some newb questions

[Rattleshirt]

Hello there. A friend (or two) and I are contemplating starting Field of Glory. We've got a variety of experience with other wargames but we find ourselves gravitating to FoG.

Without the rulebook handy, I've got a few quick questions.

First, my friend and I are probably going to be starting armies from different time periods. For instance, he wants to do Seljuk Turks or something along those lines, whereas I prefer the Late Roman Imperial time period into the Dark Ages. Will we be able to play against each other? Will he have a distinct advantage since his army will be more "advanced"? Or would it be better if we stuck to the same time frame?

Second, we both want to start small. Does Field of Glory allow for small "warband" type size games, or in other game systems something along the lines of 500 points (with 1500-2000 being the standard)?

Again, thanks in advance for any and all help/advice. We're both excited to start and just want to settle on some preliminary issues before we start spending money!

Steve

[babyshark]

Some quick answers:

1) Yes, you can do out-of-period games. In fact, the rules support this sort of game very well. So long as you use armies designed using equal point values you should be able to get good, competitive games from anachronistic opponents. The point costs for the different troop types are very well-balanced, IMHO. There are those who say that the medieval European armies are overpowered compared to the other periods; I do not find those arguments convincing.

2) It is more important that the two opposing armies be of equal (or roughly equal) point totals than that they be any particualr size. You should be able to get a good game from small armies. I think that, over time, you will find that the best game comes from using the standard point totals, but there is no need to adhere slavishly to them.

Marc

[Rattleshirt]

Thanks Marc!

Those are the answers I'd hoped for.

RE: #2, equal size armies should be fine. We both just wanted to get started with smallish armies simply to get our feet wet and test which armies we really want to play.

I'm probably going to my LGS this weekend to take a look at (and purchase) the main rulebook, then we're going to go from there. I'm also excited about the supplements coming out. Definitely going to grab Legions Triumphant!

In any case, thanks!

Steve

[peterrjohnston]

Definitely going to grab Legions Triumphant!

Not published until mid-June I'm afraid (not so long, a few weeks). If you desperately have some idea
of what is in Late Imperial Romans (now called Dominate), Nik has some list designs on his web site:

http://www.endoftime.pwp.blueyonder.co. ... ylists.htm

(Nik's one of the writers of the army books, so types should be accurate).

Rgds,
Peter

[NicktheLemming]

Second, we both want to start small. Does Field of Glory allow for small "warband" type size games, or in other game systems something along the lines of 500 points (with 1500-2000 being the standard)?

Someone on one of the yahoo groups has suggested a 'mini-FoG' with 400 points used rather than the usual 800 (at 15mm), and from what I've seen, this is a fairly good idea, especially to people new to the rules / hobby. There are also a lot of 'starter armies' in the lists and 4 in the core book, which are (I think) about 600 points.

[hammy]

There was a mini FoG event in the US with 400 point armies which worked well as far as I have heard.

In a few weeks time I will be running a 3 game, 1 day, 650 point tournament as part of the UK games expo.

The starter armies in the books are all essentially 600 point armies although one or two are as low as 592 points.

Just playing starter armies against other starter armies works well. I have played a fair number of 600 point games. I would however avoid playing small armies on large tables where one army has a lot of mounted and the other not many. Seljuk vs Roman would be fine as a matchup but don't play 600 points a side on a 6' by 4' table, reduce the table to at most 5' wide.

[Rattleshirt]

Not published until mid-June I'm afraid (not so long, a few weeks).

Yup, I know, not a problem. By the time I get myself moving that ought to work. Besides, that's around Father's Day here in the states so I might push for an easy $20 gift.

Good advice all around, thanks folks! The group I'm playing with (myself included) has lots of wargaming experience, some big game companies, some historical, some skirmish based stuff as well. So, the small game idea is really just to get started, then we're going to build ourselves up to larger battles.

By the way, thanks to the community. It's nice to ask a question and have it answered (even if it's been answered before) w/o any snide remarks and to just be welcomed to the group. Anyway, I plan on staying here awhile. Again, thanks folks! Can't wait to get to the store and sit down for awhile and have a nice read!

Steve B