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"is Armies of Arcana dead?" Topic


Armies of Arcana

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jack c28 Jun 2014 5:41 a.m. PST

Just bought the book. Realy like the ability to create your own stats for your units. But is AoA still played? Is there a active forum? Is it still supported by the author or publisher? Or is it dead?

Personal logo John the OFM Supporting Member of TMP28 Jun 2014 5:48 a.m. PST

Realy like…

Isn't that what it is all about? Why should "supported" have anything to do with it, or whether it is still played by total strangers?

79thPA Supporting Member of TMP28 Jun 2014 5:54 a.m. PST

It never took off around here, so it was dead from the get-go. I have never understood the concern over the lack of "support." Perhaps it is a result of gaming before the computer age in which nothing was "supported."

kallman28 Jun 2014 7:56 a.m. PST

I find myself once again in agreement with the OFM in this regard. Something does not have to be supported to be played. If you like it then run games using the system. I had the rules at one time but it was never my thing. I was put off by the original author's obvious campaign against GW's Warhammer, and that the rule book was not well edited or formatted; therefore, making it difficult to get a feel for the game. However, it does have a following and there are those who have written glowing reviews of the rules and who am I to say they are wrong?

Even though Warhammer Ancients is technically no longer supported I still play it along with my group of gamers. And for the record that is the first edition of the rules not the second edition. One could say that The Sword and the Flame is not supported as I do not think Larry Brom has ever produced say a scenario book or army lists beyond what is in the original set. Yet The Sword and the Flame is perhaps one of the best known and loved rule systems ever created and has a plethora of adaptations for just about every period and genre. I believe the OFM once ran a kind of Star Gate game using GW Space Orks using TSATF.

Rules systems are never dead until they are no longer played and/or supplanted by something that more people like.

Wyatt the Odd Fezian28 Jun 2014 8:25 a.m. PST

It's kind of dormant as far as direct support in the US. I don't know about how well it's supported in the UK.

But…

It is still playable and makes a good alternative use for WHFB armies once you've gotten cheesed off by the latest rule change.

Wyatt

Lion in the Stars28 Jun 2014 8:59 a.m. PST

"Supported" means can you buy new copies of the rules, can you get answers to your questions, is there an up-to-date FAQ or errata, things like that.

Frothers Did It And Ran Away28 Jun 2014 9:05 a.m. PST

Bet you wish you hadn't asked now, don't you.

Personal logo Miniatureships Sponsoring Member of TMP28 Jun 2014 9:08 a.m. PST

Still the question is what happened to our own ability to work out a set of rules? I still like the Old Rally 'Round Flag rules. They were written in a hurry so that people could get them before Heritage went under. Thus, they have some things that you just have to work out with the group you
are gaming with.

To me, support and FAQ is for rules that you are concerned about it you are going to play in a tournament. Then, in those cases you want someone who is "the authority" when a question arises, especially if your looking for the answer to be in your favor and need to win the game.

YogiBearMinis28 Jun 2014 9:26 a.m. PST

Another definition of "supported" is whether people still play the game such that learning the rules will allow you to find opponents at conventions, if you move, etc. I don't think this is what people are thinking when they ask the question, but at the end of the day, many do not want to invest in a ruleset that everyone else has dumped in favor of something else.

RavenscraftCybernetics28 Jun 2014 11:08 a.m. PST

If you play it, it isnt dead.

Personal logo John the OFM Supporting Member of TMP28 Jun 2014 11:50 a.m. PST

I believe the OFM once ran a kind of Star Gate game using GW Space Orks using TSATF.

No Space Orks, but plenty of fantasy Orcs. And tons of Heartbreaker Goblins.
The game was too large and megalomaniacal, really. Far too many figures to set up in a shop and play to a conclusion. The Canadians got whipped. Orcs kept pouring in through the Stargate, despite superior Canadian firepower and discipline.

Actually, TSATF does have a lot of scenario books, and adaptations for other periods.
sergeants3.com
But even if it did not, I would still play it. It can stand alone.

napthyme28 Jun 2014 12:40 p.m. PST

ok here is one of the forums, for AoA.

link

I need to check with Raj and see what happened to the other one as it looks like maybe the host went out of business.

TW/battlefront are down to under 100 copies that is why I am not carrying them here now. Last I heard they were deciding who to move forward with either a new printing or as a PDF.

I look for some kind of news this fall about what they are doing.

Chef Lackey Rich Fezian28 Jun 2014 1:30 p.m. PST

I think you mean Battlezone, right?

link

pcelella28 Jun 2014 3:30 p.m. PST

My group had been looking for a good fantasy ruleset that allows you to create your own units using any figures, and we have decided to go with Armies of Arcana. So we will be playing it at least. I wish there was an active forum for discussion though.

WeeSparky28 Jun 2014 6:18 p.m. PST

There are a couple of us playing in Columbus, Ohio, USA. We played games at a couple of the more local stores, but never expanded the group larger than four players actively playing.

John Leahy Sponsoring Member of TMP28 Jun 2014 7:08 p.m. PST

We have been playing it for a few years in Cincinnati, Ohio. We have used it for Lord of the Rings too. We really like it. We have tried Dwarves, Lizardmen, Giants, Orcs, Egyptians, Rohan, Mordor and Haradrim with Mumakil. We have Macedonians, Ratmen, Undead, High Elves, Empire and Dark Elves being worked on. These are our 25/28mm armies.

