Views on Hail Caesar supplements?

[Big Al]

My twopennorth. I think that army lists are available in abundance and the game would work with most as long as your group all use the same lists. Doing your own research is fun and there are plenty of sources available out there.....Osprey for one! What I feel is needed is period supplements that give a number of scenarios with Orders of Battle. Some players struggle to think up scenarios, others struggle to get the balance of forces right. Now, I know that the "General de Brigade" Napoleonic rules system has a number of scenario books available and SMPress have a series available for WW2, which are very good. In fact the latter format gives two maps per scenario, one for each side showing only the information and objectives pertinent to each side. Each player gets his relevant map and objectives without knowing what the other has received or each other's forces. Off they go. Absolutely brilliant! There is also a website that provides colour downloads of the maps to print out for each player. They really bring the game alive. Anyway, scenario books are the way to go for me. Battlegames magazine have published a compendium of their "Tabletop Teasers"  which are popular and go some way to prove my point. Army lists would be less relevant then! 

[Vogless]

Scenarios are ALWAYS a plus.

[Titus Flavius]

I like the style of the Flames of War 'intelligence briefings'. OK yes they are a money-spinner, but as they are an optional extra to the main army lists it isn't like they are there to change the 'standard' rules of the game in the way that GW codexes do. But they do contain lots of eclectic extra little bits and pieces - scenarios, historical background info, campaigns, army lists, painting guides, battle reports and so on and so on. That approach really appeals to me. I'd be great to see a source book based around one particular battle or campaign - with lots of little cool bits and pieces to, as someone already said, 'inspire'.

[stryker]

I agree with Titus.

[BigMike]

I think Titus has cut to the chase of what i meant, the main game rules come in the HC book, but the "Kadesh" sourcebook gives you a series of linked battles for Eygptian and Hittite armies complete with big photos, OOB's and terrain building suggestions  - goes into a  bit more detail about other contemporary armies and suggests ways it could be a battle between two Mesopotamian cities instead, and the "Cesaer's Legions" book does the same thing for Early Imperial Romans.if you know the period well or had other information books you might decide you didn't need the HC take on it - but if you like the way Warlord write their rulebooks they'd be like coffee table wargame books.  I don't mean this in a disparaging way - but i think the scenarios and reports at the back of BP are really attractively laid out - they certainly inspired me to think about bigger armies and making my gaming boards more realistic and generally thinking about how i might take my gaming to the next level and I think it'd be nice to carry this on in the new system 

[pbeccas]

WAB Age of Arthur supplement was the book that got me into Ancient/Dark Age wargaming.  I really like everything about that book.What I would like to see is hardback, full colour pictures, historical background and campaigns, a sample battle report, and army lists for the period involved.  Painting guides are not a priority because I know a wee bit about painting now but I think you should include a basic guide for beginners in the hobby.  

[Colonel White]

What I would like to see in the supplements are as follows.1. Plenty of eye candy. I love pictures particularly of painted armies . These give inspiration and confidence on what colours could be used etc.2. I would like to see supplements with just army listings and perhaps a quick recap on the historical overtones of the period but nothing too heavy or in depth as many of you have said this detailed info can be found via books or the internet.3. Modelling and painting projects included in the book.4. No special rules. I want all the rules in the main book as they should be! This then does not force people to buy should they not want to.5. Sample "Legal" armies with plenty of character .6. Most importantly a fair price.People are now beginning to get fed up of being ripped off  by over priced supplements.Just my thoughts 

[A Lot of Gaul]

I think that a number of excellent ideas have been posted thus far. I strongly agree that the supplements should inspire new and experienced gamers alike with highly engaging words and images, and that there should be nothing that would cause players to think that they are being 'forced' to purchase them in order to play the main rules.Some of the content I would like to see in each supplement includes:A brief introduction to the historical period being covered;A 'background briefing' for each of the armies involved, including typical force compositions and troop types presented in HC terms;Info on famous historical campaigns fought by each army, along with sample battle scenarios - including some 'what if' scenarios for spice, and to encourage creativity;Lots of inspiring pictures of impressively painted armies fighting over equally-impressive terrain.I could imagine a series of supplements somehwat echoing the style of Legionary: The Roman Soldier's (Unofficial) Manual, in providing tongue-in-cheek 'command briefings' from the perspective of each featured army.  Now THAT would be fun! Cheers,Scott

[charge the guns]

For me BP and HC are a breath of fresh air in to the hobby.  They provide a welcome alternative to the 'competition' framed rules.  There's nothing wrong with points based games and competitions as per DBM, FOG, WAB, etc. etc.  but sometimes it is nice to use a different approach.  I like the idea of historical based scenarios, and I like the idea that we are creating games to show off our toy soldiers and to have 'fun'.  By all means lets have some historical based supplements but I would like to see the focus on genertaing scenarios around the historical conflcits covered by a supplement rather than just how to create a "1500 point" force.  I like some of the earlier ideas around perhaps supplements based around generic scenarios as well, no need for all of the supplements to follow a theme.Some of the things that the WAB supplements did nicely were to mix the latest historical views with wargaming, and so provide some intersting alternatives  to the traditional "wargamer's view".  I think this needs to be continued or taken further.  Why not "Hollywood's 10 greatest war movies re-fought on the table-top" with options for Hollywood and 'historical' armies   ? I think that historical based supplements are the place for the special rules – the place where you give different armies (and their commanders) their unique character.  Who cares if you can't field Han Chinese against Viking because the special rules from the respective supplements conflict?  I like the idea expressed in BP that special rules are designed around a specific scenario even, as well as perhaps an army at one date.Just a few thoughts.

[A Lot of Gaul]

charge the guns said:

I think that historical based supplements are the place for the special rules – the place where you give different armies (and their commanders) their unique character.  Who cares if you can't field Han Chinese against Viking because the special rules from the respective supplements conflict?  I like the idea expressed in BP that special rules are designed around a specific scenario even, as well as perhaps an army at one date.

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 I agree – no problem at all with special rules, troop ratings or commander abilities for specific supplements, campaigns or scenarios. In the spirit of BP/HC, and to paraphrase Geoffrey Rush's character in Pirates of the Carribean,  they would more what you'd call 'guidelines' anyway. Cheers,Scott P.S. My favorite theme would be the wars of the Late Roman Republic, naturally!