None Shall Pass; a Lion Rampant game

     While trying to recover from playing a full-on game of WRG Ancients Fifth Edition I needed a simpler way to think. My eye cast itself across the myriad of books and rules that line the walls of my library and fell upon a  copy of Osprey's Lion Rampant; I thought to myself, "There is a simple set of rules" and began to design the following scenario.

       Arthur (Artorius, or some other Briton with a highly unlikely Roman-sounding name)  has gotten wind of a Saxon plan to march up the Old Roman Road (no, not one of those arrow-straight roads that criss-cross Britain, a road that an Old Roman once lived beside, you can see his hut in the pictures) and commit a bit of invading. Arthur objected to this as he was planning on levying taxes on those same people later this year and a change of title might complicate the book-keeping. Thus he called forth his troops and set himself to stop this affront to his dignity (and Exchequer).

 

Arthur and the boys declare "None Shall Pass!"

the Saxon Horde (looking a LOT more like a Gallic Horde, I swear I have Saxons, I was just too lazy to dig them out of storage) advances along the road toward the doughty Britons

the tabletop as it was set up

 

first move by the Saxons, the Bellicose foot on the far left heading straight toward the archers

 while the unarmored foot follow the general and his foot knights

 

the British response was to push forward a single unit of light cavalry

I tanked my move roll so the turn passed back to Joe who replied with a similar effort

 

this turn I managed to get all of my units rolling again, I pushed a unit of unarmored spears to the right to cover my flank while the foot knights and bellicose foot advanced

 

the British sat tight, taunting me a second time

 

the next turn I was once again able to move all of my units,

keeping everybody within 12" of the general helps 

things were going nicely

 

my closer approach stung the passive Britons into action,

the archers opened fire on the Bellicose foot 

and the light cavalry skirmished forward and threw javelins,

 both unit extracted one casualty

 

the next turn I continued my advance, 

tucking the Bellicose foot into the woods to improve their saves 

and further denying my right flank

 

having moved close enough to trigger the British Knights  Uncontrolled Advance rule 

my Foot Knights paid a heavy price (I rolled terribly, Joe rolled well)

 

my Foot Knights were forced to retire but at least they did not become Battered

 

Arthur (generals in today's game were treated as a full unit, Arthur represented six figures of Mounted Knights, the little red die shows how many lives he has left) decided to show the Knights how it was done and promptly charged my other unit of Foot Knights, slaying most of them

 

this unit was also forced to retire but also avoided becoming Battered

 

the rest of the British army cheered lustily but did nothing more

 

attracted by all this cheering the Bellicose foot burst forth from the woods, in a, 

wait for it.........Bellicose manner and proceeded to lay a load of hurtiness on the archers

 

but the archers were no wimps and returned the favor (sort of)

 

at the end of things the archers withdrew collecting a Battered marker

 

seeing a chance to rid themselves of the all-too-aggressive (and successful) Arthur 

the Saxons began a series of disastrous assaults against his person

first it was an unarmored spearman unit

they lost

 

next it was the Foot Knights turn

they lost, but managed to cost Arthur a life

 

following that my General (who counted as a unit of sergeants) took a swing at the seemingly untouchable monarch, he was sent packing as well

 

lastly the other unit of Foot Knights made an effort

but they were forced back 

out of units to attack with the turn passed to Joe

 

he promptly finished off my Foot Knights with his much fancier Mounted Knight version

 

Arthur, offended that mere peasants would dare to attack his august person,

 decided to take the fight to them

 

but he finally paid the price for his hubris

laid low by the forces of an anarcho-syndicalist commune 

that is Dennis there in the checkered shirt

 

in Joe's turn the Mounted Knights, horrified at the unseemly demise of their beloved king, 

returned the favor by charging and slaying my leader of the people

in the distance the now-rallied archers punished the Bellicose foot leaving them Battered

 

in my turn I tried to drive off the infernal Knights with my Foot Knights,

 things didn't go well at all

 

in the next turn Joe charged the regicides and slew them to a man

 

while my flanking unarmored spearmen took a missile casualty

 (raising their grand total of losses to two figures) 

they promptly failed their test and fled from the field of battle

      It was a fun game in all. Perhaps my classification of troops was a bit off but it seemed to show that the rules could be used for the Dark Ages. I am sure careful adjustment of the troops types and a special rules or two to add Dark Ages goodness will make this a perfectly playable set of rules.