Posts by Mitch

  • Second round games a tough day to be a barbarian leader

    "You sure hiring that Bard fella was the right choice uncle?, I mean that big hairy saxon fella seemed a bit handy, and I hear they are all the rage at the moment"


    Dunghail glanced at his nephew sternly, "I need someone to tell the masses of my great conquests, its a bit obnoxious to be announcing your own honours don't you think lad?"


    Dunghail had gathered his forces around an old abandoned Roman tower, he leant across to his nephew, "did I tell you about the time i scaled that tower there, Yes Dunghail the great, breaker of walls, slayer of saxons, Lord of Dykes master of the tower", Dunghail glanced across at Drisk his bard, "I hope your getting all this down".


    "Anyway come on lads there's some roman types to give a thumping, make sure you keep up Drisk"


    With that the picts formed up into battle line, two large units of warriors formed up on the centre and left, whilst the nobles positioned themselves on the right with a unit of skirmishers.


    Two other skirmish units had infiltrated the roman lines and set up on the Roman left flank.


    The battle started slowly with the Romans advancing and the picts taking advantage of the extra speed to seize the tower.


    The nobles advanced on the right into a unit of saxon warriors who attempted a charge and came up short.


    "Now is our chance, Drisk recant my honours while I cut down this saxon dog, Drisk...Drisk!!!!"


    Looking round Dunghail saw no sign of his Bard who had been swept along with one of the warrior units leading a charge on the opposite flank to see off some skirmishing Roman bowmen.


    "Guess I will need to do it myself again....Your fate is upon you saxon filth....." the nobles glanced around at each other.


    "Prepare to meet your end at the hands of the great Dunhhail, master of walls, slayer of saxons...."


    Before Dunghail could finish the saxon struck out wounding Dunghail.


    "Uncle, I think that's the fella from the pub you didn't hire"


    Pouring forward the pict Nobles slaughtered several saxons forcing them back over the course of two deadly combats, Dunghail just about keeping pace, eventually running them down.


    "Now for that Roman dog"


    "Are you sure uncle?"


    The pict nobles held their ground as the Roman general spotted his chance and charged the picts.


    "Foolish Roman dog, you dare challenge Dunghail the great..Breaker of walls...."


    Murmurs of "not this again could be heard amongst the noble ranks", however they where soon silenced by a high pitch yelp.


    Looking around the nobles saw Dunghail grasp his chest before collapsing to the ground, a dagger protrouding from his back"et tu Brute...."


    "What's he on about now?", said one of the nobles. "I think he knows the bloke in the toga"


    Glancing around the rest of the battle had gone well with the skirmishing picts holding the tower.


    "Fall back yelled Dughail the younger"


    Yes I shall not make the same mistakes as my uncle, we hold the tower and the day is ours...


    Yes Dughail the cautious.....that has a nice ring to it.

  • AOA first round games

    Having made off with a several carts of loot from his last raid Dunghail decided to head back north.


    Whilst the Romans and their saxon allies had taken a good beating at the village, it wouldn't be long before they where in pursuit.


    Dunghail had a good knowledge of the local dykes gained in his youth, yes Dunghail "destroyer of walls, scourge of the saxons, Lord of the dykes", that had a nice ring to it.


    He would need to make sure that the loot was well guarded, and so split up a unit of his warriors to guide the carts.


    That left Dunghails main force made up of his nobles, a unit of warriors and a small unit of hunters.


    The nobles took the lead in the centre with the pict warriors taking up position on the left and the unit of hunters taking up a position behind a small coppice of trees.


    The three skirmishing warrior units guaring the loot deployed to the left of the road.


    Dunghail could see the outline of the familiar dyke silhouetted against the morning sky, he could also see the figures of a small Roman force and yet more allies this time in the form of Irish horsemen. It would seem the southerners had plenty of gold to hire others to do their dirty work.


    The battle started with the Romans standing their ground allowing the picts to advance in the centre and left, the hunters marched forward to take cover in the trees, and seeing the enemy cavalry in column the waggons guarded by the warriors headed around the pict left flank to avoid the fast moving horsemen.


    The Romans for their part had deployed a unit of pedyts on their right which held their ground, they where supported by some rustici and sagittari which held their ground shooting into the advancing picts killing three of them. In the centre two pedyt units moved cautiously forward whilst on the Roman left a unit of skirmishers advanced into the woods and the irish cavalry marched around the left flank threatening the picts rear.


    Seeing the danger Dunghail ordered his nobles to about face and march towards the pictish right to cut off the flanking cavalry, throwing a few javelins at the roman skirmishers as they passed. On the pict left the warriors charged the pedyts who had formed a shield wall whilst the pict hunters fell back out of the woods avoiding being charged by the sagittari.


    The pict warriors beat the pedyts in combat causing the rusticci unit near by also to take flight. The warriors reformed and headed toward the sagittari in the centre allowing the warriors with the baggage to advance behind them along the left flank.


