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Author Topic: HoTT - strongholds?  (Read 1873 times)

Offline Ethelred the Almost Ready

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Re: HoTT - strongholds?
« Reply #15 on: August 15, 2020, 08:46:44 AM »

It's one thing I don't like about Dragon Rampant - where for some reason the author (repeatedly) exhorts you to create as stereotypical a range of fantasy 'races' as possible - no idea why he felt the need to do that.
But... I'm feeling that I like the general cut of DR's jib, and I may just have to try and bodge some 'unit' rules into it, adapting movement and facings etc accordingly. Or something like that  ::)  (hey, it'll be easy, right  ... ?)

thanks, gents, for the continued thoughts.

There were some rules for flanks and rear on the Dux Rampant forum for Lion Rampant.
These are:

Flank and Rear
Models may move in any direction without penalty, but at the end of the unit’s movement, ensure that all models are facing in one direction.
• To change the direction a unit is facing requires a Move activation, even if the models just turn on the spot.
• Units may only Shoot at targets across the 180° arc to their front, measured from the unit’s forward-most model. At least one model from the target unit must be fully within this arc.
• Units may only Attack units within that same arc; the same applies for Wild Charges (they may not be made against units outside of the arc).
• Units shot at or Attacked by a unit beginning its move or shooting from behind its front arc count their Armour as 1 lower than normal (so Armour 2 becomes Armour 1). This is pretty deadly so don’t get flanked!
• Schiltrons cannot be flanked.


Offline Bloggard

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Re: HoTT - strongholds?
« Reply #16 on: August 15, 2020, 08:52:19 AM »
@ Neldorath ... sort of (KoW) ...

I have the Vanguard skirmish rules, and various 'old' supplements, and have looked into it more than once, bought some figs etc.

I suppose I have been put off by the 'fluff to the forefront' presentation.
But I do like the 'diorama' stands / bases approach to presenting units, with a casualties counter (which are commercially available), so I should look into it actually.
Price of the third edition rulebook is off-putting, and I had a really bad / cynical experience with their CS when inadvisably getting into Dungeon Saga a yr or two back, but ... yes, should look into it again.

@ultravanillasmurf - I guess I should actually read the rules before opining so strongly, but the look of the troop-types, and the 'races' couldn't be more tolkienesque to my eye, tbh.
« Last Edit: August 15, 2020, 09:30:54 PM by Bloggard »

Offline Bloggard

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Re: HoTT - strongholds?
« Reply #17 on: August 15, 2020, 08:53:20 AM »
@Ethelred the almost ready - that's brilliant, thank you very much!

Offline Bloggard

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Re: HoTT - strongholds?
« Reply #18 on: August 15, 2020, 08:58:33 AM »
@ultravanillasmurf.

sorry - yes, have looked into the current 7TV games with my bro' a while back.

love the 'conceit' and the visual presentation, but ultimately find the movie thing too self-conciously ironic and immersion breaking.

I love wit and humour in games, but like it to arise 'naturally' from swingy dice-roll situations etc.

so not sure their fantasy set will do much for me.
« Last Edit: August 15, 2020, 09:32:26 PM by Bloggard »

Offline fred

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Re: HoTT - strongholds?
« Reply #19 on: August 15, 2020, 09:02:53 AM »
Mayhem is certainly worth a look - an interesting game, it is single bases with multiple figures, and represents a battle not a skirmish.

KoW I think would be hard to do while keeping the figure count low - while it certainly supports multi basing, and unit basing, you still end up needing a lot of figures. I have played it in 10mm with reduced distances and that plays fine. One part of KoW that can really put players off is the you do nothing in the other player’s turn part - not even fight back.

Another rule set to look at is Of Armies and Hordes by Ganesha Games  https://www.ganeshagames.net/product_info.php?products_id=357&osCsid=abcuqbsb41imdt8cb5hn55vh55  I’ve not played this much but it has some very interesting approaches. It’s pretty low figure count.

Offline Hobgoblin

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Re: HoTT - strongholds?
« Reply #20 on: August 15, 2020, 09:26:54 AM »
One good thing about the HotT basing is that it can be used for many, many games.

I'd certainly give HotT a try, though. It's a great game - and it's far more flexible than you would think from the rule book.  I really enjoy Mayhem and Dragon Rampant; they're great games. And Of Armies and Hordes is brilliant, and one I'd like to play more. But HotT is the one I keep coming back to. It's simple, elegant and has lots and lots of depth.

It also has the advantage of being quick - both to set up and to play. So you can play a full campaign in an afternoon. And if you want bigger, more absorbing battles, you can simply up the AP count. For example, you could play on a full-size table with three 36AP commands per side for a real 'big battle' experience.

Offline Bloggard

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Re: HoTT - strongholds?
« Reply #21 on: August 15, 2020, 11:59:53 AM »
thanks @Fred and Hobgoblin.

good stuff and appreciated.
with the rulebook coming today, I should certainly give HoTT a go. I intend to use sabots, and thus keep figs on individual bases, so trying different approaches should work.

I've read that fundamental criticism of KoW. Not sure what I'd make of it in practice, and certainly like the elements of the game and how it's presented.
Can you elaborate on why smaller games with just 'troop' sized units wouldn't work (I take it that some rules only come into play with larger sized units of course)?

I also like the fact that in theory it should sync up with Vanguard (which I have) smoothly - although I guess there's little if any real meaningful interplay, and you could use any skirmish rules with the massed battles set if you wanted ...

* and, oh gosh, another ganesha games ...er ... game. I have quite a few of their's already !
looks interesting. Seems difficult to get in h/copy.
ah, ok, looked into it: uses 'areas' bit like to the strongest (which I've played). Not attracted by that approach to movement somehow.
« Last Edit: August 15, 2020, 12:06:53 PM by Bloggard »

Offline fred

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Re: HoTT - strongholds?
« Reply #22 on: August 15, 2020, 12:26:18 PM »
I’m not sure about playing KoW with just troops. It will change some of the relationships between units, particularly war engines are likely to be more powerful in relation to the units. But it would keep figure count down. Other than some of the army building rules (around unlocking) I don’t think anything changes rules wise.

OAaH while area based isn’t grid based. I played with using terrain to make the areas.

Offline Bloggard

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Re: HoTT - strongholds?
« Reply #23 on: August 15, 2020, 12:40:25 PM »
cheers @Fred.

I'm inclined to look further at KoW, I think. And keep HoTT in view.

have ordered the 3rd edition h/ copy. Will be good if they produce a historical army lists supplement as they did with 2nd edition (as a quick google suggests the exisiting one isn't compatible as such?).

Offline fred

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Re: HoTT - strongholds?
« Reply #24 on: August 15, 2020, 01:06:46 PM »
I don’t recall that the KoW v2 to v3 changes were that huge. So would be surprised if the older historical lists don’t work.

I’m not sure KoW is a good historical rule set, not least as it is very brutal, within 4-6 turns both sides will have lost loads of units. We did a War of the Roses game with KoW and while it started off fine, by the end it felt and looked odd due to how few units were left on the table. For what ever reason this never seemed a problem with fantasy games of KoW. Also the rules have no attritional factors, units fight at full effect or are dead. Again OK for fantasy seems odd for historical

Offline Bloggard

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Re: HoTT - strongholds?
« Reply #25 on: August 15, 2020, 01:42:31 PM »
ok,right.  Well that's certainly food for thought. The historical aspect, however, would just be for 'colour' / variation.

quite a lot of rule-reading in store it would appear ...  o_o

 

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