This week's game saw Lion Rampant return to the table but with a Dark Age variant. This is something I've been wanting to do again for some time. It was Saxons trying to eject the Vikings - as usual in such a setting.
For those of you that don't know "Lion Rampant" is one of Osprey's many wargame rule sets. Although brief and inexpensive it is an excellent set of medieval skirmish rules that not only delivers a fun evening but also interesting choices for the player. This set of rules certainly proves it doesn't need a $80-$100 price tag to be a quality wargame.
The armies were both 24 pts (a normal sized army) for the Bloodfeud scenario. This is scenario L in the book - showing what a range of different encounters this wargame offers.
The Vikings had a bodyguard unit (men at arms), 3 huscarls (foot serjeants with one upgraded to expert representing bearded axe men) and one beserker unit (fierce foot.)
The Saxons also had a bodyguard but 2 thegn units (foot serjeants), 2 fyrd (foot yeomen with javelin upgrade) and one skirmisher unit (bidower.)
(Note the anachronistic use of 'hyperspace' by the Viking player above. Ruined my immersion.)
We played the scenario twice just to get my opponent more used to the rules. Both ended the same way - the Viking warlord ran for the hills once the thegns had killed his bodyguard. No Viking will be foolish enough again to follow this coward.
We used 1d3 +1 pieces of terrain each. Players alternated placing but with the proviso that each quarter needed a terrain piece before any addition could be place. If all quarters had a piece then a player could elect to move a piece by up to 6" but it could not be moved a second time.
Players roll to activate units until one fails then the opposing player has their turn. This system works well but I keep stuffing up by adding the leaders courage bonus to activations. I am thinking about a pip system per turn that would allow the leader the ability to aid activations or rally a warrior back to action.
In the first game the Saxon skirmishers peppered the beserker foot with javelins, stones and arrows. These troops had a low armour value of 2 (between 1-4) meaning for each 2 hits in shooting or combat one casualty would be suffered. Once battered these troops stopped their advance leading to even more disastrous shooting losses. The Saxons then weathered the storm of Viking charges, gradually inflicting casualties which drained their opponents of strength.
This is one of the neat aspects of this extremely engaging rule system. When a unit looses a model to shooting or combat a courage test is taken. The dice result is modified by the number of models lost thus far. With each loss units become more fragile. This leads to courage test failure and becoming battered - when units refuse orders making completion of a battle plan difficult.
Combat and shooting is equally uncluttered as units roll 12 dice if above half strength and 6 when equal or below.
Above shows the isolated Viking leader seconds before he legged it.
The lesson of the evening was to use the powerful bodyguard units later in the battle as all those spear armed units in shieldwall are chillingly effective at soaking up damage and dishing it out in defence. That 4+ hit when defending is really good. They are not as effective in attack but setting on one unit multiple times and chipping off a model or two each attack will soon see it in jeopardy of loosing a courage test.
An addition I did make was to allow units in shieldwall (schlitron is the rules) could move at half speed. Both players agreed this gave the right "feel" for the Dark Ages with units moving into position then locking shields for the fray.
I will be back in the Rampantly Dark Ages soon as these two games did nothing but encourage both players to return. My opponent has already indicated the Viking warlord was given a "special welcome" on his return to the fortification at Repton and a new face may be in an executive position for the new raiding season.
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