Welcome to our first Age of the Wolf, Dark Ages campaign. We will pretty much be sticking to the campaign system as written by Studio Tomahawk, thanks Phil for purchasing that one. Players and other interested people can keep track of the campaign through this page. Each turn I will publish the Rosters for each of the Warbands as well as selected battle reports and pictures.
A summary of the traits and special rules rolled up by the seven players are summarized in the second of the attachments below...so you can't complain you haven't been told.
There has been quite a bit of debate on the forum (i.e. confusion) regarding the difference between units on the roster, and the points value and composition of units fielded for a game. So I have included my summary of these discussions (i.e. how we will be playing it) in the third of the attachments below.
We are still making some small mistakes during the games. Players need to try and remember the armour values of their troops against melee and shooting, and remember that these can be different for special troops from the regular levy/warrior/hearthguard values. The other rule that was forgotten in a recent battle was the Warlord's Pride (i.e. the need to charge an enemy warlord if your warlord activates to move, and the enemy warlord is in range).
Campaign army roster for the start of Season 5 is attached below (note that I didn't have my notes for the last battle when I uploaded this, so there will be a couple of minor changes...let me know if you spot a mistake). It should be sufficient for you to make decisions for the next Season (and I'll update shortly). So orders are now due for Season 5. Phil and Mark were defending last season so they get to request an alliance this Season.
Note: Phil is currently winning with 6 victory points...death to the Norman's, but be wary, we don't want to give him easy victory points!
Part way through the first battle of the campaign. An eventual win to the Irish (by 1 point) over the Saxons.
Athelings
At the start of Season 3 we have five players with a power of 15 or more that have attained the Atheling status. These Warlords are considered real contenders for the throne of England (or where-ever the campaign is considered to be set) and gain an additional victory point for every battle they fight, regardless of whether they win or lose!
The Atheling's include; Darren (2), Phil (2), Wayne (1), Mark and Les. Paul and Greg are yet to attain the Atheling status (number in brackets is victory points at the start of Turn 3).
By the start of Turn 6 we have had a few revolts and famines...players are finding it hard to maintain the Atheling status. Only Phil (5), Darren (4) and Mark (3) have maintained this status (current victory points in brackets).
Reflections on the Warlords
Whilst I am also a player, it would be unworthy of me not to make some comment on the character of the other Warlords (based on their Traits, Special Rules and Faction). Gregor Bloodaxe - A combination of Troll Hide and Son of Odin...should be outlawed. He will take four unsaved hits in combat to kill (more if there are warriors nearby)...he also gets to chose a Blood Feud, so not a lot of fun ahead for this lucky player. Artheles the Beardy - A well travelled veteran of many campaigns, with the gold to prove it. A hero of the Viking Age, with three SAGA dice and a drive to hoard more gold, I see plenty of raiding coming up. Phil the Unfettered - A mighty warrior on the battlefield with 6 attacks and 3 SAGA dice, again, he has a sworn enemy amongst the other Warlords that could lead to bloodshed. Mark the Erudite - While he is known for his measured approach to warfare (a trait that attracts him many followers), he is apparently a real bastard on the Battlefield, able to direct several units at once, and showing no mercy to enemy Warlords. Paul the Demanding - A hard ruler that sucks the most out of his lands and people. While being carried on the backs of his people (and thus avoiding fatigue) he also has a close friend and ally amongst the other warlords...who will it be. Daran Dubh - A dashing, tireless character that will never rest on or off the battlefield. His Levy are accomplished scouts and his warriors follow him from afar. Other Warlords will find it difficult to resist his overtures. Waegn the Worthy - If you dare to invade his lands you'll pay the price. His men admire his energy and tactical guile, and will do his bidding at the slightest glance.
House Rules and Other Comments
Reflections on Scenarios Harry and Burn: This was the first scenario of the campaign, and of course players come up with different ways to interpret the rules to their advantage. So I had to make a couple of rulings and check the forum after the game. 1) A field being 'set alight' by a player does not have any effect on units (i.e. they are not going to burn to death if they stay in the field). The crop has merely been destroyed and the player generates a Victory Point in the Scenario. 2) However, once a building has been set alight, it may not be entered by either player. 3) We also had a slight misread of the scenario specific rules; a unit within or adjacent to a field can set it on fire.
Gaining Reputation
It came to my attention recently reading through the campaign rules, that;
If a player's motivation is King's Domain (i.e. Land) then you can either Campaign in a Season or buy land with wealth (which is easier to come by) - two mechanisms for gaining Land.
If a player's motivation is Dragon's Hoard (i.e. wealth) then you can either Raid in a Campaign Season or Defend, both of which generate wealth - two mechanisms for gaining wealth.
If a player's motivation is Skald's Song (i.e. reputation) then you can only gain this by doing nothing...well, sitting back and defending only generates reputation if somebody else attacks you - one 'passive' way of gaining Reputation.
On discussion with other players it was agreed that this was unbalanced and disadvantaged players that chose Skald's Song. My proposed solution is that;
When a player raids, he can do this in the pursuit of either wealth or reputation - provides two mechanisms for gaining reputation.
Hence, for each of the 'motivations' there are two ways of generating points. Those players I have spoken to so far agree with the proposed change, which will be applied for the remainder of the campaign unless anyone comes up with a logic as to why it should not be adopted.
