Dr. Matt Lee (mattl)

I have recently picked up a couple of new wargames I’m interested in playing.

They have a few people in common, further cementing the idea that Nottingham really is the epicenter of all things wargaming.

First up is Lord of the Rings: War of the Ring, published by Games Workshop and written by Alessio Cavatore (with help from Rick Priestley, who wrote original versions of Warhammer and 40k) who wrote Kings of War and Warpath — the games I usually play.

I picked this up at a time when Games Workshop is finally putting some effort back into the Lord of the Rings games, possibly because The Hobbit is coming, and possibly because they’d let it dwindle for a while, and needed something to fill the gap before the 6th edition of Warhammer 40k comes later this year, early next year.

I’m interested in LOTRWOTR, as its called, because unlike most Games Workshop models, uses true 28mm scale models, so no big heads here.

I’ve not played it, and I might never play it, but it’s a very good book to read and has a great hobby section.

The second game is Rick Priestley’s first game since leaving Games Workshop — Hail Caeser — an ancients game similar to his previous game Black Powder, perhaps. I love listening to and reading interviews with Rick, as he seems very laid back about the competitive nature of wargaming and focuses a lot on having fun. He also revealed he doesn’t really play anything other than historical games anymore, which is a bit of a shame.

I am keen to see what Warlord Games does next, and I think between Warlord and Mantic, we’re seeing some very interesting alternatives to Games Workshop.

In time, I hope to see companies like Warlord and Mantic replace all of the Specialist Games Range from Games Workshop with alternative games and complementary figures.