Going underground.. Greeks, skeletons and giant wurms!

This Sunday saw the 'chums' gather at the Sherwood soldier shack for another game of Midgard, the upcoming heroic battle rules that James has been writing and we've been playtesting this last year or so. See James blog for far more detail on the battle and the rules.

James and I lead the undead forces of Hades against Paul and Tom, who commanded Basil and his Greek forces.. their mission was to escort the captured Cerberus out of the underworld. It was a nip and tuck affair, the undead almost losing the day, but being sneakk sneaksters, managed to recapture the pooch just in time. 

It was a thoroughly enjoyable day, and great to get my old hoplites and newly painted skeletons out on the table for a bash in the underworld. I was a bit brain fogged so handy to have the rules author on your team!

Next blog post I think I'll post some better pictures of the skeleton army (which I thought I'd 'finished' but now want to expand further!)

Tom and James setting up

skeleton archers (Oathmark minis) with some Celtic undead

all very noir

One of the skeleton champions (Reaper Bones mini)

Orpheus with Cerberus on a leash!

Hades arrives and looks decidedly unimpressed

Fiery horsey skeleton champion

The Greeks

Parthenios dropping in to slay Hades. Cheeky blighter.

Deianeira, casting mist about the place

Undead champions 'inspiring' the legions of bones

the forces clash and many bones are crunched

Parthenios eventually finds his end, swallowed by the Wurms

On the Greek right, the undead make some headway

And finally recapture Cerberus, who turns on the Greeks

Of Gods and Mortals - Olympic Games!

I am so undecided on whether to continue with the blog or not, hence the delay and a rash of posts about to appear at once! (I figured it's a journal for my own interest if nothing else).

Just as 2022 was born, a small group of us (James, Sam, Tom and myself) got together at Tom's games shed for a day of  'OGAM' - the plan was to play each other once, with two simultaneous games on the go, side by side on Tom's 8ft table. . We each brought some scenics and a Greek myth themed army, with Hecate, Apollo, Athena and Hades leading their varied warbands to the field.

I really can't remember much of who won, I'm afraid.. or how the games played out.. suffice to say it was good fun all round.. OGAM is an entertaining system which allows for some customisation and the mechanic has a nice 'risk it if you dare' appeal..

Lots more detail on Tom's blog of course.. (who played Hades, and for some reason I have no pictures of him at all ?!)

Cyclops smash Shades!

Athena dealing with some mortals

A Harpy surveys the battlefield

The minotaur not feeling quite so big now..

Hecate caught in a fierce brawl

Hades couldn't even be bothered to stand up to fight Hecate

Apollo, cyclops, harpies, shades, mortal hoplites.. all pretty Greek!

He's so shiny! Apollo leads his mortals

Hecate and her followers pose for team photo

Me (taking a nap) , James and Sam and the lovely table

Tom enjoying Sam's move!

A Greek Tale

Today I took myself out of self-imposed isolation and joined the chums for a cracking game round at Tom's.

James had devised a scenario, one of a series that will depict the saga of Basil and the Argianauts. No doubt, more of this will appear at James' own blog soon. We were using his Midgard rules. It's a been a little while since I played and most of the rules I remembered had changed! (they are in play test).

I won't provide a blow-by-blow. Scrivs and I took charge of the good king Minossos and his allies, a tad peeved by a raiding bunch of Greeks who had stolen our stuff and were now trying to scarper. They were led by James and his son, whilst Tom gamely looked on, taking pictures and offering tactical advice*. We held two passes through some otherwise impassable terrain. Our small force looked terrifying as the mighty bronze Talos looked over the field and clouds of screeching harpies flew toward the approaching Greeks.

It was nip and tuck stuff. The mighty bronze Talos fell at the first combat, brought down by no less than Hercules himself, but the Greeks suffered losses too as they pressed into the Cyclops and Cretans. Eventually the last Cretan hero fell and the greeks made off back to their ships, and on to the next theft/adventure!

Good fun and a great looking game.. the figures belonged mostly to James and me, with a few supporting characters from Tom's collection. (It was great to get my hoplites out on the table again, a right old mix of Foundry, Lancashire games, Victrix and a few unknown)

*Mostly, but not always, 'Charge them in the face'

Talos looking imposing as the Greeks approach the northern pass

Hercules, Herakles..

Hot Harpy action

Cyclops hurl rocks

Hercules about to get deleted by Minossos for rudely killing Talos

Harpies descend

The cyclops start to lose ground..

Basil surprises the Harpies from the rear

Greeks pressing in on both passes 

Nekkid spartiates

The final attempts to hold back the Greeks