1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? – Iacta Alea Est
2) What armies were fighting? - Late Romans vs Hunnic alliance
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? – Yes
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? – Not a bit of it
5) How many players were in the game? – two
6) What went well? – Good omens; and the Romans and allies got drawn into a cavalry fight against Huns, who have more and better. I also managed to get my Frankish allies into action, and they raised Hell in the Roman centre.
7) What could have been improved? - Those cart catapults are deadly! My one serious loss was the result of a single massed Napoleonic style salvo.

1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? – For King and Parliament
2) What armies were confronted? – Scots Royalists vs Covenanters - Battle of Alford
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? – Yes
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? – No
5) How many players were in the game? – 4
6) What went well? – The scenario worked really well. Initially the Covenant cavalry performed brililantly but 2/3rds of the Covenant commanders ended up being captured by the Royalists....a real roller coaster ride for both sides (a bit like Spurs current performance - play in the Champions League final then totally loose the plot - I see they were beaten 3 - 0 by Brighton overnight  ).   
7) What could have been improved - The Royalist cavalry's average chit value was about 2 for most of the game 

I had real issues with my PC during the week so only got the lists and map done the day of the game so I wasn't able to get DGuy and Paul to look the scenario over first. I did take some pics so I will put up a more detailed report at some stage (if the PC obliges  ) and send off a completed copy of the scenario with my assumptions to DGuy to play.     

A great game, despite:

• all my horse being destroyed
• one Colonel being captured by some rabble
• the other Colonel, retaining a little more dignity, surrendering to a unit of Pike & Shot

1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? – Nuts! ( 2nd ed.)
2) What armies were confronted? – Russians (coop) vs German (AI) ( I did not want to fight another player, so we choose Nuts! in coop)
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? – more or less, as I did not played these rukles for a long time.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? – No.
5) How many players were in the game? – 2
6) What went well? – The game came to a conclusion within 2H1/2, we had fun.
7) What could have been improved - Rereading the rules before playing, but we were able to find what we needed. The 1st ennemy unit we met was too much, we dropped its level after several turns.

I think we'll play again, I need this kind of games nowadays.


Edit : it was the 2nd edition.

1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? – Iacta Alea Est
2) What armies were fighting? - Late Romans vs Hunnic alliance
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? – Yes
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? – Not a bit of it
5) How many players were in the game? – two
6) What went well? – Support artillery blunted the edge of several barbarian attacks; guards infantry attacked fore and aft at once beat them off decisively. Auxilliary bows got off some telling shooting too. Light foot supported Frankish allies to excellent effect. Cataphract charge under C-in-C broke Hun nobles and captured Attila.
7) What could have been improved? - The Roman cavalry, barring the cataphracts, left a GREAT deal to be desired.

Gave Black Seas, the new Age of Sail game from warlord a run through on my own; 2 v 2 French and British 74s. Put nearly all the optional/advanced rules in, as the basic game is obviously aimed at complete newbies.

Didn't have the QR or Critical hit tables separate, (now photocopied off) so flipping through the book, but felt I picked them up pretty quick. The damage seems to happen at the right speed, with ships needing a pounding to sink, but not so much you feel like you are getting nowhere. Hits do 1-3 points and you have about 5-7 dice for a broadside, so I did I wonder how long it would take.

RN started well, pounding the French, while the French gunners seemed to have missed the concept of ball AND powder AND point at the enemy. But then both the British caught on fire, magazine explosions averted 3 times only because the Captains had decided to send every hand to fight the fire and not worry about shooting, or even steering!

The only quibble I have with the rules is no graduated damage as the ship loses points. There are temporary conditions from the crit tables, but no permanent loss of gunnery or speed. Will give it a couple games to get properly familiar, then try a mod. Also might try a mod on order of movement. Anyone in the Aylesbury area want to join in let me know (you know who you are, not just SJ.  There can be beer, if that helps...). I also put in a couple of player choice guidelines- no shooting at rigging if at point blank range, etc.

As you well know I am a bit of a wargames slapper! (some say just a slapper). So happy to give it a go at some point.

