"Never Mind the Matchlocks"

[SJWi]

For anyone such as myself who don't normally buy Wargames Illustrated magazine I will bring to people's attention the November edition ( Number 443) which I spotted and purchased in WH Smith yesterday. It comes complete with Andy Callan's latest ruleset "Never Mind the Matchlocks", being I guess an ECW/TYW derivative of his ever popular Wars of the Roses set "Never Mind the Billhooks". At only £5.99 for both magazine and ruleset might be worth a punt. I haven't had time to read them yet but the intro mentions forces of c 150 models a side, but says a smaller figure count might be OK.     

[carlos marighela]

Cheers! I don't buy it either but will look out for that. Keen to try the system in an era closer to my heart.

Puts paid to the rumour that the next variation was to be a derivative of NMTB set in the competitive hiking scene of the Peak District: Never Mind the Matlocks.

[Ninefingers]

Cheers! I don't buy it either but will look out for that. Keen to try the system in an era closer to my heart.

Puts paid to the rumour that the next variation was to be a derivative of NMTB set in the competitive hiking scene of the Peak District: Never Mind the Matlocks.

Don't forget the West Country variant; Never Mind the Quantocks.

[carlos marighela]

The one I most regret not going beyond the beta testing model was the plumbing version: Never Mind the Ballcocks.

No doubt there will be a fantasy edition at some point:Never Mind the Moorcocks.

[Tarnegol]

And, of course, VSF...

All together now...

[SirRoystonPapworth]

Don't forget the West Country variant; Never Mind the Quantocks.

And the East London version, Never Mind the Dagenham Docks…

I’ll get my hat…..

[Cholmondely Percival IV]

And, of course, VSF...

All together now...

Never Mind the Morlocks?

[Cholmondely Percival IV]

And, of course, the WWI / WWII infantry combat game…

[Cholmondely Percival IV]

To say nothing of the one set in remote rural areas of the US inhabited by unsophisticated and semi-feral backwoodsmen & women…

[Cholmondely Percival IV]

I’m sure there’s a really good - if essentially unnecessary - game to be made about conflict set in and around coffee shops. If only I could think of an appropriate and catchy name for it…

[Cholmondely Percival IV]

Meanwhile, the time may at long last be ripe for perhaps the ultimate niche wargame, focused on the Voortrekkers relying for defence on their vicious whips resembling a rhinoceros’s willie because it was.

[Cholmondely Percival IV]

Breaking news: a source close to Games Workshop informs me that the hobby behemoth is so concerned at the prospect of being left behind by the latest trend in gaming that it is rushing into production an unfinished game heretofore played only by employees in the staff canteen, to be titled Never Mind the Grimdarks. A member of GW management stated that he could neither confirm nor deny the rumour before striding off and yelling into his mobile phone: “I don’t care how snowed under the art department is! Tell them I want that art yesterday!”

[Captain Blood]

And back in the room, to the OP’s point…

Yes, Never Mind The Matchlocks now available free with November’s Wargames Illustrated.
I’m slightly biased because I provided the photos for, and also took part in play testing of the rules.
But they’re a neat set with a very good flavour of the period. Like Billhooks, they’re superficially simple to play, but surprisingly sophisticated and tricksy underneath.
I don’t think they hit quite the serendipitous conjunction of rules and period that made Billhooks such a breakout hit. And the pike and shot genre is already served by many established rule sets (unlike the Wars of the Roses). But if you’re one of the many people who embraced Billhooks, you’ll find a lot to like about these (currently) free ECW / TYW rules too, and much about them will be pleasingly familiar.

[carlos marighela]

Thanks for the mini review.

I think I might just do something I haven't done in years and buy a copy of a wargaming magazine.

[Cholmondely Percival IV]

I take it no-one wants to hear about my idea for a vehicular-focused cops & robbers game or the one about Rastafarians?

OK, I can take it. Time for a thread lock?