At NWA (Nunawading Wargames Association) we've been playing a lot of Lion Rampant which invariably lead to a desire for a Dark Ages version. So I came up with Shieldwall Rampant.
I did a first draft which was pretty basic and it was quite good and a lot of fun to play. However, there were a few things that needed fixing as well as a bit more definition required for cavalry. So I worked on it a bit more and tested them out. A bit more tweaking was done and the result are the pdf that I'm hoping to post here (I don't know how to do it).
Anyway, they work well and add the flavour of the era. Cavalry is limited, as is archery. On the other hand an alteration to the Schiltron Special Rule into that of Shieldwall adds an extra bit of tactical decision making and the addition of another special rule: Thrown Weapons gives a static Shieldwall defence a bit of offensive power (not much though - Hitting on a 6 it took me 3 rolls of 12d6 to inflict 1 casualty).
Anyway, here's the download (I hope):
https://www.dropbox.com/s/6fdqfvwevtvu3ub/Shieldwall%20Rampant.pdf?dl=0
P.S. If you do happen to download these rules let me know what you think!
Cheers
IanKH
Monday, 2 May 2016
Sunday, 1 May 2016
Some Allies for Rome
I finished some British cavalry to aid their Roman overlords in hurling back the Saxon threat.
The four riders on the right are from Eureka with head swaps from the Gripping Beast Saxon Thegns box. I think they look nice (although I doubt they are 100% historically accurate). I might add another stand of these chaps but we'll wait and see if this thought comes to pass.
The two on the left are Arthur and his standard bearer from Footsore Miniature. I have some of their British infantry in the post and I;m looking forward to painting them up. Footsore make lovely figures.
The four riders on the right are from Eureka with head swaps from the Gripping Beast Saxon Thegns box. I think they look nice (although I doubt they are 100% historically accurate). I might add another stand of these chaps but we'll wait and see if this thought comes to pass.
The two on the left are Arthur and his standard bearer from Footsore Miniature. I have some of their British infantry in the post and I;m looking forward to painting them up. Footsore make lovely figures.
Sunday, 24 April 2016
One Fine Day on the Saxon Shore...
For the moment it seems that I have enough Marian/ Cesarean Romans but how do you stop painting Romans once you start when you also want to paint figures for other eras? The answer is: paint Late Romans to protect Britannia from the Saxon menace.
These are a mix of Crusader (the unarmoured guys) and Footsore Miniatures (the armoured guys). Both ranges are nice looking figures but the animation on the Footsore figures is definitely superior. That's not meant as anything disparaging to Crusader. I knew this when I purchased the figures and I wanted the unarmoured guys to look a bit more stoic. I think they go well together.
I have some British/Welsh cavalry on the painting table at the moment which is a mix of Footsore (again) and Eureka. Eureka don't make any specific British cavalry but with a head conversion on some of their Dark Ages cav they came out very nice. I'll post them when they're done.
These are a mix of Crusader (the unarmoured guys) and Footsore Miniatures (the armoured guys). Both ranges are nice looking figures but the animation on the Footsore figures is definitely superior. That's not meant as anything disparaging to Crusader. I knew this when I purchased the figures and I wanted the unarmoured guys to look a bit more stoic. I think they go well together.
I have some British/Welsh cavalry on the painting table at the moment which is a mix of Footsore (again) and Eureka. Eureka don't make any specific British cavalry but with a head conversion on some of their Dark Ages cav they came out very nice. I'll post them when they're done.
Shield transfers are by Little Big Men Studios
More Celtic Shenanigans
Well, I decided to re-base my Celts onto large common 120mm x 60mm bases. I like the look of this basing style. Besides... I managed to spread out the figures with only 9 or 10 to the front rank instead of 16. Being warbands they will need a second row but I'm planning on making these second rows with even less figures to give the impression that most of the warriors are crowding to the front.
I also made a command stand using a variety of figures. The general is from Eureka's Beowulf range with a bit of putty added to make him look more like the noble general that he is.
I also made a command stand using a variety of figures. The general is from Eureka's Beowulf range with a bit of putty added to make him look more like the noble general that he is.
Close up
I think I'll name him Duplexsix
The crazy skyclad guys
And a couple of chariots
Monday, 18 April 2016
Wednesday, 6 April 2016
There be Dragons (Rampant Ones)
Well I relented and, out of sheer boredom, I downloaded Dragon Rampant by Dan Mersey on my Kindle.
