Ruckus at Crack Con

 

Crack Con 5 “There and Crack again”

pic: The Throng! Boards and Swords is a great venue to hold a gaming event

Sometimes it takes a global crisis to reset your mojo! Lockdown was a tough time for most people, but in many ways a golden time for hobbyists, stuck at home with little else to do many of us who had not played games or painted figures for years dug out their old lead piles and got reacquainted with our inner selves. I know I did and I have not looked back.

Lockdown was responsible for a lot more than the Barnard Castle incident and Partygate, it was also the origin of Crack Con, a delightful day of wargaming at Boards and Swords Hobbies in Derby as Martin Brook of 7^th Son and Ragged Staff Minis explained

“So, the Plastic Crack Podcast started in 2020 during Lockdown. Initially as just a couple of the guys (Ken and Dom) having a chat, then after a few episodes they invited Ste and Myself on and we never left! The four of us just got on well and the audience seemed to enjoy our chemistry so we stuck at it and it just grew naturally”

“The first Crack Con was in October 21, the whole thing started as a joke on the stream. We were saying that when everything opened up again, we should all meet for a game, this kept coming up, then people in the audience started asking if they could come, then we actually thought... I wonder if we could do this. So, we booked out Boards and Swords for 30 of us and I told Hayley, my wife, she laughed and said "what are you going to call it, crack con?” And I said “we are now!””

Crack Con is a healthy mixture of big participation games with places at the table booked in advance, and small participation games to come and play on the day, that fill the venue and take up both floors at BASH, and at CCV there were six big games and five smaller participation games one of which was Ruckus run by Ben Mallet with me assisting

There were two huge games downstairs. One of these, the Hail Caesar game, the battle of Gergovia, was run by Martin Brook and played by Caesar himself. This was a magnificent looking game played on an eighteen-foot table with two splendidly painted armies.

Caesar looks on…

The magnificent terrain made especially for the day by Robin Ovens  really brought this game to life…

…as did the beautifully painted figures…

  …on both sides. The Romans won this game even though Caesar himself died in the battle! 

 Martin even wrote a professional looking hand book to go with the game which was put together by James Cutts …class!

The other huge game downstairs was a Black Powder Napoleonic affair run by Dominic Cook, another Plastic Cracker

 

   Pic -Dom inspects the troops at set up

This too was a splendid affair, the kind of game that you dream of playing and only see on the pages of Wargames Illustrated or at big shows, its remarkable that with games of this quality this event is staged purely by hobbyists.

   My only regret was that because I was assissting in running a game, I could not partake in any of the others or keep track of how they went…

What’s eighteen-foot long and blue and grey?  Its an ACW Black Powder game run by Nick Dawson

This steamer featured in what looked to be a fascinating game

More beautifully painted figures, the standard of all the games was of the highest order

This Chain of Command game, the Falaise Gap, was run by Mark Richards

I was delighted to see Soldiers of Napoleon, a recent acquisition for me and an excellent game, and meet it’s author Warwick Kinrade, a very affable man, who was quite happy to discuss various aspects of his game and I felt we could probably have talked all day, but Ben is a tough task master and I had to assist at the Ruckus table…ah well, next time maybe

One of the several games I didn’t have enough time with was General d'Armee run by Gary Clarke

Upstairs! Flames of War by Benjamin Christensen on the near table 

A Pickett's Charge game run by Stefan Tanfield and Aled Roberts 

MESBG was a “come’n’play” game presented by Tony Hinton West

 ...as was this beautiful Dead Man’s Hand game run by Martin Stuart on a gorgeous table created by Carl Burks

 Are you man enough to drink at Rogan’s Bar?

   This guy is gonna clean up this town!

Blood Red Skies, hosted by Matt Wright, was another come ‘n’play and a popular choice

And of course there was Ruckus ably run by Ben Mallet…

…occasionally assisted by this old guy, here I am moving the sheep

yes that's Ste from PCP plsaying his first ever game of Ruckus...

Martin Brook “I think the main thing is that we run it as a day for people to join in with games they may not normally play, meet other like-minded people, and also show off the games they love. We love it when people come and demo systems and get stuck into the day This time there were 11 games in total, 72 people, 64 raffle prizes from a mixture of community members and companies and we raised £1300 which is going to Haven House Children's Hospice and SENSE.”

