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/  

Vikings Vanquished! More Midgard Madness!

 

The ravaging host of vicious Vikings having defeated the Southron Empire on it’s Northern Border, found the Arid lands of the far South altogether too hot for their pale complexions and heading West they met and completely destroyed the Barbarian Horde of Grey Hame at the Glen of Tears. Little loot did the Tribes of Grey Hame possess and such as it was it was soon squandered and Phwoar, Energetic God of Excess, did not think it too much, for his thirst was great and he would slake it where he could.

The restless Host continued West in search of plunder, beer, women and beer and so returned to the borders of Lamedon and there, in the Ringlo Vale were met by a gathering of the Fiefdoms of Gondor led by the valiant Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth.

The two armies met on a flat plain in a clearing where the dense forests of Ringlo did not dominate the landscape but did provide, rather conveniently, some areas of woodland on the flanks such as would be suitable for skirmishing troops.

Prince Imrahil, of noble brow and bright eye, in whom the line of distant Numenor can clearly be discerned, led his Swan Knights to the far left flank, with two units of Men at Arms in support. Angbor the Fearless took the centre of the line with his Hearthguard and the Spearmen and the majority of the infantry, leaving the right flank of three formed archer units and a unit of javelin armed light riders to be commanded by Duinhir of Morthond a lowly Captain of archers! 

Omens are sought by both sides soothsayers. Over the heads of the Vikings a dark cloud grows and thunder rumbles ominously as Magnus Madmansson reads in the entrails of a small partridge a portent of Doom! He rolled a one! Sensing disaster, the Vikings lose two Reputation

Meanwhile Cerdric the Unbelievable raises a smiling face from his small pyre of dandelions and personal sacrifice of a quart of strong wine, above his head the clouds roll back, a bright beam of sunlight shines down on Imrahil and his gallant men.  He has rolled a six! The fiefdoms gain three Reputation and Imrahil becomes Fated!

Both armies’ advance! The Vikings are an extremely aggressive force with a fair smattering of brutal heroes and units. Can they be contained?

An anxious Mark chews his nails, has he just noticed Imrahil’s rapid advance, the bright armour shining, the sunlight glinting from many spear points and the whole troop singing songs of Glory in bright clear voices?

Or has he found a bit of Big Jim’s Famous Bacon Sarnies ‘tween his molars

For Gondor! Amroth for Gondor! I converted these knights a long time ago from GW Knights of Minas Tirith. The GW/PJ/Weta aesthetic has never sat well with me and although the Knights of Dol Amroth are not represented in the film, the GW take on them is just far too much Warhammer for me. Nor does the recent “All Tolkien is Dark Age Technology“ vibe particularly float my boat. I believe Tolkien’s world does not sit in Earth’s history at all, it is for want of a better term, anachronistic. I have always tried to create the world that opened in my mind when I first read Lord of the Rings. And my eleven-year-old self saw Knights in shining plate armour!

On the Northern flank, Gondor’s right flank, heavy skirmishing occurred between the Noble Light Riders of Lamedon and the hairy mob of stick throwers.

Each took casualties, the cavalry retreated back to their lines.

Having advanced to within range the Archers of Morthond retreated each turn, ensuring they got a shot in during the shooting phase but not risking contact with the Vikings who marched with their God, Phwoar.

   Their arrows had little effect apart from annoying their already permanently angry foe. The Vikings failed Command Test after Command Test in their bid to close the enemy and made little progress. 

                     In the centre field both sides readied themselves for a bloody fight. 

“CHAAAAAAARRRRGE!”

 Impact! Hurled defensive javelins bounce harmlessly from vambrace and helm.  Desperately, but cleverly, Mark charges the skirmisher into the flank of the charging knights so that the knights will fight with half their dice in the ensuing combat.

  The Good Omens continue to exert their influence however, as the Knights (and Imrahil) roll 12 dice 10 of which are 5 or 6!

