*
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
March 28, 2024, 12:23:01 PM

Login with username, password and session length

Donate

We Appreciate Your Support

Recent

Author Topic: UGH...magic!  (Read 4503 times)

Offline Wraith

  • Librarian
  • Posts: 136
UGH...magic!
« on: December 11, 2007, 09:51:24 PM »
I dont really enjoy the senarios with  magic running rampant.

Who else prefers gaming with little magic?
I suppose you will be wanting your ear back now that you have answered my questions -The Wraith

Offline Westfalia Chris

  • Cardboard Warlord
  • Administrator
  • Galactic Brain
  • Posts: 7474
  • Elaborate! Elucidate! Evaluate!
UGH...magic!
« Reply #1 on: December 11, 2007, 10:14:44 PM »
Here! *raises his broadsword*

While I´m not a real fantasy fan, I really like those settings best where magic is a "background force of nature", like in the Tolkien setting, mostly a show of cheap tricks, with some impressive personal abilities mixed in, like in RE Howards Hyboria, or some technological marvel cunningly disguised by advanced people to dupe the stupid underlings.

Nothing better than hunting terrified peasants with a "Wrath of the Gods(TM)" raygun.

*/controverse statement*

Offline Operator5

  • Scatterbrained Genius
  • Posts: 3344
  • The Silent Sentinel
    • Rattrap Productions LLC
UGH...magic!
« Reply #2 on: December 11, 2007, 10:27:04 PM »
I despise the "fireball wizards" of most fantasy systems which is why Broadsword Adventures will have none of that.  8)

Like Chris, I prefer the Hyboria-like setting where the wizards could be very powerful but it always comes with a price.
Richard A. Johnson
On Facebook: Rattrap on Facebook

Offline The Hooded Claw

  • Scientist
  • Posts: 378
UGH...magic!
« Reply #3 on: December 12, 2007, 01:30:54 AM »
I would say that magic is a seasoning that should be used to taste and in the proper dishes.

I don't mind the "fireball wzards" in RPGs and literature where a complex enough story and freedom of action through proper role-playing or writing can balance out this sort of magic.

In miniatures gaming, I find that high-level magictakes the tactics out of it.  I prefer low-level or "background" magic in my minis gaming and that goes for skirmish gaming as well, though in these games youcan get away with a little more magic and still keep the fun of it all.
-Eli

"I See Lead People"

Visit I SEE LEAD PEOPLE!

Offline JollyBob

  • Galactic Brain
  • Posts: 4411
  • I've only had a few ales...
UGH...magic!
« Reply #4 on: December 12, 2007, 10:44:03 AM »
Quote from: "The Hooded Claw"

In miniatures gaming, I find that high-level magictakes the tactics out of it.  


Well, I agree with that. I used to play Warhamster (3rd ed.) regularly with a guy who had a Tzeentch chaos army, and basically overloaded on magic users with minimum troop contingents.

His tactics were essentially to load up with spells and artifacts, then sit behind his meatshield and "rain of dooooooom" on my stuff from miles away.

I usually played wood elves, with only one spellcaster who I used to support fast moving, hard hitting troops that used terrain to their advantage.

And I beat him every time.  :mrgreen:

I don't know if that says more about us as gamers than the broken rules that allowed him to do that, but it sticks in my mind nontheless.

Offline Wraith

  • Librarian
  • Posts: 136
UGH...magic!
« Reply #5 on: December 12, 2007, 12:49:50 PM »
I once sat in on a game that may have been the WarHamster you speak of :lol:

I sat there for 4 hours and right before it was my turn, some guy unleashed a vortex of doom that swept most of the troops, including my elves  from the board, what a waste of 4 hours!

Offline Argonor

  • Elder God
  • Posts: 11336
  • Attic Attack: Mead and Dice!
    • Argonor's Wargames
UGH...magic!
« Reply #6 on: December 13, 2007, 11:05:30 AM »
Quote from: "Operator5"
I despise the "fireball wizards" of most fantasy systems which is why Broadsword Adventures will have none of that.  8)

Like Chris, I prefer the Hyboria-like setting where the wizards could be very powerful but it always comes with a price.



