Wargame or RPG?

[tim.w]

Just been looking at the Mortal Gods game, like I need a new project as much as another eldery animal in my menagerie at the minute. But, it got me thinking about wargames/skirmish games that use very few figures and how they begin to blur the difference between a wargame and an RPG. I like that there is a lot of choice on the kinds of games available now depending on the depth of game you want to the number of figures you want to paint/collect. I realised there is a level of game where I'd loose interest if its going to be too much of a project to builld the armies for and similarly I seem to be turned off if not enough. For me Bolt Action, Lion Rampant etc have it about right as largeish skirmishes. I've played a WWII skirmish where you had around 4 figures per side but the level of detail went as far as the number of bullets you have left and it wasnt a great experience, more a paper excercise. It was definately more an RPG without the story.

When I played A Gentleman's War my initial thoughts were that units seemed too small, but the elegance of the game used the figures/unit sizes brilliantly. Our game had the perfect balence of a battle game alongside its unfolding narrative.

I'd be interested to see how Mortal Gods works. Anyone got their eye on it?

[Zenbadger]

Isn't it the Greek version of Test of Honour? I'm thinking of giving it a bash when it is back in stock as well, I love ToH. I like large skirmish and always have done, I started off playing napoleonics with hundreds of figures but fewer than half ever got painted. In contrast I have a couple of Rampant series armies and a reasonable amount of ToH ashigaru. Added to the fact that my table is only 4'x3' and about 50 figures a side is maximum.

[Jeremy]

Yes, ToH but massively expanded apparently to give period flavor. That’s all I know.

[BaronVonWreckedoften]

I would imagine that if you're trying to knock out an enemy tank, an RPG is considerably more useful.

[grizzlymc]

Obviously, the chances that all four crew were wargamers would be pretty small, but anyone can join an RPG and do what the DM says.

[Purple]

Here’s my post night shift retarded brain scramblings...

-Aren’t all wargames a bit RPG? All about the narrative for me, No points based kill lists death roll-a-thon on my games table! (Unless it’s to my advantage against @Goatmajor)

- I feel I am a perfect example of a mortal god.

- There seems to have been a really interesting shift in the market of companies producing stuff like this for the ‘historical wargaming’ community. They’ve always been around but almost as another hobby.

I wonder if it’s the ‘bolt action’ effect. Warlord successfully took games workshoppers and created a whole new market of wargaming all packaged for you and it seems to now be everywhere.
Let’s face it, these aren’t the people grinding out big orders of old glory 28s that they’ve cultivated after A lifetime of reading and research. 2 years to get a small game but 10 to have a good crack at it!

- On some podcast recently someone was talking how many skirmish games are now predominant and often at shows 90% of the tables are small figure games.
I was wondering if that there wasn’t any less big battle old school gamers but there is just now a shit ton more of new type gamers?
Or if it’s just a reflection of modern life with people having to grind out 50+ hours a week to pay there 14xaverage salary mortgages and so having less time/money? I mean yeah, it’s 30 plastic figures and a piece of card for £50 but that’s going to be way less than your Napoleonic French cavalry corps!

-I totally see the joy in these small skirmish games. I knocked the walking dead game out to completion in a weekend and it’s pretty, job done. But then I’ve never played it again so who knows.

-this post neither has a nob joke or mentions Prussians. however it may be totally irrelevant, I guess illl see when I’ve slept more than an hour.

[grizzlymc]

I'd go back to the coffee, those amphetamines won't work for you.

I have always liked the character progression part of RPG. I think that there is a bridge to be formed.

[Buff Orpington]

As Terry Pratchet probably said, Narativium is the most important element.

[FreddBloggs]

Warhammer 1st ed was essentionally half and half. A more rpg element came into necro and mordheim with the ability to use experience to progress.

[goat major]

yep and 2ed was similar too.

Of course the RPG community has many lengthy debates about whether character progression is actually important.....

I think there's massive untapped potential to crossover normal wargames, RPGs, cooperative gaming, campaigns and kriegpiel. Just for example: the totally normal RPG concept of a referee who creates and runs a scenario for a number of cooperative players. That does happen in wargames but not very often.