Orcs

Sounds a lot of fun. I would be up for a trial as normal wargames nights are out for a while...

Drop us a line. I'm quizzing on Tuesday nights, but can usually do any other evening or weekend.

1) What ruleset do you use in your last game? – Honours of War.
2) What armies were confronted? – Prussians vs Austrians. ( Zinna 1759 )
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? – Yes.
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? – No.
5) How many players were in the game? – A solo game to try again this scenario.
6) What went well? – The prussians attacked and won. It's a very hard scenario for the austrians. But it was a pleasant game.
7) What could have been improved - it was OK.


.

1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? – Ten More Sons!
2) What armies were fighting? - Late 15th century Italians and French
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? – Yes
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? – Not a bit of it
5) How many players were in the game? – two
6) What went well? – Lucky shot by a Stradiot took out the French second-in-command just before a critical cavalry melee.
7) What could have been improved? - French artillery took a heavy toll of my Milanese centre, despite the rain. Venetian cavalry had trouble with the mud (but, to be fair, so did the French).

I've found the rule that says half gunnery at half ship points.
Need to play again now! Not sure if its adequate, also need to try my idea.

1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? – Dragon Rampant
2) What armies were fighting? - 16th Century Portuguese navigators against Somalis.
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? – Yes
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? – No, I think it was game number 3 (or perhaps 2)
5) How many players were in the game? – two
6) What went well? – Generally remembered all the rules since our last game.
7) What could have been improved? - I forgot the winning conditions (of my own devising), which led to a protracted endgame.

Westmarcher (of this forum) and I played the second game of a linked mini-campaign of three battles.

Vasco Mourinho "The Goader of Goa" led his raiding party inland intent on looting the nearby Somali Town.
Al Masudi, the son of the Emir gathered a force of his own, determied that the invaders would return empty handed (or better still, not return at all).

The Portuguese had 2 companies of shot, one of offensive minded close fighters, a party of Chinese allies and their secret weapon, Adamastor - the exiled titan of the cape.

The Somalis had a scouting band of slingers, trained archers, the Emir's son led a fine cavalry unit.
He placed his faith in 2 warbands of fierce Hadendoa warriors, and Kardakaan - a legendary mutant rhinocerous that the locals venerated as the "righter of wrongs".

Both sides manoeuvred cautiously to begin.
The Portuguese trying to maintain order in their ranks.
The Somalis aimed to skirmish with their slingers, archers and cavalry before unleashing the more impetuous Hadendoa and Kardakaan.

The Portuguese drew first blood when the Emir's son inadvertently led his cavalry into range of the Portuguese shot.
Panic pinned the noble riders there for the duration of several volleys, after which they were a spent force for further combat.

Amid desultory fire, the Somalis responded with charges that routed one unit of enemy shot, and saw the Chinese allies heading back to the shoreline.
The other Portuguese shot quickly dispatched one Hadendoa warband as they attempted to regroup.

Then the Portuguese unleashed Adamastor who bounded from a patch of forest.
Both sides paused to draw breath as Kardakaan launched a wild charge at him; Titan and Legendary Rhino were set to duel to the death.
Victory went to the Titan, causing something of a wobble to Somali Morale.

Some skirmishing followed until the Portuguese were able to trap Al Masudi and his surviving bodyguard, and win the battle.


In the third and final act, Vasco Mourinho will attempt to lead his loot laden troops back to their ships.


Many Thanks to Westmarcher for attending, for humouring my vision of a fantasy age of exploration, and congratulations on his victory.

Love the background story .

Seconded

Sounds a lots of fun

Quote from: steve_holmes_11 on 23 October 2019, 07:02:51 PM
1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? – Dragon Rampant
2) What armies were fighting? - 16th Century Portuguese navigators against Somalis.
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? – Yes
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? – No, I think it was game number 3 (or perhaps 2)
5) How many players were in the game? – two
6) What went well? – Generally remembered all the rules since our last game.
7) What could have been improved? - I forgot the winning conditions (of my own devising), which led to a protracted endgame.

Westmarcher (of this forum) and I played the second game of a linked mini-campaign of three battles.

