New Historical Wargamer

[Omar]

Hello,

I have been playing various wargames for about 13 years now. Started with Battletech, moved on to Warhammer 40k, then Warhammer Fantasy, now Warmachine. Historical games have always appealed to me (long time member of the SCA and other reenactment groups), but I could never find a local group of historical gamers I could stand to be around (long story there).

Needless to say, hard to find stores in town that have miniatures, players, or even books. Bought a copy of Warhammer Historical battles several years ago, but when I couldnt find mini's or players, I went to Fantasy instead.

Got a copy of the Osprey newsletter, and Field of Glory caught my eye. So, looked around the webpage, and figured I would post here for some advice. Having wanted to play games like this for awhile, and being a big fan of Osprey, I figured this might work out for me.

Anyway, to the questions:

- The review on Board Game Geek said that the game is not geared towards new players. Is this new to wargaming, or new to historicals? I have a fair amount of experience with gaming, so it seems like it would just be another set of rules.

- It said you can use 15mm or 25/28mm scale. I know the 25/28 is the scale GW uses for miniatures, and to have a nice sized army would take a good deal of money and time. Considering this is my fifth miniatures game, I would like to keep the cost and time low. So, 15mm seems like a good idea. Is that a decent scale for these games? How is the cost for that size?

- Related to the size, where should I go to look for armies? I would like to get a Byzantine army during the reign of Basil II (pre-crusades, around 1000), but any Byzantine would work. If they dont have the rules for that army, Roman might work as well. I have several different periods I am interested in, so based on what armies are available, I am flexible.

- On that note, which armies are available for the game? I must of missed that on the webage.


I am sure there will be more, but thats about it for now. Thanks in advance!

[Omar]

Answered one of my own questions... Swords and Scimitars will have the Komnenan Byzantine army available, which is later than my period, but should do well.

Guess I will be waiting for April. Suppose I can look at getting a Roman army as well, depending on cost.

[neilhammond]

Anyway, to the questions:

- The review on Board Game Geek said that the game is not geared towards new players. Is this new to wargaming, or new to historicals? I have a fair amount of experience with gaming, so it seems like it would just be another set of rules.

Hi, I'm one of the beta testers. The rules are geared toward both new and experienced players. If you're used to wargaming then you'll be fine. Your best bet is to try and find some local players to team up with.

- It said you can use 15mm or 25/28mm scale. I know the 25/28 is the scale GW uses for miniatures, and to have a nice sized army would take a good deal of money and time. Considering this is my fifth miniatures game, I would like to keep the cost and time low. So, 15mm seems like a good idea. Is that a decent scale for these games? How is the cost for that size?

The game works in either scale. In the UK, 15mm is more popular because of convienience and cost, but it varies from country to country.

- Related to the size, where should I go to look for armies? I would like to get a Byzantine army during the reign of Basil II (pre-crusades, around 1000), but any Byzantine would work. If they dont have the rules for that army, Roman might work as well. I have several different periods I am interested in, so based on what armies are available, I am flexible.

Go for an army you like. Eventually most/all main ancient and medieval armies up to 1500AD will be covered. It will, however, take some time before all the army lists will be published.

- On that note, which armies are available for the game? I must of missed that on the webage.

Again, various figure manufacturers make figures that cover most armies in antiquity. If you go to a wargame site such as http://www.bhgs.co.uk/ and look at the links page it will give you links to various manufacturers.

Your best bet is to try and find a local or regional club and start talking to some of the historical gamers about where they get their figures from.

[hammy]

If you are new to historical miniatures finding a local club is the best way to go. The problem is that some really large areas don't have clubs, just groups of like minded people.

Where are you based? We may be able to point you in a helpful direction.

One feature that I would like to see on the FoG website is a players and club directory to help people find like minded individuals.

[Omar]

I am in Colorado Springs, CO (USA). There are two major game stores in town, plus two commercial Hobby Town stores. The Hobby Town stores are the only ones that sell historical mini's. There used to be another store that did historicals, but the owner vanished in the dead of the night and the bank sold off all of the stuff (as far as I know, anyway).

I have located a local club, might try to make contact with them.

[pezhetairoi]

Hello Omar.

A club is a good way to start. Field of Glory will be new to them, so expect some start-up time. I'm sure some will quickly convert their old armies to the new rules set. There seems to be a figure "basing standard" that most games go by, so miniatures do not have to be re based from game to game. You may find club info at the local hobby stores. Often the owners themselves are involved in some way. You could look-up HMGS (historical miniature wargames society) WEST, and see what happens there.

15mm is very popular. I like 25mm, nicer to paint and more character, but I have some unfinished 15mm Sassanid Persians since the scale is more common here (Toronto Canada) and in eastern USA. 15mm is much cheaper than 25mm and it weighs less from plane trips and is easier to store (and hide from a disapproving spouse). With 25's you get better selection and detail but you pay for it. You are more likely to find a Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, King Arthur, Belisarius or whoever figure in 25mm. Since my first love is painting, 25's is my miniature weapon of choice.

Even in a city like Toronto it is hard to find historical miniature retailers. I do most of my shopping on-line and have it mailed to my address. Conventions, if big enough, are another good source of figures and quantity-deals.
Try these websites for 15mm:
http://oldglory15s.com
http://www.xyston.com
http://www.essexminiatures.co.uk

and these for 25/28mm:
http://www.wargamesfoundry.com
http://www.vendelminiatures.co.uk
http://www.aandaminiatures.co.uk
http://www.renegademiniatures.com
http://www.oldgloryminiatures.com
http://www.crusaderminiatures.com

Some companies I like more than others, and this list is hardly exhaustive.

As for choosing a list a to play, well if you wait long enough a list will be published for any army that you've ever heard of as well as the hosers they squashed you've never heard of. With Byzantines you won't have to settle. There will likely be the version exactly fitting your preferred period.

Good luck.

Noel.

[Malidor]

All good advice, to which I'll add:

I have a similar background to yourself and found that 15mm is an excellent scale for wargaming - it feels more like a battle and less like a skirmish. The figures are cheaper, quicker to paint, and once they're on the table you won't notice that they haven't had their eyebrows painted on

One distinction (as you are aware) between historical and fantasy/sci-fi wargaming is that players like to match armies up that belong to a common technology level and/or regional area. As such it's not uncommon for players to own multiple armies so they can find a match-up with whoever they meet (and because 15mm is cheap you can afford multiple armies). Still, there are exceptions of course and you may find your group only ever seems to play the period you have the least interest in! Regardless collect your Byzantines and enjoy them - you'll get a glow when you see them all painted and ranked up.

As far as finding a group that you can stand to be around - that's a challenge many of us have faced!

[Legate71]

Question about the Old Glory 15mm minis. How do they come packaged? The Old Glory site is a little sparse on details. Is app 50 infantry and 16 cavalry per pack the standard convention for all troop types?

[pezhetairoi]

Yeah, that sounds right.
I bought some at a convention in July, and that is how they were packaged.
I'd recommend you contact the seller directly though...

Noel.