Reading, England 870-871 A.D.

Anglo Saxons on left, Vikings on right side of photo

 

Vikings

                                      Anglo Saxons on left, Vikings on right

                                             Pitched battle in the center

Anglo Saxons capture Viking camp

Blades, Bows and long Pointy Sticks

 The peasants of the Sciatica Empire continue to fight back in small skirmishes.

An encounter takes place along the road to Onaiazo with mercenaries hired by the Sciatica Empire.

Peasant rebels on the left and Sciatican mercenaries on the right

Rebel Peasants

Sciatic mercenaries

As always, please click on any photo to enlarge:

The peasant pikes are destroyed, but the peasant bows force the heavy cavalry to retreat

The peasant long bows continue to inflict damage

Despite taking heavy casualties themselves, the Peasant rebels finally destroy the heavy cavalry and the mercenaries of the Sciatica Empire are defeated  

Victory: control the heights

OOB:

**** Peasants:

3 long bows

3 blades (regular infantry)

1 unit of pikes (regular infantry)

**** Sciatica Empire mercenaries:

3 long bows

2 blades (regular infantry)

1 heavy cavalry (elite)

Battle of Valorwood 1976

    I was lucky to be a part of the "Toad Hall Fantasy Horde" in Rockford, Illinois. Where a Monday night D&D session was expanded to a following Saturday event.  Numerous 25mm armies were available for loan or painting and a Star Fort designed, built and painted in several days. High School students were always ready to join the event. Above is a picture from 1976, the Battle of Valorwood.

                  The battle map and key as it appeared in the Phanta Carta 

                          

The Phanta Carta was a fanzine that I published and edited which covered the Toad Hall Fantasy Horde's fantasy campaigns and included charts, ideas and concepts that later became part of the AD&D Dungeon Master's Guide. Needless to say, it had a pretty impressive list of subscribers in Lake Geneva, Rockford and Decatur, Illinois.

WARG Halloween Encounter

WARG

An October encounter

English scouts discover a tomb and a host of undead in a forest.

Soldiers are sent to eradicate the evil.

Order of Battle

English # Type                   Quality    Pts Total Move Range   Combat Value

             2 Musket Infantry  Average   4    8        1           2               2

             4 Regular Infantry Average   3   12       2                            2

             2 Cavalry              Average    3    6        3                           2

             8                                                26

Undead #         Type           Quality      Pts    Total     Move Range   CV

              6      Skeletons      Average     2        12           2                   1

              2      Zombies        Average     2          4           1                   2

              1      Vampire             Elite       4          4           3       3          3

              2  Jack-o-Lantern    ----------    2          4           0                   0

              9                                                         24

Scenario Notes

The Jack-o-Lanterns are immune to missile fire and

explode in any close combat, causing a casualty on 3,4,5,6

The Skeletons are light infantry and are -1 to hit by missile fire

The Vampire instead of moving can cast a magical aerial attack

that is not blocked by terrain or other units

The English player wins by defeating the Vampire and the 2 Jack-o-Lantern

Victorious Vampire

Fleeing English survivors

 

WARG's "Wagon of Death"

 

The Sciatica Empire is in the process of completing construction of its ultimate weapon, the “Death Wagon”. On its way to the site of final construction, it breaks down. Seizing on this information, the rebel Niemannites plot an ambush to destroy the “Death Wagon” before it is completed and becomes invincible.

The Niemannite command and longbows

Niemannite longbows and peasant infantry with scythes

More Niemannite peasants with pitchforks and longbows

 The Sciatica Empire on the left side of board, the Niemannites rebels on the right

Imperial troops attempt to drive the rebel longbows off the hills 

                          The "Wagon of Death" is set ablaze and destroyed

                                     The Niemannite peasants prevail

Unfortunately, the Niemannites learn there was a duplicate "Wagon of Death" that escaped them and must be faced at a later date in the sequel WARG's "Wagon of Death" II  

OOB:

Niemannites:

1 leader (regular infantry), Hans  

2 light infantry

4 regular infantry

2 longbows

Imperial Death Wagon:

3 regular infantry

3 light infantry with muskets

1 Wagon, leader, attacks as crossbow, cannot move, until repaired, counts as heavy cover (-2) 6 damage to destroy

WARG (Wednesday Afternoon Retired Gamers) rules

 

WARG (Wednesday Afternoon Retired Gamers) rules are an unfinished, simple, and non-commercial set of rules protected by numerous curses and cantrips. 

WARG games are played on a board that is 9 X 9 squares (size of squares varies according to base size to allow 2 bases in square for close combat) and divided in to 3 equal zones (left, center, right). Though we have played on a 7X9 board, still using the 3 zones.

WARG activation cards:

At start, draw 2 cards, select 1, draw card, when entire deck is used, reshuffle discard pile, repeat.

Note: for solo play, use 2 decks drawing 1 card each turn per side/deck. 

The activation cards: 

1 unit each zone; 1 unit left flank; 1 unit in center; 1 unit right flank; 1 unit both flanks; all units left flank; all units center; all units right flank; all units both flanks; all units; 1 unit any zone; 1 unit with command unit.

If card cannot be used, discard and 1 unit anywhere can be activated.

Optional simple activation is roll a 4, 5 or 6 on a 1d6 for each unit to see if it is activated every turn or roll a 1d6 each turn to determine the number of units that can be activated.

We use a "scenario sheet" with the order of battle, victory conditions and any retreat restrictions or special rules.

Influences for WARG rules: "DBA ", "Triumph!", Bob Cordery's "The Portable Wargame" series, Osprey Publishing's Rampant rules series, Neil Thomas' "One Hour Wargames", Borg's "Command & Colors" and the countless number of free or low cost homebrew rules sets shared on the internet. 

The current WARG rules are in the files section of the Gamer's Guild FB group.

Portable Fulford Gate  being stored:

Edgehill October, 1642 in 15mm

                           The first major conflict of the first English Civil War.

Earl of Essex (Parliamentarians) on left side and Charles I on the right side of board

                                                      "Roundheads"

"Cavaliers"

The battle begins

Royalist artillery takes an early hit

Royalists redeploy cavalry

Essex's forces remain strong in the center

Cavalier casualties

Roundhead losses

Victory for the Parliamentary forces under the Earl of Essex

   Never place military miniatures on consignment.  Nevertheless, these units will be remounted before the next WARG ECW battle. 

Order of Battle: both sides, 6 infantry (3 pike & 3 musketeers), 2 cavalry and 1 artillery. Victory condition: "The Royalists must sweep the field of the Parliamentarians."