Balkan Wargamer: Midgard Heroic Battles

Friday, 14 March 2025

Midgard Heroic Battles

My first reaction to the 'new guy on the block' ruleset was, do I really need another set of ancient/fantasy rules? Is there really going to be anything here that I can't get from Dragon Rampant et al? However, after watching several games using the rules at Hammerhead, I gave in and bought a copy, plus markers and movement trays from Warbases.

It wasn't cheap, at £30, but the production quality is excellent, and it even has an index! Unlike Saga, which has a similar feel, you don't need special dice; the markers are optional. I was going to get the measuring sticks and tokens from TFL, but I do object to £5+ postage. I'll pick them up at Salute if I go down.

The unit types are generic, with no more complexity than necessary. The focus is on heroes that come in four levels. I used to play a lot of Warhammer Ancient Battles (WAB), and it does have a similar feel. The profiles have the usual factors based on the number of dice to be thrown. Yes, this is another buckets of dice set, which are popular. The key difference is that 'reputation' is all, and the loss of units and the actions of heroes determines the outcome of the game. The victory points token system is like To the Strongest, although you can gain as well as lose them.

I like the simplicity of the command tests required to take most actions. One or two fails with no long list of factors. Similarly, shooting and combat are generally based on a roll of 5 or 6. The turn sequence is IGUG, with an interesting tweak around shooting for skirmishers. Heroes can influence actions, including combat, by expending 'mighty deeds' tokens each turn. This is powerful but not overwhelming.

Movement is in two actions, which might not happen depending on a dice roll and stamina levels. It felt a bit clunky and untidy at the start, but a 'get in' rule tidies up the battle line when units make contact. Heroes can do single combat, which again reminded me of WAB. Melee has primary, secondary and supporting units, which is a bit like Hail Caesar and encourages a proper battle line. I have a low tolerance for ancient rules that have units spread around the battlefield. Factors are kept to a minimum, which again is welcome. Units and heroes can also have special traits, which again will be familiar to Hail Caesar players, although I have a terrible habit of forgetting to use them!

There are some extra rules for fantasy games using flyers and sorcery. We didn't use them, but they look pretty standard. The rest of the book provides basic scenarios and force lists for classic fantasy and heroic encounters. There is also a chapter that helps players to develop their own lists. We didn't use the QRS, but it looks comprehensive, and after a few games, it's probably all you need.

So, on to the tabletop. We decided on a reasonably small encounter with just one hero and 160 points a side. Arthurian Britons v Saxon raiders. This takes me back to a fun Arthurian WAB campaign we ran at the club many moons ago. My Arthurian cavalry was not quite the battle-winning unit that I had expected it to be. They were dispatched quickly, and the spearmen saved the day. We quickly picked up the rules with very few queries, which indicates that the rules have been adequately play-tested. Overall, for games where heroes should play a key role, these are very good and we will play more.