And the crowd goes wild...  :love:
Ask at the LAF, and answer shall thy be given!


Cultist #84

Offline UncleRhino

  • Scientist
  • Posts: 286
UGH...magic!
« Reply #7 on: December 16, 2007, 07:47:47 PM »
There was a store here in KS that used to do tournaments for Warhammer about 3-4 times a year.  I got so sick of HeroHammer and the "unbeatable combinations of magic items" I kept on entering and flat refused to use any magic items or have any sort of spellcasters in my armies.  

This was primarily Wood Elves or Skaven, and if you look at it this way, it is kind of funny.  

If you spend 500 points of wizards and gadgets, how many more 14 point archers could you get?  That archer can engage an opponent from across the battlefield, give him a lot of friends and you can really get some things done.  Factor in the largest group of wood elf spearmen most gamers will ever even see( I had 40) and you quickly learn it is about the army, not the heros.

And 500 points of Skaven?  Yeah, I would spend that much on slave troops/cheap rank and file.  Sure, I had to borrow some models, but four units of 30 skaven slaves are not even half of the 500 if you go nuts and give them spears/standards/shields.  Add in a couple of huge units of giant rats, maybe some fun stuff like flamethrower things or poison gas bombers, just for grins.  You could just get tons of stuff with them...

It got the game down to numbers for me, their spells and ubercharacters could not wipe out those huge units or their scant rank and file could not stand up to that withering fire.  

I won both of those tournaments.  The one with the wood elves, fairly easily.

That told me I did not need to

1.  Do any more tournaments
2.  Use gadgets
3.  Play Warhammer anymore, since I was really, playing a ' historical army" against a fantasy one.

I do miss the " what level is your highest level wizard"...." I don't need one"..." that is dumb, how will you counter my spells"..." I don't care about your spells"..." I just drew my spells and they are great, you are going to get schooled"..." Are those spells going to allow you to kill almost 300 models in six turns?"..."they are pretty good, I think"..." Because I know my whole army can be in your deployment zone in three turns, it will then take them three more turns to rout your force"..........a couple of hours later...."damn, that was rough"..."stop taking wizards and magic items, they only cripple your army"...

I do miss those conversations, however

UncleRhino

Offline Argonor

  • Elder God
  • Posts: 11336
  • Attic Attack: Mead and Dice!
    • Argonor's Wargames
UGH...magic!
« Reply #8 on: December 17, 2007, 07:34:15 PM »
:lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :mrgreen:  8)

Offline Gluteus Maximus

  • Galactic Brain
  • Posts: 5427
UGH...magic!
« Reply #9 on: December 18, 2007, 10:22:29 AM »
Hey Uncle Rhino, I think you just invented "anti-cheese"  :lol:

Offline Ironworker

  • Mastermind
  • Posts: 1198
    • http://ironworkersminiatures.blogspot.com/
UGH...magic!
« Reply #10 on: December 18, 2007, 03:09:57 PM »
I'm not a big fan of flashy big magic or excessive magic items either.  I might make an exception for very high level RPGs but that's only if the characters have worked through the campaign and actaully earned their powers.  I don't start games out at high level.

 

Related Topics

  Subject / Started by Replies Last post
25 Replies
6523 Views
Last post June 05, 2009, 12:02:19 PM
by Grimmnar
7 Replies
2155 Views
Last post February 22, 2011, 05:58:39 PM
by ErikB
6 Replies
2320 Views
Last post July 10, 2012, 12:57:40 PM
by Heldrak
9 Replies
2679 Views
Last post December 24, 2015, 05:20:21 PM
by Philhelm
2 Replies
878 Views
Last post February 20, 2018, 01:32:40 AM
by dinohunterpoa