Midgard : Scenario 6 : Aftermath

This post is a brief summary of what happened in the last game of the campaign and how I felt the campaign panned out overall. I will also discuss a little about Midgard going forward for my various world settings (Britannia, Doggerland, Lord of the Rings etc.).

Midgard : Heroic Battles

The Final Reckoning scenario saw relatively few casualties on the British side compared to the Romans, but those that were casualties made for an interesting ending to the narrative overall.

On the Roman side, Caecilius Rufinus Pulcher was killed but the other two Roman heroes survived. The rest of the Roman army was reduced to just one unit of auxiliary spearmen, one scorpio battery and the onager - these would most likely not have survived another round of combat if the game had continued on.

The Britons lost relatively few units again, but the death of their army leader, Vellocatus, tipped the balance down to a Narrow Victory, thus securing the Britons fewer campaign victory points.

The Britons' losses (155pts):

• Vellocatus (47pts)
• 2x mounted warriors (32pts)
• 1x hounds (22pts)
• 2x Skyclad (32pts)
• 1x warriors 3 (22pts)

The Roman losses (189pts):

• Caecilius Rufinus Pulcher (43pts)
• 2x legionaries (68pts)
• 2x archers (58pts)
• 1x scorpio battery (20pts)

This final scenario made for a good ending to the campaign; the Romans won the campaign overall, but only narrowly. The objective was to get some troops home safe, and that was accomplished - but very nearly was not on a few occasions.

The scenarios, and numbers of troops available to fight in them, needed relatively little fudging to make them work together. I am going to mark this campaign as a successful one from that point of view. I will also mark it as a successful introduction for both myself and my son to the game of Midgard. My compliments to James Morris for writing a great game.

So, the campaign scenario order went thus...

1. Battle (book scenario 1) - played in May 2025
2. Encounter in the Mist (book scenario 4) - played in May 2025
3. None Shall Pass (book scenario 2) - played August 2025
4. Take the High Ground (book scenario 3) - played November 2025
5. Last Stand (book scenario 5) - played December 2025
6. The Final Reckoning (my own scenario) - played December 2025

Campaign take aways...

• A unit of Roman Legionaries is a very tough nut to crack, especially with the Spears as Tribute trait and a decent hero to lead them
• Being on a hill and having other units around to make those vital saving rolls when outnumbered is a massive boost for defending units
• The British units were numerous but quite brittle - Reputation got eaten up more quickly than I thought it would and games were soon over due to quick losses rather than tactics. Using a brittle force will require a bit more thought in future - at the end of at least two of the games the Britons were about to make the killing stroke but their Reputation ran out just prior to the plan coming to fruition

The future for Midgard in my gaming calendar

I will most definitely be using the game system in other settings as well as a few more Roman versus Britons/Celts games. I understand that a new, official, scenario book will be released for the game soon, so maybe those new scenarios can be used to tell the ongoing stories of Marius Pollux and Gaia Pomponia Thrax (a rename of this hero is on the cards after a very interesting discussion on the Lead Adventure Forum with member dadlamassu - here )?

As mentioned above, I am slowly de-icing my old setting of Doggerland - I have played numerous games and campaigns (play-by-email strategy games, AD&D etc.) in this setting over the years, and will be starting a fresh Five Leagues from the Borderlands campaign later this month. This will then, hopefully, lead on to a mini-campaign using the Midgard rules to move the world narrative on a little further for maybe another D&D campaign in the future?

I also have nigh on a thousand of Games Workshop's Lord of the Rings miniatures that are itching for more than Strategy Battle Game usage. I don't really have any completed armies, so that will be a task for me this year - to paint some miniatures for use in further games of Midgard.

In addition to the Lord of the Rings miniatures, I have several small forces of fantasy figures that need a bit of time on the table. These are part of another world I have in mind separate from Doggerland, Roman Britain and Middle Earth. More food for thought for those future battles and campaign world building.

Midgard : Scenario 6 : The Final Reckoning

It took a while but it is finally here - the last battle of the Midgard : Britannia campaign. This was played on New Year's Eve, and is the first game that I have played against an opponent; admittedly I had to teach my son how to play as we went along and he didn't get to choose his own forces, but it was nice that someone else took the decisions for the opposing side. We diced for who we would play - I got the Britons whilst my son got the Romans.

I have played all of the scenarios from the rule book, so this one needed to be a little different. It would still be an all or nothing battle, but with a couple of additional objectives laid on for the Britons to rescue something from their previous results (in order to allow them to still win the campaign from this game). There are a number of objectives that can add up to an additional 7 points so they don't have to have a Crushing Victory as well as meet all of the objectives to win the campaign overall.

So, each side still has the ability to win between 1 and 3 points depending upon the size of their victory in this scenario, but the Britons will also be able to earn extra points depending on what they can achieve...

• 3 points - if Vellocatus defeats Caecilius Rufinus Pulcher (either in single combat or if his unit destroys Caecilius's unit with him in it) and thus gets revenge for his father
• 1 point for each Roman leader/hero killed by the Britons (doesn't matter who does the killing)
• 1 point for finishing the battle prior to the end of Turn 8

This scenario depicts the survivors from Scenario 5 trying desperately to get to the safety of the last Roman fortification. This scenario has the stragglers situated half-way down the length of the table with the Britons chasing them from 4.5 ST behind and their reinforcements 4.5 ST ahead of them.

