WAB Day 2014 - IMPERATOR!!!

Last Sunday, the club held its annual WAB event. This year it was a step away from our usual Dark Ages games and into the earlier Roman era, with an approximate timeframe of 70BC to 70AD. We had two factions, nominally Eastern and Western, although it didn't work quite as geographically as we'd have liked and armies ranging from Late Republican Roman, EIR, Dacian, Armenian, Ptolemaic, Parthian, etc.

Overall, it was a great day, with the Western faction coming out overall winners despite a late surge by the Easteners in game 3.

I had probably my best ever WAB event, with two victories and one massacre of a defeat.

Interestingly, this event will probably be the last I'll play of WAB until the same time next year, as I am abandoning the rules for War and Conquest. This is for two reasons:

1. I am helping to write army lists for WaC, so need lots of play test time.
2. I've not really enjoyed playing it much lately, especially when out of the supplements and into Armies of Antiquity - those lists are just too 'tournament' for me  and, while most armies I fought last weekend were not 'gamey', I'm afraid that I have just lost interest in it. Using AoA has certainly taught me a thing or two about the WaC lists that I am writing and the need to steer players towards an historical list, rather than a 'game winning' one.

Anyway, here's some pics from last weekend.... First, some shots of my Late Republican Roman army...

Legionaries...

Elite Legionaries with General and ASB

Legionaries and skirmishers

Gallic Cavalry - very old Foundry Gauls plus some more recent Foundry Germans. The Gauls were painted when WAB very first came out several years ago...

More legionaries. These had 12 hours work on them the day before to finish them in time. They had been painted using the 'dip and highlight' method although I applied 2 highlights to match them closer with the remainder of the army.

More legionaries

Various minis masquerading as armoured allied Greek Thureophoroi (peltasts)

Here's a few shots from the games, some that I was involved in, others I was not...

Firstly, the two faction leaders...yes...that'd be me in one of the silly hats...sigh...

Carlius Fisherum, leader of the East

Andrucius Hawesum, leader of the Western faction

Doubles games to start the day...

...And singles games later on...

All in all, a splendid day of gaming! Many thanks to all my allies and opponents throughout the day for varied and entertaining games.

Age of Warlords Round 1 Pictures

Andy Mac's Saxons (Brude's faction) vs Carl's Saxons (Conn-Ann's faction)

Andy M (Brude's faction) and Mike (Conn-Ann) with more Saxon-on-Saxon action...

Andrew's Saxons (Brude's faction) vs Grahame's Scots-Irish...the great Conn-Ann himself!

...And finally, a bunch of pics from the doubles game that I played with Bedwyr and the allied British war band (for Conn-Ann's faction) against Phil's Picts (the great Brude himself) and Tony's Saxons...

After I had lost both single combats, I had too dice for deployment of troops, hence my somewhat staggered lines  on the right...Bedwyr's war band nearest the camera.

Pict skirmishers and skirmishing warriors threaten my flank while Brude's main force  hangs back from the ford...

The allied British Teulu launch into Saxon Duguth...this should have gone our way, but superb Saxon dice on the break test and Saxon thrusting spears  gradually whittle the brave Brits away...

The Picts have stripped the my flank and are in the rear, as my warriors and Teulu converge on the ford...

The Saxons inexorably forcing the battered Teulu back - just look at my casualties top and bottom, despite thrusting spears on my troops AND large shields!

My Teulu turn to deal with the Pict skirmishers...they did this and then turned to deal with Brude, winning the combat, but forcing the Picts back into the ford! Blasted 'loyalty' (I had it too on my Teulu...)

Where did all the Britons go?????

Age Of Warlords Arthurian Campaign Update

Brude waded through the ford, surveying the carnage. Dead Britons were plied thickly along the river bank and within the ford. On the slopes of the hill leading down to the river, Berct, the king of Brude's Saxon allies was busily heaving the mail-shirt off the dismembered corpse of a Briton noble - the king or, at very least, a prince, judging by the quality of the armour.

"You and your men did well, Saxon. It shall be remembered." Brude stared around him once again. He could not believe the destruction!Across the battlefield, his own forces had engaged in a brutal day-long struggle against the Briton king Bedwyr ap Custennin, a man whose forces had in recent memory inflicted mighty defeats on two Saxon kings and who had tested his own army to its limits. Although his light troops had stripped away Bedwyr's cavalry and archers, the Briton nobility had forced his own bodyguard back and the British foot had crossed the river, forcing his won warriors back in disorder. If it hadn't been for his allies crushing Bedwyr's allies... Brude forced the thought from his mind. The ford was won and Bedwyr's men had withdrawn, albeit in good order. They would fight another day. 

But now, the work of ravaging the enemy lands would occupy Brude and his men, along with his allies. These Britons would rue the day they aligned themselves with Conn-Ann...of this Brude was certain!

