"Evocative strategic fantasy wargame in which warring armies compete for Glorantha."
-Board Game Geek
We swung by our storage unit yesterday and unknowingly pulled out a copy of this hard-to-find game to add back into stock! I was so surprised to see it sell so few times online. _________________________________________________________________
Gameplay and Rules: Nomad Gods is a rare war game set in Greg Stafford's universe of Glorantha, in which players control armies made up of Prax's five tribes: the Bison, Morokanth, Sable, Impala, and Independents. Nomad Gods is one of the earliest Glorantha games, sharing the same setting as the popular game King of Dragon Pass.
The original rules explain the game as follows: "This game is the second of an interlocking triad of fantasies which deal with various aspects of man's magic and his relationship with the gods and the unknown." The first was White Bear and Red Moon (republished as Dragon Pass), while the third, Masters of Luck and Death, was never released.Â
Originally published by Chaosium in 1977, the game was massively revised for a French language release by Oriflam in 1994 as Les Dieux Nomades, which has a more solid game system and much higher quality components.
"The rules have been written to be useable in playing any one of the series. Though specific units appear in one game and not another, similar units work in a similar fashion the games link mechanically, conceptually, and geographically.
— Greg Stafford & Stephen Martin, Nomad Gods v2 Rulebook (English), Chaosium 1995
Now as I have not played the game yet, and only read a lot about it, the copy we have seems to include updated rules from a later release alongside its first print pieces.
According to players online, it is suggested to start with one of the small scenarios or make a learning scenario just using regular combat units, then add in magic units, etc. I find this useful as somebody who is somewhat new to war games such as Nomad Gods and interested in playing.
Each of the two to five players in the game controls a nomadic tribe roaming a post-apocalyptic terrain known as the Plains of Prax. Each tribe has its own set of combat abilities, deity summoning, etc. A counter dubbed The Eternal Battle, which represents gods trapped in time, travels randomly around the board, frequently destroying any tribesmen it finds.
The game includes six scenarios, several of which involve capturing herds of animals from another tribe.
_________________________________________________________________ Why Should You Play?
This is a neat relic of a game with a lot of history behind it. Its release and fame encouraged more games to be created in the same setting.
Winter of 1977 issue of White Dwarf (Issue #4) Lew Pulsipher commented on his admiration for the unique setting as well as Nomad God's easy-to-understand rules. It was then recommended by Lew to play the previous installments first since although the game was straightforward, it introduced more complicated mechanics compared to the others. The review ended with Lew Pulishper giving the game a 9/10 for its uniqueness and stimulating fantasy setting.
Jon Freeman, (part of Free Fall Associates) was best known for Archon: The Light and the Dark, one of the earliest titles from Electronic Arts. In 1980, Freeman (with assistance) wrote "The Complete Book of Wargames" . The book explains the history of war games before and during that time. Freeman ended up mentioning Nomad Gods in the book as well, "The design and development of this game shows an understanding of fantasy and science fiction beyond the range of most other games." "The world hangs together nicely, but it's consistent, not self-explanatory. This makes it quite difficult for new players."
Despite having mixed opinions of difficulty, one thing stands true about Nomad Gods. The game contains the ability to hold together consistent lore across many games, and its stimulating fantasy gameplay is what makes Nomad Gods worth playing. After researching and reading the reviews, I want to try it out ASAP. Recently, I've been playing D&D to satiate my hunger for interesting and unique tabletop games/war games. Maybe Nomad Gods is the temporary cure for my stagnancy.
_________________________________________________________________ Where Can I Get a Copy?
I've found copies are difficult to get at decent prices, let alone complete. We have one listed on eBay here. I've only seen it sell once on eBay, and only a few other incomplete copies remain on the website. It's an interesting thing to hold in my hands, not only because it's valuable, but because it touched so many people and cemented itself as an amazing wargame. After my first session, I hope to write a review of my own.
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If you're interested in hosting your own D&D Campaigns or Board Game Nights at Silver Canon, please email us at silvercanonllc@gmail.com All game images and descriptions were paraphrased or otherwise quoted from Wikipedia and Board Game Geek. BGG and Wikipedia make our job easier so if you ever have the chance, give them a quick look!
-Erin of Silver Canon
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game,war,board game,war games,board games,board game review,rare,strategy game,games,war of the ring,war gaming,video games,1970's board games,card game,empire 1977,epic fantasy board game review,board game archaeology,
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