SPQR - Have Warlord Games got it all wrong?

Warlord Games have recently published, and with some fanfare and public anticipation, a set of skirmish level rules for the Ancient period. This is something that I and clearly quite a few others have been wanting for years; the likes of Lion Rampant are great but are still focused on too large a system. SPQR promises much smaller actions with fast and furious combat etc etc etc. In broad terms Warlord Games have done this, at least at first glance. The rule book is large, almost two hundred pages, but the basic game rules themselves take up just twelve. Then there are some advanced rules, hero traits etc that take up about the same again. The rest of the book is given over to lengthy sections that discuss the dozen or so nations/factions/armies that the rules have stats for. And now the problems seem to rise and they have created some serious discussion and division on the forum boards and Facebook page.

Combat involves the rolling of seriously large numbers of dice in many situations, the balance of the various abilities and lethality of such die rolls against the in-game purchase cost of the characters and soldiers has been called into question. It seems that Roman Legionaries, expensive but skilled as one might imagine, are no match for an opposing force of many cheaper barbarian models. An entire force can be wiped out following a single attack give the number of dice involved and the various bonuses. Many and various other issues have been raised and added to the threads increasing the general feeling and look of confusion and even dissatisfaction.

The discussions have been so loud as to attract the attention of the author, who has had to issue not just an FAQ sheet (not unusual) but a second sheet that updates and changes central rules. Has this solved the problems? No, not really. The waters just seem to muddier now and the general impression is that the rules were not suitably play tested or checked before release, a cardinal sin in such a hobby. The on-line discussions still rage and almost every aspect of the rules are now open to scrutiny. However, I am beginning to think that the problems are actually centred around our own expectations of the rules and our not realising that they are not what we think.

Simply put, I think these rules are not meant for us old-guard wargamers and the historical detail and depth we have come to expect and, perhaps perversely, have come to need.
When you look at how the stats for each unit type are presented it suggests a certain...Warhammery-ness...? Then consider how the text reads, particularly in the introduction and early sections. The choice of language and narration seems very much aimed at younger readers or, at least those very new to wargames and not just the period. The information given for each of the armies goes into a lot of socio-cultural details and I was immediately put in mind of the Warhammer army books and their backstories for each faction. Should it perhaps then be such a surprise that we semi-professional moaners and gamers feel certain things are missing or not fitting our preconceptions?

If I am right then quite a bit of the blame has to still be laid at Warlords door. If they are producing a game, especially in the light of the many brilliant sets of rules published by them and others in the last five or so years, that it is obviously going to be of huge public interest shouldn't they have been more up front about its raison-detre? Of course I may be wrong. I am building a small force for the rules and I am working with my best friend to create further forces and games. Perhaps we will love it as is, hate it or, create a few house rules to tweek things. Whatever happens I hope that Warlord Games manages to ride out this period of public confusion and that the rules find themselves a place within the hobby.

Maximillian 1934 - Fun with the ol' Jalopy and a Lewis gun!

http://www.manapress.com.au/maximillian1934/

Car races to the death are not new to wargaming and they have always proved rather popular; Gaslands, the fairly recent ruleset from Osprey Wargames is a point in fact. But here is a ruleset that, for me at least, has a certain charm all of its own. Much of that charm comes from the style of vehicles used, vintage! As the name suggests, this rule set concerns itself with the motors of yesteryear rather than a dystopian future. It is also based around 28mm for scale (although any scale would work just as well) and this allows for some truly amazing models and the scope for some amazing conversions. As you will see, I have purchased some of the official vehicles but also improvised, adding some from other companies and one or two from more unexpected quarters.....

The game itself is simple and fast paced, the vehicles are also fast and can fly around the track at a pace some wargamers will be surprised at. During its turn a vehicle can move once for each gear it is currently in and make a turn. The move distance is based upon the physical length of the vehicle plus the length of the rather nifty Turn & Move tool used in game. This means that a vehicle in 4th gear will move four times in succession and can clear some 40 inches! That said, should the player wish to negotiate a turn or two or avoid obstacles/debris/oil slicks/caltrops/sheep (yes, sheep)/race fans/suspicious puddles etc. they will find themselves realising that speed is not everything. 

The nifty Turn & Move tool is six inches long, add to this the vehicle length

The tool is placed in front of the vehicle, angled to the degree the player feels sufficient, and then the vehicle is place on the other end of the tool but with the rear of the vehicle touching. As you can see, this makes for quite a move distance when in higher gears. Note the coloured sections and how the top arm arrow indicates which colour is relevant. Tight turns at speed are to be avoided. Being in the red zone for a turn will multiply the danger by three. A player must roll a number of Fortune dice based upon the skill of the driver and the size of the vehicle, against a pool of Fate dice, made up of one d6 for each gear they are currently in, multiplied by the severity of the turn. 4th gear and a red zone turn (4 d6 x 3) will land the player with twelve bad dice against which they might hope to counter with six good dice at best dependent upon their car and driver stats. All the dice are rolled together and the number of dice showing 5 or 6 compared. More Fate than Fortune dice is never good but the more you end up with can spin, roll, crash or even explode the vehicle!!

Add to this that vehicles are armed, from pistols up to a heavy cannon, and the game can become furious as well as fast and extremely bloody.....but a lot of fun. Players can design their own vehicles using the rules provided and even build their own models to suit. The official models are great with new ones added fairly regularly. The great thing about being based round 28mm is that there is a world of options out there to indulge in. WW1 vehicles are very useful and there are now ranges  of great cars, bike and even buses from the inter war years from several manufacturers. Of course, it is also pretty amazing what you can find at boot fairs, jumble sales and gift shops that will fit the bill, albeit with a bit of tweeking.


These first to cars are from Eureka Miniatures in Australia. Each comes with plenty of options to modify the bodywork and armaments. Resin and metal kits that go together pretty well and can look pretty good too. Personalise your vehicles to suit too, add those little touches to round out the look.

These next two are from 1st Corp, part of their WW1 armoured vehicle ranges. Again, resin and metal kits that provide sturdy models that also paint well. Clearly, somebody bought these machines after the war as scrap and upcycled them to bring to the race. Heavy and slow compared to the racers above, just done stand in front of one! The first one is called The Woolwich Infant....the second is Hawkwind…..wonder why?

These next two are handy finds, the truck (a gift from me best bro) is a plastic kit with 'modifications'. The second is an old metal kit, no idea who produced it, that I came across at a bring and buy stand at the Broadside Games Show here in Kent. Its old, possibly from the 1980's? but perfectly useful. The truck is raced by a couple of good ol boys that cranked up the power of their far truck. The car, well, even despot presidents of imaginary South American countries like to kick back and have fun occasionally!

Then, of course, we go from the sublime to the ridiculous. These last two cars are indeed silly indulgences but still work. The Orwellian Flyer began life as a rather jolly and tacky resin ornament I found at a boot fair. The size is just right, if perhaps a little small, but is was 20p. I had to saw off an inch of scenic base to get the wheels to touch the ground but it was worth it. The addition of the farmers skull and friendly chicken, not to mention the three machine guns, help make this a fun but very useable addition. Given its size I generally use this as the smallest of the available car sizes, fast and nimble!
The Rat-mobile was given to me by a friend. It began life as a novelty pencil sharpener! A new paint job, some machine guns, some bits of packing crate so the crew can see over the dash board......all come together to make another useful addition. It also goes to show just what you can find that can be very useful and cheap!