What Ruleset Did You Use In Your Last Game 2016

[Nosher]

I have recently got the Sword an Spear rules, so that interests me, especially as I want two 1066 armies.

If you were to re-run the same scenario, would you likely get a different game i.e. was your game a bit of a one off in terms of disappointment or are there some periods or battle situations in which the rules do not shine? 

Difficult to say. The Saxon army is practically all Heavy Foot so if it loses the battle initiative it has to deploy all of its heavy foot which means the enemy gets a heavy advantage in terms of set up. A lot of the Saxon foot is also undrilled so very difficult to move around to face a new threat.

If you're interested in two armies I am looking to offload both armies - painted and based to FoG Ancients. I use the 80mm frontage measurements on a 5x3 table. There's also a part painted Viking army that I am looking to offload too.

[fred.]

This is 1d6 and low is good - the concept is that you must roll equal or below your current VBU, again there are a handful of modifiers, including the number of "hits" taken.

The CT usually is the marmite bit, some people just can't stand rolling a bunch of dice getting 5 or 6 hits  and then watching their opponent calmly roll a 1, smile and say no effect. Especially when they do 1 hit back and you roll a 6 and your unit disperses. Much wailing and gnashing of teeth ensue. That's why I "" the hits - they aren't hits they are modifiers to the CT roll.

Actually your explanation of the CT makes a lot more sense, than what is written in the rules. Thinking of it as rolling under VBU (and its always current VBU, isn't it) with modifier of current hits + others. Makes far more sense to me.

As to a 1 always passing - feels a bit like KoW where there was always a chance (even less as it was a double 1) of always passing  a break test. Where Baroque gains though is the degradation of units, rather than KoWs very binary your fine, your dead results. But I always quite liked this, it gave a degree of uncertainty to combats.

I think with many games it often needs a bit of a change of ones mind set - you get very familiar with how some rules work, and think all others should work in a similar way, but there are many ways of representing the battle field actions through rules and mechanisms.

Thanks for the offer of a game - unfortunately I'm rather the opposite end of the country to London, these days.

[mollinary]

1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - To the Strongest: for King and Parliament playtest version 3
2) What armies were confronted? - 10mm ECW, The forces of the Borsetshire Association commanded by Lord Nigel Pargetter, assisted by a flying column from Oxford under Rupert's 16 year old brother Prince Philip Frederick, against the Eastern Western Association under Captain General Edward Grundy, assisted by the rascally Fairbrothers, in early 1643.
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes-ish, the more we play, the clearer it gets
4) and... was the first time do you use the ruleset? - No, I have played about ten games so far
5) How many players were in the game? - 3 plus me.

We fought to a conclusion in two and a half hours , with 15-17 units a side. The Parliamentarians snatched a victory, but with only three victory medals still in their arsenal and four 3 hit units needing only one more disorder to crumble. Lord Nigel had routed the Fairbrothers and pursued them off the table, but Oliver Sterling''s experience told in the centre where the Ambridge Trained Bands and Kenton Archer's regiments both disintegrated under pressure.   Prince Philip Frederick'/s Oxford cavalry were chewing their way through the pedestrian Borsetshire horse on the right, but a well positioned hedge  slowed them down just long enough. Good fun, and the first time I have introduced these to the club.

Mollinary

[Zippee]

Actually your explanation of the CT makes a lot more sense, than what is written in the rules. Thinking of it as rolling under VBU (and its always current VBU, isn't it) with modifier of current hits + others. Makes far more sense to me.
Thanks for the offer of a game - unfortunately I'm rather the opposite end of the country to London, these days.

That Italian translation has been the bane of the rules and pretty single headedly prevented greater popularity of Impetus et al - it's a shame but I guess we English aren't used to playing foreign rules Lord knows what our European cousins make of some of ours!

Yes it's always the current VBU, so combat is attritional. That's what makes disorder a very bad thing. Once disordered you always lose a VBU even if you pass the CT.

One of the differences between Impetus and Baroque is that in Impetus you cease to be a fresh unit as soon as you lose a point of VBU, in Baroque you need to be reduced to less than 50% VBU.

