. I have no issues record keeping as I've always played games with multiple wounds.

As a side note, what other skirmish rules do you guys use for fantasy? I've already been involved in Ares, SOBH, and Skulldred. I'm still trying to find something that fulfills my niche better. So far, I think Skulldred does it the most, but I only have the beta version and development is going very slow. Admittedly I'm getting a little impatient and wouldn't mind branching out while I wait.

Mordheim or better yet; Coreheim: link

Are the rules themselves for Coreheim an improvement? The reason why I never got into Coreheim cause from a glance, i couldn't tell if the rules were different enough and I didn't want to be restricted to the warbands that are available. If the rules are an actual improvement, maybe I'll use those and just apply it to existing Mordheim warbands. I'm not worried about complete balance since my group isn't competitive. Just want smoother rules.

I like them both, but have much more experience with ARES. I did the original bestiary supplement, and have rated up too many troop types to remember over the past ten years.

If you're looking for a tabletop fantasy skirmish game that has more of a wargame and less of an RPG feel, then ARES is probably the better choice of the two. If you're looking for smaller encounters with more of an RPG feel, then SW might be a little better.

That being said, the one minor complaint I've heard with respect to ARES is that it can be a little "marker intensive." If you're playing with models where the majority of them have multiple wounds, then you'll need to track wounds, morale (if shaken), and held or borrowed actions. There are ways you can reduce this effect, though, so I wouldn't let that be too much of a deterent.

I like the multiple die types that ARES utilizes, the activation sequence, as well as the opposed roll system. It keeps everyone constantly involved in the game. I believe there's a demo version of ARES on the MJ-12 website, and the download of that demo is what got me involved with it several years ago.

Kevin

Oh, I already own Ares and have been playing it. I was just curious how SW compares to it.. but upon investigating further.. SW may not be for me because only your leader seems to have real stats. Everyone else is mostly equipment with no real racial differences.