Never Mind the Billhooks Deluxe Game Two

 

Forces deployed from the Yorkist side

From the Lancastrian side

Forces advance

Early cards and shooting favours the Lancastrians

Lancastrian archers find their mark

Shooting casualties mount

Last Thursday afternoon Craig came over to my place and we played another War of the Roses, Never Mind the Billhooks Deluxe game, out in the shed. Craig commanded the Lancastrians and I had the Yorkists. We both had a 130 points a side with three leaders and wards each. I was keen to use the Irish kerns I'd just painted and had three skirmisher units of these as well as a formed unit from the Hibernia list. Craig had more archer units on his side and the early cards and shooting certainly favoured the Lancastrians. My depleted formed kerns charged into combat with a Lancastrian archer unit in the centre and were promptly routed. 

Every morale crisis test in the game I seemed to roll at least a single 1, if not snake eyes! While this gave a reroll for veteran units for a single 1, it meant my archers and kern on the left flank were soon routing as well. My billmen on the left charged and both billmen units were in disarray and eventually routed. The men-at-arms in the centre fought it out and eventually the Yorkists and their leader were routed after a flank charge. The Lancastrian left flank was in tatters but it was all over. It was a bloody and brutal game, that was surprisingly close at times. It was fun to use the kerns but I think more veteran archers and billmen would have been better value for the points.

Yorkist archers and kerns on the left flank rout

Yorkist billmen on the left flank charge

Both billmen units are in disarray 

Men-at-Arms fight it out in the centre

Lancastrian archers evade Yorkist billmen on the right

Yorkist men-at-arms & leader rout from flank charge

Galloglass and Kern

 

Antideluvian and Vendel Miniatures Galloglass

Vendel Galloglass

Vendel Kern

Here are some Galloglass and Kern, the start of a small Irish force, for Never Mind the Billhooks. I've just finished painting most of these but the Vendel Galloglass I painted quite a few years ago. The Antideluvian Miniatures figures were actually Claymore Castings figures when I bought them a while ago. The back drop photo was taken in the Orkney Islands in 2011.

Antideluvian and Perry Miniatures Kern Skirmishers

Another Roman Civil War Strength and Honour Game

 

Armies deployed

Rick's What a Cowboy table

Side view of the deployment

My right flank is all over the place

My left flank is stranded with a Reversal of Fortune

One of my centre legions is
disordered and retiring, soon to rout!

Back on the right flank

My left flank makes some oblique advances

Last Wednesday evening I went over to Rick's place to play another Strength and Honour, Roman civil war game, this time with our 2mm forces that we have painted to date. Rick and Gary commanded one side and I commanded the other. Both sides had 10 units, 102 points and an army break point of 19. We deployed in a long line and Rick and Gary were the attackers. My right flank was soon all over the place and the left flank was then stranded with a quick Reversal of Fortune change over. The first combat of the game saw one of my legions in the centre retiring and disordered which turned to rout in the next turn.

After a bad start I managed to turn things around with some lucky dice rolling and got my left flank, centre and right flank back in some sort of order and started to get some pushbacks happening in combat. I made an early Homunculus Est call and Rick and Gary's Romans passed but the army was fatigued. Soon both sides were fatigued, the game was going to be decided in the centre. In the end I had a number of units here disordered, on the verge of routing, but was able to break their army before mine broke. Thanks to Rick and Gary, it was a really fun and close game.

Support helps on the right

Left flank is finally back in line

The centre will decide the game

Rick and Gary's Romans are fatigued

More action in the centre

Break point is almost reached

Auxilia on the left finally see some action

Italian Cavalry

 

Here are some Italian cavalry from the archives. These are lovely Aventine Miniatures figures and are  a very useful and versatile unit indeed, that can be used as allied Italian cavalry for a Republican Roman army, or Tarentine cavalry for a Successor army, amongst other things.

Battle of Adamclisi - Hail Caesar Second Edition Game

 

The Dacian deployment is rather congested

The Romans are a bit more organised

Roman Auxiliary and Foederati cavalry

Roman right flank

There's a log jam around the woods

On Thursday afternoon just before Easter, Craig, Garry and Rick came over and we played a Hail Caesar Second Edition game, of the Battle of Adamclisi, out in the shed. We used to play a lot of Hail Caesar games back in the day at the club and Craig wrote the Rome's Dacian Wars supplement which was published in 2013. It was quite nostalgic really, the game proved to be a fairly chaotic affair, but provided plenty of laughs. Craig and I were the Roman commanders with four divisions and Garry and Rick the Dacian commanders with five divisions. 

As usual the Dacians had a hard time fitting all their troops on the table. The scenario had both forces deployed on the short sides of the table and this created a bit of a log jam around the woods in the centre of the table. The Romans got off to a shaky start on the right flank with Trajan's two divisions. The guard cavalry here were eventually broken. On the left flank Sarmatian cataphracts charged the Romans and a legionary and auxiliary cavalry unit were broken. The Foederati cavalry managed to avert disaster by forcing one Sarmatian unit to retire disordered. At this point we ran out of time, it was a minor victory for the Dacians, although neither side had any broken divisions, the Romans were in trouble.

Roman cavalry and skirmishers fight on the right flank

Skirmishing continues on the left flank

Sarrmatian cataphracts charge