Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Battle on the Plains of Morg

I’m running an email play-test of my Campaig System for the HOTT Campaign Weekend in June. For this quick play-test I am determining the results of most of the battles with a couple quick roles of the dice. But Amanda wasn’t feeling like tallying up her expenses for her San Diego trip so she suggested that we play out one of the battles and as it happened the Field Army of the country she is running just happened to be involved in one…

The Plains of Morg, East of Morgond, Spring 823NA

SITUATION

Early in the spring the men of Angland rallied to the standard of their new King Aethelbert (the Almost Ready) raised at Morgond. Having recently ascended to the throne of Angland Aethelbert decided it was time to expand his new empire. When as many men as could sail on the fleet assembled had arrived they quietly slipped out to see under cover of a cool morning fog.

High Queen Amandalyll of the Elves considered all the reports of her eagle scouts and seers and it seemed difficult times were indeed upon them. Usually unconcerned with the troubles of men it seemed for the first time in centuries the instability and chaos of the north could indeed spill into the neighboring isle of Angland. Indeed if the growing evil were able to work their way to the Human kingdom and it were to fall what would stop them for reaching the islands of the elves… The Anlgish seeing the desperate times ahead had treated with the elves, pleading for their assistance. While not wanting to send her people too far abroad she accepted the new Anglish King’s invitation to help defend his lands and peoples (and by extension keep open warfare out of her own domain). Thus the army of the Elves sailed for Morgond… but when they arrived they found the city already besieged by the Narns!?

The Narns had been corrupted by the influnce of Christiankhamun V – Lich king of the undead hordes sweeping down out of the northern wastes. Queen Amandalyll arrayed he forces for battle – the siege must be lifted!

FORCES

Narns

1x Hero General
4x Knights
1x Rider
1x Cleric
2x Shooters
1x Spear

Elves

1x Blade General
2x Blade
3x Shooters
3x Magicians

THE GAME

This was a dicey proposition for me… a bunch of Knights against a bunch of shooters and magicians… fun… (both get quick kills against knights on the turn that the Knights move into contact with them…)

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)


The Narns form their battle line. King Gunnlaug Crowbeak front and center!


The Narns begin their advance towards the Elvish line.


Amanda, looking pretty confident. “So, let me get this straight.. If you move into contact with me, I get quick-kills and if you don’t I can just blast you from a distance…? BOO-YAH!” (okay… she didn’t actually say “BOO-YAH!”… but she was thinking it!)

On her first turn the three magicians zoomed forward and tried to blast the cleric!? No such luck…


The line of horsemen then tried to ride down the witch queen and her sorcerous cronies! They were forcibly trown back for their troubles and lost a unit of knights…


The elves maneuver up as the Narns were plagued with bad PIP rolls.


“Get that fat friar back up here!” A bit of back and forth – archers and wizards constantly disrupting the Narns line – the Narns never had enough PIPs to move the whole line back together for a mass charge


Things started to look bleak for the Narns when they lost two more Knights to archers darkening the skies above them!


… and worse yet when the Elvish heavy foot finaly made contact with the Narn foot element throwing them back towards Morgond and destroying a unit of archers…


Then it all went south for the elves in ONE TURN! The last of the knights and riders of Narn – along with the bishop of Relais and his order of combat clerics – Followed their heroic King in one last ditch charge against the Elvish line. The King rode down a second unit of archer while one group of sorcerers were thrown back by the knights


The Bishop Of Relais himself smote the Witch Queen and the riders on the extreme flank rode down some more wizards and the Elvish line crumbled….

Wow….

So the elves loaded back up onto their ships and headed back for the Islands of Eilf to lick their wounds and perform the rites for their dead. It was a crushing blow for the forces of good. How long can they hold out against such reckless hatred and violence…?

Losses

Narns
3x Knights
1x Shooters

Elves
2x Magicians
2x Shooters

More on the Campaign in a bit...

3 comments:

  1. Wooo! Narn squeaks out a win against all odds! Hail Grunlaug Crowbeak, King of Narn and the Angles!

    Awesome game, I read it from the edge of my seat :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. yes... squeaked out a victory by the seats of their pants they did...!

    ReplyDelete
  3. The larger context of the campaign added a whole new dimension to the game. Even though I have no personal stake in it (not the army of MY country I was playing afterall) I spent a lot more time weighing the options (though in truth there wasn't a LOT of options) because not only was how to win this battle on my mind but also how to preserve the army to survive two more seasons of the campaign year...!?

    ReplyDelete