Margana-the Fourth Year, Spring and the Battle of Dourcliffe

 Glory and Trumpets!

The Stuff of Legends

 

Year 4 looks like being a very different prospect. All the regions are occupied and as a result are much harder to subdue requiring 5+ on a d6 as opposed to 3+

All the nations have elected Best Foot Forward with only Dahar not electing an aggressive stance.

Morrod and Harno can only advance through Occupied regions and are going to pick up some negative modifiers to Mishaps

Malthodor are really spoiling for a fight being very aggressive and putting their best foot forward

I have made a few changes to the Strategy/Aggression Table and I have changed the wording of the various Army Build Statuses. It’s not always going to be possible to field some options, particularly as armies grow larger. My priority is always to allow the narrative to drive the game, what makes the best story, what would happen in the movie of the game these shall be my tenets.

 

 The Army Build Roll

Roll 2d6 at beginning of year

11+ Call out the Guard! COG= Must use Elite/most expensive unit. Must use as many expensive units as possible.

9-10 Best Foot Forward! BFF = Must have at least one high end unit. Must have more expensive units than cheap ones.

6-8 On the Fence! OTF = can have choice of any units, must be equal mix of expensive and cheap units

4-5 Your Country Needs You! YCN = Cannot use most expensive/elite units unless there is no other option Majority 60% + must be spent on lower end troops

2-3 = Rabble Raiser! RR = Must use all available lower end troops before selecting more expensive units

Subsequent years successful Warlords will want to keep a winning formula, nations that have won battles or subdued regions will roll with no modifiers.

Warlords that have lost battles or failed to subdue any regions, may want to change strategy, roll on the table with a -2 modifier if previous army was of higher quality, +2 if it were mostly comprised of cheaper troops.

The Army Build may have to be modified if the troop types are not physically available but choices should made in the spirit of the result. If in doubt remember the tenets!

Aggression stance 2d6

>10 very aggressive will cross multiple subdued regions, will always strive to bring enemy to contact

9,10, aggressive will cross one subdued region

4,5 defensive, will protect occupied regions if owns more regions than opponents

<4 very defensive, will protect occupied territories

Modifiers to Aggression

Owns least regions +2

Owns most regions (min 6)-2

Army Build Roll Best Foot Forward/Call out the Guard +1

Army Build Roll Your Country Needs You/Rabble Raiser -1

Spring-Dahar-Subdues Uphill

Malthodor -Fails again to subdue Forest of Nee

Harno-aggressive, all adjacent regions are conquered, will pass through them, will have minus one modifier to Mishaps as indicated by small green dice,r olls to attack Dourcliffe-fails to subdue

Morrod-aggressive, moves to attack nearest opponent, Harno at Dourcliffe

 For this game we are going full Fantastic! I shall be using Objectives, Random Events and the possibility of Flank Attacks. Outflanking is a risky tactical decision and needs to be made randomly. I decide that each side will roll a d6, 6=outflanking manoeuvre. 

 

Outflanking Manoeuvre Factors

+1 has more mounted/flying companies than enemy

+1 outnumbers enemy -1 outnumbered by enemy

+1 nation is aggressive / very aggressive

+1 sneaky leader, warlord has previously successfully used flank attack

 The Battle of Dourcliffe

Now that I am beginning to recover from Covid, I have more energy and I have set up a 6 x 4 table, yay!

Dourcliffe is a rocky region and busy with terrain, 3 x troll lairs,4 x hils,4 x woods and 2x scree/rough areas.

Orcs roll to be attacker and set up on the West side

Objectives

Harno- Seize the High Ground! Must have a unit on the crest of all hills at end of melee phase

Morrod- Damsel in Distress! Goza’s son, Gozason, has been taking by the enemy and is held by Emero’s unit, Morrod must have character nearby when the unit scatters to save him!

 Harno deploy. On the left flank the Outriders are led by Thordeed, the King’s son, to their right Randenberk has the Wild Riders, eager for the fray, their horses raking the ground with their hooves. In the centre, King Denoeth has his Royal Guard, then come the Unproven Youth, on the right flank rides Emero and his Riders of Harno.

700 points against the 1,000 Morrod will field, will Denoeth lose another battle?

 

The mighty host of Morrod, skulks behind the hill! Out of the picture, on the right, a wolf rider unit.

 Goza has placed Guluk and the Trolls on his left flank, then Skaythe is with the Snagas and the Rabble. Then come the Black Uruks and the Archers under Grashnikh, Goza holds the Southern end of the hill with the Berserkers , on the plain below the hill, Gagbor leads the Black Wolves, wolf riders and way out on the far right flank , there is Shatrag and his Horrorhead wolf rider unit

 Mishaps occur!

