Review: Sword & Spear - Fantasy rules

Review – Sword & Spear – Fantasy (Mark Lewis, Polkovnik Productions, 2017) Readers of this blog will be aware that I like the original version of Sword & Spear (S&S), and that these are one of my go-to rules for Ancient gaming (the other rules I tend use are Impetus and To The Strongest). They are a ‘top down’ set of rules with a comparative dice combat mechanism. They keep both players actively engaged and force tough choices about dice allocation and where to focus on the battlefield. Unusually, they are also equally good for both opposed and solo game play. Normally I am wary of rules spread (i.e. adapting one set of rules to fit another period/genre) because frequently the result is a mess, often losing the best ideas and introducing needless fluff. When I saw the fantasy version of S&S (S&S-F) at a show (remember them!), I was intrigued enough to buy a copy but not so enthralled that I felt the need to get them to the table immediately. Lockdown has provided me with the opportunity to try them out solo. I have now played 3 games using my 6 different 10mm Warmaster armies. How do they fare? Essentially the original Ancient rules remain intact and the fantasy elements are added on to this solid foundation. These fantasy elements can be broadly described as 3 groups: new unit types, new characteristics, and new rule areas. The new unit types include Swarms, Beasts, Large Beasts, Monsters and Heros. Whilst the combat values differ depending on the unit type, they do share an independence from direct command control. This allows Swarms and Beasts to make sweeping flanking manoeuvres, threatening the enemy rear zone. They are not hard hitting but, due to their numbers, they take a bit of time to eliminate. Large Beasts and Monsters remain a battleline unit, not too overpowering but one that the enemy needs to contain. I have yet to play using a Hero. I like these additions to the rules and think they work well to promote the fantasy feel of the rules. I have not yet figured out the best use for these new units, but give me time! As far as new characteristics (fear, poison, frenzy, power attacks etc.), there are too many to discuss here. In keeping with the base S&S rules, they are fairly simple and fit in with the game play easily (it just takes time remembering them). The new rule areas are more substantial. (a) Flight is a major development allowing such units freedom of the battlefield, but having 2 different altitudes is maybe an over-elaboration. I think opponents camps may suffer and fortification may become the norm. I have yet to experience air-to-air combat, but flying creatures don’t seem to succumb much to ground-to-air missiles as they fly over. Once behind your battleline, you are likely to suffer attacks from the front and rear. (b) Magic is a core element of any fantasy rules and S&S-F magic is generic; 3 levels of magic-user and no ‘race-specific’ spells, just 4 basic spells (attack, protection, boost, rally/heal). In my games so far the attack and protection spells have rarely been used, most focus is on boosting and rallying units. You also soon realise that magic-users are best kept slightly back from the frontline, so they can influence multiple units. There is a 5th type of spell (summoning) which is a very useful way of bringing on off-table units a critical stages of the game. (c) Undead is a new and very different army type with additional rules. Units do not benefit from the normal action dice boosts, but instead require magical boosting from commanding necromancers. Necromancers can also increase the action dice scores which is a nice and powerful change. Undead units are also ‘brittle’ in combat; they ignore the first discipline test but additional discipline tests are automatically failed, which means combat can prove unpredictable. Overall I think the rule additions all work and don’t adversely affect the basic S&S game. They do convey a ‘fantasy’ flavour to the armies and mechanisms without overwhelming the battle. I don’t feel I have explored the full nature of the changes yet, and I’m sure I missed some of the nuances in tactics I could employ with the new unit types. I’m therefore keen to get a few more games under my belt once lockdown ends. The games I played solo were: Dwarf versus Orc/Goblin: A winning draw for the Dwarves. The game involved little magic and could easily be viewed as a clash between a well-equipped, regular force against a barbarian horde (Roman v Gaul?). Elf versus Undead: A magic heavy game in which the small, elite force of Elves easily vanquished the Undead legions. Actually, it was not so one-sided; the Undead fought well, but one turn of incredibly bad dice turned the tide and the Undead legions suddenly cracked. Empire versus Skaven: By this stage I felt confident enough to introduce a couple of house rules to the game. I wanted Skaven (and Orc) magic to be more unpredictable, so I introduced a +/-AvD feature into the cost of spell casting for these 2 races. If the magic user did not have sufficient points for the spell, then he is eliminated. This certainly makes use of magic more problematic with these races and I think worked well. I also introduced a new rule for the Skaven Doombell which, when rung, essentially causes Skaven units within a variable distance to automatically become frenzied. This introduced the degree of madness I want from a Skaven army, but will require a few games to see if it is right. Anyway, the Skaven scraped a narrow win.

