A Wargamer in Cyprus: July 2023

My notes on What a Flasher

The figures I'm planning and the rules mechanisms I'm trialing. I'm basing this on the work the lardies and particularly Sid have been doing but I want my own feel to it.

The Plan

Using "Blue Moon 28mm"
Plastics as filler ✔
Blue Moon Swashbucklers

Rogues 12 figs ✔
Mtd and foot highwaymen 5+5
Mtd and foot 3 Musketeers 5+5 ✔
Mounted and foot cardinals guard 5+5
The moving carriage and seated passengers
The duelists actually just more civilians 13 figs
Wagon a basic freight wagon
Terrain

Costed at £150.

The cards.

Activation on a characters card appearing.

Damage and progress is marked on the card as the game progresses.

Name
Quote
Status (level)
Action dice
Menace tokens
Panache tokens
Skills (from fencing school)
Character
Possessions

Points
Legend, Status IV, 6 points

Blade, Status III, 4 points
Bravo, Status II, 3 points
Slasher, Status I, 2 point
Lackeys, Status Group- 1 point

Activation
5 dice
1. Move
2. Spot an opening
3. Aim the blade
4. Slash
5. Thrust
6. Flashing Blade

1. Move
An Action Dice roll of 1 is a Move Dice. This allows a Character to move. Some movement is simple, such as moving on level, open ground. Some movement is more challenging, such as crossing obstacles, recovering from a Pin or leaping across a gap between buildings.
2d6 inches for the first dice, 1d6 each additional, obstacles cost one dice, terrain halves distance moved.

2. Spot an opening, step back.
An Action Dice roll of 2 is a Spot Dice. These allow a Character to spot a target or observe the weakness in an opponent's fighting style and make hitting a target easier. Spotting Characters in Cover requires more Spot Dice than spotting someone in the open.

Also may be used to step back and assess a combat.

3. Aim the blade/weapon
An Action Dice roll of 3 is an Aim Dice. Once a Character has spotted a target, they may shoot at it with any Shoot Dice available. However, a Character can improve their shot by aiming before they shoot. Aim also adds to fighting technique and an Aim Dice make hitting a target is easier.

4. Slash
An Action Dice roll of 4 may be used to perform a slash with a weapon or as either a Shoot Dice or a single Reload stage. A Shoot Dice allows the Character to fire their weapon. A Reload Dice of 4 also allows a Character to perform a single Reload stage (of three.)

5. Thrust
An Action Dice roll of 5 may be used as either a Thrust with the point, or a Reload Dice. A 5 allows the Character to fire their weapon. A 5 Reload Dice allows a Character to partially load a weapon two stages.

6. Flashing Blade
Dice roll of 6 is an Aces High Dice. An Aces High Dice can be turned into any dice you need or be used to restore Action Dice lost temporarily from the Shock Pool.

Reload stages = 3
I Pour the Powder
II Ball and ram
III Prime and cock

Damage roll
1 Riposte
2-3 Parry
4 Scrape, shock
5 A touch, damage
6 A hit, damage and shock

A Riposte allows the defender an attack.

Fights! An alternative system!!

Both players roll initiative. Add character's status level. Draw rolls again.
(Both Roll status dice ?)
Multi combats extra figures roll 1 more dice.

1. Fumble
2. Step back
3. Parry
4. Slash
5. Thrust
6. Fencing school

Set the dice against each other high to low.
Same dice cancel each other out.
Any roll of 1 cannot cancel out a 4, 5 or 6, and a hit is rolled

D6
1-2 a wild miss
3-4 a touch
5-6 a mighty blow

The terrain and scenarios

The Inn at Meung,

Behind the Luxembourg

The bridge (lined with rickety 3 storied houses)

The town square (same rickety houses)

The Battlefield. A vauban style ravelin.

The chase, country lanes.

The Docks, ship Decks in 2d/3d style.

The sewers beneath the Bastille

From the FGU game flashing blades

The 1980s Rpg flashing blades has some interesting Character Generation and mini campaign ideas I can use.

Mini Campaign Structure

A mini campaign is made up of three scenarios or game sessions.

One player is termed the ‘attacker’. This player constructs a team that he must preserve and play with throughout the three games.

The second player is the ‘defender’. He too generates one or more teams, but he does not have to play with the same team in every game. In fact it is likely that he will have a different team to play with each time.

Each player’s teams should be around 500 points in value, using the basic model value, and special rules values. If you feel that this gives one side or the other too much of an advantage, specifically since the attacker must carry forward losses to each game, feel free to adjust the ratios.

The attacker has a specific goal for the campaign that he must work through the three games to achieve. Check the Victory Conditions section, below, to see how to judge success. For your next campaign, swap attacking and defending roles. In this way you can build a leader board with your friends or club mates.

Designing Each Game Scenario The defender can use the following table (or design one yourself) to find the characteristics of each scenario.

Roll one dice to find if each entry is in the 1 to 3, or 4 to 6 band. Then roll a second dice to find the specific entry. Roll individually for each column. Feel free to discard a roll if it comes up with a repeat from a last scenario if you choose.

For each scenario you will end up with a Where? a What? a Why? and a Who?

Now you must look at these three sets of information and work out a story that connects them together.

Roll 2d6 for each

Where?

Crossroads or Clearing

Dungeon

Palace or Manor

Courtyard

A Bridge

Smuggler's cove

The Last Bastion

Village

Aboard ship

Ruins

Enemy camp

Tavern

The Mission

Rescue

Intercept

Deliver

Observe

Kill

Arrest

Avoid arrest

Capture

Destroy

Meet

Guide

Disrupt

Motivation

Revenge

Ordered

Curiosity

Love

Honour

Justice

Duty

Necessity

Glory

Fear

Ambushed/Surprised

Greed

Opposition

Professional Swordsmen

Guardsmen

Enemies of the country

Highways

Hired killers

Regular military

Militia

Thugs

Fanatics

Gypsies

Civilians

Aristocrats

BERTRAND DES AMIS Maitre en fait d’Armes des Academies du Roi

Italian, "Pronti" jump forwards and lunge, Bolognese school.

English, "fendente" A mighty blow using the edge, head to the knee. Dardi school

French, "balestre". The crossbow, a jump to change the rhythm.

German school, "The cross ". A powerful, diagonally descending blow.

I spent the weekend repainting a dozen or so Warlord Games plastic 17th century figures. They looked pretty good for a random purchase a couple of years back. This time they were to be the tester for a few games of Flashing blades, and a try at using What a Cowboy rules for some 17th Century swashbuckling.

I am a huge fan of the (frankly dreadful) kids Saturday morning TV series "The Flashing Blade." I know it all makes no sense, i know the acting is dreadful and I well remember that the BBC failed to show the last twenty minutes when it aired. Its still magnificent!

My hero is then the Chevalier de Recci, who can best be described as "impetuous." He revels in the title "the Flashing Blade," although his enemies are less kind. The period is the War of the Mantuan Succession. Recci fights for Savoy, and the French, against the dastardly Spaniards.

The games