Introduction to Black Powder - featuring Rick Priestley

Black Powder writer Rick Priestley takes us through how to start playing the game!

[@GiftofChaosStudio]

Man, I remember the good old days of GW and reading articles with Rick and Alessio and Jervis. I've since grown up and Warlord is now my go to company! Glad to support the people I looked up to as a kid and teenager! Thanks for all you do!

[@pgon9097]

Those 3 guys created an entire universe that many of our teenage years were occupied in escape from our realities. Actually several universes

[@MrGunnar177]

They are truly the greatest rule designers.

[@jamesvalentine2845]

I think the idea of so much agreement and discussion and gentlemanly conduct between players would terrify the players of a certain space game which inherently creates conflict between the players.

[@wigster600]

Ikr, doctor who has a proper divided player base.

[@jamesvalentine2845]

@@wigster600 I was actually thinking of something much more vile and cancerous

[@jamesvalentine2845]

@Quinn Paynter yet bolt action UK is horrific. I stopped playing and only paint. Genuine cunts play that game

[@KenOfthewest]

You are probably right about competition play, or some players, but in our local group we have great fun. Especially now that we have gone into Konflikt 47, as that really makes it a fun game!

[@jamesvalentine2845]

@@KenOfthewest I won't bother playing it. Too many ex GW players I find. So the attitudes are just vile and hateful.

[@loupdeguerre]

it does make one feel something when you start watching a video and hear " the Perry twins" and instantly know who they are even after gone at least fifteen years without hearing or reading those words... It's quite amazing the impact they had on the miniature world for that to just you know... Happen.

[@dungeonsanddobbers2683]

The Perry twins basing their collection on whatever sized bases they felt like? Now _that's_ soldiering!

[@blister4walken]

As others have said, a Pike & Shotte video would be great. I'm about to dive into that historical battleground and need inspiration. Rick is a legend of our hobby. Long may he reign.

[@warlordgames]

That's not a bad idea, will look at doing one for the future for sure!

[@kartchner7]

Agreed would love a pike and shot video!!!

[@15mmGustavus]

​@@warlordgamesReally hope you guys do that with your epic range.

[@Flowerz__]

Rick is a LEGEND!!!!

[@Vlad65WFPReviews]

I've often thought it was too easy to get multiple moves in BP by rolling 2 or more under your command number, but it was interesting to hear Rick say he really wants a game that gets things resolved quickly, so that speedy movements fits that aim.

[@warlordgames]

BP is deceptively quick to play, it's best with an evening with friends (and food).

[@Kallistosprom]

Lovely gentleman who I met at a GamesDay many years ago. Enhanced my enjoyment of GW and now just bought the rulebook for Black Powder 2nd edition. Look forward to my next stage of the wargaming journey.

[@TheMikeman11]

It is always a pleasure to hear the thoughts of the illustrious Rick Priestly. I am very much interested in playing Black Powder.

[@danburrill8716]

IIRC, about 30 years ago I accidentally nicked his ref's seat at a GW Games Day. I was 13 and had a leg in plaster after breaking my ankle. He was very apologetic when he asked for his seat back.

[@johnwayneeverett6263]

I WANT TO SAY RICK THANKS FOR HELPING ON OUR HOBBY ....YOU HAVE A GOOD HEART AND MIND.....THANK YOU VERY MUSH TODAY I BUY YOUR BOOK ...

[@squee317]

John Wayne Everett Ok boomer

[@GuyMaleMan]

@@squee317 Dude he's being nice, that's not cool

[@jonnyenglish1776]

Ive been looking for something like this for years. I loved Warhammer as a Kid and as an adult I was hoping to find something similar that would be set in a more real life historical setting. This is EXACTLY what I wanted. Ontop of that the designers of the original games I fell in love with seem to be the ones who started all of this. IM A WARLORD GAMES FANBOY FROM DAY ONE. Thanks for this. Placing an order for a Black powder starter set as we speak. Going to get into this big time. Going to be spreading the news about this new company and telling all my wargaming friends about this. you just gained some new customers.

