FFGs page that lists upcoming products shows re-prints for several original BattleLore products, including the Hundred Years War Expansion. According to this page, these re-prints are in the works. Does anyone know, can we still expect these re-prints? I really want to include the Hundred Years War into my BattleLore collection. I ordered it from a web-store called "Little Shop of Magic," and the order went through, but then I got a notification that the item was "back ordered through the manufacturer."

As to the Battles of Westeros game...I'm not too excited about this. I read the first book and was not impressed. There is much better fantasy out there. Why would I pour money into a game when I don't follow the series? Here's an idea, however. What if each Battle of Westeros expansion was cross-compatible with original BattleLore? Say, for example, they came out with an expansion of mounted lancers for Battles of Westeros, but also included in the expansion were cards/tokens for those who wanted to use the pieces with vanilla BattleLore? That would be cool...that way, those of us not interested in George R. Martin's stuff, could still buy and use the proucts with BattleLore...you know, the game many of us forked out over $80.00 of our hard-earned money for.

Interceptor said:

Interceptor said:

When I first saw that Battles of Westeros was a BattleLore game, I also thought it was going to be compatiblein some official fashion with BL. The explanation given for why Westeros was chosen as the setting was to solve a problem that FFG saw with the BattleLore game - the mix of "high" fantasy and "low" (little to no magic/supernatural) fantasy. BoW is the separating of "realism" from the actual BattleLore game, presumeably signaling an end to expansions in BL like Hundred Years' War and Scottish Wars. For me, if that is the case, it is disappointing, as I have always enjoyed this amalgamation in the game - love the flexibility in play that it offers.

EDIT: Jacking up the formatting here - in the first quote block, if not obvious, the bold and italicized text is my reply

Interceptor said:

My first instinct was to jump up and defend one of the best series ever written (and I can be QUITE picky in the sci-fi/fantasy section), but upon reflection I realized you were right. There is better FANTASY. These books just aren't into that genre so much. Oh sure, there are fantastical elements and I wouldn't classify the books as anything but fantasy, but they're really going to appeal more to people who enjoy medieval intrigue with a cast that'd make a soap opera look small.

I don't give a tinker's **** about Westeros, but I'd love to see the Hundred Years War expansion reprinted. I'd buy that up right quick.

My problem with the Saga of Ice and Fire books is that they mirror the actual Middle-Ages...the wall in the north being like Hadrian's Wall, the Horse Lords (whatever they're called) across the sea being similar to the Mongolian Hordes, the conflict between the north and south being like the conflicts between Scotland and Englend, etc. The thing that kills me is that real history is so, so much more interesting. Why not read about real history than some poorly writen, less interesting alternate history? Bernard Cornwell, Morgan Llwelyn, Parke Godwin, and Stephen R. Lawhead all write much better fare than George R. Martin, and it's all historical fiction, based on actual Medieval events. Cornwell's Saxon Chronicles and Grail Quest series are phenomenal, and Godwin's account of the events leading up to the Battle of Hastings and the Battle of Stamford Bridge in Lord of Sunset cannot be beat . These true tales are more engaging and well-written than anything George R. Martin came up with, and they are all the more interesting because they are true. If I'm going to read fantasy, it should be fantasy, ripe with monsters and magic, but if I'm going to read something that mirrors the reality of the Middle-Ages...why bother? I'll read about the real Middle-Ages because that is far more exciting, dramatic, and educational than the substandard stories some 21st century fantasy author came up with. Furthermore, George R. Martin is falling into the trap too many fantasy authors are falling into these days...his series is becoming too large and out of control. Feast for Crows got horrible reviews, and the series that may have started strong is just going downhill. It's losing its steam like too many fantasy series' have done by getting too long. Why invest my time reading a series that will only just fizzle out? This is just my opinion.

Ah, well I find reading history to be an absolute bore. Different strokes, eh?

Will these books get bloated and out of control? That last one is actually only half of a book. That could indicate that he's writing too much. It also would hint at why the last book may have lukewarm reviews since it lacks a bit of completeness while we wait for the second half. I'm thrilled that the series is going to be on HBO but that could get really awkward if the TV show becomes popular. He's got 4 seasons of material now. At his current writing speed, he could have the 5th done before these first 4 are done, but the 6th? 7th? They seem unlikely unless he turns over a new leaf.

I wouldn't say the series is losing steam because of bloat though. It's losing steam because there's such a huge gap in between books getting published.

In any event, I'm not that interested in BoW from a fanboy perspective. I'd like to see a game that actually captures the feel of the books. The upcoming adventure game sounds hopeful. The LCG is close... but that's just not a game format I get to play much.

