Kingmaker Cyprus concludes...

Kingmaker Cyprus... the end game

In turn five:


Sir Gilbert  moved to Nicosia to challenge his nephew, the Crown prince or at least prevent him from being crowned before he can cut a deal.

Sir Gaston  and the new Sir Roland fought a "Bloodbath."  Gaston fled whilst Roland took control of Hilarion, his patrimony.  His mother is still married to Gaston... Awkward...


Sir Richard submitted to the Prince, swearing Fealty.  "Slippery Dick" has his ship the Mercenary Cog Salerio of Genoa ready at Larnaca to make his escape. 

Prince Guillaume now holds the cards to be crowned.  All that prevents him is the Royal Uncle, Gilbert outside the walls of Nicosia.  Sir Clugney has submitted to the Prince and joined him.  Sir Conrad was less obliging and lost his head...

It's the second time in the campaign that a battle occurs outside the walls of Nicosia.

Scenario E.  Hold on Tight
Both the Attacker and Defender have been tasked with securing a strategically important piece of  land...

The Prince and Clugney, Knights, Spears and crossbows, advance against the walls of Nicosia, and Gilbert's intervening forces.

The Prince sends his infantry forward.

Gilbert feints to the right with his knights.

Is that some sort of Magic user among Clugney's crossbowmen?  Accusations of witchcraft!  

Gilbert's attack against the prince falters.  A big game for me, I had to press all of my "Named" knights into service.

A confused melee.  It looked like a scene from the "Black Shield of Falworth."  Of course I would have better casting, Basil Rathbone would play Sir Gilbert in my movie!

Gilbert's Knights are seen off..

The Prince senses his moment and charges through the lines.  Its worked for him in the past...

Clugney is caught by the mounted Sergeants.  

The Prince breaks a spear unit..  Not Subtle this boy.  He would be played by Errol Flynn in my movie...

But Gilbert leads his dismounted Knights into the Prince.   Very much Basil Rathbone style tactics! 

Clugney is surrounded and killed

The Prince is the last figure of the mounted knights on the right.  He is also pulled down and killed.   Errol pushed his luck once too often.

Gilbert takes on the crossbowmen and breaks them too.  

Gilbert has a Bishop, and holds Nicosia.  He is crowned King during the next phase, and calls parliament.  Well done Basil Rathbone...

Roland attends and submits, since he is in a poor position.  Three of the other Knights are dead, waiting for their heirs to appear.  Slippery Dick (Sir Richard) takes ship for Acre, having betrayed just too many people in this game to survive King Gilbert's wrath.

I enjoyed Kingmaker Cyprus.  When I tackle it again I will keep Lion rampant instead of Cry Havoc (even though all of my figures are named for Cry Havoc)   I also intend to create a boardgame style map, with 15mm figures as counters... and scratch built ships.

I better start planning all of that now.  "The Return of Sir Richard" perhaps? 

Kingmaker Cyprus: Turn Five

Last time in Kingmaker Cyprus:

Sir Richard  employed Turkish Mercenaries.  Not a popular move in Cyprus

Sir Conrad   Was captured by the Crown Prince

Sir Gilbert  hired on more Crossbowmen

Sir Gaston   had his nephew made Bishop of Famagusta

Sir Clugney  Was also captured by the Crown Prince

Sir Roland   Took on a band of Crusading Knights

Prince Guillaume took "Constable of the Royal Castle of Nicosia,"
and two prisoners...

Chance Phase ‑
The top card of the Event deck is drawn and the instructions on it are followed.

Sir Richard  Mercenary Cog.  The Greatship Salerio of Genoa

Sir Conrad   Prisoner.  Cannot draw.

Sir Gilbert  Additional Crown Card  Sir Hugo

Sir Gaston   Skirmish, Bloodbath

Sir Clugney  Prisoner.  Cannot draw.

Sir Roland  Free move.

Prince Guillaume    Free Move

Movement Phase

Sir Gilbert   Moves from Caparso to Nicosia.  Gilbert drew the "Royal Uncle" card and I surmised that this was Gilbert himself. he brings his forces to challenge his nephew, or at least prevent him from entering Nicosia before he can cut a deal.

