Wake up -Reveille is back!

Hooray! If anything suggests things are getting back to  to normal in our society, it is the welcome return of Bristol’s friendliest Wargames show. It’s been three years since the last Reveille show at Lincombe Barn in Downend and like most local gamers with fond memories of this intimate, friendly show I was delighted to hear that it was back. 

Reveille, undoubtably Bristol’s best loved wargames show, is presented by the Lincombe Barn Wargames Society who meet each Sunday for regular gaming sessions in this marvellous early 18^th century building for which the Society is named.

   It’s a lovely venue with several large rooms perfectly suitable for hosting the show. 

I bought two delightful “old school” Ents from Mike McGuiness of Broadsword Miniatures. Mike has been gaming probably longer than I have!  Mike’s figures have a distinctive style resonent of another age and dripping with character. There is a link to his website below, it is well worth a visit.  

Broadsword Miniatures

Picture- Geoff Solomon-Sims of Oakbound Studios, delighted to be back at Reveille!

“Lorien meets Hook” Geoff’s unfinished Frondleith terrain, a Leprechaun village. Geoff is an extremely talented sculptor with an extraordinary take on fantasy gaming, his game The Woods is packed with fantastic illustrations from his imaginary world and he has sculpted characterful figures of all his creations. I recently backed Geoff's kickstarter for his Leprechauns and owls and I am very pleased with them. I intend to use them for my Silver Bayonet Campaign

Oakbound Studios

The Show was well organised and run with quite a few willing and friendly society members on hand to help the proceedings along. There were fourteen trade stands and ten participation and demo games, all of which were well attended. Oh… and there were bacon and sausage butties!

 Picture- Carol Flint of LBWS a 100 Year War fan and a BIG fan of Sharpe Practice!

bristolwargaming

Lincombe Barn Wargaming Society

On another stand was seasoned gamer, author, and historian, Martin Hackett. I was delighted to meet Martin as back in the day, 1990 in fact, I had used Martin’s book Fantasy Wargaming to run a two year long campaign with a dozen friends on a self-created world where many different races clashed in a frenzy of bloodletting and magic. Fond memories indeed, how lovely then, after all this time, to meet the author!

Martin is as amiable as his photo suggests. A keen historian and member of the Battlefields Trust, Martin has written several books one of which “the Wargamers Guide to Dark Age Britain” I had to purchase. This book covers the Early Medieval period, from the collapse of the Roman Empire to the 11^th century and tours the battle fields, discussing the history,  the weapons and the tactics in considerable detail and provides not only advice on wargaming the period but also Martin’s rule system “as Told in the Great Hall”

  He walks the battlefields that he writes about and illustrates his books with his own photos.

  Martins’s book was published by www.amberly-books.com

One of the demo/participation games that really stood out was the 54 mm Old West Shoot out hosted by Skirmish Games. 

This amazing was table packed with period buildings representing every Old Western Town institution you would hope to see -Stage Office, Bank, Railway Halt, Saloon, General Store, Taverna and lots of adobe dwellings.

It looked like every other film from my childhood. And it was populated accordingly with gunslingers, bandits, lawmen and various citizens. 

“There’s a stage leaving at noon stranger…and you better be on it!”

It was all bit too much for some citizens… after all it is Sunday afternoon-siesta time!

Dogs of War hosted a game of To the Strongest! which had Sassanids and Romans in 10mm slogging it out

I am not sure if they were simultaneously playing a quick game of Seven-card stud or whether the cards were part of the game

Steve Jones presented his new WarreGame 17thC ruleset with a participation game showcasing a Swedish/Imperial battle of the 1630’s.

  Punters were invited to roll the special WarreDice and try their hand at the rules.

View from the Imperial lines-mainly old foundry TYW figures

The Imperial cavalry wings were eventually defeated while their steadfast foot held the centre at the close of play. 

   Steve is planning a mega-game next year at Salute - the Death-ride of Gustavus Adolfus involving Piccolomini’s Horse vs the Smalanders in 1:1 scale … yes some 900 cavalry figures! 

