Play Test AAR for Dux Goes Viking

[EvilGinger]

Reposted from the Lardie Yahoo group....

  Perhaps a better title would be Dux Perverted.
Be warned, this is a long post about how I have fiddled with Dux (ooh err)in the pursuit of an enjoyable solo game.
I hope I haven't committed a faux pas by mentioning other rules, but this is done in a way that neither promotes the other rules, nor denigrates them.

Today I had my first trial of a modified game of Dux for solo-play and Vikings vs. Saxons.

I had played several of the skirmishes with the standard rules and found these to be fun and unpredictable. Solo battles were a different kettle of fish (for me and my alter ego, at least). I just couldn't simulate a fog of war (short of making a plan for one side then repeatedly beating myself over the head to induce short-term memory loss and then play the other side). In three games I tried variations on Vikings trying not to take on a shield wall frontally, while the Saxons tried to anchor their shield walls on terrain features.
Not wanting to abandon Dux for solo gaming, and not wanting to only play raids I came up with several strategies to bring in uncertainty.
The first step (for no good reason) was for me to assign the Saxons as being me, and the Vikings were "the other player".

A second set of cards were used in addition to the Fate Cards. One card was drawn at the start of each full turn, the effects generally being immediate, these ranged from treachery (a group has a chance of turning on its friends) to changes in weather, to ambushes.
I also added a concept from the free Shield Wall rules by Simon MacDowall (http://legio- wargames. com/#/shieldwall /4537030428), a very nice set of rules for fighting bigger battles of this era (I plan to play the parent rules, Comitatus, in 6mm). This is the idea of aggression levels. This helps to dictate what a group or formation might do these levels are Shaken, Normal, Ready for Battle, and Blood Lust. Aggression is dependent on certain battlefield events as well as being manipulated by commanders. To take a system which was central to one set of rules and roughly tack it on to another is not without problems, but in this first outing seemed to go reasonably well.

To have a more Viking flavour to the proceedings I also allowed for Berserkers an elite group can be replaced by four of these raving loonies. Once they have achieved blood lust they stay at this level until they are destroyed. They ignore shock and, in the trial game, played as per other elite, but cannot be part of a formation. This made them almost invincible, chewing up an entire formation by themselves and damaging the Saxon elite unit severely before finally being destroyed.
Vikings could adopt the formation Svinfylking. Now, my Viking knowledge is relatively basic. I interpreted this as being a formation for attack and allowed an extra die per group in the formation in the initial charge to contact, after that it reverts to just a standard formation. Vikings may elect to form a shield wall, but not use "shield wall braced". I think I will need to find some advantage for Saxons, because most changes favour the Vikings. It is also unlikely that Saxons will have access to shock cavalry. Hmmmmmm, some clever thinking needed here.

So, how did the battle go?
Well, the Vikings did lose, but only just, and were on the cusp of inflicting a severe defeat on the Saxons.
Predictably, the Vikings were faster off the mark and were able to nearly out-manoeuvre the Saxons. The Berserkers had to be sent in prematurely due to an unexpected move (difficult, I know, in a solo game) but still defeated two groups in shield wall, albeit with the risk of having the Viking leader attached. This gave a small body of warriors an enormous number of dice and a lot of resilience. The options may be to have the berserkers take kills in melee as per warriors (i.e. on a 5 and 6) or not allow nobles/leaders to be attached to berserkers.
Against good troops the svinfylking was fearsome, but not successful, coming up against the Saxon. Against a levy shield wall they were devastating. Using A strong Arm to throw missiles they put on 4 shock on each constituent group and then, in melee, added one casualty and a further 5 shock per group. The levy scuttled away and could never recover enough to play any more part in the battle.
Generally, the Saxons tried to keep their formations Ready for Battle and retain some control, while the Vikings let rip with changing over to Blood Lust as soon as contact looked imminent.
I am uncertain how to handle archers and skirmishers. They certainly should not get to, nor need to be at "Battle Lust" level. I played they were at Normal aggression from the outset and stayed at this level regardless.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable game. I was left guessing and uncertain of what would happen throughout the whole game. Aspects will need modifying, but another game as the rules stand is needed first.

Anthony

 Ginger