What's your favourite ancients ruleset and why?

[Daniele V]

Mighty Armies has many similarites to early DBA (some would say it’s a clone) but even more simple, and very fast. A game can last 15-20 minutes or so. It’s is fun, though… The book has some army list and a point system to make yours. There is a review here

http://shaun-wargaming-minis.blogspot.com/2011/08/mighty-armies-ancients-aar-greeks-vs.html

 

 

[Dave Hollin]

Not Connard Sage wrote:

armchairgeneral wrote:

Played a lot of WRG 6th in my teens (because I was unaware of much else) and concluded it was a dry, soulless set of rules – that 33 factor morale test you can keep! Moved on to Shock of Impact which were a lot better

I gasped at that. Were there two sets of rules called Shock of Impact? Because the set I’ve got open in front of me*** has a 42 factor morale test. It also has a ‘disobedience’ test with another 10 factors, and an ‘obedience’ test with a further 9. Then there’s the cavalry 30 yard reaction test against infantry with 22 factors. When you finally get to the fighting, it’s got 19 shooting and 30 bloody melee variations. The battlefield role definitions are a wonder – Shock, Shock(M), Shock(I), Shock(C) anyone? No? OK chuck in Basic and Missile as well then. I’ll pass swiftly by the three pages of possible manoeuvres and special formations because I’m beginning to get. One. Of. My. Headaches… Oh and don’t forget the two double-sided A4 quick reference sheets – WRG had one double-sided A5. Essentially, what Messrs Beck and Bussey did was take WRG and bolt a load of unnecessary tat onto it. It was the wargaming equivalent of a Barry boys’ motor (Google it) We played SoI back in the 80s. Once. I think a couple of units might actually have got into contact, but we were all longing for death by then so I could be mistaken. ***I’m working from home. Ha!

 

quite true, I still have a copy in the loft (shudders)

Slingshot Editor, The Society of Ancients

[Peter Holland]

I still like 6th ed. WRG. I tried 7th, DBA and DBM but never liked them. Tried Hoplite warfare and still went with 6th in the main. I am now using In Death Ground. The only thing I don’t like about it is the rolling to take disorder off the units. It makes the game too long. I modify it to the first two rolls then let it accumulate until the unit routs.

Staying power is one thing, but superhuman troops is another.

I’ll still keep to 6th ed. WRG also!

[Author]

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