The rules are designed to be scale and setting agnostic and use multi-based units with no casualty removal. Which sounds right up my street quite frankly. They include some sample army lists for fantasy and ancient forces but encourage you to come up with your own giving full rules for unit generation.
The rules are really simple and clean mechanically with an easy to follow turn structure. It uses a base of troops as the basic unit that can be formed into groups if you wish. Command sections are separate and key to keeping your army in the fight but they can join units if desired.
The rules work on a random activation basis with troops outside the influence of the forces commanders often doing exactly what you don't want them to!.
There are also rules for random objectives, flank marches and pre battle misfortune that can befall your units (which I forgot to use this time like a massive tool).
First impressions are very positive, I might have to put together a few small forces to explore further. I used my 15mm dark age forces for this game, 4foot troops/ 2 cavalry to a unit.
The battlefield ready for battle. Norman' attackers at the top of the picture, Saxons at the bottom.
The Norman's center made up of Norman infantry and their Saxon subjects.
Archers protect their left flank.
The other flank was held by the flower of the Norman nobility.
For their part the Saxons deployed foresters and spearmen on their right.
Their center was held by more spears and a unit of mercenary Viking axemen.
The hill on the left was guarded by the Saxon archers who intended to fill the opposing horse with arrows.
An archery duel broke out on the Norman left while the Saxon spears prepared to take the hill.
The Norman center advances.
Likewise the cavalry who take exception to the rain of pointy sticks coming from the hill.
Things begin to get bloody as the Vikings slam into the Norman subjects.
The Norman spears crest the hill.
With their commanders out of range the archers take matters into their own hands and charge off the hill to attack the Norman horse!.
On the central hill opposing shield walls face off.
During which opposing champions prepare to have at it!.
Which goes better for the Saxon half!.
Over on the left the archers feel the sharp end of the Norman's swords as Saxon spearmen rush to reinforce them.
And get there just in time to get charged themselves.
During the fight the forces general s meet.
While to hill in the centre turned into a massive scrum.
The Norman leader is downed by his opposite number, ending the battle in the favour of the Saxon defenders.
As I said, decent rules that I'm looking forward to using again. Definitely worth a look...
After a slight mid project slump (is it just me that gets them?) I have got back to the brushes and knocked out some more units for my 10mm Burgundian wars stuff:
The Burgundians so far.
Ordonnance for the Ordonnance army!.
Another angle of the guns.
Handguns ready to bring the black powder based fury!.
I also painted some Swiss missiles in the form of some crossbow men. (After painting and basing them I then made the brilliant decision to drop them!. Cue a ton of swearing and regluing).
The complete collection so far...having a small falling out.
In other news my 15mm dark age forces got a run out, as ever my opponent was Sprinkling three: the revenge, who continued his hot streak by beating me yet again!. Here's a few pictures from my latest humiliation!.
My brave force of Normans ready to finally beat the 9 year old lead Saxon terror.
Norman warriors getting minced!.
The brave Saxon Champion 'not hiding'.
The tactical genius that is Sprinkling Three: the revenge!.
My loyalist fyrd running away!.
Norman Knights act all big.
Archers take up position on the bridge.
My leader failing to give the 'not hiding' Saxon Champion what for!.
Cake as makeshift terrain.
Saxon reserves ready to cause my downfall. Sprinkling Three calls their formation 'the train of pain'.
My champion is felled by both Saxon leaders!. This was the final act of the game sealing a well earned victory for the lad. I'll get him some time!.
Rain lashed down on the hunched figures as a flash of lightning crashed across the dark night sky, the ground sodden, now turned into a quagmire of mud and filth. somewhere in the distance a lone wolf howled half heartedly, almost awhere of the horror trope it was playing into. If you listened with great care you would swear you could hear ominous organ music being carried on the wind...
