Lion Rampant Campaign - The Rise and Fall of Arthur

Thoughts of Dark Age wargaming are never too far from my mind.

There are few more evocative eras than the Dark Age period of attack and counter across a ravaged near-mythical landscape of brave heroes, prophets and legend. Among these strife torn times one rears out to entice people and gamers of later ages.

As Gildas wrote of 6th century Britain:
"... all the husbandmen routed together with the bishops, priests and people, whilst the sword gleamed and the flames crackled around them on every side. Lamentable to behold, in the midst of the streets lay the tops of lofty towers tumbled to the ground, stones of high walls, holy altars, fragments of human bodies covered with livid clots of coagulated blood looking as though they had been squeezed together in a press, and with no chance of being buried save in the ruins of their houses, or in the ravening bellies of wild beasts and birds ..."

With such things in mind I propose to begin an Arthurian campaign using the Lion Rampant rules.

This will use the campaign suggestions from the Lion Rampant rules but also what little I have read about the Age of Sigmar Narrative Play rules. Long I have been interested in warband style narrative campaigns ... since I purchased the 'Lost and the Damned' GW chaos book so many moons ago.

In any case ... here is the concept ... a 12 point (that's half normal points) starter warband for Saxon and Arthurian Britons. Glory points will be amassed for each game - 2 to the winner, 1 if a tie or 1 to the loser/defeated. Other glory points may be distributed for narrative reasons as the campaign progresses. I don't intend to use the glory points from Lion Rampant at this stage.

Glory points may be used between battles to enhance each warband. 

- One point may be used to add an additional unit to the roster. This unit may be swapped in to the warband to better meet the demands of each scenario.

- Two points may be used to upgrade a unit. There are quite a few upgrades listed in the Lion Rampant rules. (Maybe this should be just a single point???) 

- The cost of the unit - see Lion Rampant lists - may be paid in glory points to buy a new unit for the warband. This will be either 3 or 4 points ... I can't envisage too the accumulation of 6 points at the moment for the campaign. (Again, this may change as no plan survives contact.) 

Other glory points may be decided by players as the campaign advances. In addition, leader characteristics from the Lion Rampant book can be assigned based on in-game performance and decisions by players. 

Units will be returned to their original strength for the beginning of each battle as reserves arrive from friendly lands or strongholds. Leaders will also return - unless the narrative is modified by the players - due to a variety of miraculous escapades. 

Options for upgrading a leader - also 1 point. Once spent this leader (who'll now need a name) can modify a single dice roll each turn by +1. But, if the unit is destroyed then the leader dies. 

So the plan is for the following games ... 

#1 Scenario F - Arthur emerges for a first strike burning Saxon supplies. 

#2 Scenario D - Arthur's offensive - striking Saxon's returning from a raid. 

#3 Scenario C - Arthur attempts to rescue the raving Merlin from a wood deep in Saxon territory. 

#4 Scenario J - Arthur corners Saxon raiders deep with Briton lands. 

#5 Scenario I - Arthur strikes to prevent Saxon taxation of dominated lands. 

#6 Scenario K - Saxon warlord Aelle attacks the over-extended Arthur. 

#7 Scenario B - Aelle attempts to block Arthur's escape across a vital bridge. 

#8 Scenario A - Arthur confronts Aelle in pitched battle. 

#9 Scenario K - The victor of #8 must avoid being crushed by the resurgent defenders. 

#10 Scenario L - Aella faces Arthur in a battle only one can survive.