Preparing For The Race

In a few weeks we're going to be putting on a few games at the Illawarra Plastic Modellers Association annual show. So we've been doing dry-runs on club nights just to make sure that what we have will look good and work on the day.

One of teh games we will be doing is Fjord Serpents, and we'll be repeating the entertaining race that we tried last Christmas. In this the Jarls compete in racing their ships down a fjord, round a rock at the other end and then back again. There's treasure to be had for teh first three ships to place but also treasure to be collected en route as well.

With four of us playing we tried it with two ships each - a small karvi and a larger snekkja. 

One of the ships is currently unpainted, hence the 'ghost ship' look. We dice for the positions of  the karvis at the front and then for teh snejkkas behind them. So a player's ships were not necessarily together. 

The positions after a turn. In the background Ralph and Other Daniel were getting into collisions, whilst in the foreground Caesar's karvi was forging ahead with my shekkja cutting in close to the shore behind it. In the middle of the picture Caesar's snekkja has just grappled my karvi. 

Archers did deadly work in the ensuing boarding action, eliminating the elite shock troops from the prows of both vessels. In teh background Ralph is ramming Other Daniel's ghost ship. 

I had decided to ignore collecting treasure on the way and just race with my snekkja. Here I am cutting close along the shore. Caesar was going for some loot on an island however. 

Anyway, we ended the game at that point. We'd spent a lot of time discussing the setup of eh scenario, how many ships we should use and various other technical details, so it was a worthwhile exercise. On the day of the event we'll have all day to play through the race, so should reach some sort of conclusion. I'm looking forward to seeing how it turns out. 

The Autumn Games - 4

At the start of Round 4 of the games, the Prestige stands as follows:

Catherine - 7 Prestige
Me - 10 Prestige
Tertius - 9 Prestige

As you can see, the scores were getting closer, and with a few skilled gladiators in play there was the possibility of an upset giving the winner 3 Prestige. 

I gave Victor the crupellarius a +1 to his attack since he was now eligible for a skill, but otherwise there were no changes to the rosters. 

The Editor was big on selecting medium gladiators this time around, with all three schools having to submit one. After assigning opponents we got the following matchups:

Andromache (Catherine) vs Scylax (Tertius)
Spiculus (Tertius) vs Volubilis Me)
Rufina (Me) vs Amazon (Catherine)

Round 4 - Bout 1 - Andromache (Barbarian) vs Scylax (Armoured Scissor)

Andromache got off to a great start, pressing Scylax hard, and wounding him.

She managed to knock him down, which is always a bad place to be, especially if you are a slow, heavily armoured gladiator. Scylax took more wounds. 

But Andromache then struggled to finish off the armoured behemoth. And Scylax drew a series of cards with the adrenaline boost on them, moving quickly and attacking in a wound-boosted fury. And defeating Andromache. 

So a lucky win for Scylax picked up 2 Prestige for Tertius. Andromache had the crowd on her side for most of the fight, and they happily spared her, so Catherine picked up 1 Prestige. 

Both gladiators became skilled as a result of this bout. 

Round 4 - Bout 2- Spiculus (Dimacherius) vs Volubilis (Murmillo)

Volubilis was wounded early on, but soon settled into his stride, evading the lethal dimacherus and ducking in to make frequent attacks which were sadly ineffective. 

However I made a silly mistake and moved too close to Spiculus with insufficient defence (I was working of a single Speed card). Spiculus dived in for a boosted attack and Volubilis was defeated. 

Tertius picked up 2 Prestige for the win and Volubilis was spared to pick up 1 Prestige for me. 

Both gladiators had fought their second bout, so are now skilled. 

Round 4 - Bout 3 - Rufina (Thraex) vs Amazon (Murmillo)

This was Catherine's chance to pick up some Prestige - if Amazon could take down the wily Rufina it would be a big boost to her score. 

Rufina went straight into the attack and two wicked slashes later Amazon lay bleeding on the sand, defeated. The fight was quick and brutal, earning Rufina 1 Prestige and leaving the crown wanting more. They got more by having Amazon dispatched. 

So Catherine has now lost three gladiators. Neither Tertius or I have lost any. To replace Amazon she selected the armoured scissor Draco. Tertius had a great round, winning both fights. 

