Mantes 1364

I started playing a scenario for Cry Havoc! but I am using the Song of Blades and Heroes rules.  I made a few modifications and some house rules.  It is playing great.  I ran this same scenario using Montjoie! from Two Hour Wargames at Owlcon in Houston several years ago.  It is a fun scenario, and really gives any rule set a workout.

I am still working on tweaking SBH to fit what I want to do here.  I will post an After Action Report later.  For now just a few photos of the First Turn or so.

This is Mantes... in my garage.

 

Du Guesclin and Clisson enter through the blocked gate.

 

The other side of the gate as the Franco-Bretons and the rebels attack the garrison.

The English and the Collaborators muster in the courtyard to repel the attack.

An English Sergeant Holds the side gate while a Spearman moves to close the portcullis

Two Rebel Peasants attack a Traitor Crossbowman.  I use the small poker chips to mark which units have been activated so far in a turn.

It is still early in the game, so no idea how it will work out.  Really fun so far.  The English Sergeant pushing back the first French Knight in the gate was great!

I had some problems with the video.   I hope there are no issues with the photos.

More, later.

   

Photos and Song of Blades and Heroes

     Turns out I didn't have a memory card in when Steve and I played.  I will have to get some pics when we meet next.  I did play around with the photos from the Poitiers game from a few weeks ago.  I am still toying with things several months after switching over to a Mac.

I made a short video out of some of the pictures, not really a battle report, just an overview.

     I am always looking for fun fast skirmish games.  Recently I came upon Song of Blades and Heroes by Ganesha Games.  I have found it to be really enjoyable and easily adaptable.  I joined the Yahoo Group and found a Dragon Noir conversion in the files section.   I am an old Cry Havoc fan from the eighties and decided to stat out some troops and play some Cry Havoc scenarios.

     I still need to tweak a few things, and I have a couple of questions that need to be answered, but I was quite pleased with the results.  Never one to play it safe; I decided to stress test the concept and jump right in to a rather large scenario.  I am trying it out on the capture of Mantes in 1364 by Du Guesclin.

     Using a cart with some soldiers disguised as wine growers, the French blocked the drawbridge at one of the town gates and rushed in to overpower the defenders and seize the town.  So using several varied war bands, operating in a medieval urban environment, and using a new set of rules... Did I mention I don't always play it safe?  I set out to see what would happen.

I will let ya’ll know how it turns out.

Recent Games

Christmas vacation allowed me to get a game in.  I did the Battle of Poitiers using the Pride of Lions rules.  I like these rules as they are not too fiddly when it comes to movement, and there are a bunch of variables that allow for the creation of units based on capabilities without having a bunch of extra rules. 

Shooting seemed a little underwhelming.  The English longbows were just not that effective.  Perhaps I should have had more units.  I will have to fiddle with it and see.  I am also considering using 1 base per unit with casualty markers allowing more units in 28mm. 

Steve S. came in from San Antonio and we kicked off a great campaign using the map from the board game Joan of Arc.  We played at Great Hall Games here in Austin.  I am playing the French, Brittany and Burgundy.  Steve is playing England, Navarre, and Flanders.  We used a simple mechanic to play out sieges against unoccupied areas, and each force then fought an  800 point battle versus Free Companies to expand further.  This let us get back into things without having the main forces engage. 

France took a early lead but has enemies on all sides, so I am sure there will be losses coming at some point.  It really was great and Steve and I are looking forward to playing in the months ahead.  We are using the First edition Days of Knights rules, with some house rules thrown in.  A bunch of ideas from Ken Blackley's web site for Days of Knights.  I will put some photos up here soon.     

Welcome!

I have been reading other wargamer's blogs and decided to join in the fun.  I have been playing wargames since the late 70's and have always been a history buff.  I have a particular interest in the Hundred Years War. Several years ago I worked on the rules Montjoie! for Two Hour Wargames. 

I have tried many rules sets over the years, and go back to some of them now and again.  I play historical, fantasy, sci-fi, like many miniature enthusiasts my collection is quite varied.  I do however have a particular fondness for warfare in the middle ages.  I blame my grandmother for reading me "Le Morte d'Arthur" as a kid and filling my head with images of knights in armor. 

So, the Lilies are for France, the Lions for England, and the Little Men is for the miniatures.  I look forward to sharing with others interested in the hobby, and the discussions result