AEG's WAR supplement: First Impressions

[Kaptain_Kantrip]

Just bought WAR yesterday. This is another helpful sourcebook from AEG (publishers of Dungeons, Evil, Dragons, Undead).

It is predictably loaded with detailed info on how to conduct a war or seige, troop types, seige weapons and ammo (including cannons and the ultra-nasty grape shot for decimating infantry), how magic affects war, how the various fantasy races and classes conduct war, supply lines, looting and pillaging, etc., plus new PrCs, feats, skills, spells, magic items and a unit to unit *and* large scale battle abstract combat system. I have not had a chance to compare this last feature to the OMCS (Open Mass Combat System) in Mongoose's The Quintessential Fighter, however. Anyone who has, please post here with your opinion! I own both books but my co-DM ran off with TQF before I could read the OMCS...

WAR seems to be a good value at 140 pages for $19.99 if you are at all interested in running wars in your campaign. It was a fun and interesting read. I'm sure you'll find something cool (such as a PrC, spell, skill or new feat) to use in ANY type of campaign.

 

[Kaptain_Kantrip]

Anybody else buy WAR yet?

 

[Kaptain_Kantrip]

Ack! I'm on page 2 hell twice tonight! Guess another *bump* won't hurt...

 

[FullTinCan]

I didn't know that War had been released yet. You may need to send in a scoop.

 

[Ysgarran]

Not in my local game stores yet...hopefully sometime this week.

 

[TalonComics]

It's not out yet down here which means if you have it I should have it Tuesday. Releases are relative to your location to manufacturers and distributors.
Good to hear it's coming out this coming week though!

www.taloncomics.com/aegd20.html

~Derek

 

[Kershek]

...a unit to unit *and* large scale battle abstract combat system. I have not had a chance to compare this last feature to the OMCS (Open Mass Combat System) in Mongoose's The Quintessential Fighter, however. Anyone who has, please post here with your opinion! I own both books but my co-DM ran off with TQF before I could read the OMCS...

I'm mostly interested in the large scale combat system. Can you review it for us?

 

[Kaptain_Kantrip]

Re: Re: AEG's WAR supplement: First Impressions

I'm mostly interested in the large scale combat system. Can you review it for us?

I don't know, that's asking a lot, LOL. I might actually feel obligated to go back and reread those sections...

Maybe later (hoping someone beats me to it)...

 

[Kaptain_Kantrip]

Okay, so I reread the unit to unit and mass battle rules and I don't get it. It seems too complicated, even though it's only about ten pages worth of rules total. The opposing generals make opposed Strategy skill checks (new skill described in WAR). Whoever rolls higher gains a strategic advantage in the battle. Seems simple, except there are a bunch of modifiers (+/-) to factor in. Maybe I'm an idiot, but I can't wrap my poor brain around all these rules and modifiers. They don't seem ridiculously complicated, but yet every time I try and read them, my head starts to swim and I know I'm not understanding them properly, LOL. The "mass battle" rules are only three pages long, two of which are for determining the situations the PCs involved in the battle face.

Frankly, I'm not sure the OMCS in TQF is any clearer than WAR; I'll have to read it when I get my copy back from my co-DM next week. Do not let my lack of understanding of these rules stop you from picking up WAR. It is an excellent resource, even if you don't use the mass combat system included. Also, do not take my lack of understanding of their mass combat rules to mean that you won't be able to understand/use/enjoy them. I just don't think I will be using them.

I guess I am looking for something more simple; an elegant mechanic to resolve mass combat quickly and abstractly so the PCs can get on with their adventure... but not so arbitrary as to just have the DM say, "this is who won" without ever rolling to see if maybe the other side might have won (regardless of plot inconvenience), or what kind of casualties each side took. In other words, I want to roll and resolve a mass battle or war in 10-30 minutes without much consulting of rules.

As an alternative idea for running mass combat, I remember running the final "Volturnus" module in Star Frontiers back in 1983 and there was an elegantly simple solution for running a massive battle that allowed the PCs to engage enemy units and their success or failure helped determine the overall success of the battle for their side... Of course, I no longer have my Star Frontiers stuff (dammit).

 

[Psion]

I guess I am looking for something more simple; an elegant mechanic to resolve mass combat quickly and abstractly so the PCs can get on with their adventure... but not so arbitrary as to just have the DM say, "this is who won" without ever rolling to see if maybe the other side might have won (regardless of plot inconvenience), or what kind of casualties each side took. In other words, I want to roll and resolve a mass battle or war in 10-30 minutes without much consulting of rules.

Bushido had a pretty neat system that basically ran individual combats that the character ran into as encounters, and made a contribution to the overall battle.

Task Force Games' Heroes of Legend had a resolution system that had an event/outcome table. It didn't use PC skill input, but you could add it.

Anyways, I liked OMCS, but it sounds like it is made more for unit engagments than armies of thousands clashing on the battlefiled.