Campaign for the Kingdom: Battle of Broken Hills

The first warm day in what had been a bitter winter, dawned over the Kingdom. Horace, Duke of Dunharrow, and claimant to the throne, had roused his men early and had them on the march. With him rode the men of Stonekeep, led by the young Baron Lionel. With him was also Rutiger the Younger, son of the deposed King. Strange allies in what had been an even stranger campaign.

They had marched most of the morning and had but to make the pass through the Broken Hills, those troll haunted hills said to be the burial place of giants.

But that is where Horace ran into Oswald, Baron of Ock. 

Oswald's spies had informed him of Horace's route. He gathered his bannermen Roderick, Duke of Greendale and Archibald of Westgate. Togther they would smash this usurper and put the rightful king of the throne. Meaning, himself.

This was the usual slugfest, but with a twist. As fate would have it, most of the commanders rolled abysmal Commander Ratings. Only Mike, controlling Rutiger, got a Brilliant ratings. Leaders would have to stay tight to stay in command. This would lead to some close in fighting. Any breaks in the line would be quickly exploited.

Troops await picking, just like a giant dodgeball match.

Pick me!

Lionel urges his men up the hills

THere was the usual start and stop as troops closed. I controlled Lionel on the far left of Horace's line. My plan was to get into the hills and hold the crest against all comers. This would prove difficult. By the time I got there, my men were winded (one of the few rules sets I know that takes into account fatigue). I had the only horses on the table, and failed command roll sent them hurtling forward. They died under a hail of arrows. The rest of my troops didn't fair much better.

But, on the rest of field, Horace's men were killing or driving off most of the center. With all but one unit of archers left in my command, it looked as if Horace would get outflanked. Archibald's men turned to attack Horace. This left them horribly exposed to my archers on the hill. Turn by turn they chopped Archibald's command down, until finally the ninth unit in Oswald's army broke, bringing victory.

Oswald was captured and, in front of his men, executed. The wind picked up and cold weather moved in. It appeared winter had not ended. Men were sent to winter quarters. 

Lionel had felt slighted after the battle. Horace had taken the credit for victory. But was it not his men who had held the line? Was it not his men who turned the tide?

Horace, it seemed, would have a new opponent come spring....

A storm of Arrows - Campaign for the Kingdom

Last night we continued our Campaign for the Kingdom. Duke Ulric of Kragg, the Claimant to the throne, had finally cornered the wily Horace, Duke of Dunharrow. They met on a mostly open field, marred by a small area of broken ground.

Both forces moved slowly toward each at first. But, then as it always happens, a spooked horse, or a misheard shout triggered sporatic charging. The trim lines broke apart. Units became separated. The slow foot knights and pikes left behind.

The forces face each other

Once the lines got close, the arrows were loosed. Let me stop here. In Flower of Chivalry, the system we have used for years, two things have been constant:

1) Even if one side takes the lead, the other side always catches up and we have a very close game. Most games decided by one or two units loss.

2) Bows are good at softening up the enemy. They usually get 1 at most 2, shots before having to dive into the melee where they usually get the worst of it. Bows are not battle deciders.

This was not the case last night. 

The forces of Duke Horace completely rolled over Ulric's. I mean, it wasn't even close. Ulric lost half his forces, 9 units, to Horace's 2. Chief killers were the bows. They either drove off the enemy, in the case of Baron Lionel holding the left of Horace's line, his bows drove two enemy units completely off the field (which almost never happens) and killed 2 others. One in melee.

The aftermath was predictable. Ulric, defeated, was brought before Horace, who promptly had Ulric's head.

Lionel cheers his men forward.

Duke Horace was now Claimant to the throne. Lionel, Baron of Stonekeep had been publicly chastised by Horace for suffering the only losses of the day. His valiant archers. An angry Lionel returned to Stonekeep, there to plot his revenge.....

The game was over so quick (hour and a half) it was still daylight out, so we played a game of "Popular Front", a great little boardgame of the Spanish Civil War. Highly recommended.

Campaign for the Kingdom

Flush with his last victory, Oswald, Baron of Ock and Lord of the North Marches marched on the capital, assured by his hangers-on that he would be crowned KIng. But, barring his way was Roderick, Duke of Greendale. It seems Roderick, after watching his sovereign fall in battle, had taken up the standard in defense of the kingdom. He would fight for the people, and in turn they would crown him. So, Roderick was quite dismayed when he saw the former king's own son, Rutiger, marching with Oswald.

They met outside the walls of the Stone Keep.

Oswald's Battle line

Roderick's

We me again to decide the fate of the kingdom. As usual, each player started with a core of 3 units: dismounted knights, billmen and archers. From there we took turns picking 3 more (kickball team style) until each player had 6 units. Victory was set at 18 Morale points. Loss of a unit counted as 2 Morale points, and each terrain feature one.

Now the best part, rolling for Leader abilities. The contenders must of been tired from the march, because they both came up with a "Plodding". This would limit their Action Deck and their flexibility. All except for Lionel, Baron of Stonekeep. Defending his own lands, he operated at "Brilliant". This would allow him some freedom to operate outside Roderick's command radius.

Lionel's troops surge forward.

The battle started with Roderick's forces charging out the gate. All except Lionel, who stood firm. (Mostly because of a failed Maneuver roll, which caused his troops to go on "React" orders instead).This caused the ranks to become spread out, as the faster, lighter troops surged ahead.

On Oswald's side, much the same.

As the troops moved towards each other, most were able to readjust their lines. All except Edwin, Baron of Fennwyck, who's troops seemed to alternate between charging and holding. Charging and holding.

