Osprey rules - any good?

[aliensurfer]

Hi, aside from FoG which I didn't really take too, I have an Amazon voucher to use up so am looking at some of the Osprey rulesets on there. I am tempted by Ronin, In Her Majesty's name and perhaps Of Gods and Mortals and or Bolt Action. anyone had any experience of them? I didn't want to spam numerous boards with individual questions about that period/genres rules.

[tim in saskatoon]

I've found them hit and miss. I also it depends on what you like.

I haven't read God and Mortals yet. I've read and played Force on Force, Bolt Action and Ronin. I happen to like Roninn and Force on Force... not-so-much Bolt Action. I read but didn't even bother playing In Her Majesty's Name it seemed so uninteresting to me. That all being said, there are plenty of people that LOVE Bolt Action and IHMN... and some people that dislike Force on Force and Ronin!?

so...

My feeling is - on Amazon they are so cheap - I'll pick up games just to read - some I will like, others... not-so-much... but I haven't spent much on them.

They all have pretty pictures to look at!

Which of those periods most interests you?

[aliensurfer]

At the moment fuedal Japan is really interesting me so I will get Ronin. The pirates one due in June is another period/genre I really want to do, and Legends of the sea of whatever the GW 'historicals' one was called isn't easy to obtain. cheers :-)

[Lowtardog]

Ronin is OK, have it but not played it, to be hionest for easy pick up games have used a free LOTR version.

The Gods and mortals is based of SOBH so if you have them you could knock up lists, not sure how different it is.

What about the new Lardies Chain of Command, seeing good things about that on forums?

[has.been]

As others have said it depends what you want, personal interests & style likes will differ. I realy like:-
IHMN (Alows me to paint up a few of the very nice Victorian Sci-Fi figures available & have a skirmish game);
World aflame (I use it for 'Back of Beyond' 'Mexican revolutions' as well as 'Spanish Civil War');
Ronin (As I already have Samuri skirmish, it only took the purchase of a few laser cut buildings from Sarrissa).

I do not fancy the Gods & Mortals, but as I say that is personal preference.

Chain of command is another game I like. Paint up a few figures to add to  my existing WW2 collection & once again I can quickly play a skirmish game.

You pays yer money & you takes yer choice.

[aliensurfer]

I've not tried any Lardies rules, are they good?

[carlos13th]

I haven't played Ronin yet but the book is decent quality and it seems like an intresting game to play. Its only about £8 which helps.

[Conquistador]

I've not tried any Lardies rules, are they good?

Do not own, have not played but I found thid very informative:

http://www.youtube.com/user/toofatlardies

Gracias,

Glenn

[pixelgeek]

I've not tried any Lardies rules, are they good?

YMMV. I grabbed a copy of Sharpe Battles and didn't really enjoy it that much. Didn't find the rules that good and the layout and internals were a bit sloppy.

The main issue with the Osprey rules is that they are all done by disparate groups and the real Osprey influence is the art, editing and layout. So they all look really good but the written content is going to vary.

[Dewbakuk]

The Gods and mortals is based of SOBH so if you have them you could knock up lists, not sure how different it is.

Apparently there are quite a few changes. I've not played SOBH so I'm not sure of the differences but the various threads on here have been positive on the changes for this and for the Kung Fu one, which is different again.

[Lowtardog]

Apparently there are quite a few changes. I've not played SOBH so I'm not sure of the differences but the various threads on here have been positive on the changes for this and for the Kung Fu one, which is different again.

That would be good as I play SOBH but they are a little vanilla.

[Dewbakuk]

That would be good as I play SOBH but they are a little vanilla.

Yeah, that got mentioned in the Kung Fu thread, SOBH apparently tries to cover too large a genre so ends up a bit bland. Of Gods and Heroes and A Fistful of Kung Fu use the same system but it's been tweaked and the skills/options are specific to each setting which gives it a better feel apparently.

[black hat miniatures]

The main Osprey Rules seem to be fairly simple skirmish rules with some background and then a number of gangs/factions so you can start playing immediately.

I haven't read IHMN, but have played Ronin which gives a good quick and bloody game.  What made it stand out to me from the various skirmish systems around was the interesting combat system where you get a number of melee points and you can choose how to split them between attack and defence.

They only seem to suit fairly small games because both Ronin and (I believe) IHMN use alternate figure activation rather than activating a whole side in one go.

I'm looking at putting together a couple of "squads" for Ronin from my Tales of the Dragon Kings range.

Mike

[Ray Earle]

Own and played Ronin, I like the system, but as Mike says it suits fairly small games. As I'm a skirmish gamer at heart it's fine for me.

I've put together four factions from Black Hat's samurai range, added a bit of period scenery and that's it. Fairly easy to get in to.

I own IHMN but haven't had a chance to play it yet, have a few of the figures but some if them have ended up in my Old West games instead. 

[shadowking1957]

For value for money i think Osprey are doing a great job, im a huge IHMN gamer and love the  game and how it works , I have OGAM looks ok, i do play SONH  so well try but love the price of the games and miniatures by Northstar all it is a good seller, (true some of the  boxes of miniatures are a bit dodgy but  nothing that cant be solved) great products...

more please