The figures toiled, each man waist deep in an open grave digging with poorly maintained shovels, oblivious to the sheets of rain intent on filling the hole they were standing in. a single lantern stood on the edge of the grave, pathetically attempting to push back the nights darkness. The hunched figures grunted as they worked. Suddenly they heard a dull 'clunk' as spade hit wood, they glanced at each other with trepidation, had they reached what they were looking for?. As water ran down their faces each man scraped away the dirt from the lid of the coffin. The larger of the two moved over to the edge of the hole to fetch a rusted crowbar. With the deliberate movements of a true evil henchman he found the rim of the coffin lid and began to work it loose. Both men stood back and covered their mouths and noses with stained filthy hankercheifs as another crack of lightning split the sky. The lid was thrown back, the putrid stench of death filling the air. 'Shit' exclaimed the larger man in frustration, 'wrong one'.
And thus the blog was reborn... well dug up and left to limp about the place banging into stuff while bits of it fall off needing to be stapled back on but still I reckon it counts!.
As you are no doubt awhere the above is a poor attempt to resurrect this once dead den of gaming related bollocks once more, maybe it never really died, who can tell?. I do know I have regained some kind of motivation and focus to get back on the (stinking and flogged half to death) scabby horse that is this blog. my last post was a staggering seven months ago (I have been piddling about over here off and on) and it feels like high time I got to doing some other game related stuff.
So, what have I been up to in all the time I have not been blogging?, well, I have been doing alot of reading, mostly getting stuck into a lot of Osprey historical titles mostly focusing on the late medieval period and Italian wars although I have been also skirting around the Dark ages too. This has been rather good (if not rather too grown up) and has given me a desire to do some more historical based gaming (shock horror!!). Now most of you know I tend to only very loosly touch on history on this blog with most of my previous projects being fantasy based,,,and a bit stupid. So why the change?, Well in a word...dunno.
I have been planning and working towards some projects based on my current facination with historical stuff, namely some 'after 1066' Norman and Saxon forces I intend to use for some skirmishy games based just after the conquest focusing on William trying to consoladate his hold on his new lands. I think it would be a good backdrop for some localised rebellions and uprisings and other similar stuff. I have been using some 15mm minis from forged in battle to represent the forces which I have really enjoyed painting.
Normans
Saxons
I decided to experiment with my painting style by only using base coats (so no highlighting or shading). This was partly to improve my speed and brushwork forcing me to be more tidy as I had no wash to hide my normal slap happy methods!. Also I was attempting to create a sort of 'toy soldier' style, crisp bright colours to make the troops look kind of cartoony and unrealistic just to see what I would get. I have to say I have been a little untidy in places but for the most part am quite pleased with them. Heres a closer look at the Normans:
Norman Horse
Norman foot
Lowly Norman archers
Norman Leaders
A bunch of saxons loyal (willing or otherwise) to the Norman overlords.
And heres the Saxon forces:
Saxon Huscarles
The Fyrd ready for some fyrding!
The Saxon leadership.
Saxon archers
Extra Huscarles? I had loads in this pose so may use them as the leaders bodyguard depending on the rules im using.
One reason I decided to base them individually is because I realised I actually dont have any full forces based this way, everything else is multibased so these will let me use a bunch of other rules such as the Rampants and Oathmark and such.
On top of these I also have a hankering to play some other larger scale games and became quite interested in the Swiss vs Burgundian wars of the 15th century so have decided to put together the opposing forces to do some battles using either
or
Whichever way I go the basing will work for both so no problem either way!. To this end I have ordered a metric fu*ktonne of 10mm troops to represent the armies from the always great pendraken which turned up this morning!
A fu*ktonne of yay!!.
I have also painted a few Swiss pike to get a feel for what I want to do with all this, heres what I have so far:
They are pretty tiny but as always with Pendraken they are really nice to paint. I will be using 40 man pike units so still some way to go before i base my first unit!.
Hopefully I will have more of an update to err... update you all with soon.