  Imperial Cuirassiers (Renegade) engaged with Swedish horse (Bicorne)

As a result, he’s commissioned some new and dynamic Cuirassiers- especially sculpted by Paul Hicks. 

  You can follow Steve’s progress on his Facebook page 

the Warre game FB

Enquiries about the rules to Caliver books who are the sole stockists currently 

caliverbooks

Enquiries for the new Cuirassiers, email Steve direct at   thewarregame@aol.com     

There was a WW1 Wings of Glory dogfight presented by Wings of Glory Aerodrome, unfortunately I got no pics of this game! One of the problems with co-hosting a game is you just do not get to see enough of the show or have enough time to talk to people… and I am a social butterfly!

   The map for our Wars of the Roses hypothetical battle of “Ye Olde Down End” set on the site of Lincombe barn 270 years before it existed. (It was built circa 1750)

I have hosted a few Billhooks participation games now and I have found that giving the game a local setting really engages the players.

   Quite a few people read the fluff and thought this was an actual battle!

There was a cheerful buzz throughout the show all day…

    …which did seem to be louder at the Billhooks table!

 One of the Generals was Vince Noir!

There was a lively and constant interest in the Billhooks Deluxe Rules…I could have sold a dozen copies

The games produced the usual mix of chaos, calamity and triumph! Everyone who played had a great time, there was a constant stream of laughter

Self-confessed Billhooks Addict Mark Taylor (right) did a splendid job of running the games.

The Eternally Angry Duke of Somerset frightens his Retinue into action

Tactics are an important part of Billhooks. First- identify your objective then…

   Defend the pub!

Reveille! Quite as brilliant as my memory made it… and only a short walk from my house! 

Nevermind the Billhooks Deluxe

 

A Game for All Seasons?

When first I discovered Nevermind the Billhooks as a free game in Wargames Illustrated way back in ye olden days of 2020 I was immediately struck by it’s apparent simplicity and its’ rather quaint old fashioned approach. “Ah!”  I thought “This is pure Featherstone! I shall like this!”  and I bought the magazine and took it home and read it.

  It soon became obvious that it was so much more than just Old School Wargames! Billhooks has an innovative card system, random activation and special events that make it very modern indeed. And Billux has some game mechanics that are surprisingly subtle and require some tactical thought.

  At the time I had no figures for this game. I had no knowledge of the history of the period other than some vague notion about Bosworth being the “other important battle after Hastings” and that Richard III is not just a rhyming slang for pooh, he was real person and a child killer and the embodiment of pure evil. (Ricardians discuss!)

In fact, of all the periods to wargame, this was one I had long ago decided against. There are limited troop types, there's no tactical finesse and there are no gloriously colourful tabards or shields to paint. I never thought I would be where I am now with over 200 figures in my (far from complete) WotR collection, a working knowledge of the period and a fascination for the history, particularly the local history.

I have played over 40 games of Billhooks now and  they have all been different. They have all been entertaining, all of them have felt like a battle from history, they have all told a story, a Billhooks game is less a simulation and more of a narrative event and I have enjoyed every one of them.

  The game is interactive and fast paced. There are no dull “just sat watching” moments. There have been many nail-biting moments (complete last-minute reversals of fortune are common in this game) and moments of pure hilarity

The cards add an element rarely found in most wargames and can cause chaos when least expected or produce a winning gambit when all looks lost. 

 

Andy Callan himself declares, is a fun game of toy soldiers and is not in any way an attempt to simulate actual historical warfare, however, games of Billhooks do tend to play out in a way that feels historically right. The game captures the essence of the period well and while there are often entertaining routs and slaughters, other battles will be nailbiters.

 Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory happens every third game or so!

A brief synopsis of Billhooks. It is a “small battles” game where each side has an army usually organised in three wards of several companies of 12 Billmen or 12 Archers supported by bands of six skirmishers and/or a Great Gonne. Cavalry are organised in Squadrons of eight. The game uses d6 and inches.

The game starts with a Manoeuvre phase where each player takes turns to move a unit, they may move the same unit each time or a different one. This continues until one side or the other shoots and then the game proper begins.

