ROUND 2: Choose the best d20 mass combat system

[dreaded_beast]

This list is based upon suggestions from the first round of voting.

Hopefully, this covers what most people use for d20 mass combat.

Last round, the winner was Malhavoc: Cry Havoc, although that could have been due to the lack of choices. Strangely enough, Eden Studios: Fields of Blood was in the lead for quite a while. Even more interesting was that WotC: Miniatures Handbook was quite dead in the water for some time, until it was just a few votes shy of tying with Fields of Blood.

Please feel free to state your reasons for the choice you made.

On with the voting!

 

[dreaded_beast]

Small bump

Interesting, out of all the increased choices, the only new votes are for other and none, hehe.

 

[Aristotle]

Well the homebrew systems won't likely get more than a nod or so. As for the others, Fields of Blood and Cry Havoc seem to be the clear leaders. Fields of Blood has gotten rave reviews and a lot of folks replied with similar comments in the last thread. Cry Havoc has done well in reviews also, but the folks voting for it have remained quiet so far as actual thread discussion. I'm sure its a good product, but I'd hate to think its position in this pole rests solely in the fact that Malhavoc produced it.

I'd be really interested in seeing those two products in a head to head comparison. There were some old threads where they were reviewed alongside each other, but by now I'd think a more comprehensive comparison could be made.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

I voted for the one that I have actually used the most - the OMCS from Mongoose. I am currently tweaking it for my OGL Steampunk campaign.

The Auld Grump

 

[Brakkart]

Well my vote went for Other. Even after all these years, I'm still kinda partial to the War Machine mass combat system from basic D&D. Simple and effective.

 

[Gundark]

Well my vote went for Other. Even after all these years, I'm still kinda partial to the War Machine mass combat system from basic D&D. Simple and effective.

I voted for fields of blood (die cry havoc), however I always wanted a d20 mass combat system to be like the War Machine.

 

[Seeker95]

I voted AEG.
My mass combat needs are "remote - detached" meaning I do not have an outcome that directly affects the PCs. As such, its single, end-of-the-book chart in WAR covers all that I need.
Side 1 Rolls
Side 2 Rolls
Winner loses x%
Loser loses y%

Next round.

 

[LizardWizard]

Chess has the best mass combat system ever.
Period.

 

[dreaded_beast]

Hmm, seems like Fields of Blood and Cry Havoc are the 2 to look at.

However, there are still votes for the other choices, albeit not at the same level as those 2.

 

[jasamcarl]

Hmm, seems like Fields of Blood and Cry Havoc are the 2 to look at.

However, there are still votes for the other choices, albeit not at the same level as those 2.

I would go for Fields of Blood, simply because it accomplishes more for its price and page count. You also get a pretty comprehensive realm managment system. Cry Havoc is more grounded in the core rules however, so if you want to stat 10 goblins in CH terms and be sure that is will present roughly the same challenge level to your party as core combat would, it might be the better choice.

But if you want a fun minigame that handles the 'event' aspect of combat and want something more streamlined (command and control in Cry Havoc is a bit tedius) while still providing corrallaries for everything you see in standard DnD (I tend to think it handles spells better than CH) I'd go with Fields of Blood.