Basically the learning curve tends to go something like:
1) I need to maximise the dice in combat to score more hits
2) I need to ensure I retain good order so that I'm fighting at best efficiency, less dice is better than more dice plus disorder
3) I need to manage my VD better [this is not a sentence I write often!]

I used to be the opposite end of the country but had to move south to earn a crust, Yorkshire is still home though

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

MeG five player game, plus me umpiring as there were three new players.
1) What forces were involved? Imperial Roman vs Imperial Roman taster game.
2) What went well? Legion on Legion scraps, superiors vs average, Auxilia shooting other Auxilia.
3) What was the result? Rome won! 15-8, very tight game, literally down to one element on each army to break each other.
4) What could you have improved? Skirmishers in two ranks, cavalry flanking Catafracts, lots of misses on white dice! Even more on higher Dice that should have won it! :lol:

[Zippee]

1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - The Walking Dead (The Mantic KS game)
2) What armies were confronted? - Survivors v Survivors with walkers getting in the way
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes-ish, would have helped if the chap running it had taken the cellophane wrapper off before turning up!
4) and... was the first time do you use the ruleset? - Yes
5) How many players were in the game? - 4 plus one chap allegedly running the scenario

Quite a fun game - needs consideration in setting up the scenario though as otherwise you can end up too spread out for the number of walkers. this happened here with 4 survivor groups on a larger table. The forest on the left was effectively cleared of walkers early on so those groups were having a fine old gun battle over the box of Twinkies while the two groups over by the road junction could only sneak about. Still quick, fun and quite brutal - we had bear traps, booby trapped grenades, players rising as walkers and others running out of ammo. We'll play again - we'll just ensure someone else has the rules beforehand 

[Steve J]

1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Black Powder
2) What armies were confronted? - French vs Prussians 1813ish
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes, but a long time since we played
4) and... was the first time do you use the ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - 2

[toxicpixie]

1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - DBA
2) What armies were confronted? - Pyrrhic Successor versus Late Imperial Roman
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes, very. My opponent was much more confidant as well.
4) and... was the first time do you use the ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - Two

Got three games of DBA in before stopping to chat about show prep for Sunday at Wargamer. This week my opponent brought her Late Imperial Romans, as she'd got fed up of getting her warband smushed last week Two wins to Pyrrhus (both hard work, one involving forcing a river line which then went a bit Cannae as I eventually punched holes on the flanks and pocketed the Romans up), one win to the Romans - I got stupid, fell right into the terrain trap and flank envelopment from her Auxilia and blades, and then my cavalry shambled in and died removing all hope whilst trying to salvage any honour

Next games should be Sunday at Wargamer in Halesowen, we're running Song of Blades & Heroes as a participation game so pop along if you're free!

[Leman]

1. FOB2

2. 1860s style Prussians v. milita and civilian insurrectionists

3. Very comfortable with this set now.

4. No

5. Two players

[toxicpixie]

So, how did it go? Did the Franc-Tireurs beat off the dastardly Hun?

[Nosher]

1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Sharpe Practice 2
2) What armies were confronted? - AWI Loyalists v Southern Militia
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes
4) and... was the first time do you use the ruleset? - No
5) How many players were in the game? - Solo

The Loyalists were attacked in a farmstead they had recently captured from the Militia.

With only minimal British Support (in the form of an artillery piece), they set about defending Trumpton from the dastardly Lt Pugh and Sgt Pugh (Leading the State Line), Barney (Leading the Frontier Skirmishers, McGrew (Leading the Dragoons, Cuthbert (Leading the Minutemen) and Physician Dibble and his boy assistant Grub.

Farage's defence of Trumpton consisted of 3 Loyalist Regular Groups, 2 Loyalist Skirmish units (under Nuttall), a unit of Loyalist Cavalry (held in reserve) and the British Medium Artiilery Crew led by Cpl Boris Johnson. Johnson, not reknowned for his forward planning had the foresight to take additional cannister which was to prove pivotal in the battle.