Each ward has a leader who has a rating ranging from Dolt to Hero. There is a deck of cards containing one for each leader in the game and two bonus cards. Each turn a card is turned up if it is a leader then he is activated giving orders to his units, each of which may then perform two actions, usually move or shoot. Bonus cards trigger events. The last card is never turned up, if it is a leader card, he misses his turn!

Shooting and melee are dealt with very simply. You roll buckets of dice to get hits and your opponent rolls to save. In melee, you both roll at the same time which keeps both players active.

Each player has a number of coin tokens equivalent to the number of units in their army. Every time a unit is daunted as the result of a failed morale test or is destroyed, a coin  or two if destroyed, are surrendered into a communal pile. When a player cannot surrender a coin as there are none left then he loses the game. You can also win the game by killing the enemy commander in chief or routing him from the field.

If you have never played the game, here is a link to some tutorials

Billhhooks Tutorials

And now there is Never Mind the Billhooks Deluxe.

I received the PDF several weeks ago to write an article for Wargames Illustrated, which will appear in December’s issue, WI 420, and I received the book two weeks ago. I have hardly put it down since. 

I am blown away by the production values of this book. All its new-book-smelling-goodness is almost too much to describe. It is well laid out and beautifully illustrated throughout with glorious photographs of exquisitely painted minis. And all this for only twenty five quid!

 

  Weird heraldic devices stalk through its 180 pages like animated gargoyles at the best kind of rave and there are decorative roses climbing the margins. Illuminated chapter numbers are another small detail that add to that overall feeling of Medievalness. It looks and feels, and smells, like pure quality. Great care has been taken over the look of the thing and it is clearly a work of love.

Andy has rewritten the original Billhooks rules and this forms the Core Rules of the game and are part of the Albion chapter, which is about the Wars of the Roses. A lot of effort has been spent here clarifying the old rules and changing rules that did not work.  

There is a summary of the new rules on page 39 and it is evident that the author has listened to players and responded by making changes that improve the game.

However, the old adage, and Mr Callans personal motto “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” also rings true and fans of the game will find that it is essentially the same game, however, it works better than before, it is easier to read, it has lost none of its Billhooks character and is much improved by its new layout. 

The game is written with new players in mind with pictorial examples of movement, melee and shooting with well written, clearly explained sections on each aspect of the game. Stats for shooting, movement, saving throws etc appear in tables in the text and also at the back of the book as handy page sized charts.

Left-Coin of the realm sir?

 Don’t mind if I do!

 The heart of the book, its main substance, is what makes it Deluxe. Ninety-one pages detailing seven new Conflicts in seven different theatres, with Albion, this makes eight. Each theatre brings new aspects to the game.

Albion - The Wars of the Roses. A few minor changes. Many loose ends gathered in! Morale rules much clearer. Melee rules changed so that a melee may only be fought over a maximum of three turns.

Gallia - The Hundred Years’ War. Introduces new formations, including the Herce formation for English troops and Knight blocks for the French. Jinets!

Bohemia - The Hussite Wars.  War waggons! And light artillery!

Helvetia - The Swiss-Burgundian War. Triple company pike and halberdier blocks! Double pike blocks of four companies! Holy Heck! Burgindians have mounted crossbows and Organ guns!

Italia - The Italian Wars. Spanish colunelas, sword and buckler men, French Gendarmes, lots of artillery, mobile horse drawn artillery

Northumbria - The Anglo-Scottish Border Reivers. Interesting scenario in two parts Reiving and street fighting. Cattle rustling

Lusitania - Late Medieval Portugal. Skirmisher heavy mobile armies

Hibernia - Warfare in Ireland. Gallowglasses, armoured Loons with giant swords and Kerns!

There is something for everyone! A game for all seasons! From the massed Pikes of the Swiss to the small bands of Reivers in Scotland.

Each section has an introduction, some of which are written by guest authors, describing the history and the context of the conflict. These are succinct but well written and I found them interesting, informative and an enjoyable read. I particularly liked the Portuguese section, Lusitania, as this is all new to me.

