2nd or 3rd

No ones mentioned 1e? :D Mind even more of an issue collecting it as you have the rule books then the additional forces of fantasy books as supplement and the book of Battalions! 😂
As Fimm said, the RPG and story driven element was strong in 1e and 2e. They are rules in the end, a starting point. 2e also had the Advanced Rules section so you could flesh it out more, character creation and development, campaigning, etc etc. In fact it felt like an rpg with breakout tabletop battle,which is what it was born to.

Therefore freedom of choice and seemed less prescriptive. Use any mini to hand or what you were using in your rpgs. However, you could still goto army lists and points etc if that's what competitive play wanted, horses for courses...
 
Michael Stockin said:
The sourcebooks for 2nd are so heavily story driven that if you did not know and just read them, you would assume they are RPG supplements. My 2nd favourite ever GW book is The Riding. It is glorious.
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As Michael says, it's the source material in such abundance, but just enough for your own imagination. I believe they got the balance right when Hal and Rick Priestley were adding stuff, also building on Joe Dever mad cap 1e battle scenarios, etc. You've got the (first round of) Citadel Journals and Compendiums as well for both 1e, then more 2e stuff. Then even more random stuff with stats for minis released appearing adverts in WD!

A treasure trove which was then built on when the ex TSR lot got their creative juices going in WHFRP supplements and world building.
 
I'm contractually obliged to mention the Mordheim option. All the rules and supplements are available, free of charge, as pdfs from the Broheim website. If you fancy narrative skirmish gaming rather than fannying around with ranks & flanks, it's a good way to go. If nothing else, you could use it to get some games in while you paint your armies.
 
Okay all - thanks for all your advice, I really appreciate it. I really like the idea of the more free-form, imagination driven 2nd edition, so I've ordered myself a decent copy along with the Ravening Hordes book. I see some rather entertaining reading in my near future and some fun game play and modelling.

Having been building scale models for years, I've been getting a bit jaded with it of late - hence trying to rekindle my interest in old games. Likewise with the sci-fi stuff. I still love it but I've been going more and more down the Fantasy Rabbit hole over the last few years - it must be something to do with living near the mountains of Wales.

Again, thanks again for all your advice.
 
willlucv said:
Doesn't 4th ed need a separate magic book as well? The earlier versions are basically all there in one book. I think the rules are basically very similar, albeit simplified in the stat line for later editions.
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I'd have to double check what's in the basic book (and it's in a box on the shelf and I'd have to actually motivate myself in the heat to get it!), but there was the Battle Magic box add-on - which had all the spell cards and magic item cards. I can't imagine the 4th rulebook doesn't have some basic spells of some sort in it as a "starter" however.
 
3rd edition was the lingua franca of the Oldhammer community at the time of its emergence - though things have obviously diversified since then in all directions. But it always has a special place in my heart for that reason (even though I would have been too young for it when it was originally released). It's an excellent toolkit, in my experience it works for anything from tiny warbands to massed armies, and of course it links in with the Realms of Chaos books.
 
Citizen Sade said:
I'm contractually obliged to mention the Mordheim option. All the rules and supplements are available, free of charge, as pdfs from the Broheim website. If you fancy narrative skirmish gaming rather than fannying around with ranks & flanks, it's a good way to go. If nothing else, you could use it to get some games in while you paint your armies.
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Sounds interesting - and free - I'll take a look at that, thanks for the suggestion.

Michael Stockin said:
I miss mountains, we moved to Lincolnshire a few years back, it is sooooo flat.
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Now Lincolnshire is very nice, but yeah it's definitely flat - I feel for you. Where were you before?
 
Space Crusader said:
Nice - that's a lovely area (I'm from the Cotswolds originally). We've only been in Wales for a few years, moved up from Buckingham. The landscape here is far more interesting.
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I guess there are some hills in and around Cotswolds (Cleeve Hill, Crickley, etc), certainly from the Vale of Evesham side. :D Also the Malverns which I used to love walking when lived in Cheltenham, Glos and a time nr Alcester, Warks. Views of both England and Wales from there and always look out for them going down M5! Nothing compared to Welsh mountains though! 😂 Live in Cumbria now so hills a plenty. That and rain. :D
 
Fighelm said:
I guess there are some hills in and around Cotswolds (Cleeve Hill, Crickley, etc), certainly from the Vale of Evesham side. :D Also the Malverns which I used to love walking when lived in Cheltenham, Glos and a time nr Alcester, Warks. Views of both England and Wales from there and always look out for them going down M5! Nothing compared to Welsh mountains though! 😂 Live in Cumbria now so hills a plenty. That and rain. :D
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I'm in Stonehouse, just outside Gloucester. Lovely walking on our doorstep. :)
 
Fimm McCool said:
I'm in Stonehouse, just outside Gloucester. Lovely walking on our doorstep. :)
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Nice - I grew up in the Wychwoods just over the border from Gloucester - near Burford. I love Gloucester, lovely area.

Fimm McCool said:
Big rule for siege- do not start the besieging army 8' down the table!
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:grin: Shall I ask you how you know?

Fighelm said:
I guess there are some hills in and around Cotswolds (Cleeve Hill, Crickley, etc), certainly from the Vale of Evesham side. :D Also the Malverns which I used to love walking when lived in Cheltenham, Glos and a time nr Alcester, Warks. Views of both England and Wales from there and always look out for them going down M5! Nothing compared to Welsh mountains though! 😂 Live in Cumbria now so hills a plenty. That and rain. :D
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Nothing wrong with Cumbria - lovely area!
 
Space Crusader said:
Nothing wrong with Cumbria - lovely area!
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Its taken sometime to get used to it, the weather, accents (practically another language ie: "lowping ovver yon yat"=leaping over the gate). Over four decades since leaving, with short bouts in Glos, Warwickshire & Worcestershire (I am a southern exile, born practically at sea level on Portsea Island). :D
 
Fighelm said:
Its taken sometime to get used to it, the weather, accents (practically another language ie: "lowping ovver yon yat"=leaping over the gate). Over four decades since leaving, with short bouts in Glos, Warwickshire & Worcestershire (I am a southern exile, born practically at sea level on Portsea Island). :D
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:grin: :grin: :grin:

You should hear some of the Welsh, and the place names! Oh my! :shock: I've lived here four years and I still can't pronounce anything - mind you, at least I give the locals a laugh!
 
Space Crusader said:
mind you, at least I give the locals a laugh!
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My closest local 'locals' are my three Cumbria born teenagers (my wife's Lancastrian!). They don't laugh when I ever ask them what they just said - 'foodge?', 'oh you mean fudge, would you like some?', ' Wots fadge,? Na, fooodge!' I'm all for regional accents, but it's a different language. :D
 
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