Why I Love Hordes of the Things. Reason 1

As an old High School English Teacher, how can I resist a set of rules that open with a poem!

 

Hordes of the things

Here be elven archers and riding beasts that fly,
here be dwarven axes and trolls that crunch on bone,
here glorious mortal heroes unafraid to die,
here the deadly sorcerer bespelling all alone.
All on the fated battlefield neath their master's eye.
one dice to rule them all,
one dice to line them,
one dice to move them all,
and in the melee try them.
On the wargames table, neath the player's eye.

An obvious parody of Tolkien, another love of mine.

Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

Photo of Phil Barker (sitting, wearing green shirt), showing one of the early versions of the Hordes rules at a long ago Conference of Wargamers.

(Photo cutesy of Bob Cordery)