A Northumbrian rumble - Barons War

So today at the club we set up a series of games of Barons War. We had 6 players, each with a 500 point retinue with three different tables to fight over. The idea being to get to fight on all three tables. Unfortunately we ran out of time but still got in 2 games each with a chip shop lunch thrown in.

Seige of Warkworth castle

A rumble in Morpeth market

The road to Newcastle

So 3 different layouts, which would hopefully provide different challenges to the players. My first game was against Sean on the Seige layout. The scenario really didn't benefit my retinue of foot sloggers when Sean's Hospitallers brought 2 units of mounted knights. We gained points for each turn we held an objective. Sean quickly seized the one in the centre of the table allowing him to gain an extra point each turn.

Bailey got bored at this point

I did manage to destroy one of the units of mounted knights, but his Baron proved too strong, rampaging through my foot troops, giving Sean a solid win for King Henry's faction. After the first round of games, King Henry's faction took 2 wins to lead. Thankfully Neil B managed to prevent Thom reaching Newcastle on table 1, picking up the solitary win for the Barons.

Game two I was facing off against Thom on 'Rumble in Morpeth market'. This time the scenario seemed to favour me. A simple kill as many points as possible to win. Thom's veteran archers proved a nuisance all game before eventually being seen off by my slingers. Their lack of armour proved costly. Our two commanders even faced off in the centre of the table, inflicting extensive casualties on each other causing both command groups to break. Thom failed to rally his Baron for the rest of the game, before my archers shot him down. 

So a solid victory for the Baron's, backed up by Neil B picking up a second win against Mitch. Sean though picked up a win for the King against Neil G. This left our little Northumbrian rumble tied at 3 wins each.

So 6 games completed and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. A few different retinues and with the abilities adding a different flavour to each. Already looking forward to our next set of games. Now I just need to paint up some mounted versions of my two Barons so I can field some mounted knights.

Retinue of William Heron, Baron of Hadstone

Just put the finishing touches to a second retinue for Barons War, William Heron. This is my second Northumbrian Baron as this is the area of focus for our games. All that was needed was a few more serjeants, both on foot and mounted. This is a smaller retinue than the first I completed as the intention is to use them as allies to expand into larger games.

The figures used for this force are a mix of Wargames Atlantic, Fireforge, Conquest and Footsore miniatures. They all mix well together. The only other thing I've painted up is a set of 3d printed Chevaux de frise supplied by Thom. These will be perfect for one of the games this coming weekend for a siege layout.

In all sixteen pieces provided which should be more than enough,

Retinue expands

Over the weekend I managed to add a few more troops to my second retinue. I added a unit of six archers and a couple of extra crossbowmen. The archers are a mix of bodies from Fireforge with arms from the Wargames Atlantic serjeants sprue. Once again I kept to the uniformed colours of the rest of the retinue.

For this retinue I already had knights with two handed weapons, so I wanted to add the option to field them with sword and shield. I also took the opportunity to create a figure to use as a Bishop, this is one of the upgrades for a command group. The three knights are all from Wargames Atlantic. The Bishop is from the Fireforge Templars boxed set.

The shields were all done by hand using the acrylic pens. These are such a boon and I picked up a good selection of colours for future use. 

Looking at this retinue as a whole I have six more serjeants to paint up to bring the two units I have up to eight figures. I also received the horses I needed to build up 3 more mounted serjeants to complete that unit. 

A second retinue

As I'm really enjoying painting these figures, I decided to build up a second full retinue. This time for William Heron, Baron of Hadstone. Thankfully there is no known heraldry for him, so I went for a cream/white background and a simple light blue stripe. I think it looks quite effective.

Earlier in the week I completed 2 serjeants from Wargames Atlantic, a mounted serjeant from Conquest miniatures and 2 knights from Footsore as part of a command retinue.

The next batch of figures I completed had their bases finished today. These included William Heron himself, a banner man and a third knight for the command retinue. I also added a few crossbowmen and a couple more serjeants with spears.

The retinue so far

The only other thing I managed to complete was some additional wattle fences. These are 3d resin prints provided by Mitch. I just added craft sticks for bases to make them a bit sturdier

Looking at the painting table I have 3 more knights and a Priest to complete for the command retinue. I also have a unit of 6 bowmen and some extra serjeants to round out the other units. I still have a few plastic figures left but I'm undecided on what to do with them.

Retinue Completed...I think

I finally got the last 2 units completed for my Baron's war retinue, the slingers and mounted serjeants. The slingers are the plastic peasants from Wargames Atlantic These are lovely figures and so easy to paint up.

The mounted serjeants are from Conquest miniatures. I really like these mounted figures as they are easy to put together and paint up. In keeping with the rest of the retinue I kept the shields to the dark red and cream combination.

After these were done I decided I wanted to add another small retinue. I will not need any peasants as I should have enough to cover a couple of retinues. I just need a few options on the serjeants and knights. I also decided to keep the shields uniform for this retinue. My idea being they can be a retinue of a Lord who is a loyal retainer of my Baron. So I'm thinking only around 300 points of troops. These can be combined with my Barons troops for larger games.

The first group of serjeants are done. The shield design is a simple cream with a pale blue stripe. A nice contrast to my Baron. The figures are a mix of Wargames Atlantic and Fireforge.

I did try to add some chips and worn marks to the shields, to highlight these troops are seasoned fighters. Think they turned out okay. The only other item I painted up was the cart I picked up from Iron gate scenery. Quick and easy to paint up.

I've also picked up a few more pieces of wattle fencing off Mitch which I'll need to get painted up in readiness for the games on the 18th.

The Retinue nears completion

As I gear up towards a club weekend gaming the Barons War, I made a bit more progress on my own retinue. I had already added a couple of crossbowmen and serjeants to round the units out. This time I added a few more peasants and some serjeants with spears and large shields.

I'm pretty happy with the retinue. I have quite a few options which will give me some flexibility in designing forces. I still have a unit of slingers to add as well as some mounted serjeants. Then I may start on a second smaller retinue.

The beauty of the peasants is that they can be used in any retinue or even as a stand alone force as outlaws, hmmm maybe a Robin Hood force? The other thing I did was create some morale tokens with spare shields and dice holders. The first 8 I did were in my Baron's colours.

On Thursday night I actually got to play a game instead of umpiring. It didn't go well as Sean's peasants ran off with the prized goose we were fighting over. A few photos from the game.