Valencia 1094. Hail Cid at Cannon in Retford.

Yesterday I was lucky enough to be invited to help James Morris recreate the battle of Valencia 1094 at the Cannon show in Retford.
James originally staged this game ten years ago at Salute to celebrate the launch of the El Cid supplement he'd written for WAB.
This time we would be using the Hail Caesar rules but still fighting over the same superb scenery that James had created. I bought along my WAB Moorish army, and James and Scrivs provided plenty of additional Almoravids, Andalusians and Christians.

The game began with the Berbers forces hurriedly deploying to attack a diversionary force led by the Cid's banner bearer Pedro Bermudez. As the Moors struggle to form up for battle the Cid leads a force of cavalry out from a side gate to crash into the flanks of the Arabs...

In the event the game played out pretty historically. I made reasonable progress through the defenders of the main gate led by Bishop Jeronimo. Although I was able to bash the bishop, he escaped inside Valencia and the gates were barred against me as crossbow bolts rained down.
Scrivs led the Berber left flank to crush Bermudez, although (to chants of Pedro! Pedro!) he went down fighting.
However the battle was won on our right flank where the Cid himself led his men unstoppably into the Berber camp before rounding on the camel heavy rearguard and sending them packing.
But enough of this, Tom I hear you cry. Where are the pictures?!

Well, here, actually:

 As the sun breaks over the walls of Valencia the Cid prepares to ride into the pages of history

 The ranks of implacable Berbers await him

 The loyal Bermudez leads the forlorn hope

Whilst the fiery Bishop urges the townsfolk to defend their gates

The Berber camp, sack this and become a rich man...

 Jinettes hunt down the heavy Caballeros

 The Cid prepares to thunder home!

 Cerunch!

 Bermudez begins to run out of places to hide...

Hail Mary and pass the crossbow bolts!

The rearguard urge their recalcitrant (and smelly) mounts forward, to no avail...

Hail Caesar gave us a great game. We managed to get the entire battle played out in around five hours, but had lots of breaks and played in a very leisurely and unfocused fashion (this is I have to say my default setting). James certainly seemed to think it was a lot better suited to a battle this size than WAB had been ten years ago!

I had a splendid time (even though neither myself not fellow Berber Scrivs could roll anything other than a four for the all-important break tests). It looked marvelous and James, Matt and Scrivs were a pleasure (as always) to play with and against.

My fellow Moorish commander's views (and lots more pictures) are over on the Scrivsland blog

I did take a few other pictures at the show, but they can wait until tomorrow.

:)

Celtic SAGA

So after some months of flinging Anglo-Danes at Normans in games of SAGA my regular opponent and I have branched out. He across the dyke into Welshwales and me northwards into Scotland.
Progress with both warbands has been slow, both of us not being especially quick at painting and prone to easy distractions. However we got together on Tuesday night with semi-painted warrior groups and gave them a swift four point outing.

I selected the river crossing scenario and we both picked four point warbands. Mine were led by Ruiseart the Thane of Invericay - known to history as Invericay Dickie.
He would be leading two  four man units of hearthguard and two eight man units of warriors.
Opposing him was legendary welsh hero Jones the Cart leading three units of hearthguard, one of which was mounted, and a unit of levy bowmen.

Ruiseart split his forces down the middle electing to lead a unit of hearthguard and one of warriors toward the ford, whilst trusting the remaining warriors and hearthguard to take care of the bridge over the river Cay.
Jones placed his bowmen in the centre, hoping to cover both crossings with a unit of foot hearthguard facing toward each and the cavalry in reserve.

Scots. Milling

By the banks of the river Cay.

The welsh got the first turn and picked up six dice. It was at this point I remembered Levy don't generate SAGA dice. Which rather threw Jones' plans into disarray.
So, casting his five dice Jones moved the cavalry in support of the hearthguard by the bridge and pushed the other foot hearthguard toward the ford. Ruiseart urged his men into the chill waters of the ford. While over at the bridge, use of a deer dice meant the warriors were able to chuck javelins at the welsh, killing one.

 Its a braw wee bridge the noo!

