HOTT Summer 2012 part One: The Campaign Kickoff

This weekend I got together with a couple friends and played a little HOTT campaign. This campaign differed from the previous ones in two ways; 1) there were considerably less people (four, as opposed to eight or nine for the others I’ve ran) and 2) I PLAYED in it (previously I’ve just run the campaigns).

Things kicked off Friday evening with a big battle Bob and I played against John and David. This was mostly an opportunity to try out our forces as none of us had really ever played with these forces before…. Some adjustments were made to armies before the campaign started the following morning.

I played a Fantasy Feudal Japanese army, Bob had (mostly) Centaurs, David had and English Civil War-ish army and John played his Ratlings…

FORCES

I think this is what we were playing with Friday night…

Fantasy Feudal Japanese – tim (me!)

1x Knight General (Mounted Samurai)

2x Magician (Shukenja)

1x Sneaker (Ninjas!)

1x Horde (mudmen)

2x Shooters (Ashigaru Archers)

2x Spear (Ashigaru Spearmen)

1x Rider (More Samurai…)

Centaurs – Bob

1x Magician General (Centaur Shamen)

1x Knight (Armoured Centaurs)

2x Shooters (Satyrs)

7x Riders (Centaurs)

English (Civil War) – David

1x Cleric General

2x Shooters (Musketeers)

4x Spear (Pikemen)

1x Knight (Cuirassier)

1x Warband (or Horde…? Scottish Highlanders)

1x Rider (Mossers)

1x Dragon (um… pretty self-explanitory)

Ratlings

1x Magician (Rat Pie)

1x Artillery (Rat Pudding)

11x Hordes (Rat Sorbet)

3x Blade (Strawberry Tart – with just a little bit of rat in it…)

THE GAME

Here’s how the game went down…

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

On our side I was on the left and Bob, with his Centaurs, was on the right. Across from Me was David’s ECW army, and across from Bob was John and his Ratlings.

We more or less played two separate games side-by-side with very little interaction… Until the very end when I had so little in front of me I galloped some Riders over to start chewing away at the otherwise unengaged Rat flank.

The Centaurs trying ot cross the river with the rats defending the bank opposite. It was a bit of a slog.

The Pike and Shooter blocks slowly wheel toward each other.

First Blood! Ashigaru Archers darkened the sky and took down some Scottish Shot.

I think this was the Centaurs Knights dying… Honestly, I didn’t pay much attention to what Bob and John were doing.

Things going downhill for the English (which were mostly Scots, actually) The Ashigaru Spearmen drove off some more Scottish Shot and the Heavy Mounted Samurai rode down TWO elements of Pikemen!?

Oop… the Scottish Highanders (whatver they were… Warband? Horde..?) took out a unit of Ashigaru Spear (with the aide of the English Pike…).

Back over on the other side… I’m not sure how it was going. Not good for either, I think. Some of the Centaurs getting across the river but the rats selling themselves dearly – which the Centaurs can’t afford – because there’s ALWAYS MORE RATS!?

I think this around the same time as the last two shots – the dead marker beign the same used for the dead Ashigaru Spear….

Heavy Samurai Charged up the hill and rode down the English Cuirassiers.

The English had apparently made some unholy pact with a Dragon!? Unfortunately it wasn’t the most reliable of sorts… it arrived just in time…

… to see the English Cleric General…

Get ridden down by the Samurai and watch the entire Englsih army teetering one th brink of collapse.

(At this point the English had lost over half their AP AND their General – so the army was demoralized – which requires PIPs be spent just to hold groups or individual stands on the table - and with a lost General everything cost an additional PIP – so two PIPs to hold an individual element or group on the table – three if they want the Dragon to actually MOVE….)

Before the English totally broke and fled The Ashigaru Spear took out the Scottish Highlanders.

Things came aprt for them very raidly thereafter. I think DAvid rolled a 1 for PIPs which meant the rest of his force vacated teh field, which meant things were pretty much over... 

Bob trying to convince John of something. Perhaps they were discussing how things might have played out had the game gone on a bit longer...? 

David and John.

Everyone went home to start plotting and planning. I stayed up until almost 3AM trying tofinish painting the campaign map... and finish up a few more stands.

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

HOTT Summer 2012 Part Two – Year One of the Campaign