There was also a painting competition and I am delighted to say I got Gold for my unit “The Grail Knights” Ruckus Retinue

Crack Con was an excellent event, a friendly, sociable occasion, the hum of happy gamers filled the air and everybody cheered when Caesar died. The night before we had all met in ye Tudor (Splitters) Bar of the Old Bell, a lovely old-fashioned hostelry with a big log fire and superb beer and that was very cheerful evening indeed.

I had a great time and will definitely attend the next one and I will raise my next glass with the toast “Up the Crack!”

Plastic Crack Podcast is broadcast live on Monday nights on You Tube and features Martin from 7^th Son, Dom from Boots on the Table, Ken from miniature wargaming warriors and Ste from on point hq. 

The Peasants are STILL revolting

 

-The Peasants are still Revolting! -

After our successful solo outing with this scenario, I was keen to see how it played as a two-player game, so Leigh and I went back to BIG and set up an almost identical table and revisited the village of Dirt in the Hole.

It occurred to me, after we had played the game, that for the two-player version a slightly different narrative should be used, why would two Retinues be involved with this simple search and humiliate mission? Moreover, two Retinues that are enemies! Mayhap the answer will occur to me while writing this

Playing a scenario is essential for playtesting. There are unforeseen challenges that emerge, rules that work in a different setting do not always gel with the scenario you are playing, the terrain may prove too restrictive or too time consuming to cross or too open with too little cover, the game may prove to be an unfulfilling experience if the victory conditions are too hard to achieve or if they are too easy, new rules and new Characters can skew game balance and you have to allow for chance. If you playtested a game and it goes well and you had fun but rolled well throughout and your opponent has consistently rolled low, has it really been tested?

Does a tree falling in a forest that none can see make the noise of one hand clapping? Roll a d6 to find out!

Do not look here for metaphysical answers or the meaning of life or philosophical reasoning, we are here to play games!

The delightful village of Dirt in the Hole, its peaceful, enlightened residents gather in the busy central hub and are having an informed and animated debate on the best way to cook mud…just as they do on every other day

The villainous Baron Rackass and his Retinue, my guys, approach Dirt in the Hole from the South…

Lost in the complexities of the lively debate, the villagers are unaware of the approaching men

Perhaps they will notice the approach of Sir Marley Cockburns and his Retinue from the North…

…apparently not. “And then she said add the water to the dirt and I said put the dirt into the water and stir and then YOU said…”

The Baron a particularly loathsome, ambitious social climber, a man who would rob a small child of her pet frog if he were hungry, is determined to search the village before any of his many enemies and so gain the favour of the king…see…I did think of something!

Kurt Beverage, eyes the village greedily, where others see dirt, he sees gold. Some say he needs to get his eyes fixed…

   One of his Archers has failed to keep up

Cockburns strides purposefully up the road, he is determined to search every nook in this squalid den of dirt in his bid to impress the King

His Squires, Reeve Dump and Slade Appleby, sneak into the village with their Spears

I Forfeited Leigh’s Perk and it felt good… must be the Baron’s evil influence

Don’t attempt to Sprint if you are as Portly as the Baron or a Mishap may occur!

Reeve enters a house and stops in surprise and alarm…and no wonder...there is a portrait of the author on the wall. I had forgotten about this until I saw this pic!

Wait a minute, there is something else there, hidden in the dirt and the gloom…

…it’s Young Hal, the blacksmiths son, and his mates, and they do not look pleased to see Reeve and his friends

He’s a big strong boy is Hal and with his mates using their Peasanty skills to mob the Squire he soon sustains a wound…

and is bundled out of the door

Just as he had recovered from his sprinting Mishap the unfortunate Baron stumbles into a hole “Who left this hole here!” he bellows in his rage “Any idiot could stumble into it!”

Elsewhere in the village the Baron’s other Squire, Judson Duxbury, and his Spear have entered another house only to find a swarm of angry bees from the nearby hive. They Evade the bees in Random Directions.