The Briton army (97/239=366pts):

• Vellocatus 3 (47pts)
• Maviloduus 2 (32pts)
• Aucissa 1 (18pts)
• 2x Warriors 3 (@22 = 44pts)
• 4x Warriors 2 (@17 = 68pts)
• 1x Slingers (10pts)
• 1x Archers (15pts)
• 2x Skyclad (@16 = 32pts)
• 2x Mounted Warriors (@16 = 32pts)
• 1x Hounds (22pts)
• 1x Female Warriors (16pts)

The Britons

Right wing: Maviloduus, 4x Warriors 2, Hounds, Female Warriors

Centre: Vellocatus, 2x Skyclad, 2x Warriors 3

Left wing: Aucissa, 2x Mounted Warriors, Archers, Slingers

The Roman army (85/220=305pts):

• Caecilius Rufinus Pulcher 3 (43pts)
• Gaia Pomponia Thrax 2 (21pts)
• Marius Pollux 2 (21pts) 
• 2x Legionaries (68pts) - one full strength the other = 2 Stamina
• 2x Auxiliary Archers (58pts) - one full strength the other = 2 Stamina
• 1x Auxiliary Spearmen (24pts) 
• 2x Scorpions (@20 = 40pts)
• 1x Onager (30pts)

The survivors from Scenario 5 being chased by the Britons

The Roman reinforcements

The reinforcements

Roman Stragglers: Marius Pollux, Gaia Pomponia, Legionaries (2 Stamina), Auxiliary Archers (2 Stamina)

Reinforcements: Caecilius Rufinus Pulcher, Legionaries, Auxiliary Archers, Auxiliary Spearmen, 2x Scorpio, Onager

The idea for this scenario was that the survivors from Scenario 5 are trying make it to the safety of their own lines before they are run down. I decided to up each unit's Stamina to 2 as I thought 1 Stamina would be just too low for them - this represents the addition of the last of the wounded and other stragglers from the cohort joining them on the final leg of the journey to the watchtower. Caecilius, being mounted, got to the watchtower ahead of the stragglers, called out the last of the cohort and waited in readiness to support their comrades when they arrived.

Once the Romans had retreated from the hilltop, Vellocatus, son of Bellicus, returned to the battlefield and searched for the body of his father. He found him atop a heap of Roman bodies; their shades would accompany him to the otherworld. Casting around he found the legendary sword that was always at Bellicus's side. Raising it to the heavens, he swore that he would avenge his father and drive the hated Romans from their lands.

In the meantime, Caecilius Rufinus Pulcher had hastened his last few remaining men to help any walking wounded to their feet and ordered them to march as quickly as possible to the final watchtower where help would be waiting for them. He placed his two most trusted centurions, Marius Pollux and Gaia Pomponia, in charge of the retreat whilst he jumped astride his horse and rode pell-mell to the watchtower.

As soon as he arrived, his sweating horse was quickly replaced and the three remaining units of Roman soldiers were called out to await the arrival of the last of the cohort. Once in position, the field artillery for the cohort was drawn up; an onager and two scorpio batteries.

Turn 1 (Reputation B10, R8):

It wasn't a long wait before the last two Roman units came into view. Unfortunately, they were being hotly pursued by the raging Britons. The mounted warriors closed very rapidly but were deterred from coming too close by the arrows of the Syrian archers. The fresh Roman contingent held onto their patience whilst they waited for their brothers-at-arms to join them.

Unfortunately I forgot to take a photo at the start of the game and at the end of the first turn. Suffice to say most units advanced rapidly (2 moves each with the aid of some Command Tests being bolstered) but a few of the more reluctant ones got left behind.

Turn 2 (Rep B10, R8):

The Britons carried on advancing as rapidly as they could. The cavalry caught up with the Syrian archers again and exacted revenge upon the shock retreat they had suffered earlier, wiping out the unit. Gaia Pomponia managed to extricate herself from the melee and continued her retreat towards the Roman lines.

Seeing what had happened to the archers, the Legionaries did an about face to prevent the same from happening to them just as the artillery let loose.

End of Turn 2

Roman losses = 1 unit Archers

Turn 3 (Rep B10, R4):

It was lucky that they did as the cavalry unit impacted the half-strength century at full pace. The legionaries withstood the impact, suffering a number of casualties, but the cavalry were defeated. British war dogs bayed for Roman blood as they launched themselves at the Roman spearmen taking a few warriors down.

Meanwhile, the Roman garrison advanced to help out the beleaguered legionaries in the centre of the field, which gave time for Gaia to join the Gallic archer unit. But the legionaries under Marius's command would have none of their glory taken away so took the fight to the skyclad unit directly in front of them. The Roman artillery were again able to show their accuracy by hitting the unit of hounds which caused them to retreat (I made a mistake here, one of this unit's Traits means they do not retreat from combat).

End of Turn 3

British losses = 1 unit cavalry

Turn 4 (Rep B8, R5):

The legionaries' minor victory was short-lived as the skyclad Britons pushed their attack and defeated them; Marius barely escaped with his life. The rest of the British lines advanced but the hounds did not fare so well against the Roman spears and were finally culled. The Roman artillery failed to find its mark against the rapidly approaching wave of hate and iron.

End of Turn 4

British losses = 1 unit hounds
Roman losses = 1 unit legionaries

Turn 5 (Rep B6, R1):

The British cavalry noticed that the Gallic archers had become detached from the Roman defensive lines and appeared to be isolated, so charged home. This was to be their undoing as they were destroyed as a functioning unit.

On the Roman left, the defeat of the hounds opened the way for the British warriors to make their charge against the Roman auxiliary spears, but they were repulsed. Recognising that they had to defeat a unit at a time, the Roman artillery consolidated their ire upon the skyclad but to very little effect.

End of Turn 5

British losses = 1 unit cavalry

Turn 6 (Rep B6 R1):

To avoid the wrath of the Roman war machines, the skyclad turned their fury upon the isolated Roman archers to their left. They attacked them with half of their number, but the other half were still available as targets and were destroyed by the combined power of the artillery.

Now that the skyclad were out of the way, Caecilius Rufinus spotted his chance to take out the newly appointed British leader. The fresh unit of legionaries plunged into the melee in the centre of the field, put many of the British elite to the gladius and injured Vellocatus in the process. Unfortunately Caecilius also took a wound in the process.

