Here is Something You Don't See Every Day!

Two new armies! Not DBA or HotT, but full, honest to goodness, 25/28mm armies! Not mine but my good friend Frank's. A matched set of Romans and Gauls. Figures by Old Glory, painted by Frank.

Some Hordes of the Things Army Lists

Army Lists for HoTT based on Bernard Cornwell’s Warlord Chronicle Novels

The Forces of Merlin (Attempting to bring the Old Gods back to Britain)

Merlin –Magician @ 4 pts

Nimue - female druid (with an eye-patch) Magician @ 4 pts

Morgan - female priestess of Merlin, sister of Arthur, gold mask on half her face. Magician @ 4 pts

2 x Merlin's "Guard" - the Dwarf Druiden and assorted infirm, crazed and lame @1 pt

3x questing Spearman – Spear @ 2

2x bribed Black Shield Irish - Warband @ 2pts

Stronghold – Palisade hill tower

Alternatives – Nimue and Morgan on same base and add Durfel as a Hero

                        Galahad – Tragically loyal prince of Benoic – Hero or Paladin.

Given the way “magic” is portrayed in the novel, (no real magic, more knowledge, folklore, superstition and fear), an argument could be used to swap magic users for Clerics, to reflect their defensive and supportive natures.

The Forces of the Enemies of Merlin

Lancelot - beautifully attired warrior as a very heroic looking Sneaker @ 3 pts

Sansum - Christian priest – expert in treachery and subterfuge – lurker @ 1 pt

King Diwrnach – Irish Lord Across the Sea- Female virgin’s skin-covered shield, painted with her blood – a Hero!???? @ 4 pts

4 x Diwrnach’s Bloodshields – murderous Irish fugitives and outlaws – shields as above – warband @ 2 pts

Tananburs and other Opposing Druids and Magicians – Magician @ 4 pts

2 x levy – bow, javelin or sling armed peasants – Shooters @ 2 pts

Stronghold – A Christian Church

 Merlin

 Morgan

 Durfel and Nimue

Figures from by collection. Painted and based by Paul Potter.

Bernard Cornwell Lancelot

Here is another element from the HotT armies I commissioned Paul Potter to assemble and paint for me. It is Lancelot as depicted in Bernard Cornwell's Warlord Saga. Here he is based as as a Sneaker element, perhaps advancing on Camelot to seduce Guinevere. He is portrayed bravely moving through the flowers, an accompanying poet is present to write of his deeds.

If you haven't read Cornwell's novels, you will not be familiar Lancelot as  craven, vainglorious, philanderer. He is one of the most despicable characters I have read about in literature.

New Resident Evil Movie

Watched this film with my wife last night and boy was I disappointed. My wife hates these films but agreed to view it with me. Now I'm out the cost of the film and a choc top ice cream and owe her bigtime for sitting through this sorry excuse for a sequel of a great original film.

Paul Anderson wrote and directed the film. I think they should have saved some of the money from the predictable 3D special effects and brought in a writer! Direction was fine for the action scenes but the concepts were pedestrian and  appropriated. I felt like it was a either a really long ad for a video game or perhaps it is a walkthrough for those who will purchase it.

Two identical hulking "mutations"decorated with large spikes or nails and ridiculously enormous meat tenderisers were reminiscent of Silent Hill. At one point I fully expected Alice to yell out, "Get away from her you bitch". Perhaps it was a homage to another series Anderson has worked on. And I can accept fast zombies, but fast zombies firing AK47s!! ... While riding motorcycles!!!!!!! Please!

We should have seen Bait 3D instead.

Been A While

Sickness, work, study and family have struck me down, but making a comeback. Here are some photos from a recent ACW On To Richmond Game.

Why I love Hordes of the Things. Reason 5

The Elements

One feature of HotT is the elements. The large variety of different troops available, allow for the creation of many different troop types. From traditional DBA/Ancients troop types like Knights, Blades and Warband, to fantasy based such as Lurkers, (hiding troops or creatures that ambush in difficult terrain), Sneakers, (think hobbits trying to destroy a magic ring), and dragons. There are even characters such as Magicians, Clerics and Paladins.

Perhaps my only complaint is the generic nature of the characters. It would be nice if there were more chrome with different types of magic users. One immediate change would be to have a Necromancer who cannot cast the typical spell, but could resurrect Hordes within 2 inches of the figure instead of on the board base or stronghold.

Why I Love Hordes of the Things. Reason 4

Armies can be cheap.

