Lion Rampant - First play through.

After Ashak Rise we had enough time to have a quick play through of Lion Rampant.

This game was put together really quickly - using the terrain from Ashak Rise.

The retinues were:

High Elves (Snake-eyes)

Mounted Men-at-Arms 6pts

Mounted Sergents with bows 6pts

Expert Archers 6pts

Foot Sergents 4pts

Hobgoblins (Steedo)

Mounted Sergents with bows 6pts

3 Fiece Foot @ 4pts

Archers 4pts

The Elven Mounted Men at Arms a top a hill

 The activation mechanism in LR is a nice way to get the fog of war into the game. It does remind me a bit of Song of Blades and Heroes which is no bad thing. The game was the Bloodbath scenario from the rule book. First term for both sides was getting units into position - Snake-eyes probably didn't get his Foot Sergents close enough to the rest of the retinue to make a decisive attacks later in the game. Conversely Steedo didn't get his Archers moving either, but it meant they were well placed at the end.

First blood went to the Hogoblins, when they challenged and defeated the Elven leader!

The aftermath  - a wild charge by the Elves after the death of their leader!

We found the rules quick to pick up and play - which I am pretty sure we were doing right!

Also once units became battered archery was very dangerous as if a casualty was caused a courage test followed which could result in retreat and another figure being removed making the rally check  tougher next turn! 

Mounted Men at Arms - a really tough unit - smashed up at least 3 Hobgoblin units, but got battered and the 12 dice the archers were throwing took their toll.

According to the rules the game ended in draw ..... 

However, we ended playing through to last man standing.....when Snake-eyes says "I can't believe you really think you can win from here..!"

With most surviving units battered and just trying to stay on the table Snake-eyes marches his Foot Sergents at Steedo's Archers - who pepper them with arrows on the long march over .... Causing a courage test just as the Sergents get into attack distance - and Snake-eyes rolls snake-eyes again! Battered and the game is over!

Overall we enjoyed Lion Rampant a lot, quick to play and pick up. There was little fuss involved in playing, always a good sign. Will probably be using Lion Rampant for fantasy games as I don't actually have any historical figures for the period - so I am waiting on Dan Mersey's Rule variations which will be published in one of the wargames magazines in the future....

Ashak Rise - Battle Report

Well last night scenario 2 of Blood Bath at Orc's Drift was played. DK was the Served Hand Orcs and took the option to have King F'yar and his guard as well. Steedo and Snake-eyes took on the roll of Borinn Fimbul and the dwarf prospectors (or deserters if you perfer).   

Dwarfs in starting positions

Arrival of the Hobhounds of the Served Hand Orcs

Literally "let slip the dogs of war!"

The Dwarfs made a dash for the bridge - but the speed of the hounds was too much and unfortunately they didn't make it and were chewed to bits. This was one of the two key moments in the game. The hounds taking out the dwarfs before they had a chance form a blocking line on the bridge meant it was race against time to get tp the gold out! One the dwarfs could not win.

The hobhounds dashing over the bridge!

The remaining dwarfs head back to the house and gold. While the horde march on. The orc archers start lining up on the river bank to overwhelm a couple of dwarf crossbow troops in cover behind the wall.

The Hobhounds eye up their next snack

King F'yar makes his attack on the escaping dwarfs 

The Orc King and his mount make short work of Borinn's son and a clansman! The use of the Orc King was the second key to the orcs victory. The dwarfs had no answer to the speed of the wyvern.

The relentless march of the Severed Hand Orcs

Borinn makes an Escape attempt - but to no avail!

A highlight of the game here as the mule inflicts a wound on the wyvern - a nasty bite! Borinn did inflict a wound on F'yar only to have it saved! The next turn the mule and Borinn were in pieces.

This was basically the end of the game - there were a couple of dwarfs to mop up, which they duly did.

The narative of the game worked well - what was very clear in this game was that DK (the Orcs) was rolling very well and Steedo and Snake-eyes were rolling very badly (infact Snake-eyes managed snake-eyes twice!). The victory points for the game were grim reading the Dwarfs ... 35-2. The Severed Hand Orcs will be early to Orc's Drift.

Thanks to DK, Steedo and Snake-eyes for coming over. Next stop Linden Way!

Dealing with duplication

I suppose I am like many wargamers I buy figures because I like them, the "Ooo shiney" syndrome which when added to the I "need" a couple of those to finish off the army - "Mission creep".

I have a number of completed DBA armies - Greek, Persian, Thracian, Roman and Macedonian (and a couple of unpainted - Celtic and Carthagian). These can be morphed into HoTT armies as I have a number of bases of creatures from mythology. So this is all well and good.

To be honest the anicents aren't really the problem - HoTT armies are. I have accumulated 2 orc armies using Ral Partha miniatures. These figures can easily be used to fight Greeks or Romans etc. 