And I really like it!
I've played his other game Lion Rampant quite a bit and Dragon is, of course, pretty much the same game but with a fantasy element added. What I liked in the reading was the old D&D feel of the whole thing. I use to be a big fan of fantasy wargaming but I've been very put off in recent decades by something that I can't quite place my finger on.
So, I decided to make a warband based on the Granbretan figures that I made for Eureka. It even inspired me out of my long time funk to start sculpting them again. So there will be more figures to add to the list in the future.
Anyway, I decided to start by finishing off this little chap that has been sitting on my painting table for the last 12 months or more. He was 99% finished and only needed a couple of dashes of paint, some varnish and a nice base. He is Astrovak Mikosovar, leader of the Vulture Legion and he'll be the commander of my first Dragon Rampant warband.
And I really like it!
I've played his other game Lion Rampant quite a bit and Dragon is, of course, pretty much the same game but with a fantasy element added. What I liked in the reading was the old D&D feel of the whole thing. I use to be a big fan of fantasy wargaming but I've been very put off in recent decades by something that I can't quite place my finger on.
So, I decided to make a warband based on the Granbretan figures that I made for Eureka. It even inspired me out of my long time funk to start sculpting them again. So there will be more figures to add to the list in the future.
Anyway, I decided to start by finishing off this little chap that has been sitting on my painting table for the last 12 months or more. He was 99% finished and only needed a couple of dashes of paint, some varnish and a nice base. He is Astrovak Mikosovar, leader of the Vulture Legion and he'll be the commander of my first Dragon Rampant warband.
Saturday, 26 March 2016
One Sunny Day in 370 BC...
Well, I had my second game of Sword & Spear today. Athens v's Sparta about the time of the Corinthian Wars (sometime in late 4th Century BC ).
We used my Greeks and I worked out two lists before hand and gave my opponent, Tony, the choice of which force he wanted to use. He chose the Athenians.
The Spartan army was pretty straight forward. 5 Mora of Spartans, 5 of Helots, some cavalry and skirmishers (slings and peltasts). The Athenian army was a bit more mixed with 3 taxis of elite hoplites, 6 of regular hoplites and two levies. They also had two units of thureophoroi (medium infantry), some light cavalry and skirmishers in the form of Cretan archers and peltasts.
With Sword & Spear the first thing you do is dice for terrain and place it (again using a dice rolling mechanic). This makes the battlefield a bit random and most of the terrain will be on the edges pretty much leaving a big vacant area for the battle. Considering this is what happened in ancient battles it's nothing unusual.
I lost the scouting phase so I had to deploy first. I deployed my phalanx in a long line in various sized groups with the Spartans on their traditional right hand side in a heavy deep formation with the slingers out front. Cavalry on the left where the area was more open supported by some peltasts.
Tony deployed his Athenians in a long line with a few deeper blocks of heavy infantry here and there and his Thessalian light horse opposing my heavy cav on the open flank. Tony also secured his left flank with the thureophoroi in the rough ground.
The opening moves: The Athenians moved their medium infantry out of the rough terrain looking to out flank the Spartans. The Cretans jostled around for position on the high ground. I moved a unit of Laconian peltasts into the wood on the right with an activation die of 6 giving them extra movement. My slingers then moved up and took aim at the Athenian peltast driving them from the field.
On the other flank the Athenian phalanx move forward and our cavalry and light infantry maneuvered trying to gain advantageous positions.
More Maneuvering: The Laconian line now moved up to support the Spartans and the peltasts (again moving fast with a 6) moved though the woods and made a beeline for the high ground on the extreme right. The skirmishing continued in front of the Athenian host without much effect.
The Athenian medium infantry pushed on with their flanking maneuver but the peltasts managed to gain the high ground and they found themselves trapped between the heavy Spartan infantry and some accurate javelins striking them in the flank and rear ranks. Their only option from here was to keep moving forward and do something about those pesky peltasts.
On the other flank: Things got messy with one unit of Spartan cavalry driving off one unit of Thessalian light horse but the other unit got trapped between several units and annihilated. The peltasts on that flank drew a taxis of hoplites forward and managed to evade them. They then turned to face them and got caught flat footed when the hoplites charged again but managed to fend them off inflicting heavy casualties. But their luck didn't last and they were destroyed in the next round of fighting.