Sir Gaston  has married the Widowed Countess of Roland.  The new Sir Roland is a little unhappy at losing his patrimony, the castle of Hilarion.  A blood feud is declared.  Roland uses his free move to arrive outside Hilarion as Gaston is celebrating his nuptials.  Awkward...
Incensed Gaston charges out ready for battle...
Scenario A: Bloodbath
Bloodbath is a straightforward fight between opposing retinues.      

Gaston uses a line of bowmen to screen his deployment

Roland clumps his men, but those crossbowmen on the flank bear watching

Roland's Crossbowmen advance.

The first round of shooting from the crossbows is devastating.

Roland advances his spear groups

The clash... Roland and his new step father go head to head.  

Roland wins the combat throwing Gaston back

The end game.  Gaston runs for his life as young Roland wins the day.

Meanwhile at Nicosia the main battle of the campaign was about to take place...

Down in the Greenwood... Some Dragon Rampant

  I used Dragon Rampant for this game, broadly similar to Lion Rampant but I like the idea of unequal groups on different points values.  Strictly speaking of course this game is not really fantasy, but rather men in tights versus the nasty Sheriff of Much Ruttng...  A sort of Camp Rampant...

The Mincing Woods

Good Justice Shallow,

this be writ by the hand of Scratch, my infamous scribe.  I have tak`n the thousand pound you did loan me and raised up a right worthy company to support the Sheriff of Much Rutting. 

Some of the lads are old favourites of yours, Wart, whom you ordered flogged for stealing a fish from the nunnery millpond, Pym whom you ordered kicked up the arse for his part in taking the monies of various travellers without giving the Justice his rightful share, and Cam who had carnal knowledge of a swine to impress his friends.  In all fairness Justice you were as impressed as we were!

We are to march into the forest and clear the Mincing Woods east of Ball's Cross of its wolfs-heads and thieves.  My Company has struggled on the march.  The Ancient Pistol, mine Ensign, has become a man with shades of grey to his face.   The lads are not worthy warriors all, but rather the scum of Blackfriars.  Still I am armed by my Lollard faith and will give the Sheriff good service by cock and pie sir, or else run away as far as Much Rutting.

Writ by the hand of Thomas Scratch, Scribe for:

X   John Oldcastle, Knight

By cock and pie sir!

The Sherrif's Men

Squire FitzQuilp - the twisted Crookback, Sheriff Of Much Rutting.

Captain Oldcastle, Knight, Poins his bannerman, Peto, Fang and Scratch, well armed.

Wart's men    Big lads in rusty mail

Pym's men    Sundry louts with Crossbow

Pistol's men  Decrepit Spearmen

Cam's men    Peasants with sticks and wooden shovels

The Forest Outlaws

Hode the thief, bandit chief in tights.
The Mincing Men, Long John, Friar Suck, Scarlet Willy, Alan o' Dildo, Much the Milkman's son and Maid Marryme.
Bold Brian and his North Mincing bowmen
Sly Jeremy and his South Mincing bowmen

  

Scenario One: The Ancient Forest 

Both the Attacker and Defender must attempt to slay or rout their enemies to achieve victory.

Set-up

The Attacker deploys along the North edge and the Defender deploys along the South edge.

Special Rules

The Ancient Forest.  Areas of rough terrain.  4" visibility.

Ending the Scenario

Keep playing until a turn begins with 4 or fewer units remaining in the game. When this happens, roll a dice at start of each turn… if the score is higher than number of units left on table, this is the final turn.

Victory Conditions

Both Attacker and Defender add up the points value of enemy units destroyed/routed before the game ended; damaged units still in play are not counted. The player with the higher score wins 5 Glory (+/– Quests). Players tied for first place gain 3 Glory each (+/– Quests).

The Outlaws show themselves at dawn... well the flash was on the camera apparently...

Robert Hode, Outlaw in tights

The Mincing Men

Scarlet Willy and Friar Suck are shot by the crossbows...

Despite their casualties the Sheriff's men close in on Hode and Sly Jeremy, who pretty much didn`t stand a chance.

