Weekend Ancients with Mortem et Gloriam

This past weekend, Bradley and I got together to bash some Ancient armies at each other. He brought his Carthaginians and I fielded Gallic Foederate Romans. The system of choice was our favorite, Mortem et Gloriam. We played the Maximus scale of 10,000 point armies. I placed a Large wood in the center of the table, which irritated Bradley to no end. His Carthaginians outscouted me by 70%, so I was on the receiving end of that move. 

The game began with my Foederate infantry moving through the thick woods to engage the enemy. I also pushed my Skirmishers on my left flank up to slow down his advance. I had my Roman-trained Warriors on this flank, and I only intended to fight defensively here.

Bradley countered by pushing his Numidians fast up to my cavalry on his left flank. I immediately charged and began pushing my strong cavalry on this flank. After taking some missile hits, the Carthaginian cavalry and Numidians melted away here. 

The fighting in the woods was vicious, as both sides beat each other up.

The action on the Roman left saw mostly skirmish missile fire, as both sides took grievous casualties. The Romans stood motionless, waiting for the inevitable clash on this flank. Carthaginian cavalry began to move around the enemy, towards the line of Roman steel.  In a flash, both sides’ Archers and Javelin-men ran, leaving the way open to attack the motionless Roman-trained warriors. At this point, the Romans were feeling confident with an 8-2 lead in points. 

At this point though, the tide began to turn. In the woods, Carthaginian infantry charged the Foederate Germans in the flank, beginning to inflict massive casualties. On the Roman right, the victorious cavalry ran into reserve infantry armed with long spears. The results were devastating to the Roman cavalry. The score tightened and then was suddenly tied 8-8. 

On the Roman left, Balearic slingers and Numidian horsemen began to pelt the Roman-trained warriors, who were forced to adopt Testudo. 

Right before the three hour point, the rest of the Foederate infantry collapsed in the center and that was the game. In a stunning comeback, the Carthaginians won 12-10. Bradley played brilliantly and definitely deserved the win. What a game !

Comparison: Mortem et Gloriam vs Warrior

Warrior vs Mortem et Gloriam

Today is a comparison/discussion of 2 Ancients rules. Both rules systems are highly regarded by their fan bases. Warrior is a rewritten version of the classic WRG 7th edition, while Mortem et Gloriam is relatively new on the scene. Both systems utilize a number of “elements” (stands) to build a unit; typically a Warrior unit is composed of 2-12 elements, while a “unit group” in Mortem et Gloriam is dictated by the army lists and typically ranges from 4-9.

1. Table appearance (do the unit sizes and organization look like a battle?) Both systems are similar in appearance and have similar unit sizes, so this will be a Draw.

2. Command and Control (Is C/C challenging and realistic?) I have to give Mortem et Gloriam the edge here. The color-coded chips (or cards) are critical to the game. It is innovative and adds a very challenging feel. Warrior does have a command and control system but it’s almost secondary with respect to mechanics in the game.  

3. Flow of the turn (Is it clunky or smoothly elegant?) Warrior is an IGO-UGO system that is split into Tactical Moves, Firing, Grand-Tactical moves, Charges, etc. Mortem et Gloriam is an alternating system that keeps both players engaged throughout the turn. Although both systems work, I have to give Mortem et Gloriam the edge here. 

4. Mechanics (Are the mechanics easy to pick up? Do the mechanics have enough detail? Do the mechanics slow the battle down?) Both systems have a lot of detail when it comes to mechanics. The mechanics on how to move, when to do morale checks, etc are clear and straight-forward. This has to be a Draw. 

5. Historic results (Do the results seem realistic? Are there wild swings of outcomes?) Mortem et Gloriam is more luck-based and abstract, while Warrior is very statistics-based. I have to give Warrior the edge here. 

6. Historic tactics (Do historic tactics work? Does the system reward the use of historic tactics?) Who knows, as none of us were around to witness the ancient world. We can only glean specific tactics from books and research. I will say that Warrior rewards a shooting army more than Mortem et Gloriam. The use of Skirmishers are also a bit more powerful in Warrior as well. Mortem et Gloriam is a bit more abstract when it comes to specific tactics as a unit is actually defined as a “unit group” in MeG. I think Warrior has a slight edge here. 

7. Morale (Does morale feel right on the unit or brigade/divisional level?) Routs can happen in a flash in Warrior, while it usually takes multiple turns to grind a unit down in Mortem et Gloriam. The number of routed units does affect a specific command in Warrior, whereas they don’t in Mortem et Gloriam. But on the other hand, there is a definite Breakpoint for the overall army in MeG. Both systems utilize morale checks on surrounding units due to witnessing routs. I think both systems excel in this area. A definite Draw. 

8. Playability (Do the rules provide for a fun game, or is it mired in too much detail, etc) Mortem et Gloriam has the edge here. It is a smoother game than Warrior. The statistics and data are on simpler charts and are ingrained in the colored die system. In Warrior, the charts are more complex and the math can be cumbersome. It takes much more time to master Warrior than MeG due to the mathematical calculations needed to play the game. 

9. Ease of setup (what does pre-scenario work look like? Is figure basing too specific? Do the rules require very specific basing?) Both rules use pre-planned army lists based on a points system. Warrior is a bit more fiddly when it comes to base sizes for loose order and close order troops. I think MeG is a bit more flexible in this area, so a slight nod to Mortem et Gloriam here. 

10. End of battle (Do the rules give results that can be useful if conducting a campaign? Are Victory objectives taken account? Is Victory defined by the rules?) Its a Draw in this area. Both systems use very specific scoring methods to determine Victory or Defeat outcomes. They are both primarily tournament games. Neither system has a detailed mechanic for permanent casualties for use in a campaign, but house rules can be easily applied in this area. 

So, in summary, it’s a close result. Mortem et Gloriam wins in 4 categories, while Warrior wins in 2 categories. The other 4 parameters result in Draws. I think if you want a smoother, yet still challenging game, you have to go with Mortem et Gloriam. If you are more old school when it comes to charts and modifiers, than Warrior is the more attractive system. It does take much more investment to master the Warrior system, but there are still enough subtleties in MeG to make it a challenging and realistic system as well.

Ancients: Romans vs Carthaginians

 It’s been a while since I have updated the blog, but it’s time to get going again. Over the last year, our group has adopted the Mortem et Gloriam rules for most of our Ancients wargaming. The emphasis on command and control, the efficient color-coded tables and dice, and quick resolution make this rules set an ideal choice for club nights or tournaments. 

This past Tuesday evening, our resident painter Bradley brought his beautiful Carthaginian army and pitted it against Dave’s Republican Romans. What a great matchup ! The Romans ultimately prevailed, but the Carthaginians gave them a run for their money. 

We are looking forward to regular matches using Mortem et Gloriam in the future. Stay tuned !