Recruiting a New Army - Decisions, Decisions

Last  year I sold off my Animal Farm and Pirate Armies (see here) as they didn't really fit in with my others. Not surprisingly I have been thinking about creating another army for a while but what to do? So many figures, so little time!

I quite fancy doing one based on Black Hat's "not-Ewoks" Tolero at some stage, especially now that they do them mounted too. But not at the moment.

I could do with another human army but am still contemplating what type to go for - barbarian, peasant revolt, aztec, caveman (with various creatures).

In the end my mind has been made up by the Pendraken painting competition 2015. I've always liked the art of Brian Froud and have recently been very inspired by DeafNala's "Last Hurrah Project" on the Lead Adventurers Forum. So I am going to give it a go to create a "Froudian" army using Pendraken's 10mm Gnomes as a basis. The competition is only open for a month so I am going to start small with a couple of units and if they work out I will go for it big time.

Watch this space.

 

Back from Whence You Came, Creature of Hell!

One of the troop types featured in Mayhem is the Swarm - a unit that makes more of a nuisance of itself rather than killing anyone. I quite fancied having a swarm unit but I have never liked the idea of masses of frogs, rats, etc in a battle. In a dungeon or skirmish, yes, but in open warfare, no!

Chaos Swarm

So I've been looking for something to make little a mass of little creatures of Chaos - imps, perhaps and came across these. They are actually from Dark Realm's 6mm Scifi Range and go for £3.00 for 25.

I managed to mount nineteen of the little blighters on a 40mm by 30mm base (so that they can also be used as a HotT horde). So that leaves me with six more to use in fantasy or pulp skirmishes.

That's the good news. The bad news is that I am not going to manage to fight the battle between the Crusaders and Chaos Army before my son returns home from uni. So they have all had to return to their boxes until after Christmas. Not that I am envious of all you lucky people who have wargame rooms - not many, Benny!

A Champion for my Minotaurs

I've got enough Pendraken Minotaurs to make quite a few warband bases and have a chieftain and shaman as characters but felt I needed a champion that looked a bit different from the others. All the Pendraken ones are based three poses so I thought that I'd do a bit of converting with an Ogre by the same company.

And voila!

Minotaur Champion

I used Oyumaru to make a mould of one of the other Minotaur's faces; then cast a new head with Procreate. Having removed the Ogres' head, I superglued the new Minotaur face on and then built it up with more Procreate with a bit of wire added to form the horns.

Now I just need to think about creating a standard bearer.

No One Would Have Believed in the Last Years That this World Was Being Watched Keenly and Closely by Intelligences Greater than Man's...

"Why, O why did you forsake us?" Abbot Crispin whispered as he knelt in earnest prayer on the cold stone floor of his private chapel. "Was our cause not worthy of you? Were you not glorified by our bloodshed?"

But there was no response form his god.

Instead the silence was interrupted by a sheepish knock on the door. 

The abbot sighed and beckoned the knocker in but soon regretted it as Brother Equile entered the room followed rapidly by the stench of the pig sty that he had just left.

"Yes, Brother, what do you want?" Crispin demanded impatiently, still finding it difficult to exercise the forgiveness that he so often encouraged his flock to embrace after the monk's treachery at the battle on the steppes.

"Father Abbot, I bring dire news" Equile announced his head bowed low.

"What is it, man?" asked the abbot, trying to fend of the smell of pig swill.

"A messenger has come from the next parish," explained the monk. "He speaks of creatures appearing from another plane - evil beings, soulless beings, followers of another god."

"Enough of your blasphemy!" the abbot shouted. "There is only one god. Get out and tell that foolish messenger not to spread such terrible lies or he will face excommunication."

The monk scuttled out the room. He had learnt not to challenge his superior. 

Turning his back on the closing door, the abbot wandered to the window and surveyed the  rolling landscape. In the distance he could see dark smoke billowing into the sky. But no, that wasn't smoke! They were dark flying beasts - creatures that he had never seen before. And as he looked on a troublesome dread crept upon him.

Once more Crispin fell to his knees: "Lord, we need your help. Do not abandon us in our hour of need."

