Theres been a real interest over the last 12 months or so for older games, namely 2nd and 3rd edition Fantasy Battle, Rogue Trader, Chronopia and Warzone.
3rd Edition Fantasy Battle
Rogue Trader
Warzone 1st Edition
1st Edition Chronopia
Its got me to wondering what is stoking this obsession, especially when today wargames are spoiled for choice for high quality games and figures but an increasing nimber seem to be hankering after rules and miniatures which in most cases have been out of production for over a decade.
I think that part of the answer is that figures produced during this period had a real character to them which seems to be missing in many cases with more modern sculpts which makes them far more interesting to paint. For example the earlier GW sculpts are brilliant and each figure has a real personality that the newer plastic figures are totally free from, essentially turning them all into bland and dull duplicates.
Secondly the older rules themselves actively encouraged players to enjoy themselves, discard and change rules as it suited them and there wasn't the limitation of rigid armylists that pepper newer games.
It seems to me that newer companies seem to have discarded the use of imagination in gamers and painters, instead giving them limits to playing that suck the fun out of a game. A perfect example of this is the tournament mindset that infests many players of Games Workshop games for who winning is all and having fun doesn't even figure. Likewise they do not want a characterful force, they want one that will win.
The older sets, while often clunky, are ideal for gamers who want to play games that encourage imagination and the idea of having fun rather than just playing to win. Scenario driven games, often with unequal forces which are almost unthinkable in many modern games.
Maybe its something that companies could take note of that not all gamers are interested in playing jut to win and collecting and painting a force should be an enjoyable experience rather than a chore and interesting models should take precedence over powerful and game winning ones!
What do other folks think?
All the best!
I'm another one who's looking backwards to 2nd edition instead of forwards to 6th. I've been whining on about how much better I think 2nd is since I got back into 40k just over a year ago and it's finally beginning to bear fruit. I've badgered 2 people to the point where they're going to give it a go.
ReplyDeleteFor me the reason I'm going back isn't so much the cost or nostalgia (who am I kidding, nostalgia is a big draw) as the fact that the game feels like you're playing out a story. It may feel like it's playing a bit slower but with all the detail it feels as though you're actually seeing an engagement unfold and you feel as though each of your little metal men matters. In 5th edition I feel more like I'm moving chess pieces round. I'm engaged in the game but it doesn't feel any deeper than just being a game. And when you plonk the flyers on a 6x4 table (there were 2 valkyries in a game at the club last night that barely moved) it really brings home the feeling that they're just playing pieces than representations of men and machines on a futuristic battlefield. I might just be waffling on though.
I started WFB in 4th but I've also been bitten by the 3rd edition bug going round. I love the idea of the mix of freedom of choice, fun units and forces ans a more in depyh 'realistic' ruleset if I can use that word about a fantasy game.
Excellent blog, btw, rwally glad I stumbled on it. I'm going to enjoy following your project, it's nice to see others are all thinking the same way about these old favourites.