At the end of Round 4 the scores are as follows (with skills added)

Catherine - 8 Prestige (One win, one win against an experienced gladiator, three losses with Missio)

Amazon (Myrmillo) - 2 Bouts
Medusa (Retiarius) - 1 Bout
Teucris (Sagittarius) - 1 Bout
Margareites (Secutor) - 1 Bout
Artemisia (Thraex) - 1 Bout
Andromache (Barbarian) - 2 Bouts - +1 Attack
Draco (Armoured Scissor) - 0 Bouts

Me - 13 Prestige (Five wins, three losses with Missio)

Volubilis (Myrmillo) - 2 Bouts - +1 Defence
Victor (Crupellarius) - 2 Bouts - +1 Attack
Rufina (Thraex) - 4 Bouts - +1 Speed
Sabrata (Veles) - 0 Bouts

Tertius - 13 Prestige (Five wins and three losses with Missio)

Spiculus (Dimacherius) - 2 Bout - +1 Attack
Scylax (Scissor) - 2 Bouts - +1 Defence
Danaos (Hoplomachus) - 1 Bout
Apollo (Velite) - 3 Bouts - +1 Defence

I think it's now basically impossible for Catherine to win; even if she gets two wins by unskilled gladiators against skilled ones that will still only take her to 14 Prestige, and one of either myself or Tertius must pick up a win. And even a 2 Prestige win is enough to take us to 15 Prestige. My goal is obviously to have Rufina fight and, at the very least, survive, as doing so earns her teh wooden sword of freedom and an extra 2 Prestige for me. 

So the next round will be the last one. 

Ten Years Ago - May 2016

I was spoiled for choice this month, with a couple of things from ten years ago that I thought worth highlighting. However I'm going to save at least one of them for next month when there are June 206 posts that cover it better.

I thought that for this month I'd cover a game of HOTT, since that's what the blog was originally all about. But it's HOTT with a difference, since it's a game featuring two of my Epic 40K armies rather than 'conventional' fantasy forces. HOTT works pretty well for these armies if you aren't fussed about detail and I've had some great games over the years.

In this battle a chapter of Space Marines fights against a Chaos army.

Epic 40K HOTT - Marines vs Chaos

Two Scenarios For 'Dominion Of Pike & Shot'

I put together these two scenarios last year but for some reason I forgot to post them.

The ECW one has probably been superseded by one in Dominion Of Cavaliers And Roundheads, but since I put in the work to create it for the pike & shot rules I'm not letting it go to waste.

 Winceby (11th October 1643)

The Battle of Winceby (1643) was a short but decisive cavalry engagement during the First English Civil War, fought on 11 October 1643 near the village of Winceby in Lincolnshire. It was an important Parliamentarian victory, helping to secure control of eastern England and boost the reputation of rising commanders like Oliver Cromwell.

In 1643, the English Civil War was still in its early stages. Control of Lincolnshire was hotly contested. The Parliamentarian stronghold of Hull had resisted a Royalist siege earlier that year, and the Parliamentarians were now trying to secure more of the county to cut off Royalist forces in the north.

Parliament’s Eastern Association army, led by Earl of Manchester and including Oliver Cromwell as cavalry commander, was moving to take Bolingbroke Castle, held by Royalists. In response, the Royalist Northern Army, under Sir William Widdrington and Sir John Henderson, advanced to support the garrison and challenge Parliament's control of the area.

Manchester’s force included about 3,000 horse and 2,000 foot, while the Royalists had around 1,500–2,000 horse and some dragoons. The Royalists hoped to catch Manchester’s army while it was divided near Bolingbroke, but Cromwell’s cavalry quickly regrouped and moved to confront them near Winceby.

Royalists: 5 x Horse, 1 x Dragoons

Parliament: 2 x Elite Horse, 1 x Horse, 1 x Dragoons, 1 x Mixed Missile Foot

Royalists (Attackers)

Horse, Horse, Horse
Horse	Dragoons	Horse
Horse	Dragoons	Horse (E)
Horse (E), Mixed Missile Foot

Parliament (Defenders)

The battle began in the morning with both sides deploying mostly cavalry. The Royalists, positioned on slightly higher ground, charged first, but their attack was poorly coordinated. Cromwell’s Ironsides cavalry, supported by other Parliamentarian troops, counter-charged up the slope.