Hagar the Disagreeable is equally effected by his Bad Omens however, the Bondi and the skirmishers are wiped out and rolling Risk to heroes Hagar is cursed by the Snake Eyed God and rolls bones! He rolls a six on the Hero Death Table, can Imrahil thwart this last attempt? Imrahil rolls a six, neatly blocking Hagar's axe with his vambrace! This single devastating charge has cost the Vikings dearly. And the flank was open!

                                            Midgard battles LOOK like battles!

Behind Gondor’s right flank, a unit of Warriors has inclined ready to meet the expected Viking charge. Duinhir has encouraged the Archers to keep up a rain of arrows.

On the left flank the knights have charged home and in the middle the Men at Arms are getting to grips with their opponents

One of the great things about Midgard is the use of markers to show what is happening. One glance at this picture, if you know what the markers stand for, tells us that there is one combat where the Vikings have advantage and one which is tied.

  We can see that both the Gondorian units have used their javelins, that the Gondor unit on the right has taken one stamina loss and that Forlong has both Mighty Deeds left, while Magnus has used one of his.

In the background , the triumphant knights charge into the flank of another Bondi unit. In the centre , the Men at Arms and the Hearthguard of Lamedon charge into Magnnus Madmansson’s main force.

Mighty were the deeds that day! Red the blade and aye, red the arm that wields it!

  Much sorrow was founded upon the brows of the Norsemen that day for they were found wanting, not in courage, for they were fey and mighty in thew, no, it was good fortune and the favour of the Gods they lacked and the evil crows did despoil their bodies piled in mounds upon the bloody field, and did not think it too many

For, thereupon, Magnus Madmansson was also cast down and he did also roll bones! A mighty shout of “HooohOO He’s DEAD!” did ring across the field and for a moment there was a hush as everyone in Bristol Independent Gaming paused in their Age of Sigmar tournament and great wonder was there came upon them that a game so far undeclared, unnamed, and a million miles from GW could bring such a cry of elation!

 The final positions. The Death of Magnus did cause Marks goblet to Spilleth over and the victory was had by Gondor in the third turn.

My regular worthy adversary. Wise in the ways of war, well schooled in strategy, an able tactician and a bit silly really Above all, his face is inscrutable!

 

Midgard! Ware Mumak or Where Mumak Gone?

An actual lithogrpah from the Battle by A Bystander

 

No one knew from which cold Northern waste the pale blond-haired warriors came. Eager for war they were, mighty were their arms and they came in great numbers, led by valiant heroes and, a God walked among them.

Phwoar the Ebullient, ale-swoggling he came, with a maiden tucked under each brawny arm and a leg of cold beef behind his ear, thirsting for adventure, looking for War and laughing all the while. 

A great way South they came, all fled before them for they were fierce and terrible to look upon and very rarely washed. And on they came unopposed, until they reached the Hot lands in the far South, where the furnace heat of the wide deserts cook the air and the hot winds scorch the very land.

And there they met some who did not flee. A race far older than they, a fierce, cruel race whose Ancient Gods dwelt yet in huge stone edifices and demanded the Blood Price. Bold warriors of a wealthy Empire, steeped in cunning and the Dark Arts. They rode upon great monstrous beasts and had immaculate body hygiene and scented hair.

The two armies faced each other on the plain just North of the Desert of No Tears

The earth shook and trembled as the Empire advanced, two mighty pachyderms striding on the right flank their howdahs packed with eager warriors equipped with bows and long spears. Stalking among them the Royal Assassin F’Khaar

On the left flank rode the Noble cavalry, led by old grizzled general Hakkim Bahad, resplendent in scarlet with armour of brazen plates, their standard, a black serpent on a field of red, waves above their heads and before them gallop the Variags of Khand, horse archers on fleet steeds. (still taken from drone footage)

In the centre march three brave units of formed spears ,in heavy armour with round spike-bossed shields, they march in perfect rhythm. Khamoon Bakir, Margrave of Khand and the sinister Zokhora, sorcerer, Beholden of Demon’s stalks along beside him. No one knows his age, he has always been. Through the long ages of the Empire there has always been a Zokhora.  Before them, skipping and leaping and calling their strange war cries run the Jakhala, each with a bunch of javelins following their Champion Jakakalaka.

