Thanks to the magic of Good Old Games I was recently able to repurchase my childhood. By that I mean the Might & Magic (VI and VII)* and Heroes of Might & Magic (the first three) games each of which I spent much of my prepubescent and adolescent life engrossed in.
They really defined what "vanilla" fantasy meant for me well into my 3e days and my earliest days as a DM. Anyone familiar with the games will know that this is a strange standard to measure things by. M&M has about 100% more ray guns than most "vanilla fantasy," which may explain my love for the Wilderlands, Blackmoor, and similar settings. Still it usually stayed in the realm of high fantasy, with the end game being the only place where blaster pistols and such appeared.
Anyway, due to the fact that I couldn't think of something better to do with my time here are Hordes of the Things army lists for the major "alignments" of Heroes of Might & Magic 2. I've incorporated some material from 3 to fill in gaps, but I've tried to stay as close to HoMM 1 and 2 as possible. I've provided a variety of possible troop types in order to allow for a wider selection.
Barbarian
Goblins (Horde)
Orc Spearmen (Spears)
Orc Archers (Shooters)
Hobgoblins (Blades)
Wolves (Beasts)
Wolf Riders (Riders)
Ogres (Behemotha)
Trolls (Behmotha)
Cyclops (Behemotha)
Barbarian (Hero)
Example Army
Crag Hack (Hero General) x 1
Goblins x 2
Orc Spearmen x2
Orc Archers x2
Wolf Riders x 2
Hobgoblins x 1
Cyclops x 1
Knight
Peasants (Hordes)
Pikemen (Spears)
Archers (Shooters)
Swordsman (Blades)
Cavaliers (Knights)
Griffins (Flyers)
Monks (Clerics)
Paladins (Paladins)
Knight (Hero)
Example Army
Roland (Hero General) x 1
Pikemen x 2
Archers x 2
Swordsmen x 2
Monks x 1
Peasants x 1
Paladins x 1
Sorceress
Sprites (Hordes)
Dwarf Axemen (Blades)
Dwarf Spearmen (Spear)
Elves (Shooters)
Druids (Magician)
Unicorn (Knights)
Phoenix (Flyer)
Ranger (Hero)
Sorceress (Cleric)
Example Army
Gem (Magician General) x 1
Sprites x 4
Dwarf Spearmen x 1
Dwarf Axemen x 1
Elves x 2
Druids x 1
Phoenix x 1
Gem (Cleric General) x 1
Warlock
Centaurs (Riders)
Gargoyles (Flyers)
Hydra (Behemoth)
Beholders (Shooters)
Troglodytes (Spears)
Minotaur (Blades)
Dragon (Dragon)
Overlord (Hero)
Warlock (Magician)
Example Army
Kastore (Magician General) x 1
Troglodytes x 3
Centaurs x 2
Beholders x 1
Hydra x 1
Dragon x 1
Wizard
Halfling Spearmen (Spears)
Halfling Slingers (Shooters)
Golems (Blades)
Boars (Beasts)
Rocs (Flyers)
Titans (Behemoths)
Magi (Magicians)
Genie (Flyers)
Example Army
Falagar (Magician General) x 1
Halfling Spearmen x 1
Halfling Slinger x 2
Boars x 1
Titans x 2
Magi x 1
Necromancer
Skeletal Spearmen (Spear)
Skeletal Swordsmen (Blades)
Skeletal Archers (Shooters)
Zombies (Hordes)
Vampires (Sneakers)
Vampire Lord (Hero)
Wraiths (Lurkers)
Lich (Magician)
Death Knight (Knight)
Bone Dragon (Dragon)
Example Army
Sandro (Magician General) x 1
Skeletal Spearmen x 2
Skeletal Swordsmen x 1
Skeletal Archers x 2
Lich x 1
Zombies x 1
Wraiths x 1
Bone Dragon x 1
Well there you go. Tell me if you have any thoughts on the representation or the balance between armies.
Theres a chance I may have some more thoughts on Might & Magic in the coming days, but I'm still a bit busy.
* The M&M VI pack actually includes I-V as well, which I hope to play also. I remember seeing adverts for them as a kid and they played upon my imagination.
What a great series.
ReplyDeleteKick ass. I think I played more HoMM I-III than any other game back in the day. My cousin and I picked up III the day it came out and did not see the sun shine for a good 3 days.
ReplyDeleteWe were kicked out of the house for the afternoon after my mom pointed that out, but I we ended up playing that game a good 8+ hours a day for a few months.
cool, I was going to do a similar post or two in a few days, but on the original warcraft game. I think the old rts games have alot to offer in the inspiration department.
ReplyDeleteOh my, I spent/wasted so many hours with Heroes of Might and Magic III back in the day.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE M&M! I remember being a Freshman in High School and playing M&M 1 when it came out. Still dig all those games as well as Bard's Tale, Wizardry and Ultima. Hmmm, I still have the collectors editions. Maybe I'll fire up a game this weekend ;).
ReplyDeleteI wasted way too many hours playing HoMM II. My wife turned me onto III years later and we still play it from time to time in a fully expanded modded version. Great games.
ReplyDelete