Terrain for Rampant Lion

New Fields and Haystacks

So Troy, who has taken on the task of coming up with scenarios, asked me if I had a 'fort'. So after a few emails back and forth, we decided on a palisade. A secure area for a border garrison, until something more permanent gets built. Or a nice place for a raiding party to stock up their plunder until it's time to go home.
I know it's greener than it should be, but a lot of that will be covered by tents or temporary buildings later.
Also the walkway and movable gate will be added tomorrow.

More Lion Rampant Medievals

Last weeks game got more people interested in Lion Rampant. So Medieval figs were dusted off and 3 new players showed up at the table. I managed to finish another unit of Fireforge Yeoman and some new fields.

Medieval Mayhem

Wife shows correct way to move figs

New fields

Gravemarkers had a chance of containing a holy relic

Old Normans on the field after years of gathering dust

John taunting the other side

On a Lion Rampant Bing, Samurai style

So we've caught the lion Rampant bug and yesterday tried it out with a friend's Japanese figs that had been sitting in storage for over 10 years. I managed to find a Samurai list on  boardgamegeek.
The game was quite fun and managed to get 2 games in 4 hours and even picked up a new player.

We are sold on Rampant Lion!

The rules have been in our hands for a few months now, but this month is when we finally got around to trying them out. Sunday before last we had a quick play to just try the rules out and it was thumbs up all around. So this Sunday we got all the Medieval players to show up for a big game. 3 24 point retinues vs 4 18 point retinues. The attackers were to torch the Siege towers and supplies. The defenders put out 8 points to defend each of the objectives and the rest of their forces started at the edge of the table.
Various forces on both sides took a bit of time moving ( bad activation rolls) while others advanced willy nilly into the fight. The center saw knights and lords go down in a great slaughter. The defenders right was slowly forced back and the supplies taken by Lord Ryan. The Defenders on the left, overly confident decided that the best defense was a good offense. To Lord John's dismay he soon learned that Yeomen should not attack knights or bidowers in rough ground. Suddenly the best defense was a good fall back to the objective.
The Defenders eventually took out half of the Attackers and held the two towers. Boasting points were pretty even.
We're playing two more games this Weekend as well.

Attackers setting up the last of their forces

Attackers

 

Defenders

 

Crossbows/w Pavise on guard

Defenders left

Lady Sabrina's forces defender

Lord Ryan's forces attacker

Lord Rick defender

Attackers left, very motivated group

Lady Sabrina finally getting into the fray

The Battle of Heraclea

So for 3 years now Andrew Jordan has been slowly painting up an Early Republican Roman army. During this time he has been coming down to Treefort and running small games of Clash of Empires with David Clayton. Well Andrew's beautifully painted figures will get just about anyone's attention. So slowly I started painting up some of those wonderful Warlord plastic Macedonians. Then last month Andrew suggested Heraclea, Pyrrhus versus the Romans. Andrew would provide all the Romans, Elephants and most of the Cav, David the Italian allies and I the Phalanxes. So the night before I was basing the last 8 stands while Andrew was finishing the river.
We were joined by Stelios and Steven the next day, neither of which had ever played Clash of Empires.
It was Awesome! Who knew Andrew had so many Romans.
 It was Beautiful! Those Romans were breathtaking.
It was a close run thing! Those Roman Maniples are nasty,
I now give you Andrews pics and commentary.

Romans begin surging across the River Siris

Having crossed, the leves skirmishers chase off most of Pyrrhus' skirmishers/ light troops holding the opposite bank

Pyrrhus riding to engage the enemy cavalry. His forces dominated his right flank. Elephants chased off most Roman allied cav.

The dreaded Macedonian phalanx. Most leves were chased off by the more experienced peltasts.

Hastati widen the maniples and discharge pila as the Macedonians charge to throw them back into the river.

Meanwhile on the right the Thessalian cav grinds down one unit of Roman cav but is eventually defeated by the remaining unit, led by its tribune. Right flank becomes a stalemate, with the victorious Roman unit exhausted.

