Lion Rampant Arthur Campaign Forces

Here are my two proposed starter forces for my upcoming (???) campaign. It was a tough decision as to exactly what units went in to each force and trying to create balance.

Arthur's force is a fast, hard hitting but small force. In Lion Rampant terms ...

... two groups of mounted sergeants and one group of mounted yeomen.  This means two charging groups and one skirmishing missile unit. 

One of the mounted sergeants. 

The second mounted sergeants unit ... with Arthur proudly waving his magic sword Caliburnus (yep, the sword name from Geoffrey of Monmouth's 'History' of Britain.) 

Good on attack but not on defence. Low model counts in all units may also be a weakness. High movement will be obvious advantage hopefully enabling the Britons to concentrate their attacks on portions of the Saxon forces and cut them off from objectives.

For the Saxons ... 

The Saxon all foot force consists of two units of spear armed foot yeomen, one group of charging fierce foot and one unit of skirmishing bidowers. 

Above stands the fierce foot ... aggressive warriors all. 

The skirmishers or bidowers. 

For the Saxons to defend against Arthur's mounted troops the foot yeomen need to form schiltron (which will be called shieldwall in this campaign and allow units to move at half speed once formed.)  However, this will slow their movement. The fierce foot and bidowers movement in rough terrain will provide an advantage. 

Hopefully this will create some interesting match ups with both groups able to attack and counter the other in varied ways ... well thats the plan anyway. 

The choice of the mounted Britons also aligns with some of the theorising about a post Roman Arthur against the more 'barbaric' Saxons. While this is fertile ground for dramtic gameplay and the imagination it appears to have very little to do with history ... but my entire 'Mythic Britain' project aims to dwell in that space of legend. 

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. 

African Colonial Wargames Additions

As the virus rages around the world ... and seems to be simmering to a halt on our fair island ... my painting does not abate. I thought i was finished all my miniatures (until the next order arrives) but found several packs of African spearmen for Colonial games - such as the excellent Congo. 

The initial group I painted were warriors from an African tribe around Lake Nyasa - perhaps the Ngoni, Kololo or Barotse. This was painted with close reference to Chris Peers excellent work on "Armies of 19th Central Africa." Well worth the coin - although it may be quite pricey these days? 

I painted two groups ... one being my long awaited cannibals - from an unspecified tribal group. These may be far more from a mythical Darkest Africa than the real place. The skeletal painted marking took much longer than anticipated to paint. I rushed at them. Should have done them in a first watery light grey then a white over the top. But I didn't. The facial markings proved key to a threatening paint scheme. This also was harder than first thought and requires a miniature with more angular features to be more effective. Rounded faces don't look too threatening. 

In any case, here are my cannibals - ready for the jungle around the Congo. 

Please note in the background a drop of the finest craft ales from hereabouts - well about 150 kms away. The 4 Pines brewery produces wonderful craft beer and the Amber Ale is one of the best ... dare I say ... session-able ... tipples on offer. Huzzah Colonial wargames and Huzzah craft beer!

Dark Age Cavalry

As I paint through any remaining miniatures in the house I hit six Dark Age Heavy Cavalry from a Gripping Beast box. I've been meaning to paint these for some time. And now - as I really can't leave the house - I have no excuse.

Gripping Beast create wonderful miniatures and I can't say I've done them justice as my painting was a little rushed. I envisage these to be Saxon cavalry from around the 7th to 8th C. I'd like to use the Dux Bellorum rules a little more to recreate the inter-kingdom warfare of this period. Cavalry will make those battles a little more dynamic as with big blobs of infantry things can be a little stale.

Arthurian Wargaming

Now bereft of other figures to paint ... thanks in part to my dithering when ordering and also the delay in postal deliveries during COVID ... I am painting any remaining figures I have.

This has led me back to the Dark Ages of Arthurian wargaming. Two stray Westwind character models that have lingered around my workbench for well over 12 months have now been daubed. And the results were quite pleasing ...

On the left stands the dark magician - complete with severed head topping his staff. He will be a worthy addition and a great source of narrative for battles - if I get over my aversion for creating scenarios again?

The right side shows the bard ready to regale his audience with remembrances of past valour and treachery. There is a very good Dux Bellorum scenario needed a bard that I would like to play again. In this even the defeated side can win if the bard is correctly placed throughout the game.

Now all I have left is 6 Dark Age cavalry - from a Late Roman Gripping Beast plastics box. They are being painted as Saxons ... but as I wish to paint other things these are dragging ... I'll pour myself another scotch and get back to their completion. Then I'll be ready for when those medieval condottieri arrive.

ADLG Fields

Over the last six months (?), I have started playing ADLG. I really like the rules and (for now) they are the ancient and medieval rules I want to learn more about - and perhaps how to play properly. 

I have played quite a few games (Gauls, Romans, Macedonians, Ottomans, Mameluke, Golden Horde) where the terrain chosen is agricultural - to reduce difficult terrain pieces that might restrict cavalry or heavy infantry movement. Due to this ... we need fields ... and we run out. 

It's not that I don't have fields - I do - lots of them. But they are for LOTS of different rules and most are larger than ADLG requires. So I knocked up some new ones yesterday - good old MDF board then a stipple of multi-purpose filler, a dark base coat then a couple of lighter dry brushes ... bit of flock around the edges. Done!

I then stuck some clump foliage to some cardboard pieces - sand and PVA then the same painting process - to simulate crops. With six new pieces (and a maximum of 3 i believe) I shouldn't be getting caught out again - can even combine the little ones to form a bigger field should the urge strike me. 

Prussian 1813 Army Nears Completion

After years of painting my project nears an end ....

There it is .... Yorck's corps of the Army of Silesia. Strangely i haven't painted Yorck but Blucher is certainly present. I do have one more unit of reserve infantry than Yorck did but it lets me get to 200 pts in Blucher as well as better matching the organisation of other Prussian brigades if and when i run Bulow or Hundred Days. 

Only 3 units to go! And skirmishers in case i play Lassale or another regimental tule set. Not much.