No reviews yet?

[Verythrax]

Did someone got the book? Care to share the impressions?

Thanks!

[Nightmask]

Hiya,

I have the book. Art work is fine. A bit like the Cowboy and Pirate books.
Havent played it yet though. With the 50% discount might be considered worthwhile?

Arvid

[Pturner]

I have just picked this book up through the WH Historcal sale and it looks very good with the advantage of being hardcover....I like the idea of a gladiatorial campaign system, oh, and fighting bears, got to have some bear fighting

Still, I haven't played it yet so can't comment further....yet

[NurgleHH]

There is a review in the well-known "Lead-Adventure-Forum", try this link http://www.lead-adventure.de/index.php? ... ;topicseen

[Guy]

There's also a review in Wargames, Soldiers and Stragegy issue 57, due out November 1st.

In issue 58, there's an article on suggestions and expanshions to the rules.

Guy

[JT-Y]

It's pretty woeful.

Very nice book, but gameplay wise, well it's LOTR. You move two models into combat with each other, roll a die each and the highest score wins. Loser is pushed back an inch. Winner rolls to wound and if succesful (which he like as not won't be, normally you need to roll a 6 followed by a 4+) the loser dies. Or rather doesn't die, because all models have two wounds, meaning the whole sorry process repeats ad-tedium.
Only becomes remotely interesting when you fill the arena with models. Like in the movies.

Celtic slaves are best, they have mystical combat powers that mean even when they do lose, the crowd almost automatically spares their life.

The campaign rules section doesn't contain any rules that I can find, just a few paragraphs about value of gladiators. That came as something of a shock, and one that lead me to re-read the three pages twice more before coming to the conclusion that it isn't a campaign rules section, more a few lines you might like to consider when writting your own campaign rules that could be played by real people.

There is a section about chariot racing, but quite what that is doing in there baffles me. Races had bugger all to do with gladiatorial games, and again, the LOTR rules don't provide a very involved or satisfying game even if that's what you're after.

Woeful. Whichever utter Richard decided that LOTR, a game written for 7 year olds, was the perfect vehicle for gladiatorial combat needs a swift kick.

In it's defence though it is a very pretty book to look at.


Glad to back, but I won't be back much because this theme is almost completely unreadable to me.

[James Woodward]

Can we have a little less shameless plugging boys and girls and a bit more content to posts. Yes Guy, Stuart, Rob, Rick ... i'm looking at you.

"Here is my Blog, Magazine, Rulebook. Go away and read/buy etc"

I'm sorry, its the prospect of a JTY full-scale rant [i'm saving it for later when i'm reaching for the stress-toy at work & need distracting/cheering up] that has made me momentarily hang up the fluffy-bunny outfit

[James Woodward]

By the way "... reaching for the stress-toy" is not a euphemism

Welcome back JTY!

[Axebreaker]

I passed it up, but who knows someday I may change my mind.

Christopher

[Guy]

Can we have a little less shameless plugging boys and girls and a bit more content to posts. Yes Guy, Stuart, Rob, Rick ... i'm looking at you.

A tricky one James...

If someone's gone to all the trouble of writing a review for me I can't exactly post their opinions on here. I think its only fair to point people towards the magazine - that's my job.

Guy

[Guy]

Oh and I'll second James' comments, good to see you back JTY.

[James Woodward]

Can we have a little less shameless plugging boys and girls and a bit more content to posts. Yes Guy, Stuart, Rob, Rick ... i'm looking at you.

A tricky one James...

If someone's gone to all the trouble of writing a review for me I can't exactly post their opinions on here. I think its only fair to point people towards the magazine - that's my job.

Guy

Understood Guy and a central post regularly updated with news of the content of the Magazine would be welcome.

Instead, this site (and others) is/are becoming a blatent marketing tool rather than a forum.

James

[Guy]

Thank you James, you're right of course. I'll do that.

Guy

[Bob Stradling]

The book is pretty, and had a go last night, for the first time.

It is quiute a simplistic game mechanism for a skirmish game of individual combat.

There were a number of situations where it was not clear what was intended even in some straightforward combat situations.

It won't take long for people to realise how powerful the avergae Retiarius is. Normally you hit on a 3+ and then if you roll a 6 your opponent beomes so entagled that they cannot do anything in the game again, ever!

This means that there is 11.1% chance that the game is over the moment the Retiarius throws his net. That is quite a high chance if you have just taken half an hour to dig out your models, set up the gaming area and so on.

In a multiple combat it is possible for the ensnared gladiator to be freed by a comrade, who first defeats the retiarius and then spends a movement phase helping him get unentagled. What is not clear is do you have to stat the turn in contact with the ensnared gladiator, do you have to be uninterrupted i.e. not fighting another gladiator? THen does the Retiarius automatically get his net back, or does he have to go and pick it up?

There are some advanced rules about where you can hit, basically high or low, and then the defence value of the glaidator is adjusted by the type of armour that they wear.

SOme of these rules are picked up in the refernce tables at the back and others are not.

I cna undertsand why you may want a more simplistic game mechanism if you are always fighting mass battles in the arena, but for one on one or smaller fights you may want a slightly more sophisticated approach.

I can see how you could set up a gladiator school, and have a troop of six gladiators. The rules allow you to enhance their attributes as they progress, (but why not allow some choice in what gets enhanced rather than everybody improves in exactly the same way?)

So summary, high production values in terms of printing, the rules could be better laid, out, refererence dand explained and whislt there are examples they go off at a tangent to deal with another point when it would be better to be more systematic.

The comabt system could do with being refined a bit more, to allow you to get more of a sense of cut and thrust.

The enhancement of abilities could be a little more flexible.

It has some potential as a bit of a pick up game if your main battle finsihes early, but I cannot see it taking off as a main campaign system.

I will play it again and may start to tweak some of the mechanics as a result.