Andy writes with the confidence of one well versed in Medieval history and his words though often informal, sometimes humorous in nature, carry authority.  Tim Gordon writes the Northumbria section, Joao Pedro Especial deals with Lusitania, and OB tackles Hibernia. Gallia, the hundred years war is dealt with in style by Simon McDowall and Pavel Mancar brings his wisdom to the section on the Hussites.

 They all similarly demonstrate a specific knowledge of their subject, each introduction is written in an engaging and informative manner.  

Each section then goes on to describe changes to the Core Rules and the special rules for each conflict and for each new troop type. These are described in the same manner for each Region which makes understanding them much easier and helps with navigation through the rulebook. The detail is astonishing. I can think of no other set of historical rules that does this.

For each Theatre/Conflict there is a section on Army Unit Organisation outlining permissible formations for each type of soldier and Army Restrictions as well as notes on Troop Quality and how each theatre differs from the Core Rules. Then there are sections dealing with each aspect of the game for each Region. These are Leaders, Orders, Actions (with an Action Chart for each theatre as each army may have its own specific actions such the Reivers “Pillage and Loot!”) Movement, Shooting, Melee, Morale, and Winning the Battle (Victory Conditions)

Once familiarity is gained with the Core Rules it will be possible to play by just referring to these sections.

 Then, and this is a really exciting bit, there is a scenario, sometimes two, for each theatre. Some great thought has gone into these and they cover a wide range of situations. Some of them have their own special rules.

   From a Spanish/French force advancing up a beach against an English army with the tide fast advancing behind them, to Knights Hospitallers facing off against Hussite War Waggons in a swampy field, to a two-parter Scots Reivers raid, to a pitched battle from the Italian Wars. There is something for everybody in this game

As if all this Billhooky goodness is not enough there then follows a Painting, Modelling and Kit-bashing Grand Master Class by the Grand master himself Richard Lloyd, Lead Adventurers Forums’ Captain Blood.

  What Richard doesn’t know about this aspect of the hobby isn’t worth knowing and these thirty pages are full of golden advice, top tips and how-to-do’s.

   There is a twenty-step step-by-step guide to painting a figure, followed by a section on modelling basics, tips on working with green stuff, gloop, different glues and terrain pieces and how to create bases. And a really useful bit on making Markers and Tokens for the game. These are fantastic by the way, and would certainly improve the look of any table.

I particularly like the Daunted marker created with a dead cavalry figure and his equally dead horse! If you want to see what it looks like painted, you will have to buy the rules!

  Richard finishes off with a lovely section on kit-bashing and how to get the best from a cheap box of Perry figures

The last twenty pages are evenly split between quick reference charts and the cards and tokens required for the game. The Special Event cards are one of the things that make this game what it is-different! They bring variety and surprise and also a gurt big dollop of period flavour. They ensure that no two games will ever be the same. There are nine for the Core Game which are commonly used for all the theatres and three theatre specific cards for each of the eight Theatres, making a deck of twelve possible special events in each battle. The game works in such a  way that there can only ever be two Special Events used in any one battle so they do not overpower the game but ensure that every battle becomes an unique experience

I should point out that Deluxe is written as a purely historical game. Each conflict/theatre is designed to be self-contained and playing with armies from different theatres will lead to an imbalance of forces.  Not that has ever stopped anyone and it would be weird if as gamers, we didn’t try to break the system! I suspect it will soon become clear which armies are the Davids and which are the Goliaths, and adjustments in the form of handicaps or bonuses will be possible and are indeed likely to work.

So, is there anything the book doesn’t include? Anything that could have been done better?  Well, no, not really. All books benefit from an Index to be sure, but this book is so well constructed, so easy to navigate, it is hardly necessary and as it may well have further delayed publication to include one, I can happily live without it.

There are some conflicts/theatres that have not covered, Eastern Europe, HRE, the Ottomans, the Crusades, although they are arguably of an earlier era, maybe these are material for possible future expansions or supplements. 

What next I wonder?  Will Billhooks become a franchise? Never Mind the Balrogs has been mentioned at BASH and Nevermind the Rowlocks has actually been played at Partisan.  

