Man O' War & Musings of Galley Warfare for RuneQuest?
Recently, a friend and I played a couple of games of Games Workshop's classic miniature wargame, Man O' War. I had never before had the chance to play this game. Yet, after finally giving it a shot, I found the mechanics genuinely enjoyable, particularly how effectively it simulates galley warfare.
Man O' War is a miniature wargame created by Games Workshop. Based in the Warhammer Fantasy’s Old World, the game is centred around naval warfare where players command fleets of ships in strategic battles. The system is straightforward and easy to play, and I think it would be accessible for newcomers and it was a blast for a veteran like myself.
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| The cover of the old Man O' War box. |
What I loved about Man O' War was its directness: you get right into the thick of the action and the choices you make are not minutiae of geometry, but fun and fast stuff. I think Manowar’s blend of tactical nuance and brutal simplicity captures the essence of naval warfare. Also, it is a game where the player is presented with interesting choices, which’s consequences make the narrative of the game.
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| Our fleets face off around and archipelago. Behind the ship cards and piles of different kinds of chits and markers, which GW loves to include in their games. |
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| Close up of the ships beautifully painted by my friend. |
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| The Man O'War box comes with a stack of cardboard terrain, with islands, forts, coast and more. |
It got me thinking – could something like this be incorporated into our RuneQuest campaign? This might take some time, considering our campaign is currently focused on Sartar, hundreds of kilometres away from the coastline. Having Rune Quest characters on a bronze age galleys and incorporating galley warfare with the unique abilities of them feels like something intriquing and original.
Nevertheless, I've been on the fence about whether to buy or perhaps print some ancient galleys. I’d also have to find a good set of rules to govern their use in the game. Manowar, even though it was a good game, would not likely do, or would it? Creating Manowar style cards for Gloranthan ships would maybe not be too difficult and the rules of the game are simple enough.
I’m envisioning a scenario in which the PC’s are on a merchant ship when wolf pirates launch a surprise attack. Something like that would be a perfect excuse to play with ship miniatures in our campaign.
In the end, Man O' War offered a great gaming experience and sparked some interesting thoughts for our ongoing campaign. Whether it ends up sailing into our RuneQuest game or not, I am certainly glad I finally got to try this classic gem.
P.S. If you want to check out amazing miniatures by my friend he has an instagram account here