    With the nobles now cutting them off, the Irish cavalry formed up facing the nobles, and seizing the opportunity Dunghail charged them. The cavalry proved no match for the nobles who quickly dispatched several of the mercenary cavalry causing them to flee and running them down.


    The sight of the cavalry being destroyed caused the rusticci on the roman left to flee the woods, whilst the pict hunters continued to harass the sagittari supported by the pict warriors.


    The nobles about faced ready to charge a pedyt unit which had attempted to chase after them in the centre. The sagittari where dispatched by combined javelins from the warriors and hunters.


    All across the battlefield the Roman forces had scattered and with a single pedyt unit now holding the centre of the dyke, the pict warriors closed in for the kill charging the pedyts in the flank.


    Dunghail surveyed the battlefield, it would seem that his father's concerns of the wasted hours he had spent on the local dykes was not warranted.


    Now time to deal with some of those upstart mercenaries......

  • AOA first round games

    Dunghail had spent a pleasurable day looting an abandoned village, those soft roman types where not likely to turn up after fleeing from him a week earlier. At least those where his thoughts until he was rudely interrupted by his banner informing him of a small force of roman types supported by some dirtier beardy types.


    So the roman types think hiring some saxon mercenaries would pay, looks like they need another lesson.


    Yes "Dunghail the great, demolisher of walls, scourge of the saxons", has a nice ring to it as he set off along the road at the head of a unit of nobles.


    Dunghail had discussed raiding tactics with other commanders at a recent pillaging convention and set out his forces based on the time tested tactics with a noble unit holding the end of the line and two warrior units holding the centre right.


    A unit of mounted warriors where held in reserve and a unit of hunters remained in the village.


    The enemy placed a unit of commanipulares facing the nobles supported by two skirmishing units. The centre and left was made up of three saxon warbands, with a unit of lighter roman cavalry on the far left.


    Seizing the initiative the pict forces moved forward as they did Dunghail ordered the wagons they had seized to head along the road. The Pict cavalry ran along the back of the line to re-position in support of the nobles and the hunters left the safety of the village to harass the roman cavalry on the left.


    For there part the Romans edged forward, not commiting to the fight with the cavalry just short of the pictish nobles. The skirmishers moved forward unleashing a volley killing a few picts, bringing a grin to the roman general, one that would not last long.


    The picts mostly held the line however seeing the saxons advance the centre pict waeband charged into battle, both sides clashed and fought each other to a standstill, and seeing his chance the roman general charged the pict nobles.


    It was then the roman general realised his error, the Romans failed to cause any damage to the tough picts whilst the nobles killed several Romans in return. Deciding that retreat was the better part of valour the Romans fled, whilst the picts held their ground.


    Seeing the roman leader fleeing caused both supporting skirmish units to flee and more importantly caused the saxons engaged with the pict warriors also to flee.


    With the roman right flank in tatters, the remaing saxon units and roman cavalry advanced on the outnumbered pict warriors who fell back.


    As the battle continued the baggage maintained steady pace along the road.


    Having seen off the roman general the pict nobles reformed to face the saxons in the centre, while the pict warriors having seen off the saxons chased the fleeing roman general.


    The saxons on the left finally caught the picts causing them to break and flee whilst in the centre the pict nobles with the help of the pict warriors on horse back engaged a second saxon warband destroying them.


    It wad at this point the Roman general finally rallied just in time to be charged by the pict warriors who by now had pursued the fleeing Romans, once again the elite roman cavalry was defeated by the pict warband once again fleeing beyond sight, dunghail glanced across to see his me disappear out of sight but was sure that they would have caught the fleeing Romans.


    With night falling and the baggage now off in the distance the remaining saxons and Romans thought better of tangling with the Pict nobles who had seen off half of the opposing force.


    Now to get the loot back, Dunghail knew a short cut through a dyke that had been a family secret for generations, that should be the safest road home he thought.

  • AOA first round games

    Dunghail had an ambition, having fought against the Roman legions, his experience and qualities had gone un-noticed long enough.


    The great Dunghail had a nice ring to it, but for now his attention was on two failing Roman nobles who had decided not to support his ambitions.


    As dawn broke Dunghail's warband had tracked the roman nobles to an abandoned villa, Dunghail did not fear the soft roman nobles or their unskilled serfs, he had met them many times in open battle, however holed up behind their stone walls the coming battle would be the first major test of Dunghail's warband.


    The great Dunghail, breaker of walls....yes that had a nice ring to it.


    The battle started with dunghail splitting his warriors into four units surrounding the villa, to the north, south and east.


    The warriors readied themselves to charge through the gates whilst to the west a slightly larger unit readied themselves to climb the walls.


    Dunghail had spent the evening before advising his warriors on the correct technique to assail such defences, his years of experience assaulting Roman defences would surely pay benefit in the coming battle, although looking across the field he feared his wise words would be to no avail and it would be left to his retinue to win the day.