[@corbetcrey]

How did it go? :)

[@TheRendar]

Great video Rick ! Absolutely love this game since it’s first release and use it for several periods of conflict . Continue the great work warlord games. The book is beautiful .

[@NicGamz]

Thank you very much for this great video. I Would love to see more of this from the other historical battles? Pike & Shotte, Hail Caesar, bolt action etc. My personal vote is that you make a new video with Pike & Shotte. Suggestion to improve the next video, have 45 degree angel of the camera of the table. Maby also more closer so we can see the fine quality painted miniatures. Well done gentlemen.

[@1337fraggzb00N]

I never thought, that this could be so interesting. Got here by accident, but I do not regret it. Have a good time :)

[@kairuomefutaku2638]

Same.

[@ADHDlanguages]

Great stuff. Would love to see more like this (particularly with Hail Caesar).

[@keatscast7434]

I still always get a kick out of this video. Rick seems exactly like I imagined him from reading his GW stuff. I keep meaning to get into black powder, but there isn't much of a group for it in my area and I don't have the sway to make it happen locally.

[@MrGunnar177]

Sometimes to have to foster a community. You can start with just one other friend and grow From there. Takes time but if you play it they will come. If you happen to be in the Houston area I’d be more than happy to roll dice

[@100idb2]

This looks good. Thank you for the demo. My friend and i are interested in starting an ACW game and were looking for a good rule set.

[@louchy]

Would love to play this game but my mates only want spehss mareens.

[@MrGunnar177]

Come over to Houston would love to play!

[@tomrichardson7792]

Great to see Rick, really enjoyed this.

[@mrdaveofdaveshire7423]

Doesn't really entice me into buying black powder but I can see the logic behind the rule set. Give me sharp practice with a few amended house rules much more fun, but...intended for different play styles I know. Still love Rick though. Chilled out guy, not desperately unhappy as people tend to think.

[@user-tg7wf2zd3m]

I just got the black powder American civil war guts and glory starter set.

[@GreenEagle34]

I'm super keen to get some Austrians.. can't wait for the Perry plastic Austrian cavalry

[@edwardgonzales7592]

Great! Really would like to see more videos like this. Enjoyed the game ementsly. Thank you

[@Nobleshield]

After years I finally found a club interested in more than Warhammer. Getting started in Napoleonics with Black Powder! I'd love to play Bolt Action too but my group feels it's a bit too small for their WW2 taste.

[@TechieGuy2011]

Just picked up Epic Battles ACW. Looking forward to playing. This playthrough is an excellent accompaniment to the rules! I have been minuature gaming for a long time and for casualty markers I have found binder page reinforcements to work well. They're little doughnut shaped pieces of paper that you can simply loop around a figure's gun to mark as a casualty.

[@johnwayneeverett6263]

I AM GLAD THAT WE HAVE BLACK POWDER ...PERRY ..CALPE ...FRONT RANK ..VICTRIX ..ECT MADE THE HOBBY MUCH BETTER LOOK AT AL THE ARMIES ECT WE CAN DO NOW....THANK YOU

[@user-rm9qs4hz1p]

Picked up Napoleon’s epic starter set a while back, slowly getting through it. May add the British once done. But really interested in painting the large 28mm models. So may try and venture into that if I can find a local club or group

[@alphacypher7099]

Honestly I really like this video as I'm new to the black powder game. And think its really helpful to further explain the way things work. I play warhammer and bolt action mostly and find it easy to learn.

[@AndysEastCoastAdventures]

Good fast rules but their seem to be a lot of shooting and firing going on but no deaths. Destroying a unit seems quite difficult.

[@judgecohen1373]

Wild ferret of tabletop gaming! PRIESTLEY!!!

[@manuelkong10]

So if you give three identical orders to three different units, they're treated as ONE order despite there having to be 3 different messengers/ADCs going to Each Unit individually....ok and then, if you don't get to move every unit due to a bad die roll, YOU get to pick which unit moves>? You will get to move the most advantageous unit??