House Rules relating to the SAGA Rules.
During the course of the last couple of games a couple of 'variations' have come to light between how we have played the game and the 'Rules as Written'. Hence a couple of minor house rules have crept into our campaign. As these occur I will take note, and include in the document attached below. We can debate these, and they will evolve over time perhaps, but for the current campaign this is how we will continue to play. Current rules include; movement of mounted troops in uneven ground and visibility in woods.
The last couple of games we played, last two photos above...were the Forest Ambush scenario. In both cases the victory condition stating that the ambushed player 'automatically' wins the game if his warlord escapes off any table edge, was used to end the game on turn 1. I think the ambushers in both battles failed to appreciate the importance of tying down the enemy warlord to prevent this occurring. We did assume that this automatic victory ended the game...perhaps the rest of the battle should have been fought to determine casualties for the campaign, but we did do the fate roles and Darren got a revolt for his poor performance.
Battles from Season 3
We had only two battles in Season 3. Greg (Viking) vs Wayne (Anglo-Dane) in the Harry and Burn scenario, and Mark (Viking) vs Paul (Welsh) in another Escort scenario. Everybody else was on the Defence. Victors were Greg and Mark. I don't think the 'escorting' player has lost an escort scenario yet...and I think the attacking side in the Harry and Burn have been pretty successful too...I think we need some new scenarios.
We have five battles to play in Season 4, and we got these underway last night with Paul (Welsh) vs Phil (Normans) in the Sacred Ground Scenario, and Greg (Viking) vs Darren (Irish) in the Challenge scenario. The Sacred ground was a victory to the Normans, Hearthguard cavalry doing a lot of the heavy lifting. There was quite a tussle over the sacred stone circle, but in the end the Normans accumulated more victory points. The second battle was a draw...quite a bloody one for the Vikings (and their Anglo-Danish allies) as they discovered yet more Irish super-powers. When a single die transforms a charging unit of berserkers (16 attack dice) to a unit of scantily clad warriors (4 attack dice)...wow! Given that the battle started with both warlords in the uneven ground it was quite an advantage for the Irish. The Vikings were probably lucky to come away with a draw, but the Irish Warlord was quite happy to sit still for the entire game and use another battle board ability to reduce the Viking warlord to zero attacks! Again...wow!
Two more battles from Season 4 played over the last couple of days. Les (Anglo-Saxon) v Greg (Viking) and Wayne (Anglo-Danish) v Phil (Norman). So only one battle left to play for Season 4.
For something different, basically people were getting sick of escorting my killer sheep around the table, we played a random selection of tournament battles for Campaign Season 5. So far we have played 5 battles with 2 wins (congratulations Les and Darren) and 3 draws...some of those tournament scenarios are pretty balanced and hard to win outright!
Anyway, here are some pictures from the Season so far.
Season 6 - The Last Throw of the Javelin
I have all the orders now for Season 6 and we have played one of the battles. The orders and results so far are;
Paul's Welsh campaigned against Greg's Vikings (Victory for the Vikings) Mark's Vikings are raiding Phil's Normans Les' Anglo-Saxons are raiding Wayne's Anglo-Danes Greg's Vikings raiding against Les' Anglo-Saxons Phil's Norman's Defending at home...enforced by injury Darren's Irish, Defending at home Wayne's Anglo-Danes, Defending at Home
After applying the recruitment and +1 Wealth for those staying at home (and the outcome of the first battle)...the leader boarfd looks something like this (Power/VP)
Phil (18/5) Wayne (15/5) Darren (18/4) Mark (18/3) Les (13/4) Greg (12/3) Paul (11/0)
I was also reminded last Friday that there are 'End of Campaign' bonus victory points for those players with' the most land, the greatest wealth, the greatest reputation and the highest power. This is a 2 VP bonus unless several players share the top stat in an area in which case they gain 1 VP each. So currently in the lead for the bonus VP are;
Most Land: Phil (6) Greatest Wealth: Darren (5) Greatest Reputation: Greg (5) Highest Power; Phil/Darren/Mark (18)
Of course these values could change in relation to the three battles yet to be fought, but it is close so they could determine the final outcome.
After twenty four bloody battles our campaign finally comes to an end. The victory points have been tallied and the bonus victory points for highest Wealth, Land, Reputation and Power have been added. The final leaderboard looks like; Battles Land Wealth Reputation Power Total Phil 7 2 1 2 12 Wayne 7 1 8 Les 5 1 6 Mark 5 5 Darren 4 1 5 Greg 3 1 4 Paul 0
Apparently we are all supposed to kneel down before our new King and acknowledge his greatness...well, he never beat me on the battlefield...it was all that land and power that got the Normans over the line...oh well, congratulations Phil. However, I did note that in the entire campaign you only stepped outside of your estate twice! In case you are interested, the final rosters are attached below.
I have also done some analysis of the numbers regarding who attacked who etc. and came up with the following table.
So what does it mean. Well...for a start, lets give a round of applause to Greg, special award for the most aggressive player...who would guessed! For the most passive player...drum roll...Phil...who also gets the award for most attacked player! Phil was the only player that everybody attacked at some stage during the campaign. Mark gets a special mention as the least attacked player...all those archers must have put people off!
What's next...Zulu War, Pirate battles and Cross and Crescent (can't wait to get my Templars on the field)...stay tuned!