Realising that Reeve is having difficulty in subduing Young Hal, Slade Appleby attempts a Dramatic Entry, pulls it off, leaps through the window feet first and lays out the unsuspecting villager on the other side

Hearing the commotion Young Hal turns towards the Squire “With me!” he roars…

But it is not to be, only one of his erstwhile companions joins in the charge, the others are too busy celebrating the earlier victory or maybe their ardour has cooled

With his trusty bill man, Bill Mann, Slade lays out Big Hal and his loyal pal

Captain Cockburns knocks on the door of a particularly foul smelling and dilapidated dwelling…

…and foul smelling and dilapidated creature emerges! Its Ferg the village drunk “’ave a lil drink…” he mumbles throwing a clay jug to the Bill man…

“Now look here my good man, I must search your house in the name of the king” says Cockburns in a voice laced with distaste

  “I’ll fight the lot of you!” roars Ferg and advances on the Captain

  Ferg’s weapons are Alky Breath and a Broken Bottle

Ferg’s skill “I’ll fight the lot of you” means that he rolls d6 for his number of attacks he rolls 3!

He does not have Cockburns martial skills though and is soon stretched out in the mud, a state he is no doubt familiar with usually being dead drunk, today, only part of that statement is true.

“Hic” Cockburn’s bill man, Arthur Dogg, has drained the clay jug and has become intoxicated. Leigh rolls d6 and 6=He is Fighting Drunk and must fight the nearest Character, friend or foe! he takes a swing at his Captain! Orange tokens normally denote Feckless; this time it is Drunk Feckless and the Character must follow the whims of the d6 each turn

He is no match for Sir Marley Cockburns and is quickly rendered unconscious. We decided that Drunken Comrades could be subdued by members of their Retinue by being beaten in melee. 

The Baron meets a very interesting Character, Hag Agnes! She has many unusual Skills that give her several special abilities, one of which is to appear as Alice Goodwife. Without she would be burnt as a witch, instead she is venerated!

Agnes and the Baron lock eyes. You have to wonder if they have history!

  Under her arm the Old Crone carries a cauldron of her famous Goodenough stew… “It ain’t magic but it’s Good Enough!” she cackles. She cackles a lot. She also gibbers, snickers and crows. She is a bit weird. She seems a bit witch-like. Is she a witch? You will have to wait for the article containing the rules for Hag Agnes and the other Peasant Heroes probably in Wi 444, Decembers issue, to find out!

One of the Baron’s Retainers, Will Archer, spies Reeve way over on the other side of the village, “It’s a long shot” he murmurs “but it might just work!”

 He draws his favourite arrow and shoots

Poor Reeve, he’s not having a good day! The arrow pierces his armour and he is down…

…and his Spear become Feckless

Slade is still subduing villagers. Leigh really needs this fight to be over so that Slade can get out and get to another house.

It’s not all going my way however, one of Judsons’s Retainers has found the local still and he is now Feckless Drunk! He is quickly taken down by the burly Squire

I forgot to take a picture of the last encounter as it happened and only caught the aftermath!  The gentlemen lying down is Arthur Six-pennies, the village Head Man who has been laid out by Kurt Beverage.

Head Men are powerful Peasant Heroes who can use their Agitator and Rabble Rouser Skills to enrage the villagers and make them more formidable in battle. It was fortunate for us that he was the last Encounter or it would have been a much harder fight for both of our Retinues!

  I am pleased with this figure, it’s the Oathmark Human Light Infantry King converted with an Arthurian Briton head from West Wind Miniatures

Having searched three houses all the Baron has to do is secure the centre of the village to win. Kurt Beverage does this and so ends the game.

This was another excellent and fun game! Leigh definitely had the worst of the Encounters, which delayed him and frustrated his plans but he won nearly every Cunning Plan and played his cards well, playing Forfeit twice in a row on Kurt, meant that he hardly got in the game before it was over! And of course, he tripped the Baron!

As usual we got some things wrong, as usual we made small changes to the rules, as usual we had a lot of fun!

I am not sure about the premise for this Scenario, I am going to give it some thought. Next week I shall be in Nottingham meeting with the team at Wi and we will no doubt edit this scenario and the Peasant rules and it would be strange indeed if we do not come up with a better story line …unless of course I think of one in the meantime!

I really like the figures I am using for the Baron and his Squires and their dark colour scheme, I am going to create some Retainers to match them and write a Movie Villain Retinue. I shall of course have to write a Movie True Hero style Retinue to face them. This could make for an interesting campaign!

The Peasants are Revolting, scenario and rules, and some tips on how best to use your Peasants will appear in an issue of Wi, probably December’s issue 444