Osprey and North Star Military Figures have been heralding the seconed coming of Oathmark: Battles of the Lost Age and we have had some previews. Let’s take a look!
Oathmark: Battles of the Lost Age is a rank & flank game by Joseph McCullough, creator of The Silver Bayonet, Frostgrave, Stargarve, Rangers of Shadow Deep and many others. The game integrates story elements into the army building process, having players design a kingdom from which their armies are raised. While many high fantasy tropes are present, such as elves, dwarves, magic spells and monsters, several more have been turned on their head. Perhaps most notably, Oathmark eschews the racial monoliths of other games to encourage diverse armies. Dwarves might serve in an orc army and elf levies might come from a predominantly human kingdom. The point is to give players as much freedom as possible to create their own part of the world and to build an army representative of it.
Oathmark’s second edition does not look to make any enormous changes. Based on the previews that have come out so far, it might look more like an errata or FAQ to veteran players. The kingdom building rules have been tweaked to encourage fewer monsters and artillery pieces at the beginning of campaigns. Likewise, players are encouraged to start with smaller territories initially, limiting initial army sizes. Three new scenarios have been added to bring the total count to 8 and range modifiers have been added to ranged attacks, including offensive spells.
Additions to the game include chariots, legendary heroes and an Undead Army list. Furthermore, the existing races have been given special traits to differentiate them just a little bit from the others. Orcs have already had their Wild Charge rule, but now Dwarves have “Children of Stone,” Men are “Hasty” and Elves are “Eldest.” Though we do not yet know what all these traits do in the game, one of the preview videos to hit YouTube showcased a regiment of elves ignoring a morale check for fleeing comrades, due to their “Eldest” trait.
Oathmark never quite got the love it deserved, due to its April of 2020 release date. However it has carved out a dedicated player base, including adherents such as Chris Peach of Peachy tips, Juggz and Warhammer’s painting channel, once upon a time. The game gives a healthy does of narrative to the rank & flank genre, swerving decidedly away from The Old World’s more competitive crunch. What do you think? Are you interested in Oathmark’s second edition? Have you played the first edition? Sound off in the comments!