[@theinquisitionsparrot6749]

I really want to play the game, and this really helps!

[@Chrisbo123]

Great vid! Please more content on BP!!!

[@Flowerz__]

Please do this with hail Caesar and pike & shotte pleassreeeee

[@kartchner7]

Yes please give us a video just like this for the other systems

[@farpointgamingdirect]

I'd like to see Warlord Games shops; I'm tired of my local shop in the US no longer carrying many of your products

[@michaelroos7944]

Unfortunately I'm a south African living in Pretoria and I know of only 3 players in my city besides myself 😢

[@koalabeertje1]

Do the british have a choice in Not forming square? - one of their rules is "Must form square" as i remember it :)

[@AngelovdRuit]

wow what strikes me most is the amount of "most people will agree" the amount of cooperation is something you don't really see in warhammer. Seems to be easy enough to get into black powder.

[@KenOfthewest]

Great intro to the rules. However, bit confused by the Cavalry charge on the Infantry in Line, which decided to stand in Line. Is this a rule change? In Black Powder I, Napoleonic Infantry with the 'Form Square' rule, can and must form square!

[@Kargush]

Seems like a change to the rules, considering how he words himself.

[@pancakepayneypayne6499]

If i'm correct British troops that are anchored by a building or troops on either side, can stand and fire at a cav charge. i'm sure its in AB2.

[@jabbamiles]

Also I didn't think you could charge something you couldn't see at the start of the charge move. So if only one move distance away with troops in between surely he couldn't see the target at the start of the charge move?

[@marecki9845]

I think its a mistake, like 5 HtH combat value for standard size unit or 2 shooting value for square.

[@KenOfthewest]

Tend to agree.

[@JohnDoe-xk2fl]

39:28- Shouldn't Rick have to take a test at -2 since he has 2 casualties over his Stamina? Also --48:50-- musketry- Ok, the unit shooting gets -1 for shooting at a unit not completely in the front arc, but why are the number of dice also being reduced? I don't see this in the rulebook. It appears to be random and arbitrary. According to the main rules in second edition it should be a total of -1 to the roll, not number of dice (-1 disordered, -1 for obscured target and +1 close range). You would still roll the full number of dice with a 5+ needed to hit. I wish they would have stuck to the rules and not decided things arbitrarily. If, they are following the rules in a supplement then they should point that out when it comes up. I actually, like the rules for a simpler game for battles of that era, but this video is not extremely helpful due to the lack of clarity and not following of the rules. This is somewhat surprising to me as the video comes directly from Warlord and Rick Priestly. Please guys, put in the corrections for the rules missteps in the video. Thank you.

[@tabletopbattlezone7236]

He said something about the loss of a dice because some of the bases of the shooters were completely out of line of site at who they were shooting at.

[@PPM902]

Well played guys

[@Bobbymaccys]

The wallet of this Sharpe fan is about to get lighter!

[@Maxyshadow]

Don't want to be a rules lawyer but 36:30 didn't Rick only get two hits not five? Isn't it against the rules to charge masked enemy?

[@stevelille54]

I still find it odd that it is easier to get 3 orders than 1 or 2! But still getting them

[@rcspaintservice]

I want to see a video where you use ACW miniatures!!!!!!!!

[@RomanianAlphaDaddy]

Thought this was gonna be a detailed guide about getting into black powder shooting

[@dougearnest7590]

This kind of Black Powder requires less cleanup.

[@Cherokie89]

Wait, so you can't charge an enemy from the flank or rear? Can you engage the enemy with infantry and then charge the flank with cavalry?

[@MrArmour]

I have just started playing Hail Caesar, which uses, I understand, pretty much the same system. The way to get a flank/rear charge in that game is to spend Turn X moving into position, then on Turn X+1 you make your charge. So charges are technically feasible, but tricky to execute.

[@thepiratepenguin4465]

is there a video like this for Pike & Shotte?

[@JoeyJoJoJoestarJuniorShabadoo]

The Emperor himself!

