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Author Topic: New to ECW  (Read 2331 times)

Offline Marshall

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New to ECW
« on: August 29, 2021, 09:26:18 PM »
Hello everyone

I've dusted off and added to my 28mm ECW range.

I was wondering what is the general preference for a rules set? I'm liking the look of pike and shot. I've also got a copy of WAB ECW  again looks good.

I know there not really a unified single scene but is there any players in the North West?

Ta
Marshall

Offline Codsticker

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Re: New to ECW
« Reply #1 on: August 30, 2021, 03:05:06 AM »
We've been using Pike and Shotte but it is really designed for large games (multi-player, big table, lots of figure). For skirmishes and raids Pikeman's Lament is perfect but if I was going to go with a different set for battles it would be For King and Parliament, which is grid based. We have used Victory without Quarter (card driven activation) which s very straight forward  I have 1644, WECW and Forlorn Hope but haven't played a game of any of them.

Offline fred

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Re: New to ECW
« Reply #2 on: August 30, 2021, 06:24:21 AM »
We have really enjoyed For King and Parliament for ECW games

Online OSHIROmodels

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Re: New to ECW
« Reply #3 on: August 30, 2021, 06:47:52 AM »
I’ll second Pikemans Lament. Fun games and they are a good introduction  :)
cheers

James

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Offline Friends of General Haig

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Re: New to ECW
« Reply #4 on: August 30, 2021, 08:21:14 AM »
Hi Marshall,

I can only echo the previous comments.  Pike & Shotte is still my go to as it is very straightforward. especially if you’ve played Black Powder or Hail Caesar.  Also very easy to teach newbies. Pikeman’s Lament is perhaps easier for skirmish types games. For King & Parliament is a great fast play game if you’re ok with grids etc.

There are a bewildering array of rules available (shameless plug for my list here https://theviaregia.blogspot.com/p/17th-century-wargames-rules.html) but I think that if you played Pike & Shotte or Pikeman’s Lament you’d find someone else to play with fairly easily.

Offline Atheling

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Re: New to ECW
« Reply #5 on: August 30, 2021, 11:19:26 AM »
The Kingdom is Ours by Helion is a good introduction level.

Battle Rep and Game Run Though on Youtube here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3ttiX4D-ug


Pike and Shotte, like it's forerunner Black Powder and Hail Caesar are really designed for large games with hundreds of miniatures on a very large table. No reason why you cannot start using them at a more manageable level from where I stand.

Warhammer ECW has probably seen it's day and it might be difficult to find players who would be happy using those rules nowadays.

Having written all this, I think the thing to do is to try a few sets out for yourself and see if you can find a set that you think has the right feel for the era of warfare.

Offline Vis Bellica

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Re: New to ECW
« Reply #6 on: August 30, 2021, 12:24:06 PM »
I like For King & Parliament: gives a good fun game with lots of flavour and plenty of figures on the table.

In fact, I liked it so much that I wrote a scenario booklet for it, which is also available to buy from the Big Red Bat shop, so no need to worry that you won't know what troops to put onto the table.

Offline Atheling

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Re: New to ECW
« Reply #7 on: August 30, 2021, 01:12:54 PM »
I like For King & Parliament: gives a good fun game with lots of flavour and plenty of figures on the table.

Another one I should have mentioned!

Offline Vis Bellica

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Re: New to ECW
« Reply #8 on: August 30, 2021, 03:28:09 PM »
And I've just realised that I should have pointed you towards my blog, where there's loads of FK&P battle reports:

https://www.vislardica.com/vis-lucii-pike-shot

Offline bulldogger2000

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Re: New to ECW
« Reply #9 on: September 13, 2021, 08:15:02 PM »
It puzzles me that people recommend Pikeman's Lament.  I have played quite a few games of this rule set, and while they were fun games (mostly due to the company we kept), the rules bear ZERO relationship to the ECW, 30YW, etc. 
Fun games are possible....but do not expect anything resembling the ECW.

Offline Codsticker

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Re: New to ECW
« Reply #10 on: September 14, 2021, 02:33:42 AM »
It puzzles me that people recommend Pikeman's Lament.  I have played quite a few games of this rule set, and while they were fun games (mostly due to the company we kept), the rules bear ZERO relationship to the ECW, 30YW, etc. 
Fun games are possible....but do not expect anything resembling the ECW.
They are a generalist set for certain and although not a perfect representation, work fine for large skirmishes (more than a handful of figures) of the era; and possibly most importantly, there is no competition for that scale of game.

Offline Atheling

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Re: New to ECW
« Reply #11 on: September 14, 2021, 10:52:41 AM »
They are a generalist set for certain and although not a perfect representation, work fine for large skirmishes (more than a handful of figures) of the era; and possibly most importantly, there is no competition for that scale of game.

I would echo Codsticker, they are fine for large skirmishes and also agree to some extent with bulldogger2000 (in that they don't have the feel of a ECW battle) but they are a skirmish set which is what Dan and Michael's rules set out to be.


Offline Sparrow

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Re: New to ECW
« Reply #12 on: September 14, 2021, 08:26:06 PM »
I would agree wholeheartedly with bulldigger2000. Each to their own (and it would be boring if we were all the same) but when I tried Pikeman’s Lament I found them to be vanilla and completely lacking any feel for the ECW. I felt I could have been playing any period. That’s just my viewpoint, though, and there’s nothing to say I’m right!

 If you want to try “large skirmish” there used to be a set called File Leader published by Caliver (and written by Pete Berry if I recall correctly). It may be worth given these a go if you can get hold of a copy?
Put your trust in God and keep your powder dry!

Offline Captain Blood

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Re: New to ECW
« Reply #13 on: September 14, 2021, 08:41:21 PM »
It puzzles me that people recommend Pikeman's Lament.  I have played quite a few games of this rule set, and while they were fun games (mostly due to the company we kept), the rules bear ZERO relationship to the ECW, 30YW, etc. 
Fun games are possible....but do not expect anything resembling the ECW.

I think you’re overstating it a bit :)
They certainly don’t offer a painstaking historical recreation of mid-C17th warfare in miniature, but they have plenty of period flavour through the troop types, scenarios, officer characteristics and so on. And as you say, they provide for fun games. As ever, it depends what you’re looking for - and not everyone is looking for the same thing.
If you want to refight all day massed battles of the period faithfully trying to represent drill manual tactics on the tabletop (as far as this is ever really possible) then TPL is certainly not what you’re looking for.
If, on the other hand, you’re looking for a straightforward set of rules with a good dose of period flavour, to provide a fast and enjoyable game that represents the sort of local skirmishes and small scale actions that happened all the time in the ECW and TYW aside from the major historical set piece battles, then TPL is a perfectly reasonable choice.

Offline SJWi

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Re: New to ECW
« Reply #14 on: September 15, 2021, 05:07:47 AM »
Not sure if "File Leader" is still available.  I can't see them for sale on the Caliver/Partizan Press website albeit there is reference to them.  Might be worth dropping an e-mail to Caliver. I do have the original 1988 version.  They are not 1-1 skirmish as each figures represents approx 10 men. I'm not sure you could fit modern 28mm figures on the movement tray they suggest! If you get no joy in locating them I could send you a scanned copy as they only run to c15 pages .

Regards