Any warband style games set in the ancient world?

[Gracchus Armisurplus]

The sort of game I'm looking for is a Mordheim style skirmish game with a handful of models per side, which can (but doesn't have to) feature character progression from game to game. The setting I'm looking for is the ancient world and mythology. So, demigods and cyclops, amazons and gorgons. Think the original Clash of the Titans, and other Ray Harryhausen movies (Jason and the Argonauts, Seven voyages of Sinbad, etc.) and you're in the right ballpark. Do any games like this exist?

I'm thinking of just adapting the Lord of the Rings rules or the Mordheim rules, and setting the games in something like the ruins of Atlantis, but I thought I'd check and see if someone hasn't already developed something like that, and saved me the legwork!

[LeadAsbestos]

Of Gods and Mortals.

[Mad Doc Morris]

For a 'handful of minis' there's also Labor of the Gods, which use the Goalsystem established in Chaos in Cairo and the likes. Nice for playing solo as well.
Never played it myself, yet one has to mention 7th Voyage by Crooked Dice. This set definitely has a movie flavour to it, not the least to its setup rules. Very well produced, too, lots of inspiration.

That said, we adapted LotR for a Argonauts-themed participation game, and it worked a treat. Just use hero stats and skills with the odd group of grunts thrown in.

[Melnibonean]

I agree with Mad Doc Morris: 7th Voyage by Crooked Dice sounds like it might suit your needs.

[Longstrider]

The Song of X and Y system works well enough for a more fantastical approach. OGAM is good too, and basically steps up from individual bases to a handful of small units of around 8 each led around by heroes.

[Whitwort Stormbringer]

Either 7th Voyage or Of Gods and Mortals would be the "ready-made" set of rules you're looking for.

I own 7th Voyage, haven't been able to cobble together enough minis for the game yet, but love the rules and the production of the book is great fun, and very inspiring (entirely written as though it's talking about a movie production; warbands are your cast, with astar, co-stars, guest stars, extras, and stop-motion creatures, scenarios are scenes, spells and the like are special effects, and so forth). There's an expansion which focuses on Greek myths and monsters, and includes campaign rules.

I don't own Of Gods and Mortals because the particular warband structure doesn't appeal to me.  You must have a god, which is then accompanied by individual "legends" (Herakles, Cu-Chulainn, etc.) and units of mortals. I do like the "Sings of..." rules engine, just not for vast differences in power like this represents.  However, if you do like the idea of a game in which deities are the main players, supported by a retinue of their worshippers, then maybe this is the game for you. I don't know if it has a campaign system, but some "Songs of..." games do, and you could copy-paste from those.

For Greek Mythology only, there's Foundry's Tribes of Legend, which to my understanding was actually three games in one.  There was a mass-battles game, a skirmish game (warbands were heroic, mischievous, or drunk, which dictated what troops you could take), and a solo game of the 12 labor of Herakles.  I haven't read much about it, so look into this one a bit to see if it appeals.

If none of those works, then on the Yahoo LOTR rules variants group there is a Roman (incl. Celts, Germans, and Dacians), Historical Greek, and Mythological Greek file, which would save you an awful lot of work.  Slap on the Warhammer Historicals "Legends of..." campaign system (which is basically just Mordheim, adapted to the LOTR rules), et voila!

[TheBlackCrane]

There is a company  (Australian I believe) called Black Wasp Games soon to start a kickstarter for a skirmish hame called Warbands. Don't know too much about it thus far but it looks fairly interesting and seems as though it could cover what you're looking for, even though it's fantasy rather than historical. Might be worth a perusal?

[jp1885]

You could also consider Brink of Battle.

[Gracchus Armisurplus]

Thanks for all the replies!

If none of those works, then on the Yahoo LOTR rules variants group there is a Roman (incl. Celts, Germans, and Dacians), Historical Greek, and Mythological Greek file, which would save you an awful lot of work.  Slap on the Warhammer Historicals "Legends of..." campaign system (which is basically just Mordheim, adapted to the LOTR rules), et voila!

Where would I find the 'Legends of...' campaign rules? Do I need to buy one of the books?

[Whitwort Stormbringer]

Where would I find the 'Legends of...' campaign rules? Do I need to buy one of the books?

I think so, although really I'm sure that with a little work you can just start with the Mordheim system anyways.  You'll have to change a few things based on the differences in the profiles, but that should be pretty easy.

[Argonor]

Thanks for all the replies!

Where would I find the 'Legends of...' campaign rules? Do I need to buy one of the books?

That might prove difficult, as they are all OOP. But if you use the LotR-variant, you might be able to use the LotR-Battle Companies campaign system: http://www.one-ring.co.uk/kb.php?a=259

[julesav]

Mordheim itself, or even one of the many other assorted Warhammer Fantasy skirmish variants, might be what you want?

Saga is easily adaptable to ancients - someone here on LAF is already playing Saga with Greeks and Trojans, apparently no rules changes and using standard Saga boards.

Dux Britanniarum by TooFatLardies is easily adaptable too.

[Mad Doc Morris]

Rereading your initial request, I would rein back a bit.
There's really no need to hunt for OOP books or to buy several sets only to find they're not the droids you're looking for. SAGA, Dux Britanniarum etc are all damn fine games, and certainly there are many more rulesets to be recommended. Personally, I can think of another two or three sets every wargamer must own! However, for 5 to 15 models per side, in a style and at the level of detail that Mordheim provides – just use Mordheim.

Low-level encounters in the Ancient world were probably as tactically advanced as any kind of raid or ale-house brawl during the last 5,000 years. And for a mythological thrashing a fair number of heroic skills is more important than 'realistic' equipment and tactics. So that's what most small-skirmish rulesets depict, and Mordheim does it well enough, too.

Only if you don't own Mordheim or if you're looking for something different, consider the other options mentioned here. Or, if you really want it, use the LotR rules for gaming and add the Mordheim advancement system to that. IIRC that's what the Legends of the…-series did, anyway. Again, no need to buy and tweak other rulesets (no more) out there.

Finally, if you want to start from scratch, I'd like to reiterate my recommendation of 7th Voyage. They're genuinely suited to your requirements of setting, scale and number of models involved, and somewhere in the basic rules or at least in a supplement they will cover campaigns (maybe 'seasons' rather) as well. Easy.

[Whitwort Stormbringer]

However, for 5 to 15 models per side, in a style and at the level of detail that Mordheim provides – just use Mordheim

That's true! If you like Mordheim, then just do everything as "counts as" some mythological counterpart, and make house rules if/where necessary.

[Gracchus Armisurplus]

Cheers. I've just placed an order for the Song of Blades and Heroes book (largely after reading this thread).

I'm considering just adapting Mordheim as well, but I'll wait until I get SoB&H before I decide. Mordheim is a double edged sword because while most of my gaming group is familiar with it, they aren't really historical players. So there's a risk that instead of buying and painting some new warbands, they'll just want to play with their old Mordheim stuff. And I mean, Mordheim is a great game, but I'm trying to introduce them to historical gaming (as soon as my romans and gauls are painted I'll be hosting some Hail Caesar games as well).

Thanks guys, there's been some great ideas so far. Keep it coming!

On a related note, who does everyone prefer for heroic miniatures? Who makes good dryads, nymphs, sirens, minotaurs etc? Who makes good cinematic warrior models, and which ranges blend together well? Dark Slave miniatures look really cool, and Foundry have some cool models. Do the Victrix hoplites mix well with the GW ranges for the purposes of weapon and head swaps?

EDIT: And good amazon models seem to be really hard to find. I'd really love a collection of models that look like Artemis from Hasslefree: