Mack

Same with me, I was just starting to wrap my head around the rules when everything got side tracked because of covid. I would be up for a casual game of Code One or me stumbling through N4. Its a little bit of a trek for me but maybe I will check out Glimpse of Wonder also.

I didn't want to start a new thread to ask the same question. What is the local state of game meetups? I had just started to play when the pandemic threw a wrench into my gaming and I wanted to get back into playing. Are people still playing at the club on game nights? Are any of the local game stores having game meet ups that would be good for new players?

I know the feeling of buying a new game to start a project but not getting around to actually playing it. At least with skirmish games I'm not planning on building massive armies and having another crate of plastic on my desk for months. I really like Frostgrave, so I don't really need another fantasy skirmish game. Frostgrave is fun with two players with a good scenario but I think having another player or two mitigates the wild swings of dice rolls. Every combat could go either way with a good roll so it evens out the playing field. Its fun with two players but when I actually want a more tactical force on force game the units don't stand out enough. Vanguard has exploding dice which adds that element of crazy stuff can happen also. Is the Vanguard starter set a good way to go? Are the forces most of what I want for an occasional game or will I still need to pick up unit boxes that make me get more grunts than I will use? Or spend a few dollars more for two faction boxes and rules? With the thought of probably playing occasionally. Thanks for feedback.

During the last year of the pandemic I've been playing some games of Deadzone with the family. While picking up some models I've been looking at Kings of War and Vanguard. I like some of the sculpts and I've been thinking of picking up the game. I'm not sure if I have the time to invest in another big army game but I've been looking at the Vanguards starter set . Just wondering if anyone had an opinion on the smaller scale game and if its being played much in the area. The starter sets seem like a good way to start for either game, is that the case? Thanks

Yeah they are playing with the Black Powder rules which states that it's supposed to be a friendly game with the intent of getting to play with period miniatures. The rules of movement of troops is fairly abstract so it plays fast and would work well for such a big event. If I was more interested in the details of drill it might annoy me that until units are engaged they can change up formations easily. But I'm just happy to show off some armies and built terrain more than I'm not looking for simulation. The rules have a very different feel than some of the more "tournament" style games that I"ve become burnt out on.

I wonder how much of a pain it was to move the huge units from one table to the other as they marched forward? Just thinking of what it would take to referee something like this just to keep it moving? Its cool because I have an understanding of the battle and a vague idea of the layout of the land, cool to see the units on the tables instead of just a marker. Have to shout down the table to check if your flank is being broken or where are your reinforcements.

I found some pictures of the Great Game at Glasgow Might be the largest game played, over 75,000 miniatures in 28mm.

Yeah, that's part of the appeal of the French Indian Wars, interesting units but generally smaller and less variety in some ways. Like I don't need tons of cavalry or artillery. I end up with building both sides because its interesting, but it's also hard to find someone with an opposing force. So its good to have enough figures to go around. Not to mention basing and scale issues. I didn't get in on the Nickstarter but I've been able to find all the stuff online. I think I'm just going to base everything in a way that they work as individuals and formations. On a side note, do you think Saga is a good starting point into that era of skirmish games? When I was looking up the second edition of Muskets and Tomahawks I was reminded about it and generally people seemed to like it really well. There has been such a surge in skirmish style games its hard to filter through all of them.

The modular set ups for tables save a lot of work and easier to store. If you just wanted to play a couple of games I was just saying I have enough stuff for any conceivable skirmish force for French and British already. I don't have an opinion of rules yet, I already own Sharpes Practice and the second edition of Muskets and Tomahawks is in the mail.

I think the key is consolidating projects. Base your Oathmark Samurai on snow and ice bases, little known fact that Felstad actually had asian architecture, and it happens to be winter in the marvel universe. Yesterday I was thinking about what projects I wanted to devote energy to and feeling kind of depressed on what I wanted to work on and what I was going to actually play. I've been wanting to finish some of my historical projects but I do not get a chance to play that style of game much, so I keep putting it off. At least I've actually finished several things that have been sitting around forever. So I shouldn't pick up another 300 figures even if the price is great, but then I think that I could actually use the cannons and crews, and eventually I would get around to building the rest....

