Yesterday I acquired a copy of Osprey's new wargame rules - Field of Glory. I read them late last night and early this morning and wanted to give my thoughts as a writer and historian.
I think I need to start by declaring I am not a gamer. Well this is not true, I have dabbled in the past but over the past years have not been involved in the hobby. This means I looked at the rules from two angles. The first was a writer, considering that this is a new product that the most important military history publisher in the UK and US is selling. The second is as a military historian interested in just how the subject is developing.
OK - to the book. Here's my thought based on the rules without actually playing a game (I would love to play but without an army it seems a bit hard).
- Field of Glory is for ancient and Medieval wargaming. Stating the obvious maybe, but its interesting to see that Osprey have had the confidence to NOT publish a set of rules for teh big two (American Civil War or World War Two).
- Though Osprey have gone out of their way to lead the novice by the hand into the book (and hobby)- these are not basic rules. My first thought was that they were a replacement for the popular DBA, not this is not the case. These a set of hardcore rules that could easily become the gamers standard.
- The pictures and illustrations are simply amazing! Osprey is known for it's illustrations and Field of Glory offer a collection of some of the best pictures from their books. It looks as though they have commissioned a set of fine photographs, but for me the pictures were the highlight. If you are a fan of illustrators like Angus McBride (and who isn't?), you will love seeing their work in a different context.
- I also got hold of a copy of the army lists for Rise of Rome. Now, you don't need army lists to play the game. Four sets are included in the main book, but a bit of research would allow any gamer worth their salt to set up an army. This said the army lists are great. In the Roman book they covered every army during the period you could possibly imagine. In addition, there is historical context, maps and even more pictures!
Review aside here's some random thoughts:
1. Who thought that in these glories days of the Internet that a good old fashioned set of wargame rules could be printed in such quality and be sold for profit - all credit to Osprey.
2. Does Osprey's move into wargame rules mean that the hobby is set for a shift towards the mainstream? Games Workshop has been slowly geekyafing mass wargame rules over the past years and I now wonder if it's time for a change.
So over all I was really impressed. The main rules make a really nice book that will give pleasure to anyone interested in history, if only to see the pictures. Yet, I think the most important thing about Field of Glory is that Osprey, a major publisher, is prepared to put time and effort into a hobby that is at best, niche. I just hope that their enthusiasm and drive will bring more people to wargaming and ultimately military history.
So all that's missing now is an invite from Osprey for a group of us history bloggers to come and fight out are differences!
Oh yeah, came across this YouTube video of the creators of the rules in action - enjoy!
UPDATE
Received this link of a company providing 6mm wargame figures for the Field of Glory.
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Posted by: Nancy Savino | November 25, 2008 at 09:27 AM
Osprey didn't make fields of glory- they were simply the publisher contacted for the books since the authours really liked their books already.
Posted by: david | January 26, 2009 at 05:19 PM