The victorious Sheriff Fitz-Quilp, of Much Rutting up the Wold.  Note the golden mask hiding his acne...

In Her Majesty's Name Chapter Three: A Night in the British Museum

Chapter 3

The Great Museum

The Golden Sarcophagus

5 Plot Points

·        The Curator

·        The Book of Fire

·        The Red Tong

·        Attack from the Shadows

Major Plot Point

·        The Occupant of the Golden Sarcophagus

The Museum walls seem to be decorated with "Raise Imhotep."

 Random Encounters

1.    Watchers of the Medjai 

2.    The Whitechapel Slasher

3.    The Consulting Detective

4.    The Night Watchmen

5.     Evie, the Librarian, (Encyclopedic Knowledge skill)

6.    The High Priest of the Cult of Anubis

   


    LANDSCAPE
 
    10.9 THE GREAT MUSEUM
 
    This was the age when the imperial nations plundered the cultural wealth of poorer and savage nations to display to an admiring public. It is a classic place to have objectives (9.1.1).
Benefits:Plenty of cover.
Hazards:May quickly attract the attention of the Authorities (9.2.5).
Suggested Terrain:A series of large chambers with lots of display cabinets and exhibits.

9.2.5 THE AUTHORITIES By the end of turn 6, the noise of the battle has attracted unwanted attention from the local Authorities. A Chief Inspector, a Sergeant and six Constables from Scotland Yard (or the local equivalent) will arrive in the centre of a random table edge equipped as shown in 8.3.6. they will move towards the closest figure and begin making arrests. If there are multiple figures, they will break up into two sections – one led by the Chief Inspector and the other by the Sergeant. They will continue until the game ends or they are all taken out of the game. The Chief Inspector will have the Fearless Talent and the Sergeant the Tough Talent. Any figure that they take down will be considered to be unconscious, not dead, and handcuffed to the terrain. 

Her Royal Britannic Majesty`s Geographical Society

Lord Randolph Farthingdale, Pistoleer, Patron

Dr Howard Parker, Encyclopedic Knowledge, Archaeology

Lady D`Arcy, Samurai Training

Mr Jeebers the Valet, Marksman

Chou en Ginsberg and the Red Tongs

Professor Chou en Ginsberg B.A (Failed) the Tang Terror

Fah Lo Suee the Professor's man like daughter

Jack E. Chan, martial Artist agent of the professor.

10 x Red Tongs, martial artists with oriental weapons

3 x Tigermen of the Si-Fan Assassins

 

Der Brauner Schatten und sein Gepanzert Truppe

The Brown Shadow, True Identity Unknown.

Dr Brunel, mad inventor with spring loaded top hat

Hauptmann Jurgen Krupp of the Armoured Truppe... Sprinter, Marksman

9 Armoured troopers with shock lances

And the "authorities:

The Peelers of Old Scotland Yard

Ch. Insp Abeline, Fearess, Mystic

Sergeant Biggins, Brawler, Tough

The Bobbies, Brawlers

The Egyptian Section, British museum.  Some of those exhibits have a "Womble" look about them..

The Red Tong charge inside, towards a great statue of the Womble Horus...

The Explorers Club reach a plot point, and meet the Curator, who joins them

 

The Brown Shadow and his boys show up, only to be ambushed by Red Tong Tigermen

A gigantic (20mm) figure wrapped in bandages attacks the Tong

The Explorers discover the Ancient Scarab of Am Sher

The Tong attack the Brown Shadow, whilst Lord Farthingdale's Butler takes a pot shot at the Mandarin Chu En Ginsberg, wounding him

The explorers meet the Lady Libriarian, who is a little more frumpy than as depicted in the movie, she reveals the secret of the Golden Sarchophagus

The Explorers retreat with the Scarab.

Dr Brunel deploys one of his clockwork explosions to cover the Shadow's retreat, as the Peelers arrive and charge after the Tong

Doctor Brunel's infernal clockwork device explodes, but doesn't really do much damage.  The Explorers win the game, and must now travel to Cairo to solve the Mystery of the Golden Sarcophagus...