This is part of a series of bloody matches to the death. Show support for your favorite game so it will do better in the fight. You can support it by writing why you think its the better game and more importantly by betting (i.e. voting for) it. Please make it clear for when I check the bets later. You have until Friday when I tally the bets and declare the winner. I will reserve my bet for any tie-breakers.
Although you should be familiar with both games, there is no rule that says you have to have played both of them. The only rule in Trashdome is this;
This is part of a series of bloody matches to the death. Show support for your favorite game so it will do better in the fight. You can support it by writing why you think its the better game and more importantly by betting on it. End your first post in this thread with the title of the game you're placing a bet on (i.e. voting for) so its clear to me when reading it later. You have until Friday when I tally the bets and declare the winner. Counting expansions or not is entirely up to you just as playing with them or not is. I will reserve my bet for any tie-breakers.
Although you should be familiar with both games, there is no rule that says you have to have played both of them. The only rule in Trashdome is this;
Two games enter! One game leaves!
Commands and Colors: Ancients VS Battles of Westeros
Has BATTLES OF WESTEROS ever been played by anyone outside of the FFG events center and Swamp Castle? I have yet to hear _anyone_ say _anything_ about it. Very weird. It's almost like it never released or something.
Oddly, I'd actually pick BoW over CCA, I think. The system is just slightly more compelling and some of the alterations are very well-considered. And you don't have to sticker 2000 blocks. You just have to fumble with a bunch of stupid cheap miniatures instead.
Despite not liking Game Of Thrones I'll still pick BoW. I think the medieval-ish setting is good for a C&C style game. I certainly like it better than the high fantasy setting of BattleLore. For ancient battles I'd prefer something designed around specific battles or wars rather than the C&C system.
Never played Westeros, but CC Ancients grows on me the more I play it. Accessible, moreso than GBoH and with a lot less wristage. And it has a lot more depth than Battle Cry.
The upcoming CC Nappy game looks even better. They have tweaked the system in a couple interesting way, most notably that each nationality has slightly different capabilities - IIRC the French get an extra melee die and the Brits an extra ranged die. Also, you lose dice for being at less than full strength.
Never played C&C ancients. To me it's the ugliest block game I have seen, and I haven't really heard anything about the system to push me into trying it.
Battles of Westros minis are a bit wonkey but they do the job. The editing and optional rules debarkle were very amature. But the system itself is such a good one, and such a massive improvement over battlelore that this is my frontrunner for game of the year. The game just does everything right, from giving comanders so many more VIABLE options and approaches than the other C&C games (you can approach that first scenario in so many ways) to making the scenarios actually feel like actual scenarios.
Unfortuanatly this game seems to have passed by the wayside and didn't make a splash, which is a damn shame. I can see this one becoming a cult classic later on down the track when its OOP.
I have only played C&C Ancients - so I can't really place a vote. But man - I love Battlelore. I have to be honest - BattleSavvy rules vastly improve the game in my view, I felt the section card system was harsh on the unlucky before, but the BattleSavvy rules improve that significantly. I have been having a blast playing it lately!
I played quite a bit of C&C:Ancients when it first came out, but my interest waned with the release of the entirely extraneous expansions. It's a clean system and the battle back mechanic does a nice job of modeling ancient warfare to a point, but it has too many holes--particularly in terms of its lack of facing rules and in the poor way it handles light troops--for me to feel really comfortable with it. It also takes much too long to set up, considering the modest payoff (this is solved by using the Vassal module, however). Decent game, miles better than something like Memoir '44, but not worth the amount of attention it's received.
Thanks, and thanks for your feedback over at BGG. It looks like we have very similar tastes in games. (In the end, btw, I ended up caving and picking up both Runewars and Starcraft, plus the Brood War expansion, which was going for $10 in the FFG sale.) Runecraft just showed up yesterday and I'm getting ready to throw it up on the table...just as soon as I can find a table.
I really liked CCA for a while. it does alot of things right. it emphasizes leaders and 'line' movements and really feels like ancients warfare. eventually I got tired of the lack of control. yeah, you can argue friction of war and all that, but it felt very artificial to have your control divided between 'left, right, center'. I think CCA is the best of the classic Commands and Colors system, but is ultimately limited by that very system.
BOW, I haven't played, but just reading about it, sounds like they still restrict control, but make command cards leader based, rather than LCR based. a needed update on the C&C system.
CCA I traded away, BOW is on my want, someday, maybe list.
C&C:A all the way. The use of blocks in C&C:A completely trumps the use of shoddy plastic minis. I find them much easier to use and store. If you're too lazy to sticker 200 blocks then you're a total puss and need to apply elsewhere. Add in the marriage of the C&C system with a topic I think it covers well and you have a winner.
Games
How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
