Through the Mud and the Blood Rules Review | Storm of Steel Wargaming
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- Опубліковано 10 лис 2022
- Here is a rules review for the Too Fat Lardies Through the Mud and the Blood, their large skirmish First World War wargame rules along with a look at Stout Hearts and Iron Troopers, the scenario supplement.
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#StormofSteelWargaming #Review #ThroughtheMudandtheBlood - Ігри
A very instructive walkthrough and review, and some insight into the development of Lardy rules (CoC was my first Lard experience). I love the historical research and the tactics breakdown in Stout Hearts and Iron Troopers. Can't wait to read through these. Thanks, Alex!
Small-scale carnage aside, love the Swans t-shirt, though always more of a Birthday Party fan, myself!!! LOL
Thanks for this. I bought the rules when they came out, couldn't get my head around them. Now I'm going to go digging through my rules pile of shame for them
Yeah, I was the exact same, have a look at the Mud and Blood videos on the rest of the channel for a bit of an introduction to the mechanics.
Thanks for the really in depth review, Alex 👍. As you said, they look worn picking up just for the history aspects. Those scenarios look great.
You're welcome Andy, it's a great set of rules with loads packed in there.
Stout Hearts & Iron Trooper, is a must IMO. I found it great for getting you started.
I agree!
This was certainly well timed, not only because of the significance of the date, but from my own perspective as someone who has recently bought the rule book (not in hard copy form, which, contrary to your statement at the beginning, is no longer available.) So far I’ve only read some of the historical information, which, as you say, is an object lesson on how this kind of thing should be done. I was already planning to buy Stout Hearts and Iron Troopers - which I’ve just realised forms a quite unfortunate acronym - but your comments on this have brought it forward in priority. I will watch any play-throughs with great interest.
Yeah, I only found out today that the hard copy is no longer available.
There's also a 3rd pdf book to get which is the WW1 articles from the Lardie specials upto 2015, so if you don't have those, be a huge compilation of them I'm sure. Perhaps Alex with doxdirect copy could show that off with the more M&B toys, although hopefully he remember some SWCoC still the que :)
Charlie Don’t Surf! will shortly be PDF-only as well, according to a recent post in the Lardie Forum. I’m unsure whether to get that in spite of an interest in the Vietnam War as it’s another older set and doesn’t seem to get much coverage. I gather it’s closer to IABSM than CoC but I’ve played neither so that’s not much of a guide.
Really useful video. Need to have a try of this for sure.
You're welcome, I'd be happy to take you through a game sometime!
Another great episode Alex!!! And superb taste in music sir! Swans are brilliant 👍
Cheers buddy and yep, I agree, the loudest band I've ever seen live.
Another very helpful video. I don't think I could have figured these rules out without them.
You've said that the force morale from CoC would be easy to adapt to Mud and Blood, but some of the effects are losing command dice that Mud and Blood don't use. What are your thoughts on changing Tables 16 and 17 in CoC for use in Mud and Blood?
Oh- and I would like to request again that you make a video of Scenario 4 of Stout Hearts.
Thanks! Yes, there are no command dice in M&B, but you could remove the command initiative cards or any special cards from the deck as the morale falls below five, similar to removing flag cards in Sharp Practice and Infamy, Infamy. That would be a solution. I am currently working on a second British platoon, so expect more M&B videos soon.
I cannot thank you enough for the recent reviews and recommendations for WWI wargaming rules. One of my first sets of wargaming rules where Blood & Valor, which has been played between me and my sons. Would you recommend Thought the Mud and the Blood or the modified Chain of Command to move onto next?
You're welcome. I would say Mud and blood is quite a step up from Blood and Valor as there is a lot more in it that isn't immediately obvious. It may help to watch some of my videos on it though. The coc version is excellent, but only caps out at a platoon, so if you want bigger games, Mud and Blood handles it better.
I can’t recommend empire to revolution enough for the eastern front of WW1, it’s perfect for my Austro-Hungarians!
I'll check it out, cheers!
Awesome shirt!
Awesome band!
Alex would you explain what the cards are all about? Are they something that you print off, buy (like Warhammer 40K), or create yourself from the rulebook? What are they used for?
Is Mud & Blood a late war Western Front-only book, or does it encompass early war and other fronts too (eg. Eastern, Italian, African, Middle Eastern, Far Eastern)?
How does Mud & Blood compare to something like Blood & Valor (Firelock Games)?
Well, I could explain, but you could also watch some of the Mud and Blood battle reports and that will show you how they work. 😆 But basically, you draw cards which are specific to a particular big man, who then activate units under his command. You also get command cards which can increase their command abilities. It's a bit of luck, a bit of co-ordination and a bit of waiting for the right time to strike.
As for the cards, you make them yourself. But, Sidney Roundwood made a set of cards on his blog to download, and I also turned them into playing cards on the Storm of Steel shop at the Printer's Studio here: www.printerstudio.co.uk/sell/stormofsteel (I've updated the video description to include this link as well)
The basic rules are for the Western Front 1917 -1918, but there is a supplement for the Eastern Front on the TFL website.
It's incomparable, IMO, I did a review of B&V and I would give it a wide birth IMO. There's a lot more thought and actual historical research in Mud and Blood and it makes for a better game.