The Roman auxiliary spears, buoyed up by their repulsion of the British warriors renewed their attacks on that unit, but Maviloduus called upon a Favour of the Gods and was able to defeat that unit.

End of Turn 6

Roman losses = 1 unit Archers

British losses = 1 unit skyclad

Turn 7 (Rep B5 R1):

Now that the spearmen were out of their way, the warriors on the British right flank saw the opportunity to destroy the dreaded Roman artillery. One of the scorpio batteries was completely destroyed in this onslaught and then the warriors eyed the onager as their next target. But, before the warriors could get there, the onager sent forth one final volley of missiles to destroy the skyclad warriors attacking the Gallic archers.

The British archers engaged the weakened Roman archers hoping for more success than their naked brethren, but under Gaia Pomponia's command they proved to be a tough nut to crack. The Roman archers pushed the British skirmishers back.

Marius Pollux saw that the artillery was about to be rolled up by the huge numbers of British warriors on his left flank, so he moved some of the scorpio machines away from the main back line in order to support Gaia Pomponia before they were overrun.

Vellocatus was now aware that the man who killed his father was before him, and in a rage charged forward with his much reduced band of followers. All were cut down to a man, but not before he reiterated the dying words and actions of his father "Though I die, I smite thee". In his glee at defeating another major British leader, Caecilius Rufinus spurred his men on to attack the next band of elite British warriors in their path. Alas, for the Roman leader, these proved to be a fresh unit with vengeance on their mind. Caecilius and the last of the legionaries were cut down.

The loss of both leaders caused each side to halt hostilities and retreat from the fray. The Roman cohort had done it. They had just about survived the gruelling journey and killed off the main British antagonists from this area's tribe.

End of Turn 7

Roman losses = 1 scorpio unit, 1 unit legionaries, Caecilius Rufinus Pulcher

British losses = 1 unit skyclad, 1 unit warriors 3, Vellocatus

Final Tally (Rep B-2 R-6):

This seems to be a fitting ending to the game and campaign. Again, the Roman units proved extremely hardy and numbers were never really able to be brought to bear against them in a truly effective manner. The main British leaders have proven very tough in the previous games but my saving rolls have been poor for them in the last two games, and the Legendary Weapon has failed to cause any wounds. I was a little surprised that the Roman general was taken out, as this turned the Narrow Victory (1 point) over to the Britons.

The Britons also managed to secure a couple of their objectives:

• Kill Roman leaders - Caecilius Rufinus was killed but not quite by Vellocatus or his unit - so only 1 point was earned here instead of 3
• The game did not reach turn 8, so this objective was achieved - 1 point

So, the final tally for this scenario was 3 points for the Britons and 0 points for the Romans giving...

Campaign Score: Romans 8 Britons 6

This final game was a close run thing in the final turn as Reputation leaked rapidly away from both sides. I will post an aftermath of this game in the next day or so and sum up what will happen to the Roman cohort's survivors and my interaction with the Midgard rules in the coming months.

Midgard : Scenario 5 : Aftermath

The Last Stand scenario saw relatively few casualties, but a surprising ending to what should have been an easy victory for the Britons.

On the Roman side, Caecilius took a wound but the other two Roman heroes were unscathed. The last two Roman units were reduced to just 1 Stamina point each! The Britons lost relatively few units this time around but lost their army leader - Bellicus.

The Britons' losses (109pts):

• Bellicus 3 (47pts)
• 1x Warriors 3 (22pts)
• 2x Archers (30pts)
• 1x Slingers (10pts)

The Roman losses (64pts):

• 1x legionaries (24pts)
• 2x cavalry (40pts)

The final (sixth) scenario in the campaign, will be something that I will make up for a fun ending to the campaign - most likely an all or nothing scenario, but I need to think of a side-quest for each army so that extra points can be gained to allow the Britons to still be able to win the campaign (they cannot do so at the moment).

Onager picture courtesy of Alchetron (free for use)

The Romans will gain two units of Auxiliaries from the camp to the west, the final unit of Legionaries (in the watchtower) and some war machines as reinforcements for this scenario.

• The Romans gain their final reinforcements at the last watch tower...
• 2x units (randomly rolled from below) from the western encampment
• Auxiliary Spearmen (24pts)
• Auxiliary Archers (29pts)
• Watch Tower = 1x unit of legionaries (34pts)
• In this final battle they will get an onager and a scorpio unit in addition
• But, no extra boost from the rest of the legion that has come looking for them

The Britons will get 100pts: 100 plus 0x10 for their level of victory, and a new Level 3 leader.

• The Britons can still recruit from a limitless pool of warriors...
• All damaged units are automatically returned to full strength
• An extra 100 points was awarded to spend on new units
• The Britons did not win scenario 5, so no bonus reinforcements (0x10=0)
• Roll 1d6 on the table below for troop type...
• 1-3  Warriors 2 (17pts)
• 4-5  Warriors 3 (22pts)
• 6 roll on next table...  
•  Roll 2d6 on the table below for troop type (and an additional d6 if a Hero is rolled)...
• 2 Hounds (22pts)
• 3 Female Warriors (16pts)
• 4 Skyclad (16pts)
• 5-6 Slingers (10pts)
• 7 Skyclad (16pts)
• 8-9 Archers (15pts)
• 10 Mounted Warriors (16pts)
• 11 Chariots (24pts)
• 12 Additional Hero
• 1-3 Level 1 (18pts)
• 4 Druid Level 2 (27pts)
• 5 Level 2 (32pts)
• 6 Level 3 (47pts)

 

The Britons' reinforcements (91pts out of a possible 100pts):

I actually rolled for 2 units of Warriors 2, 2 units of Warriors 3 and 1 unit of Skyclad. However, I do not have the figures available to make up those reinforcements, so I swapped out some of the warriors units for rolls on the second half of the table - here's the reinforcements after the amendments...