Vasco Mourinho "The Goader of Goa" led his raiding party inland intent on looting the nearby Somali Town.
Al Masudi, the son of the Emir gathered a force of his own, determied that the invaders would return empty handed (or better still, not return at all).

The Portuguese had 2 companies of shot, one of offensive minded close fighters, a party of Chinese allies and their secret weapon, Adamastor - the exiled titan of the cape.

The Somalis had a scouting band of slingers, trained archers, the Emir's son led a fine cavalry unit.
He placed his faith in 2 warbands of fierce Hadendoa warriors, and Kardakaan - a legendary mutant rhinocerous that the locals venerated as the "righter of wrongs".

Both sides manoeuvred cautiously to begin.
The Portuguese trying to maintain order in their ranks.
The Somalis aimed to skirmish with their slingers, archers and cavalry before unleashing the more impetuous Hadendoa and Kardakaan.

The Portuguese drew first blood when the Emir's son inadvertently led his cavalry into range of the Portuguese shot.
Panic pinned the noble riders there for the duration of several volleys, after which they were a spent force for further combat.

Amid desultory fire, the Somalis responded with charges that routed one unit of enemy shot, and saw the Chinese allies heading back to the shoreline.
The other Portuguese shot quickly dispatched one Hadendoa warband as they attempted to regroup.

Then the Portuguese unleashed Adamastor who bounded from a patch of forest.
Both sides paused to draw breath as Kardakaan launched a wild charge at him; Titan and Legendary Rhino were set to duel to the death.
Victory went to the Titan, causing something of a wobble to Somali Morale.

Some skirmishing followed until the Portuguese were able to trap Al Masudi and his surviving bodyguard, and win the battle.


In the third and final act, Vasco Mourinho will attempt to lead his loot laden troops back to their ships.


Many Thanks to Westmarcher for attending, for humouring my vision of a fantasy age of exploration, and congratulations on his victory.

Pictures of the real troops, please. This sounds worth seeing.

Quote from: FierceKitty on 24 October 2019, 06:03:41 AM
Pictures of the real troops, please. This sounds worth seeing.

I've struggled to post photographs here in the past, so may request some help form the camera-tech savvy posters.
I've also been heavily focused on painting to complete another large contingent.

Noted: I ought to break out the troops for a photo parade.

Perhaps I'll open a new thread where I outline the campaign background, with a photo-call for some of the contingents.


I'll close by saying that Dragon Rampant provides a fast moving battle for small contingents.
It has the sort of command/movement randomness that create heated debate on TMP (for example the endless debate about Bolt Action Vs Chain of Command).

I enjoy the fact that initial plans cannot be relied on to succeed or fail absolutely.
The troops aren't wholly obedient, but there is scope to adjust a plan in the light of enemy action or personal misfortune.
Most of all, the rules are fairly simple and consistent, meaning that duffers like myself can play at a steady rate, finish a game in under 2 hours, and not develop a frontal lobe headache in the process.

The rules are a straight life of the Medieval set, Lion Rampant, with added fantastic and magical elements.
I've exploited these to tack a couple of extra centuries onto the timeline, using the "Sufficiently advanced technology looks like magic" approach.

Good write up, Steve. It's just as well Jason and the Argonuats had yet to be released and translated into Somali, otherwise one of your intrepid Hadendoa might have had the idea of unscrewing that valve in my Titan's ankle ....   

Thanks again for hosting an enjoyable afternoon.

1) What ruleset did you use in your last game? – Dragon Rampant
2) What armies were fighting? - 16th Century Portuguese navigators against Somalis.
3) Did you feel comfortable with the ruleset? – Yes
4) and... was this the first time you used this ruleset? – No, I think it was game number 4.
5) How many players were in the game? – two
6) What went well? – Generally remembered all the rules since our last game.
7) What could have been improved? - I probably missed the odd event to trigger army wide morale tests - but we are getting better at this stuff.

Game 3 of the mini campaign featuring Westmarcher (of this forum) as navigator Vasco Mourinho - the goader of Goa.