On the open flank the Athenian's after their victory, having destroyed half the Sapartan cavalry and the peltasts, now found that it was taking them valuable time getting their troops back into order. They also had the other unit of Spartan Cavalry sitting behind them.
Spartans' Advance! From here the Spartan phalanx maneuvered into position and charged into the waiting elite Athenian hoplites. This was proceeded by the slingers driving off a unit of Cretan archers. The initial clash saw the Athenians take some heavy casualties but they managed to hang on. However, as more Spartans entered the fight their numbers tipped the balance and the Athenian line began to break. On the open flank the Athenian's after thier victory now found a unit of Spartan Cavalry sitting behind them and it was taking time for them to get the troops back into order.
We used my Greeks and I worked out two lists before hand and gave my opponent, Tony, the choice of which force he wanted to use. He chose the Athenians.
The Spartan army was pretty straight forward. 5 Mora of Spartans, 5 of Helots, some cavalry and skirmishers (slings and peltasts). The Athenian army was a bit more mixed with 3 taxis of elite hoplites, 6 of regular hoplites and two levies. They also had two units of thureophoroi (medium infantry), some light cavalry and skirmishers in the form of Cretan archers and peltasts.
With Sword & Spear the first thing you do is dice for terrain and place it (again using a dice rolling mechanic). This makes the battlefield a bit random and most of the terrain will be on the edges pretty much leaving a big vacant area for the battle. Considering this is what happened in ancient battles it's nothing unusual.
I lost the scouting phase so I had to deploy first. I deployed my phalanx in a long line in various sized groups with the Spartans on their traditional right hand side in a heavy deep formation with the slingers out front. Cavalry on the left where the area was more open supported by some peltasts.
Tony deployed his Athenians in a long line with a few deeper blocks of heavy infantry here and there and his Thessalian light horse opposing my heavy cav on the open flank. Tony also secured his left flank with the thureophoroi in the rough ground.
The Spartans looking tough.
The Athenians looking brave.
The opening moves: The Athenians moved their medium infantry out of the rough terrain looking to out flank the Spartans. The Cretans jostled around for position on the high ground. I moved a unit of Laconian peltasts into the wood on the right with an activation die of 6 giving them extra movement. My slingers then moved up and took aim at the Athenian peltast driving them from the field.
On the other flank the Athenian phalanx move forward and our cavalry and light infantry maneuvered trying to gain advantageous positions.
The Athenian medium infantry pushed on with their flanking maneuver but the peltasts managed to gain the high ground and they found themselves trapped between the heavy Spartan infantry and some accurate javelins striking them in the flank and rear ranks. Their only option from here was to keep moving forward and do something about those pesky peltasts.
On the other flank: Things got messy with one unit of Spartan cavalry driving off one unit of Thessalian light horse but the other unit got trapped between several units and annihilated. The peltasts on that flank drew a taxis of hoplites forward and managed to evade them. They then turned to face them and got caught flat footed when the hoplites charged again but managed to fend them off inflicting heavy casualties. But their luck didn't last and they were destroyed in the next round of fighting.
"Testacles, put that thing away before it gets chopped off?"
On the open flank the Athenian's after their victory, having destroyed half the Sapartan cavalry and the peltasts, now found that it was taking them valuable time getting their troops back into order. They also had the other unit of Spartan Cavalry sitting behind them.
Spartans' Advance! From here the Spartan phalanx maneuvered into position and charged into the waiting elite Athenian hoplites. This was proceeded by the slingers driving off a unit of Cretan archers. The initial clash saw the Athenians take some heavy casualties but they managed to hang on. However, as more Spartans entered the fight their numbers tipped the balance and the Athenian line began to break. On the open flank the Athenian's after thier victory now found a unit of Spartan Cavalry sitting behind them and it was taking time for them to get the troops back into order.
The stoic Athenian defence.
So, in the end, it was a Spartan victory (Yay!). They held the field and raised a trophy to show their dominance of their enemy and to appease the Gods of Olympus.
This was a good game and I thank Tony for his time. We're both still learning the rules and we both helped each other to figure out various aspects. I quite like the rules but I'm not keen on the number of dice that end up all over the table which, I think, clutter thing up somewhat. I have cunning plans to eradicate some of this clutter with suitable tokens/figures/vignettes (or something).
I'd certainly like to try these rules with other armies to see if they can capture other era's (Dark Ages and Medieval in particular).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)