At the start of the engagement, Cromwell’s horse was killed, and he was briefly stunned, but he quickly remounted and rejoined the fight. His disciplined troopers broke the Royalist front, forcing them back in confusion. The Parliamentarians pursued aggressively, cutting down fleeing cavalry and scattering the enemy across the countryside.

The fighting lasted less than an hour, but it was chaotic and brutal. Many Royalists were killed or captured, and some fled for miles, throwing down their weapons. Parliamentarian forces claimed a decisive victory with hundreds of Royalist casualties, while their own losses were light.

The victory at Winceby allowed Parliament to capture Bolingbroke Castle and soon afterward take Lincoln. It secured Lincolnshire for Parliament and weakened Royalist influence in the north-east. The battle also cemented Cromwell’s reputation as a capable cavalry commander and laid the groundwork for his rise in Parliament’s military and political leadership.

The Dunes (11th October 1658)

The Battle of the Dunes (1658) was an engagement during the Franco-Spanish War (1635–1659) and was fought near Dunkirk between a Franco-English army and Spanish forces. It was notable for its unusual setting - on sand dunes by the coast - and for showcasing the rising power of France under Turenne, aided by Cromwell’s England. It also featured former Royalist troops fighting veterans of the New Model Army.

By the late 1650s, the Franco-Spanish War had dragged on for over two decades. France, led by Cardinal Mazarin and Marshal Henri de Turenne, aimed to weaken Spanish control in the Spanish Netherlands. At the same time, Oliver Cromwell’s Protectorate in England was eager to undermine Catholic Spain and secure commercial and naval advantages.

In 1657, France and England signed the Treaty of Paris, forming a military alliance. England would send 6,000 troops and naval support in exchange for control of Dunkirk if it were captured. Dunkirk, a Spanish-held port used by privateers to harass English shipping, was a strategic prize for both sides.

In May 1658, Turenne led a combined Franco-English force of around 15,000 men into Flanders and laid siege to Dunkirk. The Spanish, under Don Juan of Austria (the illegitimate son of Philip IV), quickly moved to relieve the city with a force of about 15,000–16,000 men, including French Frondeurs and English Royalist exiles under James, Duke of York (the future James II).

The Spanish hoped to lift the siege before Dunkirk’s defences collapsed. Turenne, anticipating this, prepared his army on the dunes south of the city to block the relief effort.

The battle took place on June 14, 1658, with fighting erupting on soft, shifting dunes - an unusual and difficult battlefield.

French: 1 x Elite Horse (Supported by Warships), 1 x Elite Melee Foot (English), 1 x Missile Foot, 2 x Horse

Spanish: 1 x Horse, 1 x Defended Horse, 1 x Defended Missile Foot, 1 x Missile Foot (French Rebels), 2 x Unreliable Horse (Foraging Cavalry)

French (Attackers)

Horse, Horse
Missile Foot	Melee Foot (E)	Horse (E)
Horse	Missile Foot (D)	Horse (D)
Horse (UR), Horse (UR), Missile Foot

Spanish (Defenders)

The English infantry, under Sir William Lockhart, led the assault on the Spanish right, storming their positions on the dunes with great ferocity. 

Meanwhile, Turenne’s French infantry and cavalry engaged the centre and left eventually pushing the Spanish back. The terrain made cavalry manoeuvres tricky, but the Franco-English eventually outflanked the Spanish and forced them into retreat, inflicting heavy casualties - over 1,200 dead and many captured.

The victory led to the fall of Dunkirk which was handed over to England as promised. The battle boosted the prestige of both Turenne and Cromwell's army, and it marked the beginning of the end for Spanish dominance in the region. Just a year later, the Treaty of the Pyrenees (1659) brought peace between France and Spain, confirming France’s rising power in Europe.

Note: This scenario uses the Unreliable trait, which is not in 'Dominion of Pike & Shot'. If you do not have access to the rules for the Unreliable trait then simply drop one of the Spanish 'Horse (UR)' and make the other simply 'Horse'.