[@timothyzufelt955]

not a huge fan of the rules and stuff of this game, but Rick seems like hilarious guy. Hopefully they do this for some other games

[@MarcCelisKuss]

I don’t get how you can move in open terrain for a long distance & shoot without having the resting, in line opposing infantry firing a single shoot... this rule doesn’t make any sense...

[@bobgnarredbeard1207]

I am confused by the first move :( The guy on the left says the brigade must be "coherent" at the end of the move. Does that mean all touching? But the guy on the right has the cavalry separated from the foot? What happened? If you are going to do a demo, you should start with how to pick troops, and how they are organized,

[@thomaswallace7577]

Coherent means each unit must end with 6 inches of another unit in the brigade. I hope this helps :)

[@bobgnarredbeard1207]

@@thomaswallace7577 Thanks, that is helpful. Now I need a demo of "how to get started with Black Powder.)

[@CelticNotts]

I can very much see the echoes of warmaster in the system. does it work other scales as well as it seems like the system is made for smaller scales/large armies?

[@maxxon99]

We regularly play with 15mm. The game is pretty scale agnostic. You can either scale down all measurements to fit more units on the table... OR you can stuff way more figures on same size bases for truly spectacular looking games without sacrificing playing time. If I have one complaint about BP, it's that the damage system can be a bit confusing -- units are relatively rarely actually removed from the table. Rather they are reduced to "shaken" status where they can't really do anything and once you have too many of those your brigade is broken and once you have too many of those you lost. You don't actually have to remove a single figure to lose a battle. It's very hard to actually remove a unit. You just have to keep hitting shaken units and hope they roll badly on the break table.

[@pjones9999]

It's a combination of Warmaster (Rick's game) and Epic Armageddon (Jervis' game). Not as good as either IMHO.

[@nilskuhl2967]

Pls do such an introduction video for the new Epic scale acw:)))

[@rickybell2190]

I don't get why people who enjoy napoleonic gaming wish to play games that have been diluted down to allow bigger games. So you can put a lot more figures on a table but sacrifice a number of historical procedures along with telling your enemy your intentions. So no skirmishers to harass the lines, no real supports, advances towards cavalry in LINE and gets to volley at said cavalry....yeah ok.

[@rickybell2190]

@@ohthreefiftyone most definitely. General de armee rules. Simple to learn and has everything that a napoleonic battle has to offer

[@skree272]

Honestly im just trying to find a navy game with submarines, also i dont like him having to say his intentions either... Gets rid of the surprise in a wargame, anyway i also am trying to get into 40k

[@johnwayneeverett6263]

THANK YOU ...THANKS ALOT..

[@tinywargames892]

Cool video

[@davedogge2280]

he's the man

[@mvashton]

33:35 Does the result from shooting (a 6) not disorder the troops. Will the break test following not then be on a -2 -1 for disorder and -1 for 1 excess casualty?

[@mvashton]

Well they seem to clarify a little later

[@DrivenMediaFilms]

Off topic but where is the intro music from? I know it from somewhere and it's really bugging me lol

[@donandresdeulloa4638]

Hey does anyone know if unit of cavalry can charge in attack column formation? Do they get the plus 2 to their moral saves?

[@warlordgames]

Hi thanks for your query! Drop an email to our customer service team for clarification. [e-mail]

[@Thebluefox815]

@warlordgames Can you please give me a link or explain here the p.49 morale dice modifier table of the rulebook. Because I can’t understand how or why a unit gets +1 to the save per 12’ to the commander or why having an enemy unit within 12’ would give the same? Shouldn’t it be -1?

[@warlordgames]

Email [e-mail] sorry for the late reply

[@Nobleshield]

I do like Black Powder but it's just so odd that it's designed for something so abnormal as large games with multiple people. Most people are going to have 6x4 tables or thereabouts so it's a bit strange seeing a game that's designed for such a small portion of players, although obviously, you can play it however you want in the end.

