Crepusculum Imperii: Adapting Lion Rampant to the Late Roman period

I'm a big fan of Lion and Dragon Rampant and find myself quite impressed with this article written by David Sulivan on his blog about adapting the Lion Rampant rules to the Late Roman period. Link
Highly recommended :)

Lion Rampant - Battle Report U-Tube Video

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Comment:  Quite by chance came across this U-Tube video today of a Lion Rampant game.  For those who haven't yet played tried the rule system out, this worth a watch.  For those who have, this is good background stuff to have on whilst painting figures :)   Makes me feel like doing a Dragon Rampant one...

Royal Armouries Gaming Event (RAGE) - 100 Years War - Harfleur game

After the success of the Napoleonic Wargaming event last year at the Royal Armouries the Armouries decided to hold a Royal Armouries Gaming Event (RAGE), but this time focusing on the 100 Years War.  The trigger for this was to celebrate the arrival of the Battle Of Agincourt diorama that the Perry twins had constructed last year.  Initially it was on display in the Tower of London, but has now moved to it permanent residence in the Royal Armouries in Leeds.

John S suggested a 28mm game using the Lion Rampant rules for a battle recreating the Siege of Harfleur.  In our game the French sortie out to try and wreck the bombard and approaching seige tower.   John S constructed a fabulous castle and he and Gavin M did sterling work on painting figures up as well.  You can read more about his construction of the Harfleur Castle on his Blog (Link).

Over the two days of the event (23-24 Apr) our club ran a total of 14 participation games.  8 games played on the Saturday with something like a 5:3 split English wins to French.  6 on Sunday, all French wins!

Points were c. 45 per side.  Odd number but worked ultimately on what we had.

English had:
4 expert archers (longbows)
1 expert yeomen (melee armed archers)
2 Foot men-at-arms
2 bidowers (skirmishing bows)

French had:
1 mounted men-at-arms (mounted Knights and sergeants)
2 foot men at arms (foot Knights)
3 expert foot sergeants (foot sergeants doh!)
2 crossbow
1 bidowers (handgunners).  All targets were 2 armour when shot, but could not shoot if evaded.


Here's a selection of pictures of our participation game.
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Of the 10 games at the event, there was an outstanding looking display game of Agincourt - very inspiring :)   Here's some pics of it.
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Comment:  Amazing looking castle.  I'm reliably informed (by the owner Simon) that it is a Hudson and Allen model with heavy conversion work undertaken to add a wooden palisade, new top tower with gothic windows, brochette etc).
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Simba Superplay Castle

Following a link posted on one of the Facebook pages it seems that Debenhams (in the UK) are selling off cheap 'Simba Superplay Castles'. For only £21 delivered, I must confess I couldn't resist getting one :)
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Orc Warlord makes himself at home :)
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The keep.
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Currently in the process of painting one of the towers up. I'll post photos of my progress in due course. Currently intending on using it in both Lion and Dragon Rampant games.
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“Landwasters and Raven Feeders”: Official rules for Lion Rampant in the Dark Ages

Back in issue 331 (May 2015) of Wargames Illustrated magazine, Dan Mersey looked at how to raise a Warband (which seems a more suitable title for this period than the medieval ‘Retinue’; your Leader is restyled as your Warlord) for your preferred Dark Ages nation using the Lion Rampant rules, and added a list of Boasts more suited to the Dark Ages.

As that issue now seems almost impossible to find, Dan has added an article to his web site about it:  Link.

 

An intereting new feature and one that could be used be adapted to use in Dragon Rampant as well is:

New Upgrade: Holy Men & Banners

‘Holy Men & Banners’ special characters

• Available to: Any unit except for Skirmishers or Villagers; units containing your Leader may not take this upgrade.
• Cost: 1 point per unit.
• Maximum of 1 special character per unit.
• Special characters may not transfer between units.
• Replace one ordinary model in the unit with a special character. This special character moves, fights, and acts in all ways like any other model in the unit.
• Units with a special character gain +1 to all Courage tests (in the same way as, and in addition to, being within 12” of their Leader – see page 11 of the rulebook).
• Test for the death of special characters in the same way as Leader Lucky Blows.
• A player killing an opposing unit’s special character gains +1 Glory.

EAGLE RAMPANT AT THE HARROGATE WARGAMES CLUB

In the Apr 2016 edition of Wargames Illustrated is an article about a Lion Rampant variant for the Napoleonic period, called 'Eagle Rampant'.  Although currently deep in the middle of our club 13 player Dragon Rampant 'Badlands' campaign, John S suggested we take a week off to try the conversion out; so last night after our club AGM we had an eight player game on our 8ft x 6ft club table.  Each player between 3 and 4 units, points varied but most had 12.  The Eagle variant is so similar to Lion Rampant and Dragon Rampant that those familiar will be right at home with the rules from the off. 

The clean living, god fearing Brits took on the filthy frog-leg eating French (perhaps you can guess which side I was on :) ).  The objective was a baggage train stuck on a bridge.  Both sides had to try and take control of the objective. 

I started south of the river (my unit was 2 units of Line Infantry (4pts each) and 2 Skirmish units (2 pts each) along with Theo S.  Facing off against us was John E.  To the north in a defensive posture were John S and Mick with more Brit Infantry and some Cavalry facing off against Simon A, Chris J and Gavin M.

From the off lots of desperate actions broke out all over the table as the two sides clashed !  John S was rapidly overwhelmed north of the Church and Chris J and Gavin then rolled into Mick M and gave him a battering.  Theo S's troops didn't do much for a while other then take a beating from French skirmish fire (poor initiative rolls), but then my Skirmishers and a line unit reinforced him.  John E after a valiant exchange was crushed and the axis of the battle changed.  Simon A troops took a beating off Theo's and mine Skirmishers and he was out,  Mick J's and Chris's last troops also fled.  The final shots were between Gavin Theo and myself as we fought around the baggage train.  In the end Theo and I managed to hold on, but it had been 'a damn close-run thing'  :)  

Myself, I felt the game went brilliantly and was well entertaining, provoking a large amount of good natured banter.  To my mind this is a good measure by which to judge how enjoyable a game has been on a club night :)  Well done to John S for setting up a well balanced game.  We'll certainly be playing Eagle Rampant again in the future :)

Anyway, here is a selection of photos from the game.  Great looking figures (I'm sure you'd agree) by John S, Theo S and Gavin M.
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Theo's troops face off against John E.
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Early in the game look North.
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John Es column Infanty.
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Theo's Infantry.
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Theo's Leader.
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Looking south.
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Things are starting to look grim for the Brits (on the left) as weight of numbers tells.
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Mick's Brits are under some pressure.
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Remains of Chris's cavalry and Gavins Infantry take on my Line Infanty (nearest unit) and Theo's (just in sight to the right) wading through the stream.
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