    To support the warriors Dunghails nobles split themselves into 2 smaller forces, to the south and north and readied themselves to scale the impressive roman defences.


    The battle started with the Picts advancing cautiously on all fronts, the warriors closed in on the ruined gates, whilst the pictish nobles advanced on the walled sections.


    The Roman forces scurried to man a defence, two large shield wielding units of pedyts stepped forward into the breaches. Dunghail could see amongst the Romans the banners of another foe, some skirmishing saxons had joined the softer Romans, perhaps today would offer a better fight than he thought.


    With the pedyts advancing on the gates the warriors continued their advance unleashing a volley of javelins into the pedyts, causing the first casualties amongst the Romans. To the east the pictish warriors sighted some roman archers who unleashed a volley of arrows killing several brave warriors in return.


    With the picts halting just short of the gates the pedyts in an unusual display of bravery charged the pictish warriors. To the north of the villa the picts held against the charge, however to the south the pedyts broke and ran down the pictish warband.


    At the Eastern gates the pict warriors charged the unit of archers causing heavy casualties and breaking and running them down. The utter destruction of the cream of the roman troops caused a unit of skirmishers and their saxon allies to break.


    Seeing the picts closing from the east and west and with the pedyts to the north struggling to hold, the roman nobles seeing their only chance of escape followed the pedyts to the south skirting along the villas southern wall.


    With all the warband following Dunghail's instruction, the saxon warband had come into striking range, a simple leap across the roman defences was all that was needed for him to show his worth.


    Dunghail leapt at the wall his foot hitting a mossy patch that had been made damp in the morning dew. Slipping back he backed up a few paces before leaping once more at the wall, this time he grasped at the jagged rocks, his fingers gaining a solid purchase, turning he grinned, perhaps a little too soon as the stone he grasped dislodged from the wall sending him tumbling to the ground.


    Getting up slightly muddier for his endeavour, and seeing the nobles to the south now engaging the pedyts that had defeated the warriors, Dunghail clambered up the wall, peering over the top, he could see the saxons still in disarray, perhaps there was still time for a great victory, readying his spear he prepared to leap from the wall into battle not noticing his trailing Cape had snagged upon the wall.


    As the battle between Dunghail and the wall continued, the unit of nobles to the south dispatched the pedyts pursuing them and catching the fleeing roman nobles, Dunghails banner stepped forward and dispatched one of the former roman lackies and gave the other a mark to remember the encounter, causing the second roman to flee the field.


    From his vantage point, now atop the wall, Dunghail could see his plan had been perfectly executed.


    Perhaps the Roman lackie would reconsider Dunghails offer to join him.


    For now the tale of Dunghail's battle of the wall will be talked about at court, if only he had found a Bard worthy to tell the masses of his legendary and inspiring leadership.

  • Song of Shadow and Dust

    The game definitely had a different feel to it and the activation mechanics add a different type of strategy to the other skirmish rule sets like pulp and OPR fire fight.


    I agree regarding the actress of questionable character, that the distraction mechanism seemed very strong although i do like the idea, so maybe an amendment to the rule could work, either two distracting characters cancel each other out or perhaps only affecting models in range on a roll of 4+, may need some more play test.


    It also does have a nice set of rules to allow gangs to develop.


    As for the game, i feel Dave's initial dice roll leaving him with a clumsy drunk in a toga attempting to run off the board may have influenced the overall outcome.


    The patrician was probably staggering through the streets yelling "infamy infamy, they all have it infamy" and even without the distraction his fate was sealed at the outset.

  • The Celtic Steamroller rolls over the Romans

    For the Spanish General the battle had started the evening before as he dispatched a unit of citizens to raid the Gaul camp seizing clothes, shields and various weapons which they then used the following day in an atempt to confuse the enemy forces.


    Successfully seizing the loot the Spanish General thought forcing a substantial amount of the gaul force to battle naked and without their arms would be sufficient to allow the much vaunted forces of the roman empire to hold off the barbarians and led an heroic head long charge to smash the enemy centre.


    Having succeeded (eventually) to his dismay he turned to see the roman lines in tatters (perhaps the terms of this alliance need review🤔).


    However whilst assessing the state of the battered Romans, he was alerted to the arrival of a flanking force, that seemed to be squabbling over the deployment of forces.


    Taking the initiative, the general and remaining elite cavalry saw off some skirmishing forces, before drawing his final Javelin and taking aim at some upstart gallic noble who was riding a chariot like some boy racer at a track meet, killing him with a well aimed shot and causing the other nobles to flee in shear terror.


    Seeing no further worthy adversary the general yelled after the gallic charioteer cursing the fact they had fled without honour.

  • Sunday 5th

    I should be down but was going to see what was happening with the Imperialis game maybe, not sure what's happening after, but was bringing some old world stuff maybe for a small game against Petes undead.