"The Other" Partizan Wargame Show October 2022 - Mortimers Cross

A couple of weeks ago saw the second Partizan show of the year, and as always, it was a cracking show. I may be biased as it's my 'local'.. but honestly I think I'm just very lucky that my local show happens to be one of the best?

The 'Morris and Chums' game this time was 'Mortimers Cross' .. a fun Wars of the Roses bash using James' upcoming Midgard rules. Chris (Winston Ab Rees) and James did the planning, and the armies were made up of our pooled collections again. I painted up some extra horse especially for the day too, these formed Owen Tudor's mounted wing.

I even got to use a couple of really old scratchbuilt buildings, which received a little tart-up before taking to the table.

Full accounts from Tom and James here:

http://tomstoysoldiers.blogspot.com/2022/10/mortimers-cross-at-partizan-pt1.html

https://mogsymakes.net/2022/10/10/the-battle-of-mortimers-cross-at-the-other-partizan-2022/

So, I'll just share my brief slideshow video (which annoyingly has the battle titled as 1460 ?!)

Dragons and Lions Rampant

On Sunday, Tom and I decided to have a game of Dragon Rampant. We haven't played for a while, but knew that it would be easy on the brainicles! Tom joked that I had posted a 'tutorial' video on Dragon Rampant, so should know the rules..I hadn't thought of it like that, but watching it again, I see what he meant! 

In our pre-game texts, we agreed to take 30 points and to go 'old school'. Tom has GW history and still plays WFB regularly.. I've never really done more than dip my toe, but recently was gifted a rather lovely collection of vintage Wood Elves, which I've been in the process of 'refurbishing'. So, Wood Elves vs Night Goblins it was! *The experts will no doubt spot that the mounted Elves are not GW, but still of a respectable vintage :-)

Tom has written up a nice Goblin-centric account of the game on his blog, so just some pics ..

Love these Troll figures!

Then, on Monday evening, enthused by our Dragon Rampant game, and my recent purchase of the new edition of Lion Rampant, I set out a little solo game on my dining table using some Wars of the Roses figures - I used the standard armies from the book*, and played the second scenario 'Gladiators' - where a pre-battle duel gave each side some extra dice. I played Bourchier, who was 'Rash' with Wild Charge, against Stanley, 'Blessed', which allowed him to reroll a set of dice (he picked the wrong ones as it happens!). This was by no means a historical match up, just what I had available.

It was a very quick game and ended by the untimely demise of Thomas Stanley, one of the commanders, but gave me a taste for more Rampant games!

(*One Elite Foot, One Veteran Heavy Infantry and Two Veteran Archers)

Men at Arms clash, bringing down young Stanley

The Battle of Boggy Bottom - Wars of the Roses action

Although I've done some steady painting, I haven't rolled a dice in earnest since Hammerhead, so it was great to head  over the Sherwood soldier shack to play some more Midgard , this time getting the Wars of the Roses armies out on the table. Despite having painted up a fair sized force of these, this was the first time I actually got to use them.

Tom, James and myself were joined by Chris* (aka Winston ab Rees). Chris and I took command of the Yorkists.. (to my slight relief.. for some reason that's my 'team' - much as Parliament in the ECW).. We had three wards led by Edward IV himself, Hastings on his right, and young Gloucester over on his left. Facing us, a slightly smaller Lancastrian force blocked the road to London, arrayed behind a  shallow stream which would slow our advance. Warwick the turncoat was assisted by the able Montague. *Chris has quite an extensive Wars of the Roses collection, as can be seen in his videos, but on this occasion was playing with our toys, and trying out the rules for the first time.

Newly painted Lancastrian 'gonnes'.. soon to be 'gonners'

Warwick's men

Hastings flank advances

The Yorkists are slowed by the stream

We started off at pace, Gloucester heading for Warwick's right, where we had a potential overlap and chance to get on the Lancastrian flank. However, as our forces reached the stream, Oxford arrived to fill that gap.

Things soon got into a scrum, with both sides pushing and the line ebbing and flowing with small local successes often slowed. Gloucester barely survived one particularly firm charge, though he was wounded, his ward fought well, archers and billmen holding back Oxford's counter-attacks, whilst in the centre Edward burst through the Lancastrian lines. Warwick, seeing the king cutting a determined path through towards him, decided that the day was over, and took to his horse, quitting the field and making haste to London.

Charge!

Casualties start to mount but the guns are overrun

Gloucester's command holding on as Oxford counterattacks

A fun game, and although the pictures suggest  a mighty scrum, which it kind of was, there was enough variety in the characteristics and skills of the main leaders to make this an interesting nip and tuck affair. Midgard (in playtest) is a game of 'heroic battles' where those characters matter and can really drive the narrative.