Lion Rampant first game

On Thursday night I managed to get the figures I've painted down to the club for a quick game to test out the rules for this game. I didn't have tome to calculate points so we decided to just use what was available. After all it was about learning the rules and not about who wins. So I quickly organised my forces and even roped in some mounted Norman knights to proxy as a unit of mounted men at arms. I have also decided to set my games in a more fantasy setting which gives me more license on troop types and in creating a story for the games.

Our first game was about the Rebels making an attempt to kidnap the Crown Prince as he was making a tour of the country before his coronation.

Rebel - Sir Robert de Groucey
Mounted Men at arms*
Men at arms
Sergeants
Yeoman with mixed weapons
Crossbowmen

Royalists - Crown Prince William
Men at arms*
Veteran Sergeants

Royalists - Sir Henry Bodrum
Men at arms*
Sergeants
Bidowers

The battlefield

Prince William and Sir Henry have visited the local church to pray at Christs' relics when the alarm is raised when Sir Robert de Groucey has arrived at the village with a large retinue, armed and looking for a fight. Prince William and Sir Henry decide to quickly advance on the village as most of their horses and equipment is there.

Royalists advance

View from the village towards the Royalists

At this point we ignore the rule on failing an activation order to end a turn as we wanted to get both sides stuck in. As both sides closed we then reverted back to the normal sequence.

Sir Robert and retinue

Sergeants and Crossbows move into position

As both sides advanced I moved the yeoman out onto my right flank to try and inflict some casualties on the advancing enemy. My crossbowmen seemed to get bogged down in the village (probably in the local tavern) as they ended up taking no part in the game.

Yeoman advance

Sir Robert leads forward his men at arms

As my Yeoman got into position they awaited the advancing sergeants of Prince Williams' retinue. As the enemy closed I failed may activation order to fire which the Sergeants took full advantage of to crash into my line.

Yeoman in position

Approaching Royalists

Sergeants get stuck in

it was at this point that things started to go wrong for the Royalists. The foot sergeants only inflicted a single casualty and were forced to retreat with the drawn combat. On my left the Royalist sergeants attacked my own foot sergeants and were bloodily repulsed.

Clash of sergeants

Sir Henry's sergeants repulsed

In my turn I sent forward my sergeants to try and finish off Sir Henrys' men, while my Yeoman fired into the retreating sergeants of Prince William. My foot men at arms moved to the centre of the village to cover the advance of the Prince William and his men at arms.

Sir Henrys' battered sergeants retreat again

Sharpen your swords boys

To try and salvage the game Sir Henry committed his men at arms into my Yeoman and gave them a bit of a thrashing, sending the poor yeoman running and in a battered state. Meanwhile the Prince William and his men at arms clashed in the street with rebel men at arms. It was not Prince Williams day as his men were bloodily hacked down, failing their courage test the fled (double 1 rolled by John)

Take that rebels

Men at arms clash

At this time the game was up for the Royalists. Sir Robert charged his men at arms into Sir Henry, knocking him to the ground and forcing him to retreat to avoid capture, before they turned their attention onto the sergeants.

Put them to the sword

All in a very enjoyable game, if somewhat bloody. The rules seem very easy to pick up and gave a good flavour of a medieval game. John was impressed and he is normally a WW2 gamer. I have also decided to create some sort of markers to represent battered units as we had been using dice. I've got some spare weapons, shield and stuff left over from numerous plastic kits which i can arrange on some mdf bases.