AAR Fantasy Naval (Man O'War); 30May2020

During the last couple of months of lockdown I have not done any solo gaming, but I am now beginning to feel the need. I decided to get some of those armies out of their boxes that have not seen the light of day for many years. I started with my Man O’War fleets.

I first encountered GW’s Man O’War game when it first came out in the early 1990’s, when I gamed in the Scimitar group in Coventry. Another club member had contacts with GW and got its products early at a discount rate. For a couple of years Man O’War proved a very popular game within the club, providing many fun entertaining games, but I did not feel the need to purchase my own copy of the game. About 10 years later, when I had moved away, I spotted a copy of Man O’War and Plague Fleet on a B&B stall. I bought them both for a very reasonable price and immediately painted up the base set of ships. The models looked great and so, for the next couple of years I searched all B&B stalls for more ships (I even dabbled on ebay, although the prices were high!). I also got the Sea of Blood expansion. I soon found I had sizable fleets (1,500 points+) for nearly all combatants (plus a second Empire force that I painted as Pirate), plus all the flyers and sea monsters. I was only missing Skaven, Slaanesh, Tzeentch and Vikings. The lack of Skaven did bother me, so when Uncharted Seas came out I re-modelled some vessels as Skaven proxies (very pleased with them), plus I was able to mass an Undead fleet (which was based on a GW article in a magazine). I must have spent a couple of hundred pounds, but the models looked super, the game was great, and I reckon at today’s prices, the collection could be sold for a couple of thousand! Over the years since I have played many Man O’War games, but the fragility of the models tends to make me cautious about using them down the club.

The first solo game I set up was Empire versus Bretonnians , a human galley against sail clash with no magic involved. The Empire focussed on disabling the sail powered Bretonnians and the dice gods were with them. Once the nimble Bretonnians were slowed down, their vessels became easy targets for ramming and boarding.

Next I played using the two most un-seaworthy fleets i.e. Orcs versus Skaven. Many Man O’War players tend to regard the rules to be ‘broken’ when using these forces. The Orc Big-chukka vessels are very ineffectual, as is the Orc magic. I think both these problems can be easily fixed with house rules, and also most Orc players fail to use patience in their tactics. The Orc Hulks are the most powerful vessels but are slow; it is vital to hold the smaller vessels in the fleet back until the Hulks get close, then unleash them! The Skaven are just potty! An enemy just has to sit back a watch the Skaven self-destruct; Warp Raiders blow up, Skaven Seers explode and the Doombringer bell erupts destroying friend and foe alike! I have never seen the Skaven win, but they lose spectacularly and because of this, I love using them!

I have really enjoyed reviving my interest in Man O’War and plan to play more games with different fleets.

Off the Painting Table (Nov 2017) part 2

Continuing on from my last post, the second and final batch of Battlelore figures have been completed. The speed of painting was again aided by the use of washes, which I find work well on barbarians, beasts and skeletal models. The biggest hurdle was painting the armour areas on the knights in particular. Unfortunately the clear plastic rod keeping the dragon model airborne snapped during assembly! I considered drilling out the recesses and using a spare rod, but after some reflection decided to instead mount the model grounded on the base. This is a more sturdy solution because I find flying models of all kinds tend to be those dropped and broken during play.