Well, I enjoyed my recent game of Mayhem so much that I thought I would get going on another one straight away, though the battle may take a while to actually set up. And this time the creatures of Chaos are going to come to Crispin's homeland seeking to take advantage of the Crusader's weakness after their recent failed attack on the Orcs.

Once again, I've gone for armies of about 200 crowns and I've also adopted RRtK's idea where half of the crowns are used for a base army and then the rest of the crowns are spent on units which are selected by rolling dice. This allows a general to be sure of having certain units in his army but unable to choose the whole make up of it. Of course, this can mess things up a little as there were some units of my Chaos Army that I was hoping to give an airing to but they weren't chosen by the dice rolls and I'm afraid that I didn't manage to recruit the angels this time. Clearly Crispin's god is having one almighty sulk at the moment.

And so here are the armies:

The Crusaders

Abbot Crispin (the General)

Leadership D12

Move D6

CQ D20

BAR D20

General

Cost 10 Crowns

Brother Germaline (Hero)

Move D6

CQ D20

BAR D20

Hero, Spear & Shield

Cost 15 Crowns

Brother Equile (Hero)

Move D6

CQ D20

BAR D20

Hero

Cost 11 Crowns

Two Units of Knights

Move D8

CQ D10

BAR D10

Cavalry, Heavy Armour, Lance, Shield

Cost 26 Crowns

Two Units of Spearmen

Move D6

CQ D10

BAR D12

Spear, Shield

Cost 15 Crowns

One Unit of Crossbowmen

Move D6

CQ D12

BAR D12

Crossbowmen

Cost 16 Crowns

Five Units of Pilgrims

Move D6

CQ D20

BAR D20

Hordes

Cost 15 Crowns

Chaos

Major Demon (General)
Leadership D12

Move D12

CQ D8

BAR D8

Flyer, General, Terror

Cost 41 Crowns

Kronos (Hero)

Move D6

CQ D6

BAR D12

Hero, Axe

Cost 47 Crowns

One Unit of Chaos Knights

Move D8

CQ D8

BAR D10

Cavalry, Heavy Armour, Lance

Cost 29 Crowns

One Unit of Chaos Warriors

Move D6

CQ D8

BAR D10

Disciplined, Sword, Shield

Cost 21 Crowns

One Unit of Large Demons

Move D8

CQ D6

BAR D8

Behemoth, Terror

Cost 21 Crowns

One Unit of A Mass of Chaos

Move D4

CQ D20

BAR D10

Behemoth, Fear

Cost 16 Crowns

I'll stick up pictures when I get the battle going.

Let Battle Commence

Playing this solo, I used dice rolls to lay out the scenery which, as you can see, rather messed up the Nomadic Orcs's initial deployment. And I used RRtK's rules for deploying the troops, classing the Nomadic Orcs as a 'B' type - mainly mounted and fast - and the Crusaders as an 'A' type - heavily reliant on melee troops albeit they're rubbish pilgrims!

Rolling for who would move first, the Nomadic Orcs got the upper hand and for the first go, decided to live dangerously for the command roll - got the maximum 8 and that was even forgetting that I could roll more than one die (I must withdraw myself from HotT mode!)

The Initial Layout

  

Angels and Crossbowmen on the Left Flank

Pilgrim Hordes with Abbott Crispin and Brother Equile

 

More Pilgrim Hordes with Brother Germaline

 

Knights and Crossbowmen on the Right Flank

 

The Orc Right Flank

 

The Orc Centre with Trollkin, Chieftain and Orc Nobles

More Orc Riders on the Left Flank

 Turn 1
Deciding to take the initiative, the Orc Chieftain ordered a general advance and riders moved forward at a furious pace with the units on both flanks seeking to get around the sides of their enemy.

I decided to  go dangerous with all the units and all scores were average or above (why can't I roll like this when I play my son?). Lastly I moved the Chieftain - 3!

Taken aback by the enthusiasm of his troops, the chieftain decided to play it a little more cautiously.

The Crusaders' turn and the command roll is also good - 11 (again I forgot to roll more than one die...grr). This could be a short game.