Harno-Untried Youth become Enthusiastic, and charge off without waiting for the others!

The Wild Riders and the Kings Guard arrive late each by 2b/w

Morrod-The Berserkers are enthusiastic charge forward 3b/w, the tardy Black Wolves are late by 3 b/w

Harno roll 5 for outflanking and Thordeed sets off with his Outriders

 

Turn 1-no random events

The Unproven Youth are not too hasty and halt.

Thordeed is next up, he rolls a 1 for when to come in! He rolls a 2 for placement and the Outriders arrive on the flank of the Trolls! BAM!

 

 

The Orcs enter the woods in the centre of the hill. The archers have been deployed in front of the Black Uruks, a mistake as the archers could fire over the heads of the Uruks if deployed behind and above them on the hill

So, the Uruks must push ahead, however, slowed by the dense undergrowth, the Uruks are unable to pass through the Archers and must shuffle along behind them. 

Thus are the seeds of catastrophe sewn!

Emero catches up with the Yoot “Don’t do that again” he scolds

Denoeth and the Royal Guard slow as they enter the wood, they are heading to the Troll Lair, the King will have his treasure!

Over on the Northern end of the hill, Skaythe enters another Troll Hole and finds the Titanic Diadem of Foresight “I never saw that coming!” he declares.

 On the Orc right wing, the wolf rider  units go one each side of the small wood, intending to trap and flank the Wild Riders

Turn 2- no random event

Shooting-The Outriders enrage the Trolls with a couple of hits

Both Wolf Rider units advance. Randenberk charges his Wild Riders into the Black Wolf unit causing 14 hits and sustain only 2!

The Black wolves disperse along with Gagbor

 

 

 

The Horrorhead’s can only look on in horror, as the Black Wolves are destroyed

 

In the centre, knowing his right flank is secure, Goza advances his Berserkers being careful to keep them on the hill, preparing them to deal with the Royal Guard in the centre.

Things look grim for the Harnorim. They are facing an army which not only outnumbers them but also holds the high ground.

Seemingly unconcerned, Denoeth enters the Troll Hole, he dearly loves a treasure, and comes out smiling holding above his head a gleaming sword “Look chaps! It’s the Wicked Blade of Piercing or I am my auntie’s tea pot! Now we have them!” In my mind, Denoeth is Richard the Lionheart played by Brian Blessed

The Rabble taunt their foes, they feel confident in their numbers high upon the hill.

 

Turn 3- no random events

Shooting The Outriders pick off 3 more hits on the Trolls who roar in impotent fury

 The Snagas cause three hits on the Yoot.

Randenberk charges his Wild Riders into the exposed flank of the Orc Berserkers

 

 

 

 Denoeth starts a long, stirring speech about riding to glory to rouse his men, but is cut off by his trumpeter blowing the charge and the whole army gallops across the plain and up the hill to crash into the ranks of the waiting Orcs!

 

 

 

  

 

 

Randenberk’s charge eliminates the Berserker’s, 12 hits v 0! In Fantastic Battles, flank attacks hurt!

They flee the field taking a helpless Goza with them.  All units suffer loss of one resolve as their warlord quits the field.

The archers and the Uruks take another loss of resolve each as being within 2 b/w of a dispersing unit.

 

 

Denoeth and the Royal Guard smash in to the Archers causing 13 hits and taking only 5, the archers are wiped out, causing more distress to the other Morrod units who take one more loss of resolve each. 

If the much stronger, fiercer Uruks had deployed in front of the Archers this may have been a story with a different ending.

 

As a final death blow, Emero’s unit routs the Rabble causing 11 hits and brings the battle to an end as the remaining Orcs  scamper away to hide from the wrathful triumphant Riders of Arnho.

Post Battle

The Archers and the Rabble roll “Sod this…” and leave the army. Much later I realised that being “expendable” also means the Rabble should not have counted towards the Rout level of the Army and the Orcs had at least one more turn left I them! Well, I can only rationalise that the Orc army also forgot that the Rabble were expendable, must have been all that shouting and taunting raised the army’s opinion of ‘em on the day!

The Berserkers and the Black Uruks, roll “bloodied” and will continue but with minus one resolve per company

Goza and Gagbor survive to fight another day

Arnho add Dourcliffe to their growing Realm and the Orcs retreat to their home turf of Morrod. What will the Summer campaigning season bring?