A new start, in a new direction

Anglo-Danes make a desperate stand against the fury of a Jomsviking attack in a game of Saga: Age of Vikings

Wargaming is a hobby where things can change very quickly, especially in the Fantasy and Science-Fiction genres, you work on one force for one game and a new edition is out or a an updated army book, complete with models that only have new rules in the new books. I know that these companies need to make money to survive, but new editions of games were, in my opinion arriving far too frequently, andd for me, too hard to keep up with. Another problem I had encountered was all my old wargaming adversaries had moved onto games I had little or no interest in or had left the hobby altogether. I have spent the last year assessing my hobby and carefully planning in which direction to head in with it.

Saga

Top row, Left to right: The Book of Battles, Saga core Rulebook, The Age of Vikings, Bottom row, Left to right: Anglo-Dane Battle board, Saxon Saga dice

The decision I came too was to move into historical gaming. Despite a love of history that eclipses even my love wargaming and having studied it at university, the closest I have come to historical wargaming is Studio Tomahawk's Saga, which I took up in the last quarter of 2018 before my extended break from the hobby. I painted up an Anglo-Dane warband from the Age of Vikings source book and played a few games against my friend's Jomsvikings. The games were enjoyable enough, and Saga is okay for a game, but not what I want from a historical game.

The question that set me thinking, was what did I want from a historical wargame? This took a lot of thinking as there was definitely something missing from Saga. I like the rules system for Saga, I think it is technically brilliant as a game. The problem I have with it is that the game is too well balanced, perfect for a quick evening (or in my case an afternoon) of gaming with a friend, but not suitable to attempt to recreate historical battles. I needed something else. Saga felt like historical fantasy, by that I mean that a lot of the abilities had fantastical names and effects. I wanted something more grounded in reality. The one thing that impressed me with historical wargaming as I looked into it was its versatility, modles could be used across many game systems, though editions of games are updated, there appeared to be less of a rush, yes models are also improved upon and newer better models are released however there appears no rush to have the next 'big thing'. The miniatures are (obviously) more realistic looking and less elaborate and exaggerated (this does not mean less detailed).

I considered my options, what could I do? How financially viable was it? What is out there I can play? Who was I going to play against? All these questions and more buzzed around in my head.  I decided after much thought that what I would do is find a historical wargame, for the eras I am interested in, then I would pick a historical battle research it, collect the models, rules and terrain I need to recreate said battle on the tabletop. I will then solo play the battle to its conclusion and if any of my regular gaming friends want to play it, I have everything I need to host it (though considering we are all on lockdown due to Corvid-19, that's not going to happen any time soon).

Hail Caesar 

Top row, Left to right: Army lists: Biblical to Classical, Hail Caesar core rulebook, Shieldwall, Bottom row, left to right: Army lists: Late antiquity to early medieval, Brittania: Romes invasion of Britain

I decided I wanted to recreate an early medieval battle (often, much to my irritation, referred to as 'The Dark Ages') and at some point recreate a battle from the classical era too. This meant looking for a game that covers both these eras. Now I know there are literally hundreds of historical games out there but the two that jumped out at me were Warlord games' Hail Caesar system and Gripping Beast's Swordpoint, the latter I discovered when researching Saga. I watched youtube videos, and read reviews and knew I had made the correct choice.

Hail Caesar appeals to me because of the command structure in place and the variables involved when playing it. Hail Caesar also has a loose ruleset designed for players to customise and mess around with as well as a number of themed campaign books covering various wars from antiquity and the early medieval eras. The rules are more what I have been looking for in a historical wargame. Good rules with a level of adaptability and well supported, giving to potential to create many varied historical battles.

Swordpoint

Top row, left to right: Chariot armies, Swordpoint core rulebook, medieval armies, Bottom row, left to right: Classical armies, Dark Age Armies

The second system, Swordpoint, produced by Gripping Beast, I discovered, as I mentioned above, when researching Saga, as Gripping Beast are the official producers of models for Saga, I spent a large amount of time on their website. The look of the covers of the Swordpoint books really appealed to me. I originally had an idea that I could run a campaign for Saga, ending in a large game of Swordpoint. I abandoned this idea for various reasons. I was not disappointed when I eventually got a copy of the Swordpoint rules. I like the rules, the book is concise and the phase order in a turn is different to games I have played in the past with shooting coming before movement, which to me appears very innovative and original, and somehow more realistic. Swordpoint unlike Hail Caesar is better designed for competitive play, with a strong focus on points. It also has a number of army books and campaign supplements.The thing that attracted me to Swordpoint was the cover artwork, and as it wasnt too expensive to purchase, I decided to get Swordpoint too.

In conclusion it has taken me a year of thinking and planning as well as much research into historical wargaming I believe I have made the right choice.Many of those questions I had when I started thinking, planning and researching have been answered. What I want is game systems that allow me to develope a historical narative with interesting rules that can be adapted to solo play but also allow me to play against my friends. I want models that are fun to make and paint and terrain projects to build. The games will become cheaper at time as my collections grow. The first battle I do will be the most time consuming and expensive. The games I have chosen to currently focus on are primarily Hail Caesar with forces constructed with Swordpoint in mind as an alternative way to play. Saga a game I keep handy for quick games against friends that can be played in a short space of time (Covid-19, has ensured that for the foreseeable future Saga will be gathering dust on the shelf). By the end of 2018 I was not sure where my hobby was going, it was almost getting disheartening for me with the rapid changes in the Fantasy and Science-Fiction genres pof tabletop wargaming, friends playing games that, I am sure are good systems but personally, the background and models do not inspire me. My hobby needed rethinking and now I have a new direction, have worked my other great interest into my hobby, I have a new enthusiasm for wargaming, and look forward to recreating a historical battle on the tabletop.

Credits

Photography by Tzekkaz,

Anglo-Danes painted by Tzekkaz

Jomsvikings painted by Cleaver
Anglo-Danes and Jomsvikings produced by Footsore Miniatures
Saga produced by Studio Tomahawk
Hail Caesar produced by Warlord Games
Swordpoint produced by Gripping Beast