Encouraged to see the Orcs moving forward to embrace their holy enlightenment, the Abbot also proclaims a general advance and the pilgrims singing the latest battle hymn rush headlong towards the centre of the enemy.

The crossbowmen also move forward and let fly with their bolts at the flanking Orc riders, hopefully softening up their ranks for the angels and knights. The crossbowmen on the right flank miss their target (dangerous roll of 2) but those on the left flank hit their much closer enemy (only 5" so default will suffice) throwing one unit into disorder. Seeing their opportunity to swoop down upon the shaken enemy the angel host cry out with a loud voice and edge forward (tried a charge move and rolled two 2's!). Meanwhile the Abbot and monks, being men of peace, followed the angels' example and moved forward just enough to show that "we're all in this together" (rolled two 1's and a 4 - might go for default in the next turn).

Turn 2

I decided to try default for the Nomadic Orcs so 4 command points - rally the unit hit by the crossbows (2 points) and charge (2 points). That's that for this go!

 

Angered by the crossbowmen, the Orc riders rallied and charged into their attackers and this time it is the crossbowmen's turn to be disordered (4 & 7 v 11).

Orc Riders Chanrge into the Crossbowman

 

I managed to remember the multiple dice roll and scored 10 for the Crusaders' command points.

The crossbowmen, not too happy about getting into hand-to-hand combat, rally and quickly disengage (5 cp) shouting to the angels "We've softened them up. They're all yours for the taking!" as the host passes overhead. The angels need no more prompting and this time sweep in for the kill (just making it!)  

 

The Angelic Host sweeps in for the kill

The fighting is intense but not surprisingly the riders go under the furious onslaught from above. What is surprising is that the angels also are destroyed. Oh dear! The angels' 3d4 get 1,2 & 4 but the Orcs' 1d10 also gets a 1. I wasn't expecting that!

Meanwhile the pilgrims, wanting their moment of glory (or martyrdom) continue to rush forward against the enemy but perhaps shaken by the departure of their supernatural allies fail to engage. Unbelieveable - 2 inches away and for my charge I roll two 1's!

Two 1's!

The abbot and the monks sensing unease in the ranks advance a little quicker this time to bolster up the ranks.

The Situation after Turn 2

 There will now be a short interlude while I go and do the weekly shopping. :)

Prepping for a Game of Mayhem

I've managed to paint and base enough generals and heroes for two armies for "Mayhem". And I've read through the rules several times and sent Brent Spivey, the writer, a number of questions to get some points clarified so I think that I'm ready to give the rules a go.

I quite like the idea from 2HW's Rally Round the King" of not having full control of the choice of units so I have created tables for the two armies creating a basic foundation for each of them of around 100 Crowns and then rolling dice for the other 100 crowns' worth.

So here goes....

Spring has sprung and it is time for campaigning to commence. In his private chapel Abbot Crispin the Third has been meditating upon the scriptures and interceding with his deity for guidance. With whom should he share the love of god this year?

In the "Gospel of St Justinian" (a very late addition to the scriptures and, no doubt, a likely source for another Dan Brown blockbuster) he reads, "I will draw my flock from other meadows" and he has an epiphany. That's it! His god doesn't just want humans to join his followers. His love is for everyone. And so Crispin proclaims a crusade to free all peoples from the tyranny of ignorance, starting with the orcs that wander the nearby Steppes of Hordaz.

His call is soon answered by two equally zealous monks, Brothers Germaline and Equile, who scour the parishes recruiting an army worthy of this holy quest - a mixture of professional warriors supported by masses of enthusiastic but unskilled pilgrims. And as the Abbot leads his army out they are joined by a host of angels - surely a sign that their god will bless this venture. 

Meanwhile, on the Steppes of Hordaz, the Wargs growl uneasily, troubled by the smell of incense wafting through the air. The Orc pickets spot the mass of white cloth and silver helms and send news to their chieftain, "Muster the riders!"