As for the Northmen, they came on in a shapeless, raucous mob, knowing little of tactics and caring not for formations, their long delicately woven braids swaying the breeze, a cloud of Patchouli oil and body odour preceding them.

Phwoar stepped out from the ranks and raised his voice in a mighty challenge  “Let he who will… take up  arms agin me, that we may settle all dispute and get the quicker to the alehouse!”

None there were to match blades with a God!

All declined. Empire lose one Reputation.

The armies take up their positions.Both sides send out skirmishers 

The earth shakes beneath their feet, all tremble at their passing, the mighty Mumaks advance, their crews blowing their brass horns and beating their drums.

Before them stand the Hearthguard of the Norts, Phwoar steadies them with constant flow of boisterous songs about drinking and fighting and drinking and whoring and drinking and drinking.Hagar the disagreeable, Magnus Madmansson and Ragnar Svelteleg also great heroes when it comes to a song cheer their respective war bands too!

Something is amiss with the usually dependable heavy infantry, it’s almost as if they have forgotten they are Drilled and stop after failing a Command Test to advance a second ST!

Could this be Northman sorcery? The smell of all those unwashed semi naked beer-swillers? Or is it the residual brain fog of an ancient gamer?

The Gods give and the Gods they take away but mostly they take away. On this occasion they took away the initiative from the Empire and the Northmen used the opportunity to charge into the stationary cavalry who, having also come under the spell of forgetfulness that seems to have fallen on their comrades, did not use their Thunderous Charge to counter-charge. 

At the same time, the Nimble Variags failed their Evade test and also got caught by the Berserkers! A very painful experience.  

Meanwhile, on the other flank, the Mighty Mumaks have become bamboozled by skirmishers and are soon resembling pin cushions. 

Great was the fight that day! Mighty were the warriors! Hacking and slashing and stabbing and gashing! And across the field the sharp, unforgettable stench of battle. A strange mix of unwashed bodies and Old Spice

Back to the drone for a quick report and the field is looking rather empty, casualties being heavy on both sides, but the large hole where the Imperial, cavalry have ceased to be is rather noticeable as is the even bigger elephant sized hole on the other flank.

Which goes to show that the Gods may very well Give and Take but, on some occasions, they simply drop their celestial underwear and let fly

Surrounded by hairy savages and bleeding from a hundred wounds, the last elephant stampeded and was last seen heading over the hills.

  Which pretty well emptied the goblet of fate. The Empire army, like a dropped ice cream on a hot summer pavement, simply melted away

This was another Midgard playtest with regular opponent and part time Viking berserker Mark Taylor. We were testing the new shooting sequence and so kept the scenario to a simple meeting engagement with minimal terrain. Mark fielded a Viking Army and I used my version of the Haradrim, The Southron Empire. At 400 points I could only field about half this army and had to make some tough choices.

I had the most atrocious luck, particularly in the first few turns, so poor that at one point, a really bad roll produced no hits at all. My luck was so bad that Mark apologised when he rolled a handful of sixes!

Zokhora, my sorcerer could only roll ones. He needs both his Mighty Deeds to cast a spell and so is unable to Reroll any failures. Anything but a one is a successful cast! So, we are neither of us any wiser about how well magic works in this game.

The Monstrosities turned out to be wimps! I am not sure if this was down to the bad luck or whether the combination of Towering-Big target, bonus to shooters, Aloof, cannot use heroes Mighty Deeds to reroll Command Tests and a particularly weedy Stampede rule, which just makes the elephant runaway, resulted in such a poor performance. I shall have to test them out again.

The really good news was that the shooting amendment worked very well and fitted seamlessly into the rules set.

Midgard is a fast play Heroic Batlle game written by James Morris and due to be published by Reisswitz Press (Too Fat Lardies) at some future date after playtesting has finished.

I can highly recommend Midgard as an excellent game, great fun, a game where warbands are led by heroes, suitable for almost any pre-gunpowder era and Fantasy genre.