So, round 1 of Age of Warlords is complete! The forces of Brude have taken a massive lead in this round, with 2 mighty victories, 1 close-run victory and 1 mighty defeat. Due to a player pulling out, I had to command two Briton war bands in my game, with the results as noted in the narrative above. My main force (Bedwyr's army) basically achieved a bloody-stand-off against Phil's Picts, with failed war band tests causing mayhem on both sides and the Romanised equipment of the Britons telling in the final combats, although Phil played it well, as he had 'loyalty' with his general, thereby ensuring that, in the final combat of the final turn, although he was almost certain to lose it, he would withdraw in good order and contest the ford which was currently being claimed by one unit of my combrogi.

The additional Briton war band that is being used in Grahame's faction was destroyed to the last man by Tony's saxons. I didn't play he game badly and Tony didn't really play it any better than me, but he won the crucial combats and made a couple of critical break tests that prevented major units in his army from being destroyed. So, although I felt I played well, the combined points difference meant that I suffered a mighty defeat! So bad was it for the allied Britons, that, not only did three characters die in the game, but two died permanently in the post-game sequence!!! Yikes!!!

Anyway, the results of round 1 mean that Brude's armies will be the attackers in round two, and the scenarios will be a variety of capture places, people, etc, scenarios.

Pictures from Round 1 to follow, as Mrs Geetarhero has the camera at a Michael Bolton concert this evening (steady...no nasty comments now...she really likes his voice...

Round two on Monday...

Age of Warlords - WAB Arthurian Campaign Introduction

Brude MacBrude, mighty Bretwalda, king of all Britannia, heaved himself upright, cursing inwardly as the entirety of his kingly hall spun wildly. Forcing back the instinct to vacate his churning guts, the huge Pict warlord flung back the fur coverlet on the royal bed and lurched unsteadily towards the door. 

On the other side of the bed, the young Briton serving girl lay unmoving... Brude shook his head...he couldn't even remember taking the girl to his bed...By all the gods, those Saxons could drink!! He had always been a drinker, able to drink all-comers under the table and into sweet oblivion, but those Saxon kings...they had taxed him to the limit. Still, Brude wagered that they were in a far worse state than he this fine spring morning... Hair of the hound, that was what was needed... 

"WINE!!!!" he roared, wincing at the explosion of agony behind his eyes as his mighty voice echoed across the hall. 
"Wine..." he repeated again, finally reaching the door and, hurling it open, he breathed several deep lungfulls of clear spring air. It was chill, refreshing. Just what was needed.

Standing framed by the doorway into his royal hall which was situated on a hillock in the centre of the sprawling Pictish Broch, Brude reflected on the events of the previous three days.

Those four Saxon and Anglian kings came to him without fear, he had noted. But then, they were new come to Britannia, having fought their way into the lands of the coward Britons who had fought him in the Great Wars from five years before. These Saxon and Anglian kings had not yet seen the fierceness of the Pictish sword, the flight of Pictish javelins, the arrows from concealment that had destroyed warband after warband in the Great Wars... Great days indeed. 

Yet now, more petulant Britons and their puny Saxon allies were threatening his rule, rebelling against him, Brude MacBrude the Bretwalda. Well, that was fine...let them rebel! His spies had told him all he needed to know and, over much fine Briton beef, Briton Wine ('tribute' from his subjugated neighbours, of course) and fine Saxon ale, alliances with the newcomers had been made and signed in blood. These newcomers would fight by his side and the rebellion would fail. It would fail anyway, he thought, but better that our fine Germanic allies should perish in its demise than fine upstanding Pict warriors.

So it was done...

On the next new moon, the alliance would strike, crossing the river borders into the rebellious kingdoms for combat, pillage, loot and slaughter. A new Age of Warlords was begun and Brude MacBrude, mighty Bretwalda of Britannia would prove once again that he was master of this land and its pathetic people...

On Monday, we start our WAB campaign, Age of Warlords, set in 500AD in Britain. It uses army lists based on those in Age of Arthur, but uses 1000pt army lists with various modifications to allow smaller unit and more characters. If anyone is interested in the army lists, rule changes and scenarios, do let me know by replying to this thread with an email address and I'll then link you to a Dropbox folder with all the stuff in. I won't publish your email address on the comments section, so if you want to leave any other comments please do so separately so that I can publish those.

Look out for more posts as the campaign progresses....

Here's a few pics from a practice game I had with gaming buddy Mike W on Monday. We were playing the Battle of Mt Agned and were trying to gain control of the aforementioned Mt Agned while denying the other war band access to the hill.

Mike's dice failed him spectacularly in this game, but they finally came good on the very last turn enabling him to turn a mighty defeat into a close-run one. Basically, when pretty much my entire army (well, apart from the archers and one unit of combrogi that Mike had seen off) was camped on the hill, Mike launched his sole remaining unit (a unit of Duguth) against my Teulu in a suicidal charge to try to contest the hill. He lost the fight and needed to roll 4 on 2 x D6 to stay in the fight. Which he promptly failed to do, but on remembering that the character in his unit was the ASB, he re-rolled and got...A 4!!!!! Brilliant end to the game!! See Mike's blog for his take on events.