The Crusaders

Abbot Crispin (the General)

Leadership D12

Move D6

CQ D20

BAR D20

General

Cost 10 Crowns

Brother Germaline (Hero)

Move D6

CQ D20

BAR D20

Hero, Spear & Shield

Cost 15 Crowns

Brother Equile (Hero)

Move D6

CQ D20

BAR D20

Hero

Cost 11 Crowns

One Unit of Knights

Move D8

CQ D10

BAR D10

Cavalry, Heavy Armour, Lance, Shield

Cost 26 Crowns

Two Units of Crossbowmen

Move D6

CQ D12

BAR D12

Crossbowmen

Cost 16 Crowns

Four Units of Pilgrims

Move D6

CQ D20

BAR D20

Hordes

Cost 15 Crowns

One Unit of Lesser Angels

Move D12

CQ D6

BAR D6

Flyers, Steadfast, Terror

Cost 46 Crowns

The Nomadic Orcs

Orc Chieftain (General)

Leadership  D8
Move D8
CQ D10
BAR D12
Cavalry, General, Sword
Cost 21 Crowns

One Unit of Orcs Nobles
Move D8
CQ D10
BAR D12
Cavalry, Elite, Musician, Standard
Cost 21 Crowns

Seven Units of Orc Riders
Move D8
CQ D10
BAR D12
Cavalry
Cost 17 Crowns

Two Units of Trollkin Mercenaries
Move D6
CQ D8
BAR D10
Berserkers, Beat Back
Cost 25 Crowns

That's the forces organised. I am probably going to have to wait until Wednesday to start the battle (and take the photographs).

Recruiting Again

Well, I've had a good read of Bombshell Games' "Mayhem" fantasy mass battle wargame rules and I have to say that I do like the look of them. They just give that little bit more opportunity than "Hordes of the Things" and "Rally Round the King" to tinker with your units so that you can create the type of troops exactly as you imagine. And thankfully Mayhem, while suggesting base-sizes, allows you to use units as already based for other games (both HoTT and RRtK use bases with 40mm frontages for 15mm figures).

The one problem is that both Mayhem and RRtK require heroes, generals and sorcerers to be based individually and preferably on round bases.

Queue a fortunate find on eBay:-

There's enough individual figures here to create a number of characters for several of my armies as well as bolster up a couple of them (RRtK needs more units than the average HoTT one).

And I've sold off my 15mm scifi stuff also thanks to eBay so I have some "pocket money" to fill the gaps in my armies' leadership. And I've got a few days annual coming up so hopefully I'll get some painting done too. Who knows...I might even get a game!!!!

Isn't life (and God) good!

Still in the Land of the Living

Like so many others, I been failing to keep up this blog. Sorry for that.

But I have been doing some painting, modelling and reading though sadly no gaming for quite some time.

In fact the only game I've played is a try out of the "Pulp Alley" Rules with some British Bobbies seeking to foil the plans of an evil cult. I know that a of people are raving about the rules but they didn't really work for me. I think that I am going to revert to using Two Hour Wargames' "Larger than Life" though I might take some ideas from other rules to flesh them out a bit.

 

Painting-wise, I have been gradually dealing with my lead mountain of 10mm fantasy and pulp and the three Pendraken resin ruins that I bought at Colours 2011. They paint up really well and give me a more urban setting for pulp games. And I almost forgot that I also painted most of a 15mm Hobbit Army for HoTT (I'll add some pictures to my gallery soon). I have only had the figures for about a decade so not bad, huh! I just need to paint up a few rangers and convert a barrel wagon so that it has a hobbit on top and then the army will be complete.

And I have also been doing some scratch-building of a fantasy village, using a cardboard tube, some plastic tubing and an old towelling sock. I'm really pleased how they turned out though I haven't quite decided who would live in such buildings.

My lack of gaming (and blog updating) has also convinced me that I need to hone down my interests to restrict myself so that I paint, model and read less and game more. So I am soon going to be selling off all my 15mm scifi (figures and scenery) on eBay and focus all my attentions on fantasy gaming - 15mm for large battles with HoTT if I play my son (when he's back from uni) or Rally Round the King and/or Mayhem for solo gaming and 10mm for skirmishing and dungeon crawling using Warrior Heroes - and perhaps the occasional 10mm pulp game.

Of course, like many wargamers, I have made myself similar promises before but I hope that this time I will stick to it. Watch this space.