Fields Of Glory

[Forlorn Hope]

Thanks for everyone's insights into my questions. Right now I only know one other mini wargamer and he plays mostly Warhammer and WH40k. I borrowed his WAB book to get a feel of the game, and he's also taken me through a game of Warhammer to go over the rules. I noticed that the dice can triumph superior tactics and its too random for my tastes.

 

I see what you mean a bit - in WHF esp. dice and some of the rules can mean that tactics don't matter all that much. I haven't found WAB to be this way, though. There are other's on the list with more experience (Damon?), but it seems like the more or less standardized stat lines in WAB means that, if you get a flank, or if you bring healthy units in to fight fatigued/half-strength units, you will generally do well. As a side note, I think you will find all kinds of WAB players in Fort Worth. When I was trying to get something going in Bryan/College Station it seemed like there was a big community in Fort Worth. The Thursday Night Irregulars have seemed like the have good stuff going on, but they also have seemed, in the past, to be a bit prickly. I would give them a try, but you might also join some online WAB lists and see where and who people are.

 

I prefer 25/28mm, as that's what I paint for my D&D games. The 25mm figures at Old Glory look servicable and have enough variety. I have two sets of OG samurai and they paint up really well. I also saw that another company (Warlord?)is making 25mm Roman and Celt plastic figures for FoG that are selling $30 for 50. That's a price point attractive enough for me to give it a try.

 

There are two plastic minis companies in the works, I think (see this thread). They both look great, and I plan on getting some at some point. I have personally been unhappy with Old Glory for many of their lines. They "will do," but when everything is said and done I would rather look for deals, take it slow, and end up with minis I really like rather than some that "will do." I do have some in some fo my armies, but I am most happy with my minis when I buy the ones I really want. Balck Tree designs has been having some good sales recently, but I don't know what they are doing now (and I don't think they have Japanese).

[Lars Porsenna]

For Japanese, the 3 lines I like best are: Kingsford Miniatures (smallish but growing line of Sengoku era japanes...bigger figures so I like them more), The Assault Group (suitable for the Gempei war and to a lesser extent the period before and after...nothing before say 1000 and nothing later than say 1300), and Perry Minis (Sengoku). I really like the TAG figures, since the sculpting quality of the lace is very good, allowing me to paint some of the different lacing styles. Sometimes casting can be a little dodgy, but nothing someone with a little experience can't handle. Finally the Perry minis are exquisite (as expecting from some of the top sculptors in the industry) but deliberately small...true 28mm so smaller than many modern figures...

 

Damon.

[Lars Porsenna]

Re: Dice. The dice factor is in there to create an impression of the randomness of pitched battles. In the European Middle Ages, battle commanders were often loath to commit to a pitched battle because no matter how good your tactics are, one disaster can wipe out your troops (and the medieval commanders didn't have the advantage in resources that Romans had FREX, where they can hit the reset button and field another army). That being said, any game that relies on dice as a mechanic is one playing the odds. Basically, in order for tactics to work, you need to stack the odds in your favor. WAB rewards this by giving bonuses for flank/rear attacks, etc. Also the more guys you bring into contact, the more casualties you'll inflict, the more likely you'll win the combat. Of course this is just a broad overview, but I think a game that DID NOT employ the randomness of dice would not only be boring (essentially its a glorified version of chess) and not especially historic (even flank attacks can fail)...

 

Damon.

[Sergeant_Crunch]

Dice also do well to represent those "Oh [email protected]#" moments in combat when something unexpectedly goes horribly wrong. Otherwise we'd all be playing Stratego.

[bento]

I saw the FoG book and three supplements at Lone Star Comics this afternoon and they look beautiful. Lots and lots of diagrams explaining the game and in the appendix a section on basing. For only 176 pages (as listed on Amazon.com) it certainly looks like it delivers many times over. I noticed gunpowder and artillery rules are in there, so maybe these can be used for Japanese arqubusers. I'm going to wait a few weeks to pick them up, but even if I don't end up playing the game, it will be an education reading them.

 

I like the TAG Gempei minis, and might pick up enough monks to field an army (or at least one to play Shingen Takeda). I also saw the Perrys - do you know who carries these in the U.S.? I guess I should look around.

 

I hadn't heard anything about WAG players here in Fort Worth. I'll keep my ears open.

 

About dice - I'm not against randomness, but to watch one player roll nearly all fives and sixes while the other rarely gets more than a four over several rounds is a bit incredulous.

[Lars Porsenna]

Sometimes the dice gods are with you, sometimes they're not! :)

 

For Perry's check out www.thewarstore.com Awesome service, if its in stock, I usually get it in a week (then again IIRC they're one state over...).

 

Damon.

[CyberShadow]

I was disappointed that WAB has not yet released "Divine Wind," their army list for Japanese armies, and FOG doesn't have plans to cover Japan until 2009. Gunpowder is optional during this period, as it didn't appear widely until after 1560s, so you can still run plenty of foot soldiers & cavalry.

 

Welcome to my own frustration! I have been increasingly cut off by the lack of SE Asian rules sets available. Divine Wind has been repeatedly pushed back, and is also a 'traditional' rules set applied to the theatre. Essentially, warfare in this SE Asian region was different from Western warfare, but any 'traditional' wargames rules will simply provide specific army lists for unchanged rules.