   Personally, I would love to see Mr Callan’s inimitable take on a campaign system for Billhooks.

   Deluxe is a great game, but it has left me with a big problem. With all that choice, which Army do I build next?

Page 13! Definitely my favourite page!

Just talkin' Billhooks

 just talkin'...

 A Game of Chance?

Never Mind the Billhooks, as the author Andy Callan himself declares, is a fun game of toy soldiers and is not in any way an attempt to simulate actual historical warfare.

  Andy also says “Forget plans! Never mind the Tactics! Rolling high and drawing the best cards is the only way to win at Billhooks”. And of course he is right!  However, it is worth taking a moment to consider the composition of your force and the strengths and weaknesses of the various units in Billhooks and how they may be best deployed. Having played some forty games and participated in all three BASHes here are my thoughts.

Front Rank minis- a delight to paint

 

But at the same time games of Billhooks do tend to play out in a way that feels historically right. The game captures the essence of the period well and while there are sometimes entertaining routs and slaughters other battles will quite often be close-run things. The question I always ask my opponent at the end of the game is, did this feel like it could have been an historical report of a battle from the Wars of the Roses? The answer, invariably, is yes. 

In Nevermind and for Albion in Deluxe, Bows and Bills  companies are the meat and  potatoes of your army. You can field  a decent force that is quite able to win many battles by just using them. The big decision is whether to deploy them in blocks or singly. The deciding factor here is inevitably the ability of your leaders as single units require a lot more orders to be issued. Leader abilities are diced for randomly at the beginning of the game and decide how many orders a leader can issue, which in turn determines how many units he can command. Two units in a block require only one order whereas two individual units requite two orders. Companies in block are stronger in melee but if one unit has to test its morale and fails then both will be affected by the result.   

 It’s ultimately a question of finding the right balance for your play style  If in doubt the Bow/Bill Block is reliable, adaptable, and effective; it can deal with most threats and is certainly recommended for players who are new to the ebb and flow of the game. 

Double de bows is double de arrers!

Double Bows? Archer blocks, in line, can be deadly, loosing an arrow-storm of 48 dice, but they are vulnerable to being charged, so attach a leader to them that they may choose to evade away from charges

    A double unit of archers can effectively remove a pike block’s ability by causing enough casualties to reduce its ranks as the Pikes lack their own archers to screen them from harm. In Deluxe the fast moving, lightly armoured Swiss pikes are likely to prove more vulnerable to this tactic.

  Overall- loose your arrowstorms as regularly and opportunistically as you can. The micro dice tracking a unit’s arrow supply rarely runs out before they get bogged down in melee, are evading trouble, or otherwise engaged in activities that stop them pulling some bowstrings.

Bristol boys! De Bare and Mead-land pirates!

Murder Machine“These monsters of mayhem, these mothers of murder, these masters of melee” without doubt Men at Arms are the most reliable, effective slaughter machine on the field. These are often game winners, particularly if led by a hero. TIP- shield them with bows or skirmishers from enemy arrow-storms and get them into combat undamaged by the most direct route you can.

Overall: Heroes on the battlefield, use these armoured men boldly and count on them to be about the most reliable unit at your disposal. If you’re going to build a plan around any unit, make it the Men-at-Arms!

TIP -Try to "get the drop " on your opponents by charging them before they charge you and benefit from rerolling any 1's in your first round of melee.

Picture courtesy of Mark Taylor

Don’t tell ‘em your name… Pikes are the nearest thing to an OP unit in Nevermind. They cost the same as Bills but can count four ranks in melee. At BASH 3 Ian Callan’s pike men went on a spree in each of his battles, cutting a path to the enemy’s baseline and returning by the same route on two occasions. He did not think it too many. 

  TIP counter pike blocks with skirmishers and archers as at the third battle of BASH, the Yorkist archers and skirmisher shot great blizzards of arrows into the ranks of pike men and then charged them with an intact company of Men at Arms Picture courtesy of Mark Taylor

  TIP always charge pikes with Men at Arms, if melee is inevitable, to gain the advantage of rerolling 1’s, and the extra protection in saving rolls from the Men at Arms heavy armour should carry the day. 

