Last Friday, I played with a long-time wargaming friend “Memoir 44”. This is a game designed by Richard Borg, who has also designed “BattleCry”, using the same game engine, but set in ACW instead of WW2. Rumour on the net has it that he is also working on a Napoleonic and Ancients version. Both games use a common engine, which works very smooth and is easy to learn.

This game engine is known as “Command and Colors”. I have to say I really like this engine, because it is so simple, yet allows for a wide variety of tactics. Suddenly it came to me that this engine could also be easily transferred to the table-top, without using a superimposed grid of hexes.

Imagine all units on a standard base, and using measurements in units of 10 cm (or 4” for old Imperial types). Every 10 cm (or part thereof), would count as ‘one hex’. Since visibility and movement can be considered to be taken place from hex-centre to hex-centre, the same can be done for the centre-point of the unit. In other words, the unit is its own hex (which has actually the shape of a rectangle, if you are still with me).

Why am I rambling about this? I have been looking for a good set of fantasy rules for years. I have over 3000 fantasy figures, so you understand I’m not going to put all that lead away to play games with a handful of Darkest Africa figures instead :-). My vision of fantasy is massed battles. It has to be finished in a few hours at most. Multiple figures on a base. Zillions of different troop types. Heroes and wizards! And the rules for all that on the back of a post-card.

I started with Warhammer in the eighties, then drifted to HOTT, Fantasy Rules!, Martin Hackett’s rules, modifications of TACTICA (Te Wapen!), etc. None of them really satisfied me, but I have a strong feeling that using a Command and Colors based system, for miniatures on the tabletop, might do it!

The basic framework is already written out. Now I only need to find some playtesters and we’re ready to go …