@@StormofSteelWargaming thanks the quick and detailed response 😄 I will definitely watch your play throughs to see how Mud & Blood plays out. I watched your review of Blood and Valor and I am taking your advice to avoid it. It’s a pretty book but light on content (lots of while space, empty “notes” pages, abbreviated chronology, missing tactics section, missing factions - Italians, Belgians, no guidance on historical use of troop types).
Interesting! I'm thinking of getting the rules. Are they also good for the early war? I have Germans, Belgians and some British for 1914.
Yeah, they should work perfectly well for early war.
Great review, the rules sound like worth a look sometime. Although one of the barrier to entry with older Lardie rules is being card based and the cards are no longer avaliable. Does it use a normal playing deck or a special deck, if a special deck is that avaliable on artscow or such like?
Thank you, if you search for Roundwoods world, you'll find Sidneys blog which has sets of cards for printing, also there are a few sets on Artscow. Search for Derek's Wee Soldiers blog and he has a list of sets linked there. There never was an official set of cards, but you could easily make poker chip tokens instead.
@@StormofSteelWargaming Perhaps you could show your set of blingy tokens/cards and also when doing reviews be handy to get a reference for what games are playable on say 4x4 or kitchen table upto 6x4 or larger.
I have a massive 1/72 scale WW1 collection, and recently wanted to get into wargaming with them. Two questions: 1. would this rule set (or any others for that matter) be good for large engagements as I am only interested in large armies facing off in an epic struggle. 2. what is the best number of infantry per base (unit) so as to flexibly fit this rule set and other rule sets like FoW. I have heard through the grapevine that 4-5 for infantry per base, + teams of 1-5 for special teams and HQ (generals) and chaplains (yes I have kitbashed chaplains :) . THE GOAL: If I base things in a way like the above, paint them and base them up nicely, I hope that other more expeiernced wargamers will except me and hopefully want to play (even though I know I cant force anyone obviously. Advice would be much appreciated
Mud and Blood is for large scale skirmishes and will probably break after two, three, tops, platoons in a game, for a big game you'd be better looking at Square Bashing or Flames of War (although the latter is not a very good game, IMO). Bashing depends entirely on game system and there is no specific that go across the entire hobby. Also, you'll find the vast majority of wargamers are welcoming and accepting of everyone, no matter how you base figures or paint them...
@@StormofSteelWargaming awesome insight. thank you. love the channel
Will you do a review of if the lord spares us? Excellent video glad I was able to snag a hard copy here in the US
I could, but I've not really played it enough. Mind you, I can do a walk through if nothing else.
@@StormofSteelWargaming I’d enjoy a walk through and your thoughts on it. 😄
Bought this a few days ago and admittedly have only skimmed through them. However (and I am familiar with CoC and Sharp Practice) I found myself left a bit cold with Mud and Blood. The lack of army lists was a big factor plus the arsing about having to make cards (I can’t find pdfs of those suggested on blogs).
Also, I’ve found a really nice range of Belgians which have become my first WW1 figures to collect. There is nothing in the main rules about them, but there is a mention that they would be covered. Do you know if Belgians feature at all in any of the supplements? If they do I may overcome my initial disappointment and give Mud another try.
Good video though and your enthusiasm has made me at least reconsider.
The historical section at the back is the army lists, also there's lots of scenario lists in Stout Hearts. As for Belgians, someone on one of the Lardy forums may have produced one. But to be honest, most 1914 armies would be made up of ten man sections grouped into four sections for a platoon. It's only after 1916 that they begin to get interesting, IMO.
@@StormofSteelWargaming - I’ll give it another look. I was thinking about getting the 2014 special and trying CoC WW1 but again, not sure how well that’s been supported with army lists. One problem I find with Lardies games it’s always a slog trying to find new lists. Lardies themselves don’t seem forthcoming with supplements (CoC Far East anyone?) which leaves it to players to come up with their own which are often hard to track down.
@@emmetminiatureswargames2424 You can make your own army lists by just looking up platoon structures TBH. And to be fair to TFL, it is really only one man who works more hours than the day has by most accounts, so the production of supporting material is largely reliant on the community, who do a pretty good job.
@@StormofSteelWargaming I’ve gone ahead and sorted the Belgians out myself but I always feel there’s someone who will do a much better job of it 😁
I do wonder why some people are so fascinated with a game's ground scale
Me too, I've never once given it a second thought. It is something that doesn't bother me a jot.
Its a weird olde community
@@StormofSteelWargaming a how to play set of videos would be super helpful Alex, if you ever have the time
@@lordraglan2741 it's something I will give some thought to.
Been interested in trying to do some sort of affordable ww1 gaming now that Wargames Atlantic is doing plastic 28mm sets. Because my club is mostly just one big game between about 8 players, would this work for a multiplayer game? Was thinking that maybe it could be a section per player where everyone is essentially a corporal.
It would work, but I don't think you'd get the essence of the game really, as the Corporals are really only there to reduce shock or act if opportunity allows. Its really about the senior NCOs and officers coordinating the platoon between them. You'd be better having two players per platoon and a few platoons on the table, each controlling the lt or sergeant and split the Corporals between them.
Hello
What scale model is this made for and can I play this game in 1/72 scale?
It's for any scale and yes, you can play it in 1/72nd
Dammit Alex, stop reviewing rules sets that look interesting. Me wallet can't handle another set of rules and minis,even in 15mm!
Sorry John...