This is the Warband Army.

Made up of 3 Riders, 2 Shooters, 5 Warbands (including the general) and 4 Hordes (or Spears if I want to buff the army a bit).

This is the Blade Army. 

Made up of 2 Riders, 2 Shooters, 4 Blades (including the general) and 5 Hordes (or Spears). There is also the Orc Warmachine as artillery - not pictured. 

Then there are these 2 (effectively orc) Lord of the Rings armies. 

Angmar

Made up of the Witchking (either a Hero or Knight general), 2 Riders, 2 Beasts, 4 Warbands (including a general) 1 Behemoth and 4 Hordes.

Mordor

Made up of a Nazgul (either a Hero or Knight general), 1 Riders, 2 Spears, 3 Blades (including a general) 1 Behemoth and 8 Hordes.

There is also a 2nd Age Elf army - and recently I completed the Numenor/Early Gondor Cavalry. Plus Wood Elf, Rohan and Haradrim in very unpainted states in a box. The above discussion doesn't even to bring in the Warhammer Elf and Hobgoblin armies for even more duplication. 

The bottom line is that I don't need to store this many armies .... My current thinking is to sell off the Lord of the Rings stuff, perhaps keeping some for skirmishing ....

Any suggestions about the duplication dilemma would be appreciated. 

Yet another average film

Well I'm my weaken state I manage to watch The Last Legion with Colin Firth. Well an interesting if very cliched take on the Arthur myth. 

Some of the battle scenes were a little weak - the bad guys running to their deaths. There were lots of anachronisms with armour etc. The most of cast and probably the sets were refugees from ROME.  The story was predictable with female warrior, betrayal when they returned from rescuing Romulus. The film had aspersions to be epic - the walk over the Alps was like a scene from the Fellowship of the Ring. Unfortunately it wasn't epic - it was OK. So 3 average films seen over the weekend, will need to do better.

Filling time when you are not well

Absolutely gutted this weekend - all ready to go wild camping on Friday night followed by a 20 mile hike on the moor only to be struck down by some virus - sore throat, high temperature feeling very tired. Not going was the right thing to do but still gutting!

Not feeling well also means I don't feel like painting either so I ended up watching Season of the Witch.

What did I think of it?

Well battle scenes at the start were poorly done - crusades without horses? Charging 250+ metres across desert in full armour? Actually the armour was from the wrong century 11/12th and it is set in the 1330s. Nick and Ron had the worst helmets in the army, looked a bit playmobil.

The film ran like a RPG campaign - you could see the GM putting the background story together to get the characters to work as a team on the quest and adding in NPCs, followed by the "twist" ending where the party have to fight zombie monks and a demon (sorry spoiler there) - lots of d20 rolls needed there! Nick Cage's (and the bloke who played the scoundrel) accents were grating but I suppose within a fantasy realm acceptable. Overall a very average film not sure it made 3 out 5.

From the sick pit! :(

Update - Iron Sky 

Very silly but I liked it - some good satire in there. I'll rate it higher than Season of the Witch, so a solid 3/5. 

Ashak Rise - Orc's Drift Scenario 2 ready!

Well almost ready! Finally painted and based the required extra figures needed to run the second scenario for the old 2nd edition Warhammer scenario park - Blood Bath at Orc's Drift and thought I'd do a little photo shoot of the troops to be involved and discover that 2 of the figures that have been sitting in box files for years have incomplete bases Agggghhhh! Bloody annoying! Not a major problem as we won't be getting together to play the game until 27th March, so it can and will be sorted.

First up King F'yar - painted an based!

I have to say I am pleased with this - incidently I gloss varnish (always have had the intention to Matt later but I am too lazy!) to give the figures a bit of protection from food residue from the players hands!

Next up the Severed Hand Orcs - Melee troops first with Hagar Sheol

Any passing resemblance to the Mighty Throg and the Despoiling Hobgoblins of the Darklands is inescapable!

Next the archers.

Only ever have had 8 hobgoblin archers - so there are a couple of LotR Uruk Hai scouts lurking at the back to make up the numbers.

The hobhounds and Grashak Kra (well some hobhounds, some Ral Partha hellhounds and some Standard Games armoured Rottweilers).

Next up their Dwarfish opponents!

The unfinished base belonging to Borinn Fimbul!

The rules will be the 6th Edition with the Warband amendments for small unit actions - the commanders on the night will be allowed to sort their forces out - with units being at least 3 models strong - apart from the hobhounds.  

Good news is that I have started the Linden Way Milita so still on for the end of April!

I am really looking forward to trying out the Lion Rampant rules - an excellent way for me to use the Warhammer stuff I can't part with but rarely use .... Might have to be a solo run through as I have a busy week with work! Always in the way of a good game!