Deluxe gives us the mighty pike blocks of the Swiss, fast moving, hard hitting and fearless! They suffer an extra hit from each shot from a Great Gonne and have low saving throws so shoot them with your cannon, and your archers and use skirmishers to harry their flanks.

Deluxe introduces the Herce formation, a combined unit of longbowmen and spears, used by English Armies and Free Companies. The archers in this unit can shoot twice in response to being charged., effectively reproducing the arrow storms of Crecy and Agincourt.

Rock, Paper, Scissors

Billhooks is a surprisingly subtle game in some aspects. The balance between the different types of units is pretty near perfect. There is a kind of rock, paper, scissors element to the game. For example, artillery are notoriously “swingy”, very often achieving nothing or blowing themselves up, however, they can knock great holes in your Men at Arms as found out at the battle of Bristol Independent Gaming, 3rd March 2021 when the opening shot of the battle killed five of them. Artillery are themselves vulnerable to attack from Light Cavalry or skirmishers. TIP: wait for your opponent to set up his artillery before you deploy your M@A and place them anywhere but opposite them.

Picture courtesy of Mark Taylor

Artillery has one weakness tho, apart from spontaneous self-inflicted explosion of course, in that they have to return fire at any unit shooting at them. Artillery can only roll half their dice at skirmishers so one tactic to nullify your opponent’s artillery is to send a band of skirmishers to harass them. This tactic also has its risks as the skirmishers will be exposed to shooting from archer units, however, if your opponent places his artillery in an exposed position, unsupported by archers, as at the first Battle of BASH, Peters v Harris, where skirmishers were able to harass the artillery crew to death!

TIP, if possible, negate artillery by skirmishing them with skirmishers

Artillery has another prime function due to their long range, they can stop the manoeuvre phase and put an end to any scouting light horse looking to flank your position. TIP don’t plan for a long manoeuvre phase if your opponent is equipped with a Great Gonne

Skirmishers, a Forlorn Hope?

Swiss mercenary Harqubusiers-with Pavise

 Skirmishers are a bit of an historical anomaly, at least in there is no documented evidence of their existence in the Wars of the Roses yet bands of mercenaries bearing bows, crossbows and hand guns are known to have been employed universally during this period and not en masse in formed units, so they are at the very least an historical possibility. 

In game terms skirmishers are never going to be a game winner. They are frail compared to other troop types and are often wiped out by a couple of arrow-storms. They are vulnerable to being charged by light cavalry and will rarely survive a moral test. However, they can be a nuisance and can keep your opponent under pressure with a steady flow of casualties. As mentioned, they can nullify artillery TIP use your skirmishers on the flanks of your opponent’s units outside of the targets  45 degree frontal arc where he is unable to shoot back

Deluxe introduces some new armies where skirmishers have a bigger presence, notably the Portuguese who also use mounted skirmisher bands. It’s hard to predict how they will perform on the tabletop but I suspect light cavalry will be the antidote to their hit and run antics

TIP Skirmisher carrying crossbows and hand guns cost the same points as those armed with bows and have the added advantage of reducing the saving throws of Men at Arms for no extra points! Say no more squire!

15th C knight, Very heavy armour, no flowing Caparison

The Knights Tale Knights are an expensive rarity, however, legend has it that they have a powerful, unstoppable charge which if used correctly can destroy enemy units in one swift round of melee. I have never witnessed their use and the accounts, nay say rumours, that I have heard tell only of their inevitable defeat. They can be a great liability as their high status means that all units within 12" will have to test morale if they break.

However, with Deluxe covering the hundred years war and other knight-heavy periods and with rules for double blocks the knight will certainly be a force to be reckoned with in future games

A scurrer by any other name

Light cavalry is a horse of a different colour however. Whether they are scurrers, prickers, jinetes, ginetes, Besteiros de Garrucha, Stradiots or just light horse they are all swift and manoeuvrable and can turn on a groat, they can disrupt your opponent’s plans by their mere presence behind his lines or by threatening his flanks or the vulnerable Great Gonnes. How to counter them? Turn to face or ignore them and risk a charge? A single charge even into an enemy’s rear is unlikely to result in victory but their ability to “bounce” off their target can lead to a series of consecutive charges that may eventually bring success.

