Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Fantasy Adventures => Topic started by: Hobgoblin on October 24, 2017, 12:02:29 AM
-
On Jaganath's recommendation, I bought Nordic Weasel's Squad Hammer rules at the weekend. And very interesting they look too. But while I was looking for those, I chanced upon the same company's An Orc Too Far - "beta" rules for mass fantasy battles. As they were going for less than two quid, I decided to pick them up today. My wife's cousin is staying with us at the moment, so I refereed a basic starting game for him and my son this evening.
On the strength of a quick run-through, the game seems a lot of fun. The most obvious point of comparison might be Dragon Rampant, but with half-size units (six foot, three cavalry). But the scale is generally more abstract, as there are infantry formations (column, battle order, skirmish line, mob)
It's designed for quickly thrown-together games (a major plus) and limited space (another major plus: our battle was on a 3' x 3' stretch of the dining table).
The sequence is IGOUGO, which is usually a major negative in my book. But certain circumstances allow for movement, charging or shooting in the enemy's turn, so it didn't have that thumb-twiddling feel (both players insisted on keeping the game going until the last man).
Movement is randomised (D6 + modifier in inches). The tiny unit sizes make it very quick. Combat felt right: heavy infantry were resilient; light infantry were relatively fragile. One interesting rule is the "combined arms" effect, which simulates attrition and fatigue for units that come under fire or attack repeatedly.
We didn't use any of the more advanced rules. We also got a few things wrong. But it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Scanning the Cabinet of Shame, I see so many options for great six-man units, so I'm keen to give it another go. All in all, An Orc Too Far is a great little game that's well worth snapping up.
-
Thanks for the quick review. It sounds like a good option to bring my 10mm stuff onto the tabletop again.
-
Sounds interesting. I'm still looking for a simple but engaging Fantasy gateway game to (further) snare my nephew into miniature wargaming and this might fit the bill...
Thanks for sharing! :)