The Southern Militia advanced on a broad frontage but were held back on their left flank by some determined Loyalist skirmishing whilst on the right Jonhson's artillery soon found its range and peppered the oncoming State Line. Desperate to make a breakthrough the rebel Dragoons charged the British Artillery into a further hail of cannister, but with shock mounting they managed to effect a charge on the crew. In fierce had to hand the Artillery crew beat off the Dragoons and when the dust had settled only Johnson remained alive. He heroically reloaded the gun and continued to pour cannister into the rebel ranks which were faltering. Out of shot, he retired behind Farage's Loyalists who made short work of smashing the State Line's will to fight forcing a retreat.

Another stonking game.

[Luddite]

1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? - Blood Bowl (new version)
2) What armies were confronted? - Orcs v Dark elves
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? - Yes, very. They are a re-skin rather than an update of previous versions
4) and... was the first time do you use the ruleset? - Yes, but very familiar with previous versions
5) How many players were in the game? - One.  I was playtesting them.

[Leman]

So, how did it go? Did the Franc-Tireurs beat off the dastardly Hun?

Err....not quite. It was part of the ongoing C19th Imagi-nations campaign. The people of Kleine Hoysee had had enough of  Keller giving them a bit of a rough deal and rose up in revolt, led by the local militia (bearing an uncanny resemblance to red shirts). Most were local townspeople made up of a motley collection of communards, C19th civilian types, western figures, Confederates etc. They had access to a small amount of cavalry and a battery of light guns. They were suppressed by 6 battalions of regular Keller infantry, represented by Prussians with needle guns, a battalion of jager and three batteries of artillery, two of which were smoothbore 12 pdrs. The table was laid out as a grid and each square contained a building template with a building. The spaces between the buildings were roads, and some of these had roadblocks. We had a very simple method of hiding the insurgents in buildings or behind barricades until spotted by the oncoming troops (if in line of sight, throw a dice - 123 not seen, 456 spotted). This urban fighting proved very successful as a games mechanism and kept us going for three hours, but the poor old insurgents were mainly raw with a small number of militia units, whereas the Keller troops were all regular. Nevertheless the insurgents managed to shatter one battalion before they ran out of morale chips and failed an army morale test. However, the Kellerites are in for a surprise, as hot on their heels a larger Hoysee army force (here we use Austrians) is only a couple of days march behind them. Will the Kellerites, having driven off the insurgents, be able to hold on to Kleine Hoysee against this larger force?

[Steve J]

As I can't start a new topic in the Batreps section , here goes on trying to post the AAR of our recent Black Powder game:

http://wwiiwargaming.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/a-clash-at-kutzdorf-black-powder.html

[toxicpixie]

Err....not quite. It was part of the ongoing C19th Imagi-nations campaign. The people of Kleine Hoysee had had enough of  Keller giving them a bit of a rough deal and rose up in revolt, led by the local militia (bearing an uncanny resemblance to red shirts). Most were local townspeople made up of a motley collection of communards, C19th civilian types, western figures, Confederates etc. They had access to a small amount of cavalry and a battery of light guns. They were suppressed by 6 battalions of regular Keller infantry, represented by Prussians with needle guns, a battalion of jager and three batteries of artillery, two of which were smoothbore 12 pdrs. The table was laid out as a grid and each square contained a building template with a building. The spaces between the buildings were roads, and some of these had roadblocks. We had a very simple method of hiding the insurgents in buildings or behind barricades until spotted by the oncoming troops (if in line of sight, throw a dice - 123 not seen, 456 spotted). This urban fighting proved very successful as a games mechanism and kept us going for three hours, but the poor old insurgents were mainly raw with a small number of militia units, whereas the Keller troops were all regular. Nevertheless the insurgents managed to shatter one battalion before they ran out of morale chips and failed an army morale test. However, the Kellerites are in for a surprise, as hot on their heels a larger Hoysee army force (here we use Austrians) is only a couple of days march behind them. Will the Kellerites, having driven off the insurgents, be able to hold on to Kleine Hoysee against this larger force?

No pasaran! Up the Revolution! If you don't fight, you'll always lose! etc.

Sadly that sounds like the popular front have opened the door to The Other Empire ^(tm), instead of forging fraternity across borders...