So, my painting pile is again reduced. Luckily I plan to attend the Warfare show next weekend where I can stock up for the winter months.

Off the Painting Table (Nov 2017)

I occasionally play a game or two of Battlelore 2^nd Edition. Back in early 2016 I painted the plastic figures for both core armies; they look very good. I had also bought the undead (Waiqar) expansion packs but did not paint the figures immediately; I was suffering from overload after painting the core armies! Anyway, when I decided to give the game another outing recently, it became apparent that you cannot play a painted army against a purple plastic army; it just doesn’t look right! So I had to get these figures painted.

Normally I start with the ‘grunts’ of the army but this time I got the more exotic units out of the way first. The Banshee and Wraiths were simple paint jobs using some green ink wash over a light grey base; I cannot recall why I had this wash in my paint tray but this seemed a good use for it! I think the effect is very nice. The Bone Horrors were also simple, just a grey/brown ink wash over an ivory base, which really picks out the detail. The Barghests (Dire Wolves) and Necromancers were also really easy paint jobs. So, I managed to complete half the total army in less than 10 days!

I am now left with the skeleton core units, plus a rotting dragon, before the undead army is finished. I hope get these figures out of the way by mid-November, when the Warfare show in Reading is scheduled. Then I can buy some more interesting historic figures to build up my lead mountain for the long winter months ahead!

Off the Painting Table (Feb 2016)

That’s it! Done, dusted, out of the way! I’ve finished painting all my spurious fantasy figures that have lurked in a box in the attic for what seems like an eternity.

The final batch consisted of 20 Goblins produced by Mantic that must have been bought from a bring-and-buy stall sometime in the past that I have no recollection of. I have no prior experience of Mantic figures and I think they are OK’ish. Not as well sculpted or animated as GW figures. I think they are over clothed and/or armoured, and I’m disappointed with the armament options; a few axes or clubs could have been included rather than just sword arms. On the plus side, Mantic are apparently significantly cheaper than the overpriced GW products (but as these were second-hand figures, this is not a consideration here). Anyway these Goblins can now join my ‘Bag Guys’ Kings of War army, bringing the points total to the 2,000 points target.

Off the Painting Table (Jan 2016)

Christmas is over and it is time to get the paints out again. What to paint? I feel I’m in a bit of a hiatus wargame-wise. I have good sized opposed army pairings covering most historic periods and I don’t feel the need to expand my collection, but I do need a project to focus on. Whilst I ponder this dilemma, I might as well continue to paint fantasy figures for Kings of War (KoW). Such figures tend to be well sculpted and require no research to paint up; they can be colourful, have a strong character and are undemanding to work on. I had half a box of plastic mounted medieval sergeant-at-arms left over from my Teutonic project. I also had a need for a mounted, mobile element in my KoW ‘Good Guys’ army, so I felt this would be a good place to start my painting year. I pondered whether to paint the figures in historic heraldry or to go for a more uniform look that seems more common in fantasy settings. I decided on the latter option and I think they have come out OK. I have now almost completed all my stock of fantasy figures with just a few more Goblins remaining. So, I plan to complete these next and hope a new historic project grabs me soon!

House rules for Kings of War (Mantic 2010), part 2

In earlier posts I gave my thoughts about the Kings of War fantasy rules and proposed some potential house rules, which I said I would trial in solo games. Over the past few weeks I have played a number of games and can now give my verdict on the house rules suggested:

The main house rule attempted to introduce an element of Command and Control into the game in the form of a simple Warmaster/Black Powder mechanism. This worked OK in the sense that it was very quick and simple, and did not hinder the speed of game play. It was frustrating if you failed an early command roll, but this did make you think about prioritising your army’s actions. Strangely, I soon began to feel it did not add enough to the game to justify its inclusion, and in the last couple of games I dropped the mechanism with no real detriment to the game play. Therefore I think I will reject this house rule and play the rules as written.

