The latest play test from Lard island here come the cavalry & the painted people sorry no pictures for this one as some of the figures where rather inappropriate proxies
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A truly hilarious playtest on Lard Island last evening. We had abandoned the campaign structure we'd been dubiously sticking to as there were some specific issues we wanted to test, specifically Pictish mercenaries and cavalry. Of the two the Picts were by far the most fun, albeit unintentionally. The British shock cavalry, in the tradition of Arthurian legend, were deployed to support the main shieldwall which had taken up position on some high ground. I had rather grand ideas as to what they could achieve, however in the event they got rather too tied up chasing some Saxon light cavalry off the table before they were jumped on by some Saxon foot who got in among the horses. The British escaped narrowly and played no further part in the game as their horses were blown.
Amusingly Cyddic had hired some Pictish mercenaries to assist him. This is not something that you'd do unless in desperate straights. The Pictish mercenaries are a dubious lot, they regularly turn up for work drunk, their prices appear to be very low, but in the end they often don't finish the job and end up costing you more. However after recent reversals Cyddic was on his uppers and needed some support, so it was the low cost estimate that he went with. Summoned from his home in Caer Afan Tarmacticus arrived with his men. When they showed up smelling of drink Cyddic decided to place them in the centre of his front line where he could keep an eye on them. Despite that they spent the early part of the game loitering near the back, presumably finishing off some vile brew.
As the skirmishers traded arrows and javelins Cyddic, Brythnoth and Wulfstan all advanced, but no sign was there of Tarmacticus. At least that was at first. Then, in an amazing sequence of cards the Picts launched their charge. Straight past Cyddic they ran, then past Wulfstan and finally Brythnoth, they literally tore through the British archers who fled in terror before hurling themselves bodily at the British Levy in shieldwall on the ridge...and dying to a man. There can never have been a more impressive alcohol fuelled charge that came to a more dismal end. The British Levy suffered two points of Shock whilst Tarmacticus and all six of his warriors were slaughtered.
To top this off Brythnoth was so wrapped up in trying to drive off a party of British skirmishers that he passed dangerously close to the British Levy who immediately broke formation and mobbed him, killing nearly all of his men. The one man left and a wounded Brythnoth fled from the table.
This left Cyddic with Wulfstan's two Groups of Warriors off on the far left and his own two Groups of Heartguard who had run back to deal with the British cavaly, about 48" apart and facing a shieldwall completely untouched. Needless to say he packed up and went home.
A true comedy of errors which actually led to some interesting (and downright bloody odd) situations, and that helps test the rules.
And the moral of the story is that if you want a job doing well pay a man to do it properly rather than employing the dodgy pissed bloke who claims he can do the job on the cheap. They always let you down!
If you think I'm putting that on Lard Island News you have another thing coming!
Rich
Ginger