[@manuelkong10]

Well....this Was informative...one of the strengths of this game is supposed to be that you can finish battles....BUT JUST LIKE EVERY miniatures game I've seen at conventions, the two sides met in the middle AND THERE WAS NO----ZERO---MOVEMENT AFTER THAT... endless technicalities and die rolls and everybody gobbed up , stuck in the middle. hmmm....

[@melgaba7012]

In the beginning, how did you get the Staff Rating?

[@rcspaintservice]

Are the rules the same for Napoleonic wars and ACW?

[@warlordgames]

Hello Rene, yes they are.

[@rcspaintservice]

@@warlordgames thanks, then this is very helpful since I only have acw miniatures!

[@jock1488]

Rick you mean British army 😇

[@john-lenin]

Only defensive fire against charges?

[@thekameleon9785]

Hi there! Please help me with my qeustion. I already have loads of 1/72. My french are based 6 figures a base. With 6 bases per unit. My allied 8 figures a base. With 4 to 5 bases make a unit I can still play this game right out the bat? Thanks alot.

[@warlordgames]

Hello there, yes you should be able to play Black Powder in your preferred scale, give or take adjusting the measurements/ranges to suit you. What seems to be popular is either half the rangesFor or two thirds of the ranges or inches to cm's. As long as the frontage is the same (OR if both sides are happy with it it's fine).

[@thekameleon9785]

@@warlordgames thanks iam just unsure if i should re base my armies or let them stand.. Because in end a allied brigade with 4 stands is smaller then a french with 6. Thats my main worry

[@19platten20]

If it's supposed to be played with big armies why isn't the scale smaller like 15 mm or 6 mm? And pkease do more introductions and battle videos this helps a lot

[@johnnybigbones4955]

The rules as far as I recall allow for you to use different scales if you want, the point I think is that it allows you to use whatever miniatures you have, no matter what scale and no matter how they're based.

[@mhovar101]

Do you take models off the table?

[@leonleese4919]

I like being told that it is a “Club Game”, I take that to mean it sensibly it just can’t be played by just a pair of friends can’t command even a small army like the fighting at the bridge over the Sambre with the Prussian’s against Napoleons advance guard. Not an easy battle for Prussians because of the way Napoleon had designed the Corps organisation.

[@skree272]

Eventhough this isint supposed to be a skirmish game it wouldn't be bad to have a guerilla warfare game like this (in the 1700's the US did LOTS of guerilla warfare agianst the British)

[@farpointgamingdirect]

I see some similarity to Warmaster...

[@bigbake132]

Were they playing V1 or V2 for this demo?

[@gen_henry9836]

V2

[@redlancer38]

Shame about the proof reading in version 2.

[@JudexDirus]

Thier supplement books are also having problems with poor editing.

[@level9ing635]

Like the pike and shotte book having units that didn't exist in their 30yrs war section and book. They actually sell osprey books on the period, so there is no excuse for it. It just comes off as really lazy and ignorant.

[@kimchapman9198]

Priestly always looks sooo bored. Watching his other interviews on BP2 i get the impression that he is bored with the entire thing, even going so far as to say that he didn't think that BP needed a second edition

[@warlordgames]

Indeed - the sign of a very laid back chap :) indeed that's why BPII has very few changes, a tweak and a tightening up of some rules here and there. It was a major opportunity to bring the look up to date and add fluff and scenarios we couldn't fit in before :)

[@paulmccullagh4130]

And of course sting us for another £30,,,,the firm never falls far from the GW tree

[@pugsy7658]

@@paulmccullagh4130 come on no. No way that is the "GW tree". Warlord would never charge you 40 pounds for regular infantry or 60 pounds for two leaders, 120 pounds for a single large miniature or even charge you more than 30 pounds for anything infantry related. They are a very honest and in all truth, nice company to interact with

[@pugsy7658]

@@paulmccullagh4130 come on no. No way that is the "GW tree". Warlord would never charge you 40 pounds for regular infantry or 60 pounds for two leaders, 120 pounds for a single large miniature or even charge you more than 30 pounds for anything infantry related. They are a very honest and in all truth, nice company to interact with

[@funoff3207]

@@paulmccullagh4130 It's sad to see how cynical that company has made people

[@mrmatt2466]

The other guys voice keeps breaking

[@napoleonlempereur3021]

Wie öde ,mit Maßband und Würfeln "Schlachten"zu spielen.