In our last adventure, Vasco's forces had defeated the Somali field army, led by emir's son Al Masudi.
The Portuguese raiders failed to capture the town with its immense wealth, but had seized some loot.

In today's game, the raiders were following a river leading back to the coast and their ships.
Some of the banks were swampy, otherwise the river banks were clear for an approximate musket range beyond which stood clumps of woodland.

The Portuguese had 2 units of heavy fighters, 2 of shot, 2 of arquebus scouts and a unit of undead in tow.
The undead bore a startling resemblance to Egyptian mummies.
Al Masudi entered on a flank through the woods.
He brought 2 units of close fighters (lacking armour of their Portuguese enemies), 2 units of slinger scouts, a warband of impetuous Hadendoa warriors and the mythical reaper figure Huur.
Huur bore a close resemblance to an Egyptian jackal god, and being over twice the size of a man caused fear in his enemies.

The Portuguese advanced their heavy units down the riverside plain, with the close fighters in front and shooters behind.
Their scouts and undead worked their way through the forest, the terrain better suiting their abilities.
The Somalis pivoted to oppose them, one unit of close fighters guarding the the forest flank, the remainder aiming for the plains to block a Portuguese march down the river.

After some posturing, the undead crept within charge range of the Somali close fighters, who caused a chunk of losses, drove them back, but failed to break them.
The Somalis won a second melee round, but their courage failed and they fled the table.
An unexpected win for the undead, who both leaders wegarded as little more than a speed-bump.
This caused the Somalis to divert Huur back into the woods to prevent a simple "home run", his presence was missed during the fight on the plains.

The heavy Portuguese column continued down the river bank with their loot while the Somali close fighters deployed on the plain, their scouts taking pot-shots from forest edge.
The Portuguese fancied their chances in a firefight with 4 shooting units against 2 relatively brittle scout units.
A lengthy sequence of abysmal dice saw the Portuguese fail to shoot for 4 or 5 turns while the Somali scouts produced a niggling stream of casualties to their lead units.

By the time this abysmal run of luck ended, their leading close fighters were badly depleted.
They charged the Somali close fighters - hoping their superior armour would decide the fight, but failed their morale check, fleeing back into sling range of the Somali scouts., and inevitable destruction.

Mourinho manoeuvered his shot units into effective range and drove off the Somali scouts and Al Masudi's close fighters unit, but not before his other close fighting unit had suffered more slinghots.
This left the Hadendoa facing 2 units of musketeers, awaiting a deadly volley, but the Portuguese misfired once again.
Seizing the initiative Hadendoa's wild charge slammed into one unit of shooters, who drove them off with sword and clubbed musket.
This was perhaps the third time when a vastly superior group broke while the odds were all in their favour.

The route to the coast was now open, the 2 surviving units of shot marched to their ships carrying their loot.
Back in the forest, the rump of the Somali scouts wiped out the undead with some accurate shooting, while the surviving Portuguese scout evaded Huur the Reaper and straggled into the Portuguese camp an hour behind the main force.


The Portuguese sailed for Goa with enough loot to satisfy their sponsors, and few enough survivors, that each soldier would enjoy an enhanced share.
In strict terms, the Portuguese gained 5 points for bringing 3 units and 2 loot home,while the  Portuguese gained 4 for each routed enemy unit.
The Somalis also completed a 2 point quest  "Smite their champions" by destroying the most expensive enemy unit.

This yields a marginal campaign victory to the Somalis (12 glory points to 11), though it's difficult to portray such a close and attritional fight as a clear victory for either side.


Points of note from today's battle.

1. A long sequence of poor activation rolls for the Portuguese saw them pinned, while Somali skirmishers caused a steady stream of casualties, and the heavier units established a defence in depth.
2. The three biggest close combat were won by the underdog after the favourites suffered poor morale results.
3. Scouts, in favourable terrain and facing heavy (ie slow) enemies can really turn the fate of a battle.


I'm off to revise the 3 battle mini-campaign, and hope to provide a few photographs of the figures involved.
Perhaps the Indonesians and Ming Chinese will get involved in later campaigns.