Back to the center, where fighting is fierce. Hastati forced to retire and the Principes take up the fight. Armred with thrusting spears, they make more of a in impression on the Macedonians.

With Pyrrhus having cleared the Roman left flank, history is almost repeated by an elephant charge into the Roman flank...stopped at the last moment by an unnamed Italian ally who wounded the elephant, causing it to run amok back into the Cretan archers. A number of Roman units on the left were retreating.

Good pic of the battle's effective end. Romans break a pike unit and another nearby panics and flees. But with neither side having a coherent battle line, both sides retire - so a tie was declared. Though he didn't win this one, Pyrrhus at least kept the Romans at bay, so a semi-historical outcome. Roman leadership by Consul Laevinus in the middle kept this from turning into a full rout.

Second game of DUST.

Last night Troy and I mett up for our second 700 point game of DUST. Once more it was a very enjoyable game that went down to the wire, with an Allied win. I promise a better battle report next time when I bring my camera. These pics were taken by Stelios who watched part of the game.

H-Hiour 10mm 1914 Campaign Game

H-Hour is the working title of Kurt's WWI rules, which have been in the works for at least 5 years. Recently Kurt retired and suddenly found time to step up his 1914 campaign in the Ardennes.
Yesterdays battle pitted  Eli and John's German Divisions  against Jim's French Division. I was happy not to be in that sector when the barrage began. Surprising enough the French held the bridges in that sector but that Division was pretty much wrecked.

Here is Kurt's write up.

I'm the game designer. (Thanks for posting Mike).
It's hex based, which allows the easy calculation of area effect against targets in the hex. We apply all the firepower against each hex to every stand of troops in it. One can spread out to save on losses, but winning close combat requires mass. So as an attacker masses to charge an enemy strong point, they begin to draw more effective fire.
The rules are still being play tested so I'm not ready to send them out yet.
Anyways, in our campaign, we are playing an alternate Lorraine 1914 Campaign. Von Moltke has denied the Ersatz Divisions to the German 6th Army, so the sides are close in strength.
In the game shown, the French 30th Division (XV Corps) had approached the rail junction at Bensdorf, southeast of Metz. Crown Prince Rupprecht (German 6th Army Commander) had railed in three battalions of 21cm and two battalions of 15cm guns to the XXI Corps, and had them counterattack. General Espinasse, commander of the French XVI Corps had suspected such a move and dug in, in response to orders to attack Bensdorf "if practicable."
The opening barrage was very effective, the French being baited into giving their partial-defilade gun positions away by a weak opening before unleashing the full weight of fire. Half the French artillery was destroyed and the other half silenced. The whole front line of French positions were suppressed.
The Germans surged forward and over ran the front line positions easily, taking many prisoners and capturing the 30th Divisions HQ. A brave surrounded French battalion at the village of Guebling was the only real resistance keeping the Germans from sweeping down to the town of Dieuze and cutting off large numbers of French. They were wiped out after 2 hours resistance, but the time they bought allowed the French to rally many survivors.
The attack bogged down shortly thereafter at a low ridge. The German guns were at their range limit and at this distance couldn't distinguish friend from foe. Couriers failed to reach the guns in a timely manner, and sometimes German artillery fire held up their infantry advance.
So the Germans held all artillery fire, and tried to cross the low ridge that separated them from the surviving French with rifle battalions and a few MG. The surviving French artillery had recovered and were firing at 1000m from behind the ridge, in a reverse slope position which was safe from counter battery. This fire ended the advance.
A final German infantry attack, again with no artillery support, through the Forests of Koecking and de Bride that attempted to outflank the French ran into large numbers of dug in French armed with MG. That failed too.
So German infantry losses which were initially negligible rose rapidly, until they had taken about 25% losses and called it a day.
The French 30th Division was wrecked, as well as their Corps artillery. They had taken over 50% losses (many of these were POW). The surviving should have routed but their die rolls were exceptionally good.
So that's what you are looking at.

View from German Artillery