• 1x level 3 leader - replacement (no cost) - I named him Vellocatus; son of Bellicus
• 1x Warriors 3 (22pts)
• 1x Skyclad (16pts)
• 1x Hounds (22pts)
• 1x Female Warriors (16pts)
• 1x Archers (15pts)

The Roman reinforcements (157pts):

• 1x unit of legionaries (34pts)
• 1x Auxiliary Spearmen (24pts)
• 1x Auxiliary Archers (29pts)
• 2x Scorpio (@20 = 40pts)
• 1x Onager (30pts)

The reinforcements meant that the two armies were closer in points values, but the Britons still enough ahead to be at a distinct advantage, what with the Romans having two understrength units. As a result, I added an extra scorpio unit and bolstered the two understrength units from 1 Stamina to 2 Stamina to take into account the walking wounded, stragglers and so on bolstering the numbers slightly - the entirety of the cohort's survivors are now here.

The Britons' army for scenario 6 (97/239=336pts):

• Vellocatus 3 (47pts)
• Maviloduus 2 (32pts)
• Aucissa 1 (18pts)
• 2x Warriors 3 (@22 = 44pts)
• 4x Warriors 2 (@17 = 68pts)
• 1x Slingers (10pts)
• 1x Archers (15pts)
• 2x Skyclad (@16 = 32pts)
• 2x Mounted Warriors (@16 = 32pts)
• 1x Hounds (22pts)
• 1x Female Warriors (16pts)

This force is over the 300pts limit, but I am happy with that - it is the Britons' final chance to destroy the hated Romans in this campaign after all.

The Roman army for scenario 6 (99/220=305pts):

• Caecilius Rufinus Pulcher 3 (43pts)
• Gaia Pomponia Thrax 2 (21pts)
• Marius Pollux 2 (35pts) 
• 2x Legionaries (68pts) - one made up to full strength the other = 1 Stamina
• 2x Auxiliary Archers (58pts) - one made up to full strength the other = 1 Stamina
• 1x Auxiliary Spearmen (24pts) 
• 2x Scorpions (@20 = 40pts)
• 1x Onager (30pts)

The sixth scenario sees the final encounter between the British and Roman forces. It is an all or nothing encounter that will end when one force breaks or daylight fails (end of Turn 6).

 

I will need to find the Roman artillery pieces and base them, even if they are only on very basic movement trays. I will dice with my son to determine who plays which army. I am hoping that I haven't made the forces too disparate points wise. The Romans have proven themselves very resilient but they won't have the "hill" advantage for their saving rolls this time. Also, I still need to think of a way in which I can boost points so the Britons can still win the campaign - maybe a few side objectives to boost their ability to gain points as mentioned above?

Midgard : Scenario 5 : Last Stand

Well, this campaign has been a bit of a slow burner, but I am slowly getting towards the end - I just wish I was able to get my figures and stuff out onto the dining table more often than once every few months or so. That said, this one and the previous one have come, relatively speaking, thick and fast, as I want to get ready for the last scenario to play with my son - it will be the first time I play Midgard against an opponent!

I was able to play the Last Stand scenario yesterday, which pits a smaller defending army (200 pts) against a larger attacking army (300 pts). As seen from the previous scenario, defending whilst on a hill is very advantageous, so I see another easy Roman victory here before it all begins despite them being outnumbered.

I had to change the Briton army a little from the list I mentioned in the previous post on the Midgard campaign - I replaced one unit of slingers with a unit of archers (I didn't have the figures available for the extra unit of slingers). I also sourced a female warrior as the new Level 1 hero - maybe she would shake the curse of the level 1 leader deaths for the Britons?

The Briton army (97/205=307pts):

• Bellicus 3 (47pts)

• Maviloduus 2 (32pts)

• Aucissa 1 (18pts)

• 2x Warriors 3 (@22 = 44pts)

• 4x Warriors 2 (@17 = 68pts)

• 2 Slingers (@10 = 20pts)

• 2x Archers (@15 = 30pts)

• 1x Skyclad (16pts)

• 2x Mounted Warriors (@16 = 32pts)

Britons : Right wing - Bellicus and his noble elites

Britons : Centre - Aucissa and the skirmishers

Britons : Left wing - Maviloduus and his warband

Right wing: Bellicus, 2x Warriors 3, Skyclad
Centre: Aucissa, 2x Slingers, 2x Archers, 2x Mounted Warriors
Left wing: Maviloduus, 4x Warriors 2

The Roman army (85/137=222pts):

• Caecilius Rufinus Pulcher 3 (43pts)

• Gaia Pomponia Thrax 2 (21pts)

• Marius Pollux 2 (21pts) 

• 2x Legionaries (68pts) - one made up to full strength the other = 2 Stamina

• 1x Auxiliary Archers (29pts) - 2 stamina

• 2x Cavalry (40pt) 

The Roman contingent

As per the rules for this scenario, after the attackers (the Britons) had been set up, I was allowed to re-arrange a couple of units of the defenders. I was unable to get a shot of the whole table at set up, but suffice it to say, I thought that the cavalry would be better placed being able to charge down-hill towards the British skirmisher units under the command of Aucissa. I swapped them around enough to begin to put that plan into action.

The re-arranged Romans

After Bellicus had pulled back from the ridge, he decided that he would go and destroy the Roman watchtower just to the south of his current position and send a force to wipe-out any contingents left at the Roman encampment to the west. This took him a short while and gave the Romans some breathing room in order to gather their wounded and march as rapidly as they could from the ridge towards the final watchtower beyond the river to the south. 

Bellicus was disappointed to see that the watchtower had already been burnt to the ground and that the western encampment had also been emptied and razed in the same way. He swore an oath to his gods and gathered reinforcements at the nearby village as quickly as he could in order to harry further the retreat of the remnants of the Roman force; there cannot be too many Romans left now surely?

