Crusades 15mm

We played Soldiers of God, published by Artorus Games at the local club the other week.

https://www.bristolwargaming.co.uk/ 

 

I had the Muslim right flank, Brian had the left and centre. We chose a mission that gave us a move-shoot-retire order on each flank and manoeuver in the centre. Opposite John has the Christian centre and left, and Kev has their right.

 

 Each turn we draw four additional order cards and assign them to commands as we see fit. Orders include charge, rally, shoot etc. I repeatedly use advance-shoot-retire, concentrating on the enemy knightly order unit. Almost worn down they charge and I unexpectedly win the combat, destroying them.

 

 On the left Brian is doing the same.

 In the centre the infantry move forward very slowly. Eventually they come together but their foot knights are much better than our spears.

 

 John's mounted mena at arms charge my horse archers but there are other priorities for melee cards so nothing happens here for a good while. I moved my camalry into the flank of the sailors and marines but with no charge card to make contact they stayed like this for six turns. In fact we didn't draw a single charge card in the whole game until we sacrificed some cards to change our orders.

On the left Kev's force moved forward. Shooting and running is no longer viable so everyone charges.
 

With a charge card now available every turn. I wipe out the enemy on my flank and kill the commander. Having killed the sailors my camalry charge archers in the centre rear, supported by my own archers who have killed the centre commander. And my infantry position themselves to join the fight in the centre.

 

However we have lost in the centre. Both side's army morale was down to six, from twenty five, a draw.  

Alien Squad Leader: Children of the Gods v Hive Mind

 Last Sunday my Children of the Gods army faced Kev's Hive Mind at the club. This was a 150 point game so I didn't have a summoned unit off table.

We rolled a Pitched Battle for the scenario and Kev was the defender so he set up the terrain. As attacker I was able to move one piece so I moved a built up area from the centre to my left corner, denying him cover.

Kev's troops started out of sight so I had to rely on orders to put my units on overwatch, however his tunnelling bugs and flyers were in my rear before I could do this.

When I got units in the rear on overwatch they still couldn't cover enough approaches to stop the flyers. My Light Transport was soon destroyed. The setup meant I had no incentive to transport troops so I just aimed to have it on overwatch but never got the chance. I was reluctant to be distracted from covering the expected mass advance from the front but I soon had to feed more and more units into the fight.

One unit of Robot Infantry, with one hit remaining survived about four turns of losing melee in a row, on their armour saves before they were lost. Four Beasts and three Close Flyers destroyed a large portion of my army on the right, taking hardly any damage themselves.

The brain spiders on the other flank now advanced against my left position, which had been depleted sending support to the other side.

My right flank collapsed and fight moved into the centre, spidery reinforcements started to move up. It was looking like they might win with half their army still hidden away in their starting positions.

As all the units in my centre became engaged the mass of spiders in the centre finally moved up and engulfed them. On the left my units were trapped between enemy so every time they lost a combat they recoiled into enemy and took another hit and became pinned.

My army reached it's break point at 8/16 units giving Kev a total victoy, we finished the turn and more of them died.

My losses were 110 points against only 26 against Kev.

My Power Armoured troops are from MJ figures, inspired by Star Gate, the Regular Infantry are from Corvus Belli, The Robot Infantry are converted from epic scale Eldar dreadnoughts, the Floaters are converted from Necron Destroyers from Games Workshop and the Light Transport is from Star Wars.

Hordes of the Things

 We played four games of Hordes of the Things today at Lincombe Barn Wargames Society. These were 40mm frontage (15mm) and 24 points.

 

Game one, Anglo Saxons vs Naked Warriors.

I aimed to hold off the left and tie up the centre while my big block of spearmen pushed through the weak defence on the right, allowing me to turn and move along the ridge, denying Nick the benefit of being uphill.

I went through the Horde defenders and turned towards the stronghold. Unfortunately the other half of my army weren't doing so well and were all killed

Game two: Zardoz vs Naked Warriors.

 

 

Zardoz for those who don't know is a strange 1974 film by John Boorman starring Sean Connery set in a dystopian future where immortal psychics live in a giant bubble and mask wearing exterminators worship a flying head.

 

As the armies came close to contact I rolled a six and brought on Zardoz, a god, and quickly moved him to the enemy rear.

On the left my Shooters defeated the enemy Warband.

A long engagement with Zardoz in the rear quickly became chaotic with formations broken up all over the place. Eventually the enemy Spear General was killed by Zardoz.

 

 

Game three: Undead vs Welsh

Nick changed armies which prevented my making a joke about the 'naked and the undead', to Welsh. My Dragon turned up on turn two.

My plan was to pin Nick's line with my Hordes and park the Dragon behind them, blocking their recoil, and also possibly sending the Riders round the side to attack the Stronghold.

The Hordes started being destroyed. I wasn't worried about the points but they were along way from my board edge where I would replace them. By the time the Dragon arrived I decided I needed to try and get the enemy General.

I did get the General although it was the humble Riders who did it alone not the Dragon. However I was down on points so the game continued. The Welsh now poured towards my exposed General while replacement Hordes were only beginning to appear at the rear.

Despite the Dragon coming to help my Magician General was surrounded and killed.

Game four, Welsh v Welsh

I brought out my own Welsh army led by Owain Glyndwr (Hero General), this time I was defending and placed my Stronghold behind a hill I could defend.

The enemy attacked uphill and their Rider General found himself in a sticky situation but managed to escape.

The attackers broke through and attacked the stronghold over several turns but their casualties were mounting. A Warband recoiling from arrow fire into a Horde placed behind them broke the army.

 

We expect to be running our annual competition, Barn Hott, on 9 June. Look out for details as they appear on the club website: https://www.bristolwargaming.co.uk/index.html