Dragon Rampant Review

[Dalauppror]

Hi

A few weeks ago I got a advance copy of the upcomming rules in the Osprey wargaming serie - Dragon Rampant by Daniel Mersey. I thought I should try to give an objective review of the rules and you can find it at my blog.

Best regards Michael

[killshot]

Nice review, thanks.  I'm really interested in trying this rule set out.

[Gibby]

Looking forward to this. I ordered this direct from Osprey, and folk who ordered from elsewhere are already getting them! Not fair!

[Mister Rab]

Looking forward to this. I ordered this direct from Osprey, and folk who ordered from elsewhere are already getting them! Not fair!

You and me both

[Hobgoblin]

Interesting read! I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of my copy, and working on finishing up a few units so that we have a good range of viable forces when the rules get here.

From the "sneak peeks" that Dan has given on his blog and from Lion Rampant, I think there are some really outstanding things about these rules:

1) Automatic balance. You can have your super-powerful hero, demon or wizard, but because their profiles are based on standard units, they won't be game-breaking. Your balrog might be "a foe beyond any of you", but he won't be a foe beyond all of you. Or indeed beyond that single-model wizard unit over there ...

2) Unit interactions with terrain. This is one of the things that makes Lion Rampant such a terrific game, and I think it adds even more flavour in fantasy games. Those goblins might not be much of a threat in the open, but if they lure you into the woods (and with the Wild Charge and Evade rules, they are likely to) ... well, just remember Isildur and Boromir ...

3) Versatility. The strength-points system, which allows you to have units of any size, allows you a tremendous freedom when rummaging through your lead pile for interesting models to paint. You don't need a set number for a given unit, so it's very easy to use any intriguing models that have been lurking around for years (decades, in my case). I've been looking through various reptiles accumulated in my misspent youth to give my son some options for his lizardman retinue. Rafm reptiliads?`The small ones are Heavy Foot (spears, armour), by and large; the big ones, dripping with armour and savage-looking weapons, are perfect Elite Foot. I discovered a cache of the wonderful old Trish Morrison lizardmen. There are about a dozen in all. Half have bows - Karnac's reptilian raiders - and the rest have a variety of clubs and swords. What to do? Well, the strength points allow a six-strong unit of archers to take to the field just as a 12-strong unit of humans would. And this makes visual sense: the lizard archers are much bigger and burlier than men, and their bows are larger than those on some siege engines. So it's easy to see why a volley of just six outsize arrows would do the damage of 12 normal ones. Meanwhile, the rest can be a reduced-size unit of armoured Bellicose Foot - in a distant echo of the "Wounds: 2" status they enjoyed last time they took to the table, using Warhammer 3rd edition.

And then there is the pair of Tom Meier troglodytes that I recently dug out. There is a wealth of options for those:

• using them as a reduced-numbers unit of Elite Foot. I'd probably prefer to have three or four for that; I think I have one or two more that have snapped at the ankles, which I'll repair). But a two-strong unit of such big reptiles will look just fine for now.
• As above, but Heavy Foot (for a slower, more cold-blooded species of trog).
• As above, but Bellicose Foot with Special Shiny Armour - for a fiercer species who are either warm-blooded like some dinosaurs or have been heating up in the sun for quite some time.
• Forming two "double wounds" elements in a unit of their lizardman kin (as luck would have it, I have about eight of Tom Meier's lizard warriors). That means no extra book-keeping until the unit gets down to the trogs, by which time it'll almost certainly have routed. A swarm of lesser creatures backing up two of their giant kin will look great on the tabletop.
• Guarding a reptile wizard, so that the trio acts as a unit of Heavy Missiles; the wizard does the shooting; the troglodytes explain why he's not so easy to kill.
• Playing them as Lesser Warbeasts (whatever they are).

I love that this wealth of possibilities - it's the polar opposite of the "you need this model to get these special rules" mindset that seems to have taken hold in fantasy gaming in recent years.

[grant]

Looking forward to this. I ordered this direct from Osprey, and folk who ordered from elsewhere are already getting them! Not fair!

It's not even released until the 22nd - which is a bit away.

I believe Dalauppror was a play tester and got advance copies. So, fair?

[Gibby]

Dalauppror's pre-release copy is all good, but no, lots of people are getting theirs through the post already despite Osprey's listed release date.

[Golgotha]

Great review thank you.

[tomrommel1]

ordered mine through Amazone so have to wait until 30th december

[beefcake]

Nice review. Can't wait to get my copy. Bought through Osprey too

[Ray Earle]

Got my copy last week. Ordered through Northstar. 

Not meaning to rub it in...

[Cubs]

Yeah, Annie at Bad Squiddo got her books ages ago.

[Hobgoblin]

ordered mine through Amazone so have to wait until 30th december

Is that a function of postage to Germany? I've ordered through Amazon, and it's saying release on the 20th. So I'm expecting it a week today.

[jauntyharrison]

Great review! There's still one question I'm dying to find an answer to. Has there been any addition or alteration to the Leader Skills? I mean that table you rolled on to determine a random skill for your leader before each game of Lion Rampant.

[tomek917]

Nice review Dalauppror, really looking forward to these rules!

Vi kanske får ta en omgång i Stockholm någon gång!