"Aa'm glad am no wearing troosers"

This pattern repeated over the next few turns. Use of the scots defensive powers and the lucky frequent appearance of deer on the dice meant I was able to advance steadily, avoid too much punishment, and spear a few luckless welshmen.

Come on then, lets have ye! 

Use gaein' hame in a taffy ambulance!

Even the arrival of the cavalry by the bridge wasn't enough to dishearten my bravehearts. While Ruiseart and his men established themselves across the ford

See you wi yer fateeg 

Mounted fellas try to dislodge Scotsmen from a narrow bridge - it can only end one way...

By this stage Jones was beginning to think all the dragons had somehow been rubbed off his dice, whilst deer seemed in endless supply on my side of the table. Finally he launched his mounted hearthguard at the stout skirt wearers on the bridge, where by a ridiculous combination of Scottish board skills I was able to kill both of them and still have a man left alive.

 See how you like the taste of arrows boyo!

This'll be a cakewalk bach! Oh. Buggwr.

In a final act of desperation, his army vanishing around him, Jones the Cart launched himself at the hearthguard who had replaced their fellows on the bridge. Once more Scots board abilities led to the inevitable demise of the welsh warlord and victory was Ruiseart's

Jones the Cart, gets an Invericay Kiss

A good fun game. We're both still very much learning how our boards work and adapting to the different styles of these two warbands. I think I found a couple of key abilities in this game and also had the run of the dice. I rolled multiple deer (probably stags, actually) and the welsh got only a single dragon all game which certainly helped, and together with the fact that the welsh only ever had a maximum of five dice meant the game was probably mine to lose. 

SAGA Scots (2)

I am slowly pushing on with the Crusader Scots for SAGA.
I've split them up into groups of four and am at various stages with each group.

Brown undercoat and some base colours

Flesh added, with a wash on top

More washes and some highlights

Miniatures finished, bases half done

Apologies fior the poor quality pictures. The camera is just refusing to focus. Grrrrr.

Workbench

Sometimes I wonder why I fail to make significant progress on any given projects I have under way.
Then I take a look at my workbench.

Here's what was on there earlier this week*:

Some Crusader Scots for SAGA in various levels of completeness, a smattering of Musketeer Late Romans awaiting basing and a final few colours, a Tzeentch Lord of Chaos. And some Copplestone snowmen. Obviously.

One day maybe I will learn some sort of hobby focus.

In the meantime I've started work on some Napoleonic French in greatcoats.

*You will notice that my ongoing struggles with my camera are not nearing resolution. I think it may be time to send it to the great processing room in the sky.

SAGA Again

Again from a few weeks ago...

Another game of SAGA
My Anglo Danes against the filthy Normans.
Camera was playing up again (it really doesn't like the energy saving bulbs) so only got a few usable pictures.
We played the game where you start with your warlords locked in combat. It gave a good fun game, but for me the suspension of disbelief threshold was crossed..."So in a normal game he has two wounds, but in this one he has twelve..?" I know it was to make for a better game but for me it traversed the line too far into "gamey" - I could see the wires as it were...

Anyway, here's the pictures:

As always SAGA gave us a good game, but I won't be rushing to play that particular scenario again...

Th'Obbit

I seem to have slowed down on hobbying recently, hence the lack of posts.

Even this is from a few weeks ago...

Anyway my regular wargame opponent and I got together a couple of weeks ago with our respective small boys for a game or two of the Hobbit. We are experienced LotrR gamers and I think we were expecting a couple of hours patiently explaining concepts to small children before they got bored and ambled off to pay with Lego while we got on with soldiering.

As it turned out the two boys rapidly grasped things and we had very little involvement.

The game played as well as I remember it doing, that is to say very well when there's not too many models or special rules and you're playing a story driven scenario.

We played two scenarios, the first with three dwarfs trying to retrieve some treasure and get off the board edge past a horde of Goblins, the second with a horde of Goblins trying to get off the board past three dwarfs. variety being after all the spice of wargaming life. The set looked splendid all painted up and the models are nice, although I'm not a big fan of the film aesthetic.

Some pictures:

I was left thinking I should maybe revive my plan to paint all the models needed to play through the Fellowship of the Ring Journeybook...