Slowed by the pace of the wounded, Caecilius Rufinus Pulcher found that he could not out-pace the scouts of the Briton army, so looked for somewhere to make a final stand. Luckily, a short distance from the ford, which he crossed without incident, there was another Roman watchtower. Surely he could get there before the Britons caught up with him?

The small Roman force arrived at a small range of hills just as the scouts returned stating that Bellicus's army was only a short distance behind; they had just crossed the ford and had cavalry with them. Caecilius looked around and spotted a hill that suited his purpose. If only the rest of the relief force from the western camp were there to bolster his numbers, then things would be fine.

The route to the fifth battle

A scout, left by the relief force, saw Caecilius set up position on the hill and advanced to his commander to report the latest intelligence -  the relief force had got to the hills as requested, but finding the column hadn't arrived decided to advance towards the watchtower to make for a larger force for a final stand. The two units of auxiliaries from the western camp were therefore not available for this fight.

Caecilius swore an oath to Jupiter, greatest and best, to protect him and his remaining soldiers whilst they bought time for the wounded and waggon train to get to the final watchtower where they could be better protected. There would be a goodly sized force there (at least a century of legionaries and two units of auxiliaries plus whatever the wounded could pull together from their ranks) to defend the retreat should anyone survive this next encounter.

The Romans got into position on the hill to sell their lives dearly but, on closer scrutiny when the Britons arrived, Caecilius noticed that the Britons had made a fatal mistake in their dispositions; the warriors were all on the flanks whilst their skirmishers and light horse were directly down hill without much support (the random dice rolls for troop set up gave the Romans a good opportunity should they be able to exploit it). He quickly gave his orders and rearranged his battle lines to take advantage of the situation.

Turn 1 (Reputation B9, R9):

Spotting his mistake, Bellicus ordered a rapid advance upon the weak Roman position, he didn't want to leave his skirmishers exposed for too long. He understood that the Romans could defend a hill well from their previous encounter, but he had the numbers and the know-how this time. Most of his force advanced as he wished them too, but as was usual some units were slightly more reluctant to go toe-to-toe against a tough enemy.

Caecilius did not wait for the advance to complete and charged his turma of cavalry towards the skirmishers as quickly as he could knowing that the second unit would follow as soon as the lines were cleared. They ploughed through one unit of archers as if they were not there and eyed up the sling toting stragglers behind them.

Meanwhile, on the Roman left flank, the depleted Syrian archer unit kept the Briton warriors at bay.

End of Turn 1

British losses = 1 unit archers

Turn 2 (Rep B7, R11):

The British warriors in the centre could do nothing to stop the Roman charge, so Aucissa just re-arranged their lines and hoped that their cavalry could even the odds a little. The slingers in Caecilius's path were also mown down to a man.

The British troops on the hill advanced a little more cautiously towards the Romans - they remembered what it was like to charge directly uphill towards heavily armed and armoured legionaries. They took a few more casualties from the Syrian bows for their reticence.

The second Roman cavalry turma had by now left the hill, but a little too late as they ran in to a barrage of British slingshot and arrows, whilst the British cavalry rapidly charged towards them.

End of Turn 2

British losses = 1 unit slingers

Turn 3 (Rep B5, R13):

The battle for the hill was finally joined as the Romans were caught between two waves of rapidly advancing warriors screaming for their blood. The Syrian archers loosed one final round of arrows before their training kicked in and they were Replaced by the full century of legionaries at the front line - a much tougher nut for the British warriors to crack. The British warriors under Bellicus's command were forced back giving the Romans a little breathing space, but the legionaries on the other side of the hill were hard pushed by Maviloduus's warband. Maviloduus called for a Favour of the Gods and was rewarded with causing a number of deaths in the Roman ranks, but the Romans stood fast and managed to inflict a few casualties back onto the British warriors.

Meanwhile, at the bottom of the hill, the British slingers and archers loosed their stones and arrows at the Roman cavalry, softening up both units. The British mounted contingent of warriors then ploughed into the second Roman turma and wiped them out. Caecilius, realised that it was now a case of all or nothing, so charged at Aucissa's remaining skirmishing units hoping to repeat what had already happened previously but his men were mown down under the withering waves of stone and iron.

End of Turn 3

Roman losses = 2 units cavalry

Turn 4 (Rep B9, R10):

After defeating the Roman turma in front of them, and seeing the other turma had also been cut down, leaving only the Roman leader and his last few guards, the British mounted contingent charged him from behind whilst he was occupied with Aucissa's archers. The mounted warriors managed to wound the Roman general but not before his last remining bodyguards had cut down the skirmishing unit ahead of them.

Maviloduus continued his push against the under-strength century of legionaries ahead of him and was rewarded for his troubles by seeing the last of them fall - all he needed to do now was take down the remnants of the Syrian archers and meet up with Bellicus at the top of the hill once he had defeated the legionaries on his side of the hill.

Bellicus's Legendary Weapon cut swathes through the ranks of the Roman legionaries again and he smiled in satisfaction as he saw a unit of his cavalry supported by many skyclad warriors impact the Roman flanks. Unfortunately this was the last thing that Bellicus saw as he was skewered upon a Roman gladius. He thought "even though I die, I smite thee", and another enemy fell to his sword as he slumped to the ground.

A great cry went up from the Britons when Bellicus and his band of valiant brothers were killed. The cry was heard even at the other side of the battlefield, as the Britons on the hill top turned tail and fled the scene. The last remaining Romans (Caecilius, 1St of Archers and 1St of legionaries!) could not believe what had just happened.