Unlike most troops, they have a double ability to evade or counter charge that means they can usually get themselves out of trouble or deliver a punch in response to threats. They are death to skirmishers or artillery crews who cannot move quickly enough to evade them. They can tie up several of your opponents’ units by being in the right place. A word of warning tho, they are vulnerable to missiles and their high status, can cause multiple routs if they are broken, as at the second battle of BASH Brease v Peters or third BASH Peters v Clark wherein both instances, routing light cavalry caused a chain reaction of routing units that lost the battle for their own side. Deluxe introduces javelin hurling Jinets and crossbow wielding light cavalry, be it the Latch toting reivers or the heavier crossbows of the Portuguese. 

The"Plump" Yorkist Prickers deliverd a killer charge at Tewkesbury

TIP light cavalry can be invaluable, indispensable even, if your opponent fields them, however, they will not win the battle and might cause you to lose it. They are definitely best used as an independent command, under the leadership of a dolt if you have one, as far from your battle lines as they can reach

TIP light cavalry are vulnerable to missiles, they have a lower saving throw from missiles than they do in melee so shoot them whenever you’re able. Like skirmishers they are a small unit and only require four casualties to take a morale test and, like skirmishers, they only roll one dice to test morale and will fail half the time.  

Kern Up the Volume

I have nothing to say of Kerns as I have not had any experience of employing or facing them. “Shoot them full of arrows” would seem a wise historical precedent to follow. However, Steve Woods of Arcane Scenery has used them often and says “Do not underestimate the power of Kern skirmishers! I always take a band. They can move quickly and so can out flank the enemy and if available, skulk in cover out of harm’s way until they are ready to pounce. They throw 6 dice in hand-to-hand combat and save on a 5 and 6. (they only save on a 6 against archery). This gives them an advantage against other skirmishers who only throw 3 dice in combat. As they are as fast as other skirmishers, they can usually catch them if they attempt to evade. Their shooting is poor, with a range of only 6 inches but if they are behind an enemy unit, they are a damned nuisance! If they can charge a flank from cover or within one move, the enemy unit cannot turn and face and so a mixed block of bill and archers will be fighting with 3 dice against 6! If the dice Goddess is kind, you can win the combat and force a morale check. They are fragile though and tend to be a one shot unit as they will pursue a routing unit (even if it runs off the table) and if they bounce in combat will become disarrayed.”

Be Lucky!

Billhooks is a wickedly capricious, fun game where no two battles are the same. When you win you can take the credit for your excellent generalship, when you lose, you can blame your bad luck.

General TIP 1 be aggressive! The game rewards he who attacks, archery has its place but is unlikely to win many battles and Bow units caught in melee inevitably come off worse. The rerolling of “1’s” in attack can make a huge difference.

TIP 2- Use your Leaders attached to units in melee, the automatic hits they generate are game winners in later rounds when companies are disarrayed.

TIP 3- Do not camp in your deployment area. If your units are daunted, they will rout from the table and cost you dear

TOP TIP always use your lucky dice and issue a silent prayer to the Goddess before EVERY roll.

Deluxe brings new armies and many surprises. The scenarios add a whole new dimension to the game. The Reivers look like pure fun, Helvetia is very colourful if somewhat frightening, the Irish give me an excuse to get those Antediluvian Gallowglasses that I crave and I have no idea how to deal with a Hussite army but I can’t wait to find out!

 Thanks to Mark Taylor for thr pics of Pikes and the Great Gonne, more of Mark's beautifully painted figure scan be see here https://www.flickr.com/photos/rlps/albums/72157716748719937?fbclid=IwAR135iuERuILX2uoaK0NHDdDkelIzCekzoq--YD0BmpmNjxujttgMi0yvEQ/with/50754727042

And thanks also to Steve Woods for his wise words on kerns and the picture of the wild wooly saffron dyed lunatics. A link to Steves blog can be found here https://arcanesceneryandmodels.co.uk/