One thing I did like about the Command and Control mechanism was the chance of blunders. This really worked when playing Goblins or Skaven, who I think should be erratic and insane. Therefore, I plan in future to convert the ‘Yellow Bellied’ rule to an ‘Insane’ rule: Whenever a specified unit moves (not just when charging), roll 1D6 and if score 1, then re-roll on the ‘Blunder’ table (as previously given in earlier post). This certainly won’t help Goblin armies win, but strangely I don’t mind losing with Goblins and I want an element of uncertainty and insanity when using such an army.

The ‘Halt at First Contact’ house rule did work well and was easy to implement. Removing the shuffling about from the game is a big plus for me, so I will keep using this rule.

The ‘Hordes’ rules were a mixed bag: reducing the unit frontage actually did not work that well and I quickly went back to the large double frontage of the original rules. I did like the move or pivot (not both) option for Hordes because it did limit their effectiveness. They cannot be used to cover flanks due to the imposed limited mobility, and have to be used in a central role. I think I will persist with this particular house rule for a few more games before coming to a firm decision.

The variable game length house rule worked in larger games (1500 points plus) and again is worth pursuing in future games. You cannot be sure how soon a game will end, and I much prefer this to the 6/7 turn game as written in the rulebook.

Overall, I think the rules as written continue to work well and therefore require no significant modifications. I plan to try larger armies by utilising my existing 10mm Warmaster forces, with a single element for a Troop, 2 bases for Regiments, and 3 bases for Hordes (Legions with 6 bases?).

Possible House rules for Kings of War

In an earlier post (September 2015) I gave my thoughts about Kings of War rules (the shortened, free download version). I concluded that I would probably buy the full published version, which I have now done. My views on the actual rules themselves remain the same as before, so I don’t think it worthwhile repeating them here. If you wish to read my thoughts on the rules please go to the earlier blog post. The hardback published rules essentially provide, in addition to the rules, a background history to the ‘Mantica’ world setting, some scenarios, a wider range of army list options, a range of arcane magic items, plus ideas on timed games. Most of the background information I personally find irrelevant and of little interest. I think the old GW background will equally fit with whatever fantasy world a player wishes to imbed their games, and I suspect the GW version probably has more depth due to its longer development period. I am glad that some basic scenarios are included to provide variation to the simple head-to-head clash format. The arcane items list is OK and useful to add those few extra points to an army list, but I don’t think any are overpowering. The expanded army lists are, again, useful but the basic online versions cover most of the key elements in any army, so the new lists are not vital to any player. Overall, I think the free online rules and lists are fine for anyone wishing to try KoW, and the published version adds little to the experience. I therefore have a mixed feeling about spending £25 on the hardback rules; I think they are probably worth it but they have not left me feeling great or inspired.

If you have read my earlier blog post then you know I generally liked the rules but that I did raise a number of concerns and mentioned that I may introduce some house rules to address these concerns. I am normally wary of introducing house rules to any game when I have only a limited experience with the rules as written, but the lack of any Command and Control mechanism is really a problem for me. I have discussed this potential issue with keen Kings of War players at a local club, and they generally don’t think this is a problem. They like the rules as written and feel additional rules, however simple, would clutter the streamlined nature of the rules. On reflection I think this is a fair point, but for solo games I would like to increase the degree of uncertainty. So, I envisage only using these house rules for my own enjoyment in solo games, and I will stick to the rules as published when playing opposed games.