End of Turn 4

British losses = 1 unit archers, 1 unit warriors (3), Bellicus

Roman losses = 1 unit legionaries

Final tally (Rep B-1, R6)

That was a crazy ending to the game. The Britons had the upper hand on the hill and it would have only been one more turn before the entire army was wiped out when Bellicus had to roll 2 Risk to Heroes dice - snake-eyes. He was dead! He had used all of his Mighty Deeds on the combat so could not use one to help save a wound. The Romans, somehow, managed to pull off a Mighty Victory, to surge way ahead in the campaign. Again, there were a number of take-aways from this battle: 

• Being uphill and using those saves helped the Romans again
• The Romans took a lot of casualties again, but not enough to lose whole units and thus lose the all important Reputation points
• Female Level 1 British heroes fare better than their male counterparts
• Don't roll snake-eyes for your leader's death saves - it loses you the game even though you are greatly ahead numbers-wise and about to strike the final blow

Campaign Score: Romans 8 Britons 3

Next game should see a large force of Britons on the table as they lost very few units this time around. I will also need to fudge what units they get due to the limitations of the figures I have available. The Romans will only get the remaining century of legionaries, two units of auxiliaries and whatever I can plausibly piece together from their remaining units. I did mention some artillery in a previous post, so I am beginning to get the inklings of an idea for what the next scenario can be - it will not be one from the book. It also has to be a fair match so my son can play in the next game without a disadvantage. I will post an aftermath of this game in the next day or so and sum up what will happen going forward.

Midgard : Scenario 4 : Aftermath

The Take the High Ground scenario saw both sides take heavy casualties, but lose relatively few units.

On the Roman side, none of the leaders took any damage, but both units of legionaries lost 1 Stamina, and the archers 2 Stamina. The Britons lost a "normal" amount of units and a Level 1 leader again, but the remaining units also took plenty of Stamina loss - as these will be automatically replenished, I won't concern myself with listing those details here...

The Britons' losses (120pts):

• Magunum 1 (18pts)
• 1x Skyclad (16pts)
• 2x Warriors 2 (@17pts = 34pts)
• 2x Archers (@15pts = 30pts)
• 1x Warriors 3 (22pts)

The Roman losses (24pts):

• 1x Milites (24pts)

The next game (the fifth scenario in the campaign), Last Stand, suggests that the attacking to defending army ratio is 300:200 points. I won't have the correct ratio of troops on each side if I run reinforcements as per my standard rules, so, I will reinforce the Britons as per the rules below, but as the Roman force would be too large if it is reinforced, I will not add their reinforcements (there was double the amount in the last game anyway - 2x cavalry units and a legionary unit to make up the numbers).

Route to Scenario 5

The Romans have two units of Auxiliaries from the camp to the west and the final unit of Legionaries (in the watchtower) for the sixth scenario. As they got some of their reinforcements early (scenario 4), they won't get any in the next game (scenario 5) - I am going to rule that the remaining infantry have obeyed their orders and have made their way to intercept the retreating column by the final watchtower in time for scenario 6.

The Britons get 100pts: 100 plus 0x10 for their level of victory, and a new Level 1 leader.

Here's a reminder of the reinforcement tables...

• The Romans gain reinforcements depending upon which Roman camp type they are nearest to...
• Marching camp = 2x units (only 2 units left for scenario 6)
• Auxiliary Spearmen (24pts)
• Auxiliary Archers (29pts)
• Watch Tower = 1x unit of legionaries (1 unit left for scenario 6) (34pts)
• In the final battle they may get an onager and/or a scorpio unit in addition
• Depending upon how casualties go in Last Stand, they may get a boost from the rest of the legion that has come looking for them for the final battle
  
• The Britons can recruit from a limitless pool of warriors...
• All removed units are lost
• All damaged units are automatically returned to full strength
• An extra 100 points awarded to spend on new units
• If the Britons win, depending on their level of victory, they will gain a bonus number of reinforcement points equal to the level of victory (0-3) x10
• subtract the points value until all points are used - any left over points are lost 
• Roll 1d6 on the table below for troop type...
• 1-3  Warriors 2 (17pts)
• 4-5  Warriors 3 (22pts)
• 6 roll on next table...  
•  Roll 2d6 on the table below for troop type (and an additional d6 if a Hero is rolled)...
• 2 Hounds (22pts)
• 3 Female Warriors (16pts)
• 4 Skyclad (16pts)
• 5-6 Slingers (10pts)
• 7 Skyclad (16pts)
• 8-9 Archers (15pts)
• 10 Mounted Warriors (16pts)
• 11 Chariots (24pts)
• 12 Additional Hero
• 1-3 Level 1 (18pts)
• 4 Druid Level 2 (27pts)
• 5 Level 2 (32pts)
• 6 Level 3 (47pts)

 

The Britons' reinforcements (97pts out of a possible 100pts):

• 1x level 1 leader - replacement (no cost)
• 1x Warriors 3 (22pts)
• 1x Archers (15pts)
• 1x Warriors 2 (17pts)
• 1x Warriors 2 (17pts)
• 1x Skyclad (16pts)
• 1x Slingers (10pts)

The Roman reinforcements (0pts):

• None - see above

 The Britons' army for Last Stand - scenario 5 (97/205=302pts):

• Bellicus 3 (47pts)
• Maviloduus 2 (32pts)
• Level 1 leader (18pts)
• 2x Warriors 3 (@22 = 44pts)
• 4x Warriors 2 (@17 = 68pts)
• 3x Slingers (@10 = 30pts)
• 1x Archers (15pts)
• 1x Skyclad (16pts)
• 2x Mounted Warriors (@16 = 32pts)

This force is now just over the 300pts limit, which is near enough.

The Roman army for Last Stand - scenario 5 (85/137=222pts):

• Caecilius Rufinus Pulcher 3 (43pts)
• Gaia Pomponia Thrax 2 (21pts)
• Marius Pollux 2 (21pts) 
• 2x Legionaries (68pts) - one made up to full strength the other = 2 Stamina
• 1x Auxiliary Archers (29pts) - 2 stamina
• 2x Cavalry (40pt) 

The Last Stand scenario requires a 300 pts attacker (Britons) and a 200 pts defender (Romans). The Roman army is a little higher in value than 200pts but as two of the units are below strength, I guess this might even out?

