What Ruleset Did You Use In Your Last Game 2016

[Nosher]

1) Rules - SW Armada

Not sure I'd invest in it (although the pre-painted models are very nice) but certainly happy to play as an infill game.

Agreed. I haven't played a game yet as I keep missing the nights when its played at the club (come to think of it I have only made two club nights since january.....) I baulked when I saw the prices of the mini's, but that is often what puts me off a new project - having to buy both sides as most of my games are solo.

[Ithoriel]

Regular Friday get-together with three long-standing friends, a couple of bags of crisps and a couple of bottles of wine

1) Rules - Spartacus: Blood and Treachery
2) Forces - Houses Batiatus, Solonius, Tullius and Glaber
3) Comfortable - Yes, all players were comfortable with it by the end of the first turn
4) First Time - Two of us had played one game before the others were first timers
5) Players - 4

This is a boardgame based on the TV series and I didn't have high hopes when I first saw it but at £25 including postage it seemed worth a punt given I play boardgames at least twice a week with three different groups.

It is definitely not a game to take too seriously  but it is surprisingly good fun.

There are three main phases - Intrigue, Market, Arena.

In the Intrigue phase you acquire and play cards to advance your own cause, hamper others or foil other players nefarious schemes.

In the Market phase players trade with each other or the Bank, they bid for Gladiators, Slaves and Equipment and finally bid to host The Games.

In the Arena phase the host invites two players to provide gladiators for the arena - they can refuse or can send a lesser gladiator or even a slave if they don't fancy their chances against the opposition. In the arena a gladiator's stats (Attack, Defence and Speed) are the dice they roll. Speed dice are rolled to decide initiative (very important) and movement is limited to a number of hexes equal to the number of speed dice. Attack dice are matched against defence dice - highest to highest. Wounds mean losing your choice of dice, reducing your gladiator's abilities. Lose all of one pool and you are beaten, all from two and they're wounded, all three and they are decapitated! It's a fast yet surprisingly tactical system.

The Arena phase would make a good Public Participation game.

[Steve J]

1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Lion Rampant
2) What armies were confronted? - Swedes vs Danes (12thC)
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very
4) and... was the first time do you use the ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - 4-6 as it was a demo game at Salute.

[paulr]

1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Spearhead
2) What armies were confronted? - German 3^rd Light Division v Polish 10^th Motorised Brigade, September 1939 in 6mm
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes, if a little rusty
4) and... was the first time do you use the ruleset? - No, but we haven't used them for about a year
5) How many players were in the game? - 3 Germans & 2 Poles

Can't say too much, we only got half way through the game, should finish off the Poles the game next Saturday

[FierceKitty]

Need to bang your head against a Polish army of the glory days. A very different class of opponent.

[Bodvoc]

1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Impetus
2) What armies were confronted? - 6mm Persians with Greek allies against Carthaginians
4) and... was the first time do you use the ruleset? - no, we have played Impetus many times now.
5) How many players were in the game? - 2 Persian/Greeks against 1 Carthaginian


The armies deployed


The Persian High King Advances confidently


The battle for the village ends in total disorder!


The phalanx hits home and promptly collapses causing us the loss of our centre and the game.

Great fun, took about 4 hours inc. lunch break but the Carthaginians slowly rolled us up once our centre boke.

[pierre the shy]

Need to bang your head against a Polish army of the glory days. A very different class of opponent.

The Polish 1939 offensive against Berlin is expected to commence shortly 

[Hwiccee]

1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Updated Twilight of the Sun King
2) What armies were confronted? - Battle of Luzzara, 1702 - Austrians vs French and allies
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Very
4) and... was the first time do you use the ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? 2.

A test of the upcoming scenario for the updated version of the rules. The real battle started late and went into the night. The outnumbered Austrian player who was attacking decided to moved fast to make the most of the daylight. The initial attack didn't go too well but slowly the better quality of the Austrians paid off. Night fall was a random dice roll and was late. This probably favoured the Austrian player. On the last turn night finally came but both French cavalry wings failed their morale.

[FierceKitty]

Iacta alea est, two, Romans and Numidians. It was rather gratifying to see mavouevrability winning out over weight.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Overweight Romans, oh dear, too much garum and honey stuffed dormice?

[FierceKitty]

Garum is still much used in Asian food; it's a far lighter salad dressing than olive oil.

[Ithoriel]

Garum is still much used in Asian food; it's a far lighter salad dressing than olive oil.

Fermented fish-guts? I'll stick with olive oil!

[FierceKitty]

They're no substitute for each other. But SE Asian fish sauce is delicious and healthy. I'd never have believed before moving here that a good salad without olive oil was possible, but it is.

A winner: combine boiled prawns, toasted peanuts, grated fresh cocoanut (also lightly toasted), quite a bit of fresh coriander leaf, a little very finely chopped fresh red chillie, and a lot of roughly broken segments of som oh, which isn't too far from a grapefruit. Chill a bit, and splash with nam bpla (= fish water, garum) before eating.

[vonlacy]

1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Battlegroup Panzer Grenadier
2) What armies were confronted? - Tunisia - German v British Commonwealth forces.
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes
4) and... was the first time do you use the ruleset? - No, they are not my favourite set of rules, but I was playing rather than umpiring.
5) How many players were in the game? 6

[Steve J]

1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Sword & Spear 2nd Ed
2) What armies were confronted? - Tunisia - Saxons vs Vikings
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Pretty much
4) and... was the first time do you use the ruleset? - No, second outing
5) How many players were in the game? - A quickish solo game to get the mechanic sorted.

The rules are pretty damned quick to pick up and the index at the back is a great help for those little queries during a game. 95% of the time the QRS was enough. Just need some more games to get au fait with everything, including tactics etc. Hopefully another quick game tonight with more terrain and non meeting engagement scenario.

[Bodvoc]

1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Dragon Rampant
2) What armies were confronted? 15mm Beastmen v Barbarians
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - yes
4) and... was the first time do you use the ruleset? - No, several games played now
5) How many players were in the game? - 2, me and my mate Steve who enjoyed it so much he is going to buy some 15mm fantasy figures now.

For those of you who have these rules, we played the scenario where you have to grab as many magic crystals as you can. At 5 each the game was drawn but the 15mm sized Bodvoc survived again . This is a very versatile set of fantasy rules that I am really enjoying playing. I used all my recently painted figures and new scenery so I will post a few photo's soon.

[Leman]

1. Field of Battle 2

2. Italians v. Austrians 1866

3. Yes

4. Many games played now

5. Two players

This was a hilarious game - two abysmal comic opera armies trying to have a go act each other and not doing too well. After five hours of play a very minor tactical victory went to the Austrians, who still had three morale points left, whilst the Italians had now run out and were handing them to the Austrians. The Italians had lost four infantry battalions with a further three in rout. The Austrians had lost some artillery, with cavalry and the much vaunted Kaiser jagers in rout. A very see-saw affair eventually decided by time and morale points. A few shots:







Not my best efforts as on a phone camera. All 15mm figures painted for my mate in Hoylake.

[Steve J]

5 hours of play !!! Was it last man standing won the game ?

[Leman]

More like last morale pip standing.

[toxicpixie]

Splendid period! Comic Opera is a good description of both armies

Sounds a good, if gruelling game - although Custozza probably took less time in real life