This is the core of my Dumnonian army for my Arthurian Campaign. It is a Sub Roman British for the DBA, De Bellis Antiquitatis, rules. 34 15mm foot figures and 11 mounted. It was painted by Paul Potter, (Thanks Paul!), and contains 13 of the possible 14 options.

·      3 bases of 3 British Cavalry (1 is the General)

·      1 base of 2 Light Cavalry

·      8 bases of 4 spearmen

·      1 base of 2 skirmishers

It is missing a single base, (element), of 4 figures depicting a warband.  In DBA only 12 of the elements are chosen for the game. 

This is the first of my fantasy elements, again painted by Paul Potter. Front row, Warhounds, Morgaine and King Pelinore. Rear, Arthur and The Lady of the Lake.

More fantasy elements. 2 bases of wild Welsh mercenaries, Merlin, Christian monks and 3 Heroes.

 

Campaign Background

The Warlord Chronicles by Bernard Cornwell

I’m planning on using Hordes of the Things for an Arthur of Britain Campaign, based on The Warlord Chronicle series of novels by Bernard Cornwell.

The Warlord Chronicles is a trilogy of books about Arthurian Britain written by Bernard Cornwell. The story is written as a mixture of Arthurian mythology and historical fiction is comprised of

·      The Winter King

·      Enemy of God

·      Excalibur

The novel is set during the Dark Ages. In the novels Arthur is not a king, but a Warlord and protector of both the child king Mordred and his throne. Set during Post-Roman Britain it depicts the British besieged from the Anglo-Saxons in the East and raids from the Irish in the West. At the same time, they suffer civil war and internal power struggles between the British kingdoms. An addition complication is the friction between the old Druidic religion and the popularity of Christianity.

The narrator of the series is Derfel Cardan (Derfel the Mighty). Derfel is a Saxon brought up as a Briton by Merlin, depicted in the novels as the greatest of all Druids. In the course of the story, Derfel becomes a great warrior and one of Arthur's lieutenants in his war against the Saxons. Merlin is attempting to restore the old gods of Britain.

One character given a significant change from the traditional Arthurian mythos is Lancelot. Despite his betrayal of Arthur due to his adulterous affair with Gwennivere, he is usually portrayed as a virtuous but conflicted character, torn by his love of Gwennivere and tortured by his betrayal of Arthur. In contrast, Cornwell’s Lancelot is arrogant, cowardly and ultimately self-serving: that is, human. Songs of the bards he cultivates, create his legendary feats and martial prowess. A thoroughly despicable character, he is hated by Derfel and Galahad, (Lancelot’s brother in the series), and most everybody who reads the novel.

Why I Love Hordes of the Things. Reason 2

It's Free!!

Hordes of the Things is a set of fast play fantasy miniature wargame rules based on the concepts of the popular De Bellis Antiquitatis (usually known as DBA) rule set, designed by Phil Barker, Sue Laflin Barker and Richard Bodley Scott.

From the Author's Website

"Some time in 2009, these rules went out-of-print and the copyright reverted to the three authors. They are now unavailable from any supplier I have been able to find. I have consulted Phil and Richard and we are agreed that until it is possible to publish a new edition of HOTT, we will make it available at this website. Anyone who wishes to play HOTT, has our permission to download a single copy of HOTT version 2 for his/her personal use, but not to produce copies for sale. "

Why I Love Hordes of the Things. Reason 1

As an old High School English Teacher, how can I resist a set of rules that open with a poem!

 

Hordes of the things

Here be elven archers and riding beasts that fly,
here be dwarven axes and trolls that crunch on bone,
here glorious mortal heroes unafraid to die,
here the deadly sorcerer bespelling all alone.
All on the fated battlefield neath their master's eye.
one dice to rule them all,
one dice to line them,
one dice to move them all,
and in the melee try them.
On the wargames table, neath the player's eye.

An obvious parody of Tolkien, another love of mine.

Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

Photo of Phil Barker (sitting, wearing green shirt), showing one of the early versions of the Hordes rules at a long ago Conference of Wargamers.

(Photo cutesy of Bob Cordery)

Why salus in arduis?

Hi all and welcome to my blog.

salus in arduis?

This is a Ancient Roman maxim meaning “a stronghold in distress". This blog is to be an introduction to me and my interest in wargaming, particularly the Hordes of the Things Rules.

In Hordes of the Things, each army must have a stronghold. After deciding who is the defender, that player sets up his stronghold on the table. One of the ways you can win the game is by capturing your opponent's stronghold.

Cover of the Rulebook