[@columbusj3923]

Are these rules for Napoleonic only?or can you play say colonials?

[@Hunt5964]

columbus j yes you can play American War of Independence, Anglo Zulu etc

[@wagonmaker5509]

i rolled a 6 (dice show an 8) goes to show you cant trust the british players.

[@siryort7024]

@@wagonmaker5509 lol. -2 for being British! 😉

[@sirrathersplendid4825]

Hmm... Unimpressed. Been playing Napoleonics for several decades. This system is really not an improvement on rules I played in the 1980s. Captures none of the atmosphere of warfare of that age. Gonna look elsewhere.

[@BocageTiger]

Cranky Grognard. Good for you. Remember, the next generation of players will surpass you and you'll be dust when all the players are now looking to play Napoleonic's. Crust.

[@rickybell2190]

BocageTiger and going by your logic, when your dust the future generations will be using space marines and Barbie dolls to support the old guard ..... ya knob

[@sharky3864]

cheer up Rick ffs.....

[@rtk3543]

Not too impressed, this is suppose to be a Napoleonic battle yet seems more like a 18th century battle where both sides advance in line and fire at each other. Also no difference between British and French ? If each side is of equal size the British line will be wider than the French as they are in two ranks and therefor had more fire power, that was the whole point of the British line. Still it does seem a lot quicker to play and seems to avoid tedious amounts of calculating.

[@marecki9845]

This introduction did not show difference between British and French armies, especially great advantage of French attack column. In Black Powder rules, french columns are easier to command and have higher resistance for musket fire and hand to hand combat, but artillery fire is deadly for them. In addicion, British are better shooters in Black Powder in particular on the beginnign of battle when they ready to shoot ( it calls 'first fire' rule). I'm collecting Waterloo campaign, British and French troops and clash of line and attack collumn works very well for me. So this video shows only basic for all XVIII-XIX conflicts. Cheers

[@rtk3543]

Thanks Marecki, I guess the proof of the pudding is in the eating, so I need to play these rules, but I'm not a fan of 28mm scale I think its too restricting for correct formation set up.

[@markhides3015]

A bit less 'cool' and 'brilliant' would be nice...

[@awesomemydog5569]

The first time my cousin played black powder he asked me if he could be the Americans…. It was Waterloo…

[@treeman1970]

to be completely honest i think the rules aren't very good like i find it boring that you only get 3 shots at most with like 20-100 men and that cavalry charges seem pretty useless seeing that they can just make a square and they just bounce of besides some dumb rules the models are sooooooooooooooooo nice and when the battle of Waterloo set comes to my door i can make up my own rules

[@confusedcossack2885]

Cavalry can force the opponent to make a square which makes as a nice target for artillery.

[@skree272]

I also dont like having to announce my intentions, its not realistic of course some would argue "but you're a 40k player you're in a more competitive game" well yes and no

[@joek600]

when you play a game with real life Squidward Tentacles...

[@sportsbanter3885]

A penalty to hit a target because there's a building to the left of them, GTFOH...lol

[@rolandhynd4908]

I really don't like these rules and all the different derivatives but they are all my local group plays for 3000BC to 1900AD, it's very annoying!

[@theclash24]

I'm interested in the epic acw stuff they just put out... But warlord you have to have a young charismatic person teach this game not an old dude...even if it is the creator...you don't get young folks into wargames by showing an old dude...

[@jonkenny2654]

Sounds really boring

[@paulmccullagh4130]

Crap filming

[@warlordgames]

We're sorry the filming didn't work for you.

[@funoff3207]

@@warlordgames Seemed fine to me, I could see the whole board and everything I needed to and the sound was clear. Sure you could have had even more close up cameras, overhead etc and spend days editing it all together...

[@paulbeers7884]

I would like to see more material like this so find this comment unhelpful. Keep up the good work chaps!