Any recommendations? Of course I know about Red Moon White Bear, but can't afford a copy. I'm looking for something to take inspiration from, after a conversation with a friend the other day I'd like to take a crack at making my own Hex and Counter war game to cover famous battles from The Elder Scrolls series. I've played plenty of Combat Commander: Europe, ASL, etc, but I need some inspiration for magic systems and the like in Hex and Counter games.
Not sure if it makes a difference for affordability but WB&RM was reprinted as Dragon Pass.
Are you looking for a game that will cover individual battles, or one that represents a whole campaign?
Preferably one that covers individual battles.
Maybe Sorcerer Kings by Colombia Games? It's one of their block series games and the counters are mounted on wooden blocks and stood up so the other player can't see what they represent until they can be spotted.
Dragon Pass and Wizard Kings (Columbia) are both operational level. There's a Wotan Games game called Sorcerer Kings that's tactical/battle level according to BGG.
The only game at the requested scale that I've played, which includes magic, is the old SPI Sauron. I think it was basically Great Medieval Battles with a bit of a spell system layered on top, but nothing to write home about.
You might look at the old TSR Battlesystem, just because I'd assume it incorporates magic.
For some older ones that might work, SPI had City States of Arcyle which was a world wide war and Valkenburg Castle which featured an army assaulting the dungeons beneath a castle. ICE's War Law is hex and counter if a little crazy on the detail level. TSR produced Divine Right which was also a world wide war scenario. Metagaming had Melee, Wizard, and Dragons of the Underworld.
Trundle over to BGG and you'll find quite a few free PNP hex and counter wargames as well as commercial ones. Also about once a year theres been a "hex & Counter" PNP design contest and there are folk who can better answer questions about these sorts of things or point you to a game that allready does what you want.
Quote from: Omega;952794Trundle over to BGG and you'll find quite a few free PNP hex and counter wargames as well as commercial ones. Also about once a year theres been a "hex & Counter" PNP design contest and there are folk who can better answer questions about these sorts of things or point you to a game that allready does what you want.
Thanks for the tip.
A couple years ago, Autarch published Domains at War (https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/113499/ACKS-Domains-at-War-Free-Starter-Edition) (link is to free preview version), which is basically two things in one. One part (Campaigns) is an ACKS supplement for more detailed management of domain-level play in a D&D-like world. The other part (Battles) is a fairly detailed hex-and-counter wargame. I haven't actually played the wargame side of it, but it reads as pretty good. I'm pretty sure that you can also buy Campaigns and Battles separately if only one of them interests you.