Monday 11 April 2011

The Successor War(game)s

If you have even a passing interest in Ancients it can't have escaped you that the long awaited Warhammer Ancient Battles II was a bit of a flop and the long promised supplements still non-existent. I did consider buying it at Salute last year (I even walked over to Forgeworld with the money in my hand) but am glad I held off...

So with WAB effectively dead or dying three potential successors for the crown have appeared in the form of Hail Caesar, Clash of Empires and War & Conquest. The latter is not due until the summer so may have lost out to the first two which are both available at Salute (or is poised to sweep up if the first two do not get the love from the disillusioned WAB crowd).

Now whilst I have no issue playing "dead" wargames and will probably use WAB I for some games with Saul, I must confess my palms did itch when I saw Hail Caesar advertised.

However, after reading the battle report in WI282 and comparing it to the Greek v Persian one on the Clash of Empires site I've decided it's not for me and rashly pre-ordered CoE from Gripping Beast to collect on Saturday.

It doesn't look a great deal different to WAB and that's the kind of game I want to play. I love Warmaster and its derivatives but the size of game that Hail Casear (and Black Powder) are aimed at is beyond me (well at least in 28mm). I also like the fact that Great Escape Games have already uploaded a ton of army lists onto their website covering a number of the popular armies (something WAB failed to do).

Now all I'll have to do is paint some more figures (and rescue the games room!!).

1 comment:

  1. I must admit Hail Caesar grabbed my attention as well, and in fit of impetuosity I pre-ordered it!

    After Dark Ages, my two next favourite periods are Punic Wras, early Imperial Roman (conquest of Gaul/Britannia) and Hundred Years War. I know HYW is slightly after the rules period, but that shouldn't be a major issue.

    So the big question really is whats next for the Man Cave? Current thinking is early Imperial Roman, using Warlord's lovely hard plastic fgs. But I'm trying to be strong and just stay focused on the Dark Ages for now!

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