 

By the time I play Last Stand, I will need to sort out a name for the new Briton Level 1 leader, hopefully get some paint onto a few of the other bases, and figure out how to represent the hill other than using a pile of books if I can.

Midgard : Scenario 4 : Take the High Ground

Yesterday I was able to play the fourth encounter between the Romans and the Britons in my Midgard : Britannia campaign - Take the High Ground. It was a solo effort again, but I am hoping to build up some momentum over the next month or so to get the fifth scenario done and dusted, so that the sixth, and final, scenario can be played with my youngest son when he comes to visit at New Year.

The Take the High Ground scenario calls for the defending force to be split into two contingents; one on the table and the other held off the table to arrive on turn 4. This fits into the current narrative nicely as the main force gets held up on a hill whilst a detachment of cavalry from one of the remote camps gallops to the (hopefully for the Romans) rescue.

The Briton army for scenario 4 (97/210=307pts):

• Bellicus 3 (47pts)
• Maviloduus 2 (32pts)
• Magunum 1 (18pts)
• 2x Warriors 3 (@22 = 44pts)
• 4x Warriors 2 (@17 = 68pts)
• 2x Archers (@15 = 30pts)
• 2x Slingers (@10 = 20pts)
• 1x Skyclad (16pts)
• 2x Mounted Warriors (@16 = 32pts)

The Roman army for scenario 4 (99/161=260pts):

• Caecilius Rufinus Pulcher 3 (43pts) - late arrival
• Gaia Pomponia Thrax 2 (21pts)
• Marius Pollux 2 (35pts) 
• 2x Legionaries (@34 = 68pts)
• 1x Auxiliary Archers (29pts)
• 1x Auxiliary Spearmen (24pts)
• 2x Cavalry (@20 = 40pts) - late arrivals

The playing area remained at 6' by 3', and the deployments mentioned in the rule book still worked.

The scenario dictates that there is a smaller force of defenders holding a hill until reinforcements can arrive. Due to the campaign narrative, this scenario fits well; taking into account the Roman retreat and subsequent meet up of a cavalry detachment. The Romans are therefore classed as the defenders and the Britons the attackers.

For this game I had to adjust the terrain I used; I don't have any low, flat hills which figure stands are stable on, so I just shoved a number of books underneath the play mat to give the impression of a small rise. I dotted a couple of actual hill terrain pieces on the slightly raised area to show it was a hill. I also used three resin terrain items I picked up a while back to represent the Salient Points (used to gain Reputation during the scenario).

The two armies were divided into contingents; three for the Britons (two wings and a centre) and two for the Romans (the force on the hill and the reinforcements that start off table). Apologies for the quality of some of the photos - they were taken using my phone camera, in not so good lighting.

British contingents...

4 units of heavy infantry (2)

2 units of heavy infantry 3

Skirmishers: 2x archers, 2x slingers, skyclad and 2x mounted warriors

Right wing: Magunum, 2x Archers

Centre: Maviloduus, 4x Warriors 2

Centre 2: Bellicus, 2x Warriors 3, Skyclad

Left wing: 2x Slingers, 2x Mounted Warriors 

Britons advance to cut off the Roman retreat

Roman contingents...

Auxilia: Western milites and Syrian archers

Roman cavalry

Roman legionaries

Right flank: Marius Pollux, milites, legionaries

Left flank: Gaia Pomponia Thrax, legionaries, auxiliary archers

Reserve: Decurio Caecilius Rufinus Pulcher, 2x cavalry

Roman milites, legionaries and archers

Bellicus's delay celebrating the death of his nemesis allowed the waggon train and stragglers to reach the safety of a small rise just north of the Roman fortress on the road.

The centurion of the watchtower got news from his patrols that the cohort's Legate had been killed in a battle over the hills to the north, and a column of battered Roman soldiers from that battle were heading towards his position. He set out with his century to meet them in order to protect them on their journey back to the fortified watchtower. He also sent word via horse courier to the Decurio, Caecilius Rufius Pulcher, stationed at the camp out to the west, on the other side of the river, to let him know the news; he would now be the new leader of the cohort.

The route to the 4th battle

Upon hearing the news, the decurion, Caecilius Rufinus Pulcher, ordered his cavalry contingent to mount up and headed straight out to bolster the defences of the legionaries at the watchtower. He also ordered the remnants of the foot at the camp to follow at their own pace and hopefully meet him at the river crossing directly east of their current position in order to defend the ford for when the remainder of the army got back to the crossing point.

Caecilius and his tumae rode pell-mell to link up with the straggling remnants of the cohort. Leaderless, he assumed the worst would happen to them, but he would advance to find out their situation at least. Maybe he would be in time to save them from an ignoble defeat at the hands of the local British tribe? 

Starting Positions

Gaia Pomponia and Marius Pollux ordered the remaining men in the watchtower to leave their fortification and burn it to the ground before joining them at the low hill a short distance away. They would make a stand there whilst awaiting reinforcements from the marching camp to the west. If they were successful, they could then march on the paved road back to Roman lines. 

Bellicus's force arrived at the ridge before the Roman cavalry could get there. He smiled to himself, knowing that this should be an easy victory and news of it would make the Romans think twice about advancing upon his tribe's lands again in a hurry. He outnumbered his foe and knew that the cavalry force sent to relieve the Roman column would be a while away yet if his scouts were to be trusted. He arranged his battle lines and shouted the command to advance upon the Roman force at the top of the rise.

Turn 1 (Reputation B9, R8):

The Roman force strung their lines out between three notable landmarks at the top of the rise. This would protect their flanks, and stop the British forces from picking out one unit at a time to surround and destroy. Unity would be the way to grind out a victory against such odds.

