Margana-the second year

  

Margana-Year 2

Morrod rolled 10 for strategy “Best Foot Forward “and recruited Black Uruks from Mordor and Berserkers

The others all rolled 7 or 8 so maintained their existing armies. Malthodor has a 700-point army

Morrod and Arnho have 600 points and Dahar has only 500 points.

In Fantastic Battles, nations subdue neutral or opposed regions by rolling a d6. Armies may move through any number of subdued regions during a campaigning season, but will incur a cumulative factor of -1 when rolling for mishaps before the battle.

I rolled for each nation to see whether they will be aggressive this season. 2D6 9+ = aggressive, aggressive armis will cross regions to get intio battle at whatever cost on the Mishaps table.

Arnho and Malthodor have rolled to be aggressive this year

Spring-Morrod which has a choice of Mudwater     (1-3) or the Black Hills( 4-6) subdues the Black Hills

Arnho, being aggressive, moves through Golden Valley and subdues Snake Pass -1 modifier to Mishaps marked by green dice

Malthodor, being aggressive, moves through Mount Spyre and subdues Broad Plain, -1 modifier to Mishaps

Dahar subdues Uphill

 

 Summer- (pic post battle)

Dahar have the option to attack Harno at Snake Pass or Malthodor at Broad Plain

As Malthodor have a larger force I weight the dice 5-6 Malthodor 1-4 Arnho. Rolls a 2, attacks and beats Arnho on the field of battle who retreat to Golden Valley-Bat Rep below

Morrod can choose Mudwater 1-3 or Forest of Nee 4-6. They fail to subdue Forest of Nee

Malthodor have no option other than Uphill as the rules forbid them invading Dahar

 

Autumn-

Harno subdues Hills of Moon

Dahar subdues Golden Valley

Morrod subdues Forest of Nee

Malthodor fails to subdue Ashemoore

 

 

The Battle of Snake Pass

 The armies meet in a river valley at the foot of the Pass. The Dahar army under the dreaded sorcerer Zokhora is formed of heavy foot carrying spears and axes and a small detachment of Variags , horse archers, with Zharius their captain are on the West bank. The river is crossed by a bridge and a ford.

 Deothen of Arnho has his Royal guard, a unit of Riders under Emero and some Outriders with the rogue Randenberk

 

The view from the drone

The bridge is at the southern end of the battle field, the ford is North of the small hill and is marked by two statues, one fallen.

Zokhora’s archers are in the small wood near the ford

 

 

 

Mishaps occur! The Riders are late by 2 b/w, the Outriders have been sleeping in a wet field and all have caught a cold -1 Resolve

The Dahar (Daharian? Daharite?) axemen are diseased (Poor hygiene) -1 Resolve

And the Heavy Infantry spearmen arrive in a state of excitement. They are enthusiastic and charge 4 b/w forward.

  

Turn 1

The enthusiastic spearmen are out of Command Range and becoming impetuous roll Fall back. Turning the requisite 180 degrees uses all their movement.

The axemen move up towards the ford

Turn 2

Outriders get on to the bridge, Variags ride to meet them

The Dahar spears and axes end up facing each other. They are not making this easy. If Zokhora had hair he would be pulling it out!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Turn 3-The Spear do another About Face to point them in the direction of the ford. The Dahar axemen do not have enough movement to get through the arrant spears so remain halted. Zokhora takes the opportunity to restore their Resolve

 

 A frustrated Zokhora points to the ford

At the bridge Randenberk charges the Outriders into the Variags. They cause 2 hits the Variags strike back with 4

Meanwhile, Deoneth’s cavalry advance towards the ford

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Daharians steal a march on the Royal Guard and get to the ford first

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ride! Ride riders Ride!

 Deoneth encourages his Men!

"There! There are your enemy!"

Turn 4

On the bridge the Outriders do not have the room to conform in melee and cannot get out of column, they are getting slaughtered.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Royal Guard take 6 hits for the remarkably accurate shooting of the Dahar archers and plunge into the ford

Emero reaches the river bank

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Turn 5

Denoeth’s Royal Guard only cause 4 hits between the archers and the Spears they receive 9! Horses do not do well in water; it is only after the game that I realise I was penalising them for being in a river rather than in rough which is what a ford should be!

Emero’s Riders enter the river

 

 

At the bridge the Variags do 5 hits to the Outriders meaning they will disperse, they make a mighty effort in reply and roll 5,5,6 to cause a heavy blow in return

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 But what is this? The skies darken, there is a roll of thunder and Zokhora’s prophecy “Thou shalt roll 2,1,1” comes true. The hapless Outriders disperse with out causing any hits at all taking Randenberk with them

 

 

 

 

 

Turn 6

Emero shoots 6 hits on Variags who cause 7 hits in return

Zharius performs about face to ride out of Emero’s charge range

 

 

 

 

 

At the ford Denoeth is trying to rally the Royal Guard who through some vile trick of the Gods seem to be fighting in a deep river and not the shallow ford they expected!

 

 

 

 

 Turn 7-Riders shoot at Variags 3 hits and they disperse. At the ford Denoeth is rallying less than Zokhora, the Royal Guard are getting the worst of the fight and the damned water keeps rising! “What is happening” he thinks “These are not the Fords of Rebunin”

 

 

 

 

 

Turn 8

Denoeth decides that discretion is the better part of valour! “The Gods are not with us this day”

“Ride” he cries “Runaway!” and he bravely chickens out and quits the field.

“Who needs Snake Pass anyway? Tis naught but rocks and serpents”

Arnho retreat to Golden Valley

 

 

 

 

 

This battle demonstrates some of the unpredictability of this rule system. There is no way that you would ever charge spears head on across a river with cavalry, unless you were Alexander of course! The spears marched every which way but the way they were supposed to, but still got to the ford ahead of the cavalry. Something about this lack of control at vital times felt very realistic, added an extra challenge and increased the fun.

At the end of the second year Malthador have 3 regions subdued and have not yet had to fight. Only two battles in two years seems a bit wrong. I have been rolling the attack dice for all Nations at the same time, from now on I will try rolling in turn, weakest first.