First Game of Pillage

 

Vikings initial deployment

Irish initial deployment

Irish warriors

Irish slingers

Irish chieftain and warriors

Irish warriors

Last Sunday Rick, Gary and I met down at the Vikings Club in Conder, for the monthly meeting of the Canberra Regional Wargame Group. We played our first game of Pillage, a new set of Dark Age/early Medieval skirmish rules written by Guillaume Rousselot. The English version has just been published by Victrix and is available as a 131 page pdf or hard back rule book that is beautifully illustrated. We diced for sides and played a pitched battle with Viking and Irish forces of about 1020 gold pieces which is the point system used. Each side had a chieftain with two traits, there are no fixed unit sizes, with movement, shooting, combat and morale done with individual figures. Rick said many of the basic mechanics of the rules are derived from the Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game.

We deployed twelve inches in from the table edge to speed things up. The Irish had a slight advantage in numbers with twenty seven figures, while the Vikings had twenty four figures who were more heavily armoured. The Vikings also had a berserker, banner bearer and figure with a war horn. The two forces closed with Irish slingers and Viking bondi archers shooting. Irish warriors charged the Viking bondi on the right, after several round of combat, the Irish warriors were destroyed. On the Viking left the bondi archers shot at the Irish warriors, forcing them to charge, eventually picking them off with bow fire. Back in the centre the Viking hirdmen formed into shieldwall to reduce shooting casualties against the Irish slingers. The hirdmen advanced in shieldwall and were charged by the Irish chieftain and warriors. Eventually the more lightly armoured Irish warriors were ground down by the hirdmen, losing more figures after failed morale tests.

This wasn't a very satisfying or balanced first game of Pillage, the Irish didn't have much of a chance. The rules are very simple which may appeal to some but for me they are far too simplistic. There are more nuanced and satisfying skirmish sets already available with Lion Rampant, Saga and Barons' War. There is no index in the rules and specific rules are hard to find. There are also typos in the rules and QRS with the armour class abbreviations, some of these still have the French rather than the English version. The faction lists have limited options with the Irish, Scots and Picts lumped together but have no option for cavalry, while the Welsh have no option for armour. There is a generic list of costs so you can choose your own force regardless. 

Forces close

Bondi archers shoot

Irish warriors charge Bondi

Bondi archers pick of the remaining Irish on the left

Irish warriors charge Viking hirdmen
who are in shieldwall

Irish lose more figures from morale tests,
Vikings clear winners

Norse versus Irish Midgard Games

 

Irish and Norse deployed Game One

View from the Norse side

Norse attackers and Irish defenders advance

Irish light riders scout ahead

Bondi charge and Irish heavy riders counter charge

Irish army commander and hero are killed,
a very quick and easy victory for the Norse!

 

Game Two Norse advance

Last Sunday Rick, Gary, Rob and I met down at the Vikings Club in Lanyon for the monthly meeting of the Canberra Regional Wargame Group. We used to play down here every month but have only been a couple of times since the pandemic. We diced for sides, Gary and I were the Irish defenders and Rick and Rob, the Norse attackers. It was a pretty good turn out for the meeting considering it was a long weekend. Ian and his mates were also playing a Hundred Years War Midgard game. 

We ended up playing a second game as the first game was over very quickly, when the Irish commander and a hero were killed. This was a very quick and easy victory for the Norse before lunch! After lunch we swapped sides, Gary and I were the Norse attackers and Rick and Rob, the Irish defenders. This was a much closer game and the Irish performed a lot better on their second outing. The Irish heavy riders accounted for a Norse hirdmen unit but it was the Irish Norse allies who accounted for the Norse beserkers and bondi, sealing the game by killing the lone Norse army commander. It was good to get my Irish and Norse troops on the table and a real bonus to have two quick, fun Midgard games.

Irish light riders charge the Norse bondi

Norse hirdmen guard their right flank

Norse bondi and beserkers fight
the Irish Norse allies

Norse hirdmen are at half strength

Irish Norse allies have the upper hand

Norse hirdmen are winning but about to rout

Norse right flank is gone!

Norse army commander dies,
Game Two a closer victory for the Irish

Border Wars Game - Foray with the Elliots and Armstrongs

 

Elliot attackers and Armstrong defenders assemble

Elliots deploy 

Well fed Chillingham cattle, the objective of the foray!

Elliots advance 

Armstrongs respond

Casualties and wounds from shooting and combat 

Last Sunday I met Rick and Gary down at the Vikings Club in Lanyon for a game of Border Wars. It was the monthly Sunday meeting of the Canberra Regional Wargame Group. We used to play here all the time but this was only my second game there since 2020. The scenario was Foray (p.65 of the rules) which involved a raid on an Armstrong bastle with the objective their cattle and sheep. Gary commanded the Elliot family attackers and Rick was the Armstrong defenders. The two sides had 11 figures a side, with a leader, two heroes and eight soldiers, four mounted, seven foot, about 115 points. The Armstrongs only had half of their force with reinforcements hopefully arriving in turn three.

This was Gary and Rick's first game of Border Wars, I was umpire and had only played one game previously but it provided plenty of laughs. Gary often has atrocious luck with his dice and true to form managed to consistently roll ones and twos even with D10s! The game uses dice for activation, combat and shooting, D10s, D8s and D6s as well as markers and cards - Special Actions, Heroic Actions and Special Events. The Armstrongs were comfortably leading through out the game having killed an Elliot hero early on and retrieving most of their stock. In the final turn the Elliots managed to win the game by killing the Armstrong leader and heroes.

 

Cheviot sheep are wrangled away
from the thieving Elliots

Armstrong reinforcements advance

The families fight over the remaining cow

Armstrongs escape with the prize

Elliots win the game in the final turn,
killing the Armstrong leader and heroes

Hittites versus New Kingdom Egyptians Mortem et Gloriam Game

View of the table from the Hittite side

From the Egyptian side

NKE close fighters & archers, Lukka & Sherden

NKE Chariots and Nubian skirmishers

Hittite left flank

Last Sunday Garry and I met down at the Vikings Club in Lanyon, for a 3500 points Pacto (small) game of Mortem et Gloriam (MeG). We diced for sides and I got the New Kingdom Egyptians, and Garry, the Hittites. The Hittite attackers were out scouted, so deployed part of their force first. It was Garry first game and only my third game so we were fairly slow working things out. Both armies advance cautiously and then the Hittite infantry charged in the centre and the  Hittite chariots charged the NKE chariots on their left flank. The NKE archers and chariots were ineffective with their shooting and before long were suffering at the hands of the Hittites in combat.


The NKE chariots on the right flank were destroyed and their commander killed in combat. On the NKE left flank the chariots charged the Hittite skirmishers who skirmished in response and easily got away. In the centre casualties were mounting for the NKE, a commander was killed and a Kill a Base (morale) test saw further wounds inflicted. Only the Sherden and Lukka put up much resistance and the Hittites did lose the odd base and a commander. It was all over for the NKE as it was only a matter of time before both centre commands routed.

Hittite right flank and centre

NKE left flank and centre

Hittite infantry advance

The armies close

Hittite infantry in the centre charge

NKE infantry suffer in combat

Casualties mount for the NKE