The Adventures Of Harvey Knight - 11

Harvey Knight's las mission had been aborted when his flotilla had run into a German destroyer, and encounter that had left his boats seriously mauled even if they eventually sunk the enemy vessel. This it was that in terms of operational ships he could now only count on one MTB (Edwars Stewart's MTB 414) and the two MGBs (Lennox Dean's MGB 91 and Ewan McDonald's MGB 103). His own MTB 413 was still badly damaged, and the flotilla was waiting on two replacement MTBs.

So this was the perfect time for a war correspondent to turn up, looking for a chance to do a story about the flotilla by accompanying them on their next mission. To be fair Harvey felt that maybe his reputation could do with a boost. All he had to do was keep the journalist alive.

The much depleted flotilla was assigned the task of picking up a friendly agent from the Belgian coast. For a force that was primarily gunboats this wasn't a bad mission to be assigned, so long as they didn't run into any large enemy vessels. 

It was a moonless night, so good for the kind of work they were doing. However as they approached the rendezvous it was obvious a large German patrol was in the area. The two MGBs sped towards the coast before the Germans could spot them, whilst MTB 414, commanded by Edward Stewart, but with Harvey Knight and the journalist on board as well, headed towards the patrol in order to act as a distraction. 

The MTB bumped into an R-boat, which opened fire. 

Meanwhile the rest of the German patrol had been worryingly active, and as MGB 103 reached the pick-up point a Vorpostenboot ranged up and opened fire, causing some light damage. 

MGB 103 sheered away, and returned fire. 

(This was a mandatory turn on the All At Sea table, so I assumed that it would cause the boat to break contact with the pickup.)

MGB 91 came up in support, but another Vorpostenboot appeared as well. Firing became general. 

The fourth escort was another Vorpostenboot; the flotilla had obviously run into a major patrol. And Harvey had lost contact with his two gunboats in the general melee. 

Under heavy fire from two V-boats Lennox Dean brought MGB 91 into the pick-up point. Amazingly he only suffered light damage; it helped that his small boat was hidden against the shoreline.

The R-boat was also coming up, hotly pursued by MTB 414. The MTB opened fire and badly damaged the R-boat, which began steering erratically. 

Despite the fire being directed at them, Dean's crew picked up the agent, whilst their commander assessed how they would make their escape. 

MGB was running close to the V-boats, and had even damaged one with gunfire. However it had taken another hit in return. 

In desperation McDonald threw his boat across teh bow of one of teh V-boats, launching depth-charges as he did so, but they exploded too far away from the enemy vessel to cause any damage. 

(An All At Sea roll caused him to turn directly towards the German vessel, so any move would have been a collision. But he had the two actions needed for a depth-charge attack, so went for that instead of shooting and then colliding.)

The R-boat ran into some rocks off the coast and was soon hard aground. 

At the same time one of the V-boats ended up stuck on some nearby shoals. MGB 91 was now making a run for it.

Eager to impress the journalist, and at least contribute to the mission in some way, Knight got Edward Stewart to bring his boat around and make a torpedo run at the immobilised V-boat. 

The torpedoes passed close, but missed. 

Unfortunately at the same time MGB 103 ran aground on the same rocks as the R-boat. The two crews worked together to save their crews, but with two V-boats now turning back int the fight there was no change of a rescue for the British crew, and they would end the night as POWs. 

Surviving long-range fire from the grounded V-boat the two other British boats headed for home.

The crews of both boats picked up some valuable experience. Indeed Stewart's crew are close to being Veterans now. But the loss of MGB 103 and its crew soured the mission. The journalist got his story, but Harvey Knight got no increase in reputation out of it. And things got worse. Harvey was invited by a neighbouring squadron to give a talk on tactics - he was an experienced officer with much action under his belt, after all. But still shaken from his recent adventures his talk was poor and his listeners learned little. Harvey was beginning to beginning to doubt himself, and both his mental and physical health were in a bad way now. To make matters worse there were still no replacement boats available. 

On the plus side, the repair crews worked like Trojans and completed nearly all of the repairs, so Harvey got MTB 413 back. Only MGB 91 needed minor repairs still. 

So for the next mission Harvey Knight can only call on two MTBs and a lightly damaged MGB. 

Will things start to look up for Harvey Knight? Find out in the next episode.