Hey hey, I got the Pike&Shotte rulebook last week, did a tiny demo game to lern the rules hands-on and did a little write-up. It's mainly aimed at Fantasy/Sci-Fi players who are maybe interested in getting into historicals but I'm sure that everybody else can enjoy it as well.
Pike&Shotte - Review and test game
Please let me know what you think. Feedback is always appreciated.
Not a bad review. You are right though that this game benefits from large forces and that is where the rules come into their own. It is quite a fun game to play and very easy to teach people.
Also smaller scales are better if you have limited table space.
Thank you. I agree, the rules are quick to learn but still seem to be sound enough for interesting games. I ordered a bunch of 10mm scale minis for myself, either playing with cm instead of inches or just cutting all the ranges in half. I think that this should work out rather well on more regular-sized tables.
Ahh, yes, of course! That should be the easiest thing for for people with small tables, at least if you're a from scientific part of the world and think in cm anyway.Originally Posted by sigur
Good review, I should play my own test game myself.
Yes CM instead of inches works well (at least it did when we used the black powder set with 6mm figures). I think having the right table size/scale is really important when playing historical games, which is why I think I never like the look of FOW games (tables are far to crowded).
It will be good to hear how you get on.
for those wanting to dip a toe into pike and shot- there s a new starter box now available form warlord- the book and 82 miniatures for £60.
plastic rat wrote-Dude, you should totally be embarrassed. Studies have shown that it can turn you blind, cause severe mental disorders and possibly grow hair on the palms of your hands. Although that could also be because of your mother's jealousy of your father's space marines or something similar. It's all very complicated and freudian.
@mrtn: Thanks. And I'm glad that you didn't post any pictures of your own test game because from what I heard of it, it probably looked a whole lot more impressive than mine.
@6mmhero: Cheers. I ordered miniatures (Pikemen and some cavalry from Old Glory, the rest from Pendraken) and bases about two weeks ago but sadly it seems to take quite a long time to process my orders. On the bright side, I got the bases a week ago and the Pendraken minis are on their way since yesterday.
@darren redstar: That's a darned good deal. I'm really impressed with Warlord's pastic minis and prices but this one's a steal. It's a real shame that I can't get into 28mm TYW gaming.
I just recieved my Pike and Shotte book (it was on back order at Maelstrom for 3 and a half weeks) and have started reading it. Looks very impressive so far. I can see how the rules are geared towards large battles between friendly combatants.
Isn't that very Maelstrom-ish?I just recieved my Pike and Shotte book (it was on back order at Maelstrom for 3 and a half weeks) and have started reading it. Looks very impressive so far. I can see how the rules are geared towards large battles between friendly combatants.Anyways, I hope that you'll enjoy the system. I think that it really has potential. I'm not sure if it's suited for being "the one wargame" you play but it's a gerat supplement for, say, a Skirmish game you play on the side. You get lotsa rules and whatnot with the skirmish rules and with P&S you can get impressive armies on the table and just play away. Actually, I'm getting a bit of an 40kApocalypse vibe from P&S in terms of game mentality. HOWEVER, the rules are much, much tighter. It's a good wargame if a big-scale, period-specific set of rules that will be set up and will have produced a fun time and results before the last call at the pub is what you're looking for.
I almost posted the same thing! Then I thought better of it.I believe that holds true for both Hail Ceasar and Black Powder; although I know nothing of the rules, that is the impression I get of them from reviews I have read online.
With regards to Maelstrom; if you look at what they sell, they actually have very little in stock; they order it as the order comes in and if there is a backlog at the manufacturers then that delay gets passed onto the consumer.
Yes, BP, HC and P&S are very, very similar rulesets. They all cover very large parts of history as well which probably is why they can be so similar and still work (at least if that kind of game is your thing and you're not into getting bogged down with details). I think the Apocalypse vibe stems from the whole "lightness" of the way the rulebooks are written. P&S much less so than say Black Powder which has lots of joking and tongue-in-cheek parts. Ruleswise, I couldn't find much to complain about though.
About Maelstrom: You're absolutely right of course. And especially GW seem to be a bit more lax on resupplying other stores (which is what I heard of several indie store as well). And, as if to give me a little whack on the head, I received a parcel from Maelstrom (Milliput and a Banebeasts model, so one of their own stuff basically) this morning which had been despatched just four days ago. Which pretty much proves your point.
Glad you got AND reviewed the rules. We (2 others and me) have copies of Pike and Shotte headed our way.
I'll be reading your review little bit at a time.
I am therefore I think OR I think therefore I am?
I got this on pre-order but beyond a cursory flick through it when it arrived, embarassingly I haven't read it yet! I like the review
and I can see this getting a good bit of play if it is up to the same good standard as Black Powder and Hail Caesar.
Nnnng-must resist urge to get minis for this! Must concentrate on basing more minis for CoE and Hail Caesar!
That said, I do have some suitable 6mm Baccus beauties that I picked up off a friend that deserve to be given a run out.
Hmm, yes (stroke beard) yes, maybe tomorrow night I could whip up a few stands of 6mm pike as well as my warlord Britons
once the baby is put to bed!
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"Trick question, Lemmy IS God"
No casualty removal? That seems odd to me, though I suppose I understand the intention.
All three games in the series (Hail Caesar, Pike and Shotte, and Blackpowder) work that way. Casualty markers are used instead, which represent both deaths and the general disruption to unit morale. I haven't played P&S or BP to confirm that it's the same in those rules, but in HC you can even remove all but one of the casualty markers by rallying the unit (this can take a long time, though, as you can only remove one marker per turn).
It might seem weird but works really well. It is a good system of representing effects other than death etc.
Here I am again. I sent the link(s) to two LONG time,old fart, friends/opponents. Hopefully they will read and learn'
AGAIN......THAT is a good review. I am learning while Iwait forthe darn rule books to arrive.
I am therefore I think OR I think therefore I am?
If I recall correctly, as they wanted to gear BP, HC and P&S to large armies on big tables and yet have the game move a long at a reasonable pace, removing casualties would add time and reduce the 'spectacle' of having all your toy soldiers on the table.
Plus it gives you the option to make heavy use of unit fillers and such-like, making small vignettes and dioramas inside your unit.
I could see the urge to make just one big base for your whole unit, especially if it's pikemen or something similarly hard to transport.
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