I don't know if you ever read Terry Goodkind's "Sword of Truth" stuff, but his series was about 10-books long, and he actually wrapped things up nicely in my opinion. The TV series based on the books, Legend of the Seeker, is also decent, in my opinion...a lot better than most anything else on television these days. If you read history from a history book, it might come across as boring, but try reading some historical fiction...it's based on history, and usually quite accurate, but written as a novel. Seriously, pick-up Bernard Cornwell's Saxon Chronicles , and I guarantee you won't be disappointed...if you are, I'll buy you lunch...LOL! If you like George R. Martin, I'm sure you'd love the reality based novels of Bernard Cornwell. Also, Parke Godwin is awesome...he wrote a historical fiction series around the legendary character of Robin Hood. Godwin's Robin Hood is a Saxon thane living in Briton shortly after the Norman Invasion. The pre-quel to this series, Lord of Sunset , is awesome, detailing the reign of Edward II and Harold Godwinson, who succeeds Edward after his death, only to have to deal with a Viking invasion (with the Battle of Stamford Bridge), and then almost two-weeks later the Norman invasion at Hastings. Good stuff. Check out their books on Amazon.

Anyway, from a historical perspective, I think BattleLore was and is a great game. As a history buff, I like to read about a historical battle. With BattleLore it is easy to recreate these battles. Understandably due to the limits of table-top wargaming, it is not an ultra realistic re-creation, but it suffices to give the tactical and strategic mind a challange. Furthermore, war games that try to get too realistic often get bogged down in the rules, and then they are no fun. I like that BattleLore is quick and fun, yet still has an element of strategic depth. It's a good game and I hope FFG continues to support it to some degree.

Interceptor said:

Have to disagree with you there, it's another series where things started strong but really went downhill a couple of books into it. He suffered from the opposite of what GRRM appears to have--he started churning books out too quickly, falling into the bloat trap, and each of the last 6-7 books can be summarized as "Something bad happens to Richard and threatens existence. Richard learns a new wizards' rule. Richard beats the communists." Oh, and with his wife nearly being violated by some unseemly communist most of the time too.

I'll definitely be looking into Cornwell's stuff, though.

Yeah, I read the first few Sword of Truth books and enjoyed them, but they got a bit too wordy after a while and I stopped. I discovered the TV show totally by accident (they have to have had really bad advertising for me to have been unaware of the show for so long) and I like it for what it is. It's not the books. That's fine. I can live with that. The show's a bit formulaic at times, but at least it doesn't have the horrid campiness of Hercules or Xena. I think the show's kept a lot more of the darkness of the books than I would have expected.

Oh, and to anyone who's following this thread and wishing we'd be quiet and talk about Battlelore, I'll make you a deal. If FFG puts out something new for the game, I'll talk about it. Sorry, but there's really not much to say about the small Dragons or Creatures expansions.

Trump said:

Chat away - I would wager GRRMartin talk will be more germane than torks anywho

I would be buying so much BattleLore right now if they would only announce that all of out of print sets would be either reprinted as they were originally or repackaged. But I came to the game too late to get the early stuff and now I feel left out if I can't ever get it all.

rickert said:

Take a look at the Upcoming Games page.

Is there anyone still having trouble finding a base set? My local game store just got one in that they'll be selling with their used games soon. I'm sure postage will be ghastly, but maybe it'd all be worth it if the price is right. Anyway, me a line and maybe I can hook you up. Since this forum isn't too hot for private messages, you might want to contact me on BGG instead. Oh, and I THINK I saw a new copy of Call to Arms too, but I was mostly browsing the used games when I went.

Well, given the FFG have not, after all, abandoned BL to the scrap heap. Do we think there will be a reprint of BL, and if so what do we think it will look like?

I am sure we'll see a reprint, but I am not sure what it will look like.

It could be a similar set to the one DoW released, maybe with a different mix of minis, different or cheaper insert, minis one piece or to be assembled and unpunched terrain... however

I could also imagine FFG releasing a core rules set, with a board (or boards for Epic), I imagine that CtA will be moved to being a core element of the rules (as it should be), an option to have alongside scenario play. This core set could have enough minis to play a basic version of the game (no fantasy races). It could also be just a rules set and basic components... though I doubt that. The core set could also have a small quantity of the various races, to be supplemented by army packs.

FFG could also release all the rules, CtA, board/s and a small amount of minis etc as a Skirmish set - with rules for smaller engagements designed to teach the core rules, with the system to be fully realised through additional army packs...

The Green Horde could also be a tester to see how well more meaty BL stuff will sell for FFG, and help them decide whether to go big or basic with a new core set.

What other views do people hold?

Cheers,

Giles.

I'm Thrilled about the reprint stuff. Especially the Hunderd Years War set. I've been looking for that for a while now.

I'm also excited about the Battles of Westeros. I think the saga GRRM writes is very strong.

It would not surpirse me if the reprint of the base game does not include any goblin or dwarf figures, given that FFG have said it would be extremely expensive to reprint in its original format and they are going to release a goblin expansion containing figures that were previously from the base set.

I can think of a few ways to reduce the cost. Slightly thinner boards, less small tokens, less summary cards. No card holder, no lore token cups. More compact rulebook.

If necessary FFG can also split things between the base set and the epic expansion. This means less blue human regulars in the base set and if done to the extreme, no need to have a double sided board for the base set. The epic expansion will then include extra soldiers (and probably the coveted extra spider!), banners, and a jumbo sized board.