The house rules I propose to try are:

1. Command and Control. Each Leader has a command value of 9. Each time a unit wishes to move, the player rolls 2D6 and needs to score equal or less than this number, with the following modifiers:
   -1 For each full 12” separation between the leader and the unit.
   -1 If the Leader does not have a LOS to the unit.
   -1 If the Leader is not the army C-in-C.
   Units do NOT need to be commanded to counter-charge, or to shoot. Leader/Individual figures do not need to be commanded to move themselves.
   If the player throws a double 1, then the unit can undertake 2 moves if desired. If the player throws double 6, then a Blunder occurs. Roll another D6:
   1: The unit must move straight ahead a full move plus D6”.
   2: The unit rotates 45° left, and then moves a full move.
   3: The unit rotates 45° right, and then moves a full move.
   4: The unit moves a full move directly to the left.
   5: The unit moves a full move directly to the right.
   6: The unit retires directly backwards a full (not half) move.
   Thoughts: I want to keep the command system as simple as possible to maintain the fast pace of the game. I did consider various mechanisms (PIP allocation, card activation etc.) but decided that any rule would have to be very simple and in harmony with the design ethos of KoW. The mechanism I considered most suitable is based on that used in Warmaster, Black Powder and other games, with each leader assigned a command value modified only by distance to the unit to be commanded and visibility. I think a universal command value of 9 is about right, and I don’t want to vary this value for different army types. There may be room to add unit/Leader specific characteristics at a later date, and I can envisage some command characteristic for different unit types (e.g. some species like Goblins or Skaven, might blunder on scores of 11 and 12 to reflect their slightly insane personalities).
2. Contact. Units stop at contact and do not shuffle to conform to the enemy’s frontage.
   Thoughts: I generally dislike the shunting/shuffling of units on contact. I think it can cause friction in the game and is unnecessary. This simple house rule should work with very little change to the game mechanics.
3. Hordes. In the published rules Hordes occupy a double frontage, making them more slightly more bulky to use, but they enjoy all the mobility of smaller formations. Points-wise, they appear much better value than smaller units, and have higher morale/attack values. I have noticed a strong tendency for players to maximise on large/horde units, which feels ‘gamey’ to me. I feel there needs to be a downside to taking hordes. My standard units have a frontage of 13cm (the size of movement base I have at the moment), and a double frontage unit just takes up too much space and is too large on the table. Therefore in my games I propose that the Horde has the normal unit frontage but with a greater depth, and I rule that it cannot pivot and move in the same movement action. The unit either moves straight ahead, or it pivots on the spot, but not both.
   Thoughts: I hope this introduces a cumbersome character to these large formations which also reduces the unit footprint and size down to a manageable scale. Hordes will work fine in the centre of a battleline moving forward against the enemy line, but on the flanks against a more manoeuvrable foe they will now struggle big-time!
4. Game Length. The rules as written allow for games of 6 or 7 turns. This is rather limited, and when taking in to account the disruption of unit activation caused by my Command house rule (see above), the game length may need to be extended slightly. I plan to try a modified End of Game mechanism: Use a large dice to record each paired game turn. When the dice reaches ‘6’, at the start of the next turn the first player rolls a D6; if it scores equal or more than the game turn dice then this turn is the last to be played. If it score is less than the game turn dice, then the game turn dice is lowered by one PIP and the game continues. This process is repeated until the game ends, with the required score dropping each turn.
5. Other thoughts. In KoW spells are very basic and limited in effect. In the published version of the rules they are not expanded, which surprises me. I quite like the limited magic idea, but I’m sure there is plenty of room to develop this area of the game within reason. Too often, it seems to me, fantasy games can be decided by super-spells, and this does not feel right, so caution needs to be maintained when thinking of house rules in this area.
    
   I now plan to try these house rules in my next few solo games to see how they work and affect the playing of KoW. At the end of this process I will re-assess KoW and write a review of the amended rules.

Off the Painting Table (Nov 2015); part 2

The Kings of War painting binge continues, this time I have completed a few units of Dwarves!

Whereas the Goblin figures only came to life when the eyes and teeth were painted on, the Dwarves livened up only when the metallic paints were added. I have not gone for a ‘uniform’ look and instead used a variety of colours on individual figures.

The artillery piece was a pain to paint because it is all metallic, and the Dwarf army contains little, or no, wood. I still have some Mantic Dwarves to paint, but these figures look different to the GW figures, so I’m not sure how well they will fit in.