Bellicus ordered his army forward and they made directly for the Roman lines. The mounted warriors hung back a little at first before being given full rein to hit the Roman flank at speed - he wanted them to take out the milites stationed there and then proceed to roll up the legionaries next to them. A few of the foot units were reticent, but stern commands from their leaders and champions forced the whole line to advance at the same rate.

The Britons advance in a tightly controlled wave

The Romans watched nervously as the British advanced towards the ridge

Turn 2 (Rep B9, R8):

The British warriors in the centre chose to charge directly for the legionaries to keep them busy whilst the flanks were whittled down by sling and arrow fire in order for the cavalry to do their job.

The archers on the British right flank traded arrows with the Roman drilled warriors, with the Romans coming out on top in the exchange. Although the British unit he was with only took minor casualties, Magunum lost his life leading from the front (Famous Death).

The slingers on the left flank fared no better, not causing any great deal of concern to the Roman milites. The rapidly advancing cavalry on their flank and the charge in front of them by the British elite warriors made them nervous though.

Both of the Roman commanders could not allow the British to have their own way in this fight, so they ordered the two centuries of legionaries to advance a little and confront the British warriors part way down the hill. Gaia Pomponia's troops held back the charging Britons in front of them whilst Marius Pollux's troops fared better and dealt with the skyclad warriors in short order.

The Britons advance under covering fire from their missiles

The Romans begin to defend the ridge

View of the ridge from the British point of view

British losses = 1 unit skyclad, Magunum

Turn 3 (Rep B5, R11):

Momentum was with the British as they poured on the pressure. Bellicus and Maviloduus called challenges against the Roman leaders, but both refused to fight man-to-man (or woman). The British archers began to take their toll on the Syrian archers, but their stern discipline kept them from retreating under the hail of missiles. The mounted warriors hit home on the Roman flank but failed to dislodge the milites.

All along the line, the Romans fought for their lives, pushing back many of the British warriors units, and destroying one warband of warriors.

Combat is joined in earnest

View from the ridge

British losses = 1 unit warriors (2)

Romans gained 2 Rep from holding two Salient Points, but the British gained 1

Turn 4 (Rep B4, R11):

After a brief pause, the British warriors re-joined the combat in the centre. The archers kept up their barrage against the Syrians on the ridge, causing them more casualties; at least until the Roman cavalry reinforcements arrived directly behind them, killing one unit of the archers to a man.

Maviloduus called upon a Favour of the Gods, but it seemed as though the Roman gods were stronger today (2 hits were scored but were saved by being uphill); not only did he not push back the dreaded Romans but he took a wound for his efforts.

Bellicus needed no help from the gods however, his Legendary Weapon cut swathes through the Roman milites, destroying them as a fighting force, and thereby freeing up his cavalry to roll up the flanks.

The Roman flanks begin to collapse

View from the ridge

British losses = 1 unit archers

Roman losses = 1 unit milites

Romans gained 2 Rep, Britons 1 Rep from holding Salient Points

Turn 5 (Rep B4, R11):

The British forces were beginning to tire now; with almost every unit having taken solid casualties. That said, even with the arrival of their cavalry reinforcements, the Romans on the ridge were also close to collapse.

The British archers on the flank were completely over-run by the Roman cavalry, so, in desperation, Bellicus ordered his cavalry to halt the Roman mounted division to stop them destroying the warriors on his right flank. The Roman cavalry, however, got to the warriors first and with Caecilius Rufinus's call of "Today, we fight to win", he spurred his men on to inflict serious casualties on the first unit they encountered.

Bellicus called for his men to make one last effort, but fortune did not smile upon him as he suffered a wound for his troubles and his elite warriors were thrust backwards.

Casualties mount up (apologies for the very blurry picture)

The Roman positions are over-run

British losses = 1 unit archers

Romans gained 2 Rep, Britons 1 Rep from holding Salient Points 

Turn 6 (Rep B5, R13):

Whilst one unit of Bellicus's mounted warriors spotted the charging Roman cavalry and engaged them causing some casualties, the other unit spotted an opportunity to attack a century of legionaries from the rear. Alas, the legionaries must have been prepared for an all around attack and had formed a defensive stance that stopped the cavalry in their tracks.

Although they fought back bravely against the hard-hitting Roman cavalry on their flank, a second unit of British warriors fell to their swords. Likewise, on the left flank, the noble warriors in the front rank supporting Bellicus suffered more casualties and were destroyed as a fighting unit.

At this point Bellicus realised that he was losing heavily and what might have been a minor victory for him had turned into a rout. Most of his units had lost many men and he could not afford to wait around any longer knowing that the Romans still had more reinforcements to come. He called off the fight and vowed to destroy them at the ford.

The fight balances on a knife's edge

Have the Romans lost the ridge?

British losses = 1 unit warriors (2), 1 unit warriors (3)

Both the Romans and Britons gained 1 Rep each from holding Salient Points

Final tally (Rep B2, R15)

This game lasted all six turns and was, again, a very tight affair. Despite the fact that few units actually got destroyed, almost all units on both sides took casualties. The Romans, somehow, managed to pull off a Crushing Victory, to surge ahead in the campaign. Again, there were a number of take-aways from this battle: 

• Being uphill and using those saves really stopped the Romans from being wiped out within a couple of turns
• Somehow, even being flanked, surrounded and having nowhere to manoeuvre didn't stop the Romans from pulling through each turn and gaining plenty of Reputation Points from defending the Salient Points
• The Britons took a lot of casualties again, but actually lost few units - this may pan out well for them in the next game. I thought, what with their far superior numbers, that the Britons would overwhelm and completely destroy the Roman foot troops before the cavalry reinforcements arrived
• Do not use Level 1 heroes for the British forces - each game has seen the death of the level