F is for... Field of Honor

A Game of Jousting Knights
Ragnarok Enterprises (1982, ziploc ed. $2.95)
Designer not attributed (David F. Nalle?)
Players 2 (up to 14 in tournament/melee)
Playing Time 15 minutes
Period Medieval
Scale Tactical Turn abstract
Map abstract
Unit individual horse and rider

Components and Counter Manifest

Ziploc

6 "x9" ziplock 8½"x5½" folder consisting of three 8½"x11" sheets of paper and one 8½"x11" sheet of cardstock, folded in half.

The three sheets of paper consist of the cover and rules and two pages each containing eight knight record forms.

The cardstock page contains the mapsheet/charts.
6 Knight Counters
6 hand-cut 2.75"x13/16" pieces of heavy paper, each a different color (red, green, yellow, blue, orange & tan) showing a top view of a knight on horseback.

Reprint

8½"x5½" folder consisting of two 8½"x11" sheets of cardstock and two 8½"x11" sheets of paper, folded in half.
The two cardstock pages consist of cover/rules, mapsheet/charts, and stand-up figures.
The other two pages each contain four knight record forms.
4 stand-up cards showing a side view of a knight on horseback, labelled A through D.

Ragnarok says:

“Envision the age of chivalry. The time when mounted cavalry reached its greatest heights. An important part of this period was the contest of knight against knight in the joust or Pas des Armes. This was the time of iron men who rode against each other, lance to lance, to prove their mettle. Field of Honor simulates the Pas des Armes, or informal joust, of the high middle ages.”

The reviewer says:

“The basic premise of Field of Honor is excellent. Numerous combinations of skill factors, equipment, and tactics are allowed for in the combat system. An overhead view of the charging knights determines where attacks are made, while a . . . diagram of the knights’ upper body is used to determine where blows actually strike. The overall combat system is imaginative and seems well thought out . . . “Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of many other aspects of this game. The system used to buy equipment bears no resemblance to reality. For instance, a flail . . . costs as much as a suit of plate armor. Numerous weapons may be purchased, but only one horse. If your horse is killed, do you continue on foot? That would be difficult, because there are no rules for foot movement . . . in fact, there are no movement rules at all . . . My recommendation: If you like to design games, do so. You might get paid for it. Don’t pay a ‘professional’ game designer for the privilege of finishing his work. It’s a bad investment of your time and it encourages sloppy work.” -- John Rankin in Space Gamer Number 55.

Comments:

Rankin’s review hits the mark. Outside of a couple of interesting concepts, this game has little redeeming value. The rules are incomplete, poorly organized, and badly edited. You’d think it would be easy to catch a mistakenly repeated paragraph in a four page folder. Unfortunately for the gamer, the repeated paragraphs present two different versions of the same rule! What I have termed the “Reprint Edition” was a copy I purchased directly from David Nalle a year or two ago. This edition appears to have been printed much more recently than the ziploc version. The rules and charts for both versions appear to be identical (right down to the repetition of the two contradictory paragraphs!) However, the printing quality of the later edition is very poor (streaks and stray marks). In addition, while the use of stand-up figures adds visual appeal, they actually make the game more difficult to play.

Collector’s Notes:

Boone does not list this game. A word of warning to those who may be inclined to purchase a copy of Field of Honor. There have been a number of complaints posted online from people who have sent David Nalle money and have not received product in a timely manner (even after months and months of waiting). Caveat emptor!

Other jousting games:

Tournament: Jousting (Bearhug).

More Capsule Profiles F

Introduction
Fall of South Vietnam A Game of Combat in South Vietnam: 1973-1975
Field of Honor A Game of Jousting Knights
Fight in the Skies A Realistic Game Simulating WWI Aerial Combat 4th ed
Flying Circus Tactical Aerial Combat, 1915-1918
Foxbat & Phantom Tactical Aerial Combat in the 1970’s
Fury in the West Battle of Shiloh - April 6 & 7, 1862