Thanks,

John

Personal logo John the OFM Supporting Member of TMP29 Jun 2014 6:50 a.m. PST

If you can create your own stats for units, doesn't that alleviate the need for "support"? grin
In effect it sounds like they created a total DIY kit.

Intrepide29 Jun 2014 10:25 a.m. PST

AoA was thriving while Thane owned the rules and promoted them. It is a good, solid set, but has fallen into the memory hole in the US once the rules went to the UK and the price spiked. There has been some tweaking of them there – to what effects I do not know.

It is a shame given the present abundance of really excellent 15mm fantasy figures out now.

Lion in the Stars29 Jun 2014 7:08 p.m. PST

If you can create your own stats for units, doesn't that alleviate the need for "support"?
Only if you can still find a copy of the rules to buy!

pcelella30 Jun 2014 1:29 a.m. PST

I did just recently purchase a copy of the rules from Terrain Warehouse in the UK. It was shipped to me in the USA in about 2 weeks, and it was reasonably priced.

Chef Lackey Rich Fezian30 Jun 2014 4:30 a.m. PST

If you can create your own stats for units, doesn't that alleviate the need for "support"?

Only if you can still find a copy of the rules to buy!

You mean, like at the link to Battlezone that already I provided? And here it is again: link

AoA's only out of stock at Lone Gunman. That doesn't make it out of print. Online manufacturer support's light, but it's no worse than (say) Full Thrust, Dirtside, or Stargrunt. None of those are available outside of pdf format, and GZG doesn't even have dated on-site forums for them, but I don't know anyone damn fool enough to claim they're dead.

ordinarybass04 Jul 2014 5:57 a.m. PST

Geez, folks really jumped down the throat of the OP. As others have said, one commonly used definition of "dead" is no longer being actively supported by the publisher.

The game hasn't seen a new edition or any supplemental support in over 5 years, and the remaining forums have been inactive for nearly that long. It's still available in a couple online stores, but it definitely meets one definition for a "dead game".

Of course you can play dead games -I do all the time- , and AoA is probably a good candidate for this if you've got some other friends with WHFB armies. Still, if you're hoping for an active community, forum or support, at this point, it's dead.

As to Full Thrust, Dirtside and Stargrunt, to the extent that new miniatures are being released for them, and the company is actively upating their website, taking better pictures of old stock, attending cons, etc they are not dead. None of this can be said for AoA.

Capt Flash24 Jul 2014 2:45 p.m. PST

I just ordered two copies, one for a friend and the other as a back-up copy. I agree that it would benefit with more exposure here in the States…
@ PCellela- we are looking to get more gaming in. I'm building up my old hunchback Chaos Warriors. I hear there's good eatin' of mammoth meat hereabouts…

John Leahy Sponsoring Member of TMP28 Jul 2014 4:51 p.m. PST

The unofficial AoA forum has been down for less than a year. Before that there was some activity albeit not a massive amount.

Thanks,

John

Capt Flash01 Aug 2014 3:35 p.m. PST

John,
Has your group posted lists online anywhere?
A couple of us are about to start playing in the next couple of weeks.

Zinkala02 Aug 2014 8:03 a.m. PST

The main AoA froum went down a couple months ago. I don't know why. It hasn't been real active for a year or two but still had some discussions going on. I know that Terrain Warehouse/Battlezone are looking into the feasibility of updating and/or printing more rulebooks. Can't say for sure what will happen with that.

Capt Flash are you looking for army lists? If you check out my file collection here
link
There's a pile of AoA resources including all the 5th ed official armies, armies from 4th ed that were cut and a bunch of my own and other people's design. A lot of things in there are from the Thane's Games website before he sold the rules.

I really hope AoA isn't dead but I just haven't had the time to do a lot of things I wanted with it for the last couple of years. It's still my go to ruleset for a fantasy game because of it's flexibility. If I ever get back to regular gaming and tinkering with the rules I can make it do everything I want with or without official support and supplements. Hard on new players without the forums to ask for advice though.

John Leahy Sponsoring Member of TMP04 Aug 2014 4:00 p.m. PST

Hey Cap. I use the files that Zinkala has. Some very good stuff there! I just picked up an undead Giant recently to add to my Undead. Black Tree has a 50% off sale running now which offers a load of choices pretty cheap.

Thanks,

John

Capt Flash08 Aug 2014 8:53 p.m. PST

Thanks guys! I'll definitely go digging through those files. I'm currently building up a couple of Ashigaru and ninja units for my Clan War Samurai army.
I need a few more of the Reaper Oni/Ogre and an Asian Dragon. I'm considering grabbing some of the Godzilla toys to use instead though. That'd be a nice change from your typical Eastern dragon motif.
-Edgar

Tiny Legions09 Aug 2014 7:18 a.m. PST

If you are looking for continual support from something like GW then yes, the game is dead. If you don't give a damn what a company is telling you to do with your miniatures then, no the game is not dead, just not supported. As far s whether there is any interest in the game, you need to figure that out for your self.

You probably will not see this at a convention, however I would say that this is a location where it would start to gain some interest if played there.

I really do like how they put the background together, in that the world has a ton of factions on just about every continent and there is no specifics as to who is exactly where. (the dichotomy of GW As far as what I think about the rules. Take a look at my blog posting.

link

obithius04 Oct 2014 1:23 a.m. PST

We regularly play AoA at club. There are too many different games around these days to get massively involved, which is what Warhammer demands. AoA allows all the fantasy players to have a game, using whatever figures they have.

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