During my visit to the SELWG show earlier this month I had a chance to play Simon Miller's To the Strongest rules. My daughter and I played a hard fought 70 minute game and we both thoroughly enjoyed it. We were playing against three veteran TtS players and almost their first action was to assassinate our General! Despite this we pressed home our attack and gave them a run for their money, although in the end we still lost. We'd had a great game and went on to enjoy the rest of the show but then a few days later Simon posted Emily a signed copy of the rules. A most unexpected and typically warm hearted act of generosity that has most definitely got the creative juices flowing!
I'm considering having a go at painting two armies for these rules using 6mm figures. I have seen various posts online showing that other gamers have had a similar idea and that the rules will work with this scale. Why 6mm? Well the reasons are the same as those that drove me to that scale for my WWII games. Its cheaper, can be painted quicker, requires less storage space and can be played on a smaller table. Bit of a no brainer as far as I am concerned.
I have been discussing the idea with my daughter, and she's definitely eager to play To The Strongest again. We aren't rushing into this and are spending time discussing periods and armies before I commit time and money. However we seem to be gravitating towards the Second Punic War and the battles of Hannibal verses Rome. When I told my daughter about the use of war elephants her eyes lit up and she seemed very eager to command some nellies!
Whatever we choose I'll probably do most of the painting, but where possible I'll get her involved so we can get a game on the table as quickly as possible. I'm not abandoning my 6mm WW2 North Africa project (in fact I have a few new ideas in the pipeline for that) but I now have a second period to fire my imagination, wet my appetite and drain the bank account!
Typically generous from Simon :)
ReplyDeleteIf your young Sith Master likes glamorous Nellies, then the various Macedonian Successor states might be more versatile over time although it would mean having lots of pikes to spear your hands on ;)
I once had a particurly close encounter with some lance wielding Cossack's. Left a nice neat row of holes in my forearm!
DeleteVery nice of Simon, it shouldn't be a problem in 6mm!
ReplyDeleteYes it was a nice PostScript to an already good day.
DeleteA project with your offspring is about as rewarding as it gets. I too had to do all the painting but I found the lad was very capable and making up terrain so perhaps that is another option for you guys too.
ReplyDeleteWe are painting GW Genestealers today (bit random, but its what she bought). Feels good to pass on my bad habits!!
DeleteSimon is a top bloke, isn't he? A typically thoughtful gesture from him :)
ReplyDeleteIndeed.
DeleteA very nice gesture for a very deserving young lady. I second Tamsin's suggestion on a Successor army. I really like the Baccus 6mm stuff
ReplyDeleteThe Baccus range looks really good.
DeleteI third Tamsin's idea... once you have the Alexandrian army, you're never short of opponents... I'd go earlier rather than later (Successor), as you have opponents with elephants (Indians), scythed chariots (Persians), heavy chariots (Indians again), archers (Indians).. list of interesting types goes on and on...
DeleteThat was very nice of Simon. Although I do not know him at all. generous acts like these really do make me appreciate the wargames community and the guys (ok Tamsin and girls) involved in the hobby.
ReplyDeleteI fully condone the 6mm approach. So many wonderful armies the choice is really quite large. Several really do appeal to me greatly.
6mm rocks!
DeleteWell done and good luck with the latest New Project.
ReplyDeleteTony
That was damn sorting of Simon, what a nice chap!!! Also I've got some 15mm Punic Wars stuff I wanna flog? Loads of nellies??
ReplyDeleteNo, no no....six mil is definitely the way to go.
DeleteA very nice gesture from Simon Miller, who I only know by reputation and from his BigRedBat blog. I agree with others in that the generosity of wargamers never ceases to amaze me.
ReplyDelete6mm is the way forward in whatever period you name. I'm knocking out some H&R Sassys at the moment...painted 18 LC in about 2 hours. Piece of P**s. Armies don't cost an arm and a leg, are great for open flanks and can look just as good as the larger chaps.
I love the fact that I can use my otherwise useless dining table as a games table for a change and still have room for open flanks and games of maneuver.
DeleteAwesome new project. I have been meaning to get this set of rules. they look great from every report I have seen. cheers
ReplyDeleteI'm enjoying reading the rules now...most unusual for me as rule books have a tendency to put me to sleep normally! Simple, streamlined, no-nonsense and quite brilliant is the best way I can describe them.
Deletesounds really good.
DeleteShe deserved it- she was very plucky! She'll go far if she can hold onto that resilience.
ReplyDeleteI like 6mm! Hannibal is great for elephants; as Subedai says Sassanids would be another great choice. My mate Richard has some nice 6mm Late Roman stuff on his blog: http://thelandofcounterpane.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/To%20The%20Strongest%21 You can even use some of your desert terrain with Romans, Carthaginians or Sassanids.
Her stoicism when our General was assassinated was admirable. She was less complimentary about my failure to defend our camp from being overrun. All I can say is that next time we will have read the rules!
DeleteVery nice gesture from Simon!
ReplyDeleteAnd wonderful that you have a common hobby with your daughter. Enjoy it!
We play a lot of games together. Everything from Card and board games to X-Wing and recently a few Flames of War battles. Getting her to play TtS is just another part of the plan to keep her out of the clutches of Games Workshop!
DeleteA very nice detail from Simon... that's the way to gain hearts and souls!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. Nothing makes a happy customer quite like a freebie!
DeleteTerrific story and wonderful that you are gaming with your daughter.
ReplyDeleteI use to take my daughter to model shows. Where she would get free making takes and occasionally win a prize for her kit. Last Tuesday I took her to her first Dungeons & Dragons game. The other players were very welcoming and friendly and open to a newbie. Rachel had a great time. She wants to go again.
ReplyDelete