 

Basically, there are now two rules sets which deal particularly with the Sengoku period:

 

Killer Katanas 2 - This has long been the 'standard' feudal Japan rules set, and appears to include a lot of excellent background and information.

 

Battles in the Ago of War (Peter Pig) - This is aimed at 15mm figures, mounted three to a base.

 

I dont currently have these, but will be picking up BitAoW as soon as I can find the cash.

 

The period is really calling out for an Eastern warfare set of rules, covering from Chinas Warring State period right through to Sengoku and Japans invasion of Korea.

[bento]

Welcome to my own frustration! I have been increasingly cut off by the lack of SE Asian rules sets available. Divine Wind has been repeatedly pushed back, and is also a 'traditional' rules set applied to the theatre. Essentially, warfare in this SE Asian region was different from Western warfare, but any 'traditional' wargames rules will simply provide specific army lists for unchanged rules.

 

Basically, there are now two rules sets which deal particularly with the Sengoku period:

 

Killer Katanas 2 - This has long been the 'standard' feudal Japan rules set, and appears to include a lot of excellent background and information.

 

Battles in the Ago of War (Peter Pig) - This is aimed at 15mm figures, mounted three to a base.

 

I dont currently have these, but will be picking up BitAoW as soon as I can find the cash.

 

The period is really calling out for an Eastern warfare set of rules, covering from Chinas Warring State period right through to Sengoku and Japans invasion of Korea.

Lately I saw a post by the writer of Killer Katanas saying he wrote the history part of WAB's Divine Wind. So content has been produced, just not published.

 

I found both of the rulesets you mention and it looks like KK2 is out of stock, so I might pick up the Peter Pig rules. But I'm afraid that if I went with a non-BAB set, I'll have to rebase my figures. I've been using the black plastic Warhammer bases for my 28mms. And if WAB Divine Wind doesn't make it out, I can always use an unofficial Nippon list with what I've got.

 

Doesn't WAB's Art of War cover the Warring States period?

[CyberShadow]

Doesn't WAB's Art of War cover the Warring States period?

 

I believe that it does. But there are two problems. Firstly, I dont play WAB. Secondly, it suffers the standard problem of a generic rules set being used for Eastern specific games.

[bento]

I believe that it does. But there are two problems. Firstly, I dont play WAB. Secondly, it suffers the standard problem of a generic rules set being used for Eastern specific games.

I think that's the problem most companies have with either Japan or China - 'we don't know enough about these periods to do them credit, so we won't do anything at all.'

 

BTW - received my FoG book Monday night and have been going through it. Definately looks like the kind of game I'll have to watch played a couple of times before I grok all the rules. But that's not stopping me from window-shopping for armies I'd like to 'invest' in.

[Lars Porsenna]

The Imperial Roman book for FoG will include Marian Romans and Late Romans, as well as Palmyrans! Decision is made, I already have the armies...

 

Damon.

[SaintRigger]

John Jenkins does some incredible chinese figures.

 

I've always been tempted to build a chinese Historical/Fantasy army like you see in various Wuxia movies (Curse of the golden flower, Hero, House of FLying Daggers...)

 

They also do a Terracotta (Terror-cotta) zombie army too :)

 

I was turning a copy of FoG over in my hands yesterday and was sorely tempted to buy it - but I got some paint and a Privateer Press catalog instead.

They are beautiful books, the expansions for various other periods look fantastic. I'm hoping to get game or two in next month (OHGOD, it is approaching so quickly)

 

I'll see how much I dig it, and if I pick it up.

[Heisler]

I played a game of FOG last Saturday and enjoyed it a lot. Far more dicey than Armati but a bit less of a chess game because of that. My misgivings were the incrediably manueverable pike/phalanx blocks which apparently has been talked about on the yahoo list. We played Macedonians against Dacians. I managed to break one pike block but since they had already ripped my center to shreds it was a little late. The dice were not with the Dacians on Saturday. It was a good game though.

[VelveteenRabbit]

Bento, sorry, but I have to say something.

 

Lone Star Comics provided you a service by having books in stock for you to page through. It appears that you promptly went and bought your books through Amazon.

 

Stores are struggling on all fronts. I can't really understand why someone would support an online retailer when a shop they are obviously getting value from has provided product into their hands already...

 

No need to reply or derail this thread, just think about it.

[bento]

Bento, sorry, but I have to say something.

 

Lone Star Comics provided you a service by having books in stock for you to page through. It appears that you promptly went and bought your books through Amazon.

 

Stores are struggling on all fronts. I can't really understand why someone would support an online retailer when a shop they are obviously getting value from has provided product into their hands already...

 

No need to reply or derail this thread, just think about it.

As a retailer, I think you need to know that I was a store manager for a competitor of Lone Star during the 1980s and as the DFW comic retail community was being assulted by the religious right over carrying more mature comics (Swamp Thing, Vertigo line, Eclipse), Lone Star's owner Buddy Saunders caved in on every demand they made. I don't respect him or the business decisions he has made. As far as I'm concerned, his store is just a catalog, as is Amazon.com's "browse inside the book" feature.

 

On the otherhand, if my regular gaming retailer Generation X in Bedford, carried these books, I would have purchased from them. I asked and they didn't think there was much interest.