WAB 2.0 Age of Arthur Gaming Day in Peterborough

Here's advance notice of a WAB 2.0 Age of Arthur gaming day to be held in Peterborough on Sunday 25th November, being jointly run by me and Mike 'Trouble at t'Mill' Whitaker, ably assisted by a couple of our other club members.

It promises to be a typical WAB gaming day, full of good fun, great games and friendly gamers.

Details on the pic below, but please feel free to contact me personally if you want further info or if you wish to have a place reserved for you.

Hope to see some of you there!

Triumph of the White Ravens!!

So, a few weeks ago, Mike 'Trouble at t'Mill' Whittaker and I reconvened with our new Age of Arthur scenario that we have been playing with for a while. We have had one test game already (on Mike's blog, I think) and this was the re-match. The map is below. Basically, the defender has a non-hearthguard unit and some skirmishers defending a watchtower against an enemy attack, but deployment of all other units on both sides is determined by leadership rolls which are modified each turn to give increasing chances of getting troops to arrive. The objective is to hold the tower at the end. We used 1500pts plus a bonus force of 250pts that would arrive in our enemy's half of the table at some point, time and place determined by dice rolls... I took my Romano-British and Mike took his early Saxons.

Below, my deployed defenders - milites with light armour, thrusting spears and large shields and some rustici with slings.

Here is what Mike managed to deploy and get on table in turn 1. My chaps were already outnumbered, as my troops don't start arriving til next turn!

So, Mike launched his attack with Gedriht and Duguth...oh dear...this ain't gonna end well!

 ...and both units assaulted my palisade, having driven off the skirmish screen... This is turn 2

 And, as expected, my milites crumbled and ran - they only lost the combat by one, surprisingly, but, not for the first time in this game, I couldn't roll dice worth a darn!!

However, things looked better  at the end of turn 3, as my army was beginning to arrive and the milites had rallied, albeit without their banner AND the tower compound was now full of the unwashed saxon horde. Trouble was, Mike was rolling superb depolyment dice so I was still looking shaky and very much outnumbered!

Turn 3! The Saxons line up against my milites against what was MY palisade... On Mike's right, Geoguth advanced menacingly...

However, it wasn't all bad, as my cavalry decided to arrive as well to threaten the Duguth on Mike's left and my skirmishers arrived on my extreme left to play havoc with the Geoguth there. Things were starting to look interesting now!

Turn 4: The Gedriht, sensing that an overwelming British attack was coming in the centre moved out to deal with it. Mike kept the Duguth in the tower compound, as he's very good at remembering the scenario victory conditions - lots of additional victory pts if the tower is uncontested at end of game! My equites were also really being annoying now, threatening the left Saxon flank. At this point, both our reserve units arrived. You can see my allied Saxons at the ford at the top of the picture and the 'White Ravens', which were Mike's mounted Duguth. The smart readers among you have by now worked out what's going to happen here, broadly speaking, from my post title...but do read on...it gets MUCH better!!! :-)

 Here you can see the end of turn 4, with Mike's duguth facing off my cavalry and the 'White Ravens' advancing towards my shieldwall...What??!! Surely not...

So, in turn 5 Mike's Gedriht attacked my Milites in their shieldwall and, wonder of wonders, BOUNCED!!!! Only a remarkably lacklustre British pursuit ended my howls of derision as the pride of the Saxon kingdom buggered off back over the hill AND panicked the dugutrh in the tower compound!!! At this point I was regretting the heavy armour on my Commanipulares, as they were struggling to impact on the battle at all....

 In turn 6, my milites advanced on the palisade to attempt to control it and my allied saxons closed off the 'White Ravens' retreat so they had to advance on my shieldwall...hmmm...cavalry sandwich, I thought....

 ...and, in turn 7, faced with the threat developing up their backside, the Ravens charged my shieldwall and caused a few casualties. No problem...thrusting spears, loads of ranks...16 attacks...and this is what happened!!! My cursed dice made their most spectacular appearance with 9 (NINE!) ones.

                                   

It got worse in the next round...these are my saving throws....

...which meant that the Ravens broke and ran down my milites. Luckily, no-one panicked, but all Mike's fleeing Saxons rallied, with the result that, although the tower was contseted, he had most troops close to it and gained 200 victory points in addition to those scored for busting up my milites with his (now much vaunted) 'White Ravens'.

 So, the scenario went to Mike.

Cracking game though, as always. I really enjoy playing Mike. We are evenly matched gaming-wise and we both have similar philosophy: it's all about fun and a great game and the scenario is king!!

We now reckon this scenario is a winner - Mike has played it again since with another club member (Saxons against Saxons) and it was another great game. It really makes you think. The deployment rules are really good - they keep both players guessing and the need to hold the tower keeps the game focused around its objective. The terrain also plays a part, which is very important. Mike and I have created a winner here, we think!

We are doing a club Age of Arthur day in November and are considering opening it up to other gamers wot we know, (details coming soon!) so if you come to see us in November, you may well end of playing this scenario then!!

For Mike's view of this battle go to his blog (http://troubleatthemill.blogspot.com/) and read his 'Saxon Poetry' version...it's great!!!!