That would be great. It's been a side project that I've been debating on how much time and energy to devote to finishing. Just on a side note, Warlord Games is having a half price sale on American War of Independence starter armies. Buy one get another half price. I've been thinking about picking up another army since its an interesting time period to play and the armies are more manageable to build. My friends will play historical games but typically I end up supplying both forces so I end up with a bunch of miniatures on my display shelves for the occasional game. So I have plenty of stuff to fill out just about any army list for a skirmish game. I have Sharpes Practice and the new edition of Muskets and Tomahawks in the mail. I think I might pick up some movement bases so I can use single figures with Black Powder also.

I saw a big anniversary game last year at a British War College where they set up a huge cafeteria size room with rows and rows of tables with walkways and redid the battle of Waterloo. Dozens of war-game clubs brought in collections and ran the battle over a long weekend. I will see if I can find a link. I've debated about building a Napoleonic army in smaller scale just for cost and actually having a larger force. I have a bunch of American Civil War forces in 28mm but at times I wish that I had 10mm to actually do a larger battle field. Black Powder for example seems to run better with more units on the table because so much of the game is rallying forces and wisely using reserves. I'm perfectly happy with a game being more abstract if it runs more smoothly and I can actually finish a game in an evening. I'm okay with a game being a little vague on time and scale if it means the playing area looks good and is fun to play on. I want to have a feel of the period but I'm not much into tracking ammunition usage and remembering if my battery is loaded with shot or canister. One of my friends likes WW2 history and games but we keep running into friction during games because we want rules to represent different things. I like faster games that are easier to pick up and give a feel of the period and units, he really likes more of a simulation that gives historically accurate results. He has had fun playing Black Powder though since he doesn't have as many expectations on how the game should work. I think it is really important to think about what you want from an a "historical" game. Like Black Powder is meant to bring various armies to the table for a quick game. It is very clear in the rules that it is expected that the players agree on many rules on how the game works. I for example play with a smaller frontage and ranges since I'm playing at a larger scale on a more normal size table. Also, it's assumed that players just bring whatever forces they can agree on. My friend is fine with that for a black powder era game but it would drive him crazy in a more modern game. He has tried Bolt Action a couple of times but he hasn't really enjoyed it much for example. But he had a good time playing a similar game, Beyond the Gates of Antares, which has a sci fi theme but basically the same ruleset because I think he expected something different from the rules.

I've only played a couple of games of Black Powder using 28mm American Civil War and had a good experience. We reduced some of the ranges and movements though since we didn't have a massive table. I've avoided Napoleonic because the armies are massive and have such a variety of units. I really like painting armies so 15mm is about the smallest that I actually enjoy. I went with 28mm for the Civil War because there isn't such a huge variety of uniforms and the larger units on the table look great. Some of the attacks column and forming square also doesn't look right unless there are a ton of figures. So if I was using Black Powder rules I think II would honestly go with a larger figure count in a smaller scale .It would take me a year though to finish a Napoleonic army in the large scale though. Sorry its late and realized I didn't really answer the question on rules. I only get a chance to play big historical games once in awhile so I've found the Black Powder rules easy to pick up again after not playing in awhile. I've always had a good time playing but there is a lot of abstraction. I also think its necessary to pick up the specific rules covering the era otherwise the basic rules are to generic.

I realize is a few months old but it made my night. I was interested in some of the units in the French Indian Wars and liked that the conflict was a mixture of raids and skirmishes with a few large unit engagements. When I was looking at some ACW units I picked up the Black Powder French Indian Wars starter set on a whim. Over the last year I've been collecting other units and picked up the Sharpes Practice rules for skirmish rules. Then of course the new edition of Muskets and Tomahawks and some Highlanders to go with it the other week. So I've built a small collection of both sides forces, mostly Perry Miniatures. When things settle down I would be up bringing in both of my forces for a skirmish game with either rules, I have all the units you listed and another French force. I haven't got a chance to use either skirmish rules but both rule sets look good. I don't think I have enough forces for a decent looking Black Powder game though even for a smaller table. Its been a side project for awhile but it would be great to actually bring everything to a game.