On the Claimant's left, Rutiger's troops were the first to clash. He and Lionel's troops went at it with gusto. Separated by the river, it was a battle in itself. Both battled around the bridge and adjacent woods. Soon, both had lost half their troops.

In the middle, however, was where the battle was decided. Finally coming to grips, Oswald and Roderick's troops hammered each other. This lasted several turns, but was soon over. All but Roderick's pikes fled or were destroyed. A stunning second victory for Oswald (18 to 12). On to the capital!

After the battle Roderick was captured and beheaded. Meanwhile, their was desent in the victor's ranks. Edwin, who had done his part to capture the village, feeling snubbed joined the ranks of the Contenders. Soon he would lead them

As usual, a very enjoyable evening of medieval mayhem. I need to sit down and write my version of "10 Games That Define Me", and Flower of Chivalry will be at the top.

The Campaign for the Kingdom 2.0

The KIngdom has been in turmoil since Rutiger the Usurper took the throne. And so it was, that within a year of his coronation, Rutiger was already fighting for his crown.

Oswald, Baron of Ock, Lord of the North Marches, gathered a three of the other great houses against Rutiger. They met on the rolling countryside outside the capital.

The forces were about equal. The King had brought three of his closest allies, men who had been key in winning his crown. As the morning fog burned away, the forces face each other. Battle lines were crisp. Flags fluttered in the breeze. It was all very beautiful, really.

Then, a single horn cut the silence, and Rutiger's troops lurched forward. Across the field, Oswald's men did the same.

Both sides fought to keep their lines tight, but both had starts and stops. Some nobles stopped to allow their archers some play. Men fell.

It was finally in the center, where Rutiger and Oswald met. The king's men would get the worst of it. The center was not holding....

On the flanks, Royalists troops were beating back the rebels. It looked like it would be a close thing.

Then, the center gave. Rutiger's men fled the field. With their king retreating, the royalists retreated. In the confusion the king fell from his horse. Oswald's men captured him.

There, in within sight of his capital he fought his own uncle to take, Rutiger lost his head.

The king is dead. Long live King Oswald!

As usual, Flower of Chivalry gave us a great game. There was a lot more use of the Marcher Men (Welsh and Irish auxillaries really), They proved tough troops. I hope to add some light horse to the mix, and some fantasy elements. The campaign is off! Read more how the campaign works here.

Also, we had an extra treat. The National WW1 Museum (the biggest & best in the country) is sponsoring our local con RECRUITS. This weekend, the museum is letting RECRUITs host several games in the Museum's main hall. Among them will be a trench game that one of our group brought in to test last night.

As you can see very cool. Packed in nice little 2x4 carrying case.

of Bugbears and Battles

Finally. I painted up some the stunning 15mm figs from Splintered Light I bought at the Spring RECRUITS earlier this year. This is a Bugbear Chieftain and his bodyguard. Since they were mostly brown (according to the ancient Monster Manual I own), I decided to make their gear mostly black. I wanted more of a tarnished look, so for these guys, I did more of a bronze armor. The rest, of which I bought a ton, will have more traditional steel/iron armor.

I'll have more painting to post tomorrow. Hopefully.

Last Thursday we ran Flower of Chivalry game. A blast as usual. I premiered the Battlelust wheel for keeping track of orders and each commands status. Went over well.

The battle itself had the usual push and pull, then one giant collapse we all have come to love.

Some highlights:

The king's battleline (I gotta figure out this camera)

The Pretender advances

There's cover in these woods men!

Steady! Hold that camera steady....

The king wades into the fray.

This Thursday is a Fast Play Grand Armee game.

Mortimer's Cross - sort of

After all the crazy-ness of Comic-Con, I guess I needed the comfort of a good game of historicals. I dug my most favorite-est Medieval rules, Flower of Chivalry, and ran the War of the Roses battle of Mortimer's Cross. 

Edward (York) is trying to keep Lancastrian forces from uniting and heads them off at the River Lugg at the town of Mortimer's Cross. More people showed up than planned (Hey, look, its Roger!) and I had to add some fictional troops from what figs I had left. Thus, in the pics you'll see some mythical pikemen.

Lancastrian forces cross the river

Yorkist forces started to the west of the river, Lancastrians to the east. Victory points for holding the town, and even more holding the bridge.

The battle was a close one (as usual). Highlights included a lowly band of archers holding out against three heavier units (including pikemen) until the end. In the end, it was a marginal Yorkist victory. Huzzah!

I've had these boys for 20+ years. They have seen many battles.

My brave little archers

Thursday Medievals

"I say Sir Archibald, this looks like it's going to be walk in the park."

With almost everything but minis and terrain packed away for the big move, we had to play something I knew by heart. Flower of Chivalry (or Battle Lust, as it's affectionately known) is favorite for everyone.

We started with everyone getting the same base troops: ONe unit of dismounted knights or retainers, one unit of billmen and one of longbows. Then, starting with the generals, each player picks one unit from the pool. This alternates sides till everyone had four total (for a quicker game).

The forces arrayed in all their splendor

The fun comes when we dice randomly for each commander's efficiency, always a nail biter, especially with the leaders. Of course, one side got a "Buffoon" and the other a "Brilliant" commander. I could see the look of doom come over the Buffoon's side, Roderick the Simple. In the rules, your commanders command radii and ability to issue orders are based on their level of efficiency. It only got worse when his subcommanders rolled another Buffoon, a Plodding and an Efficient, while most of the other side were Brilliant. It looked like it was going to be a short game.

Preparing for the inevitable clash

Wham!

Ahhh, but it was not to be! Through careful management of our meager resources, we (the followers of Roderick) were able to stay in the fight to the bitter end, only losing by one unit! With great glee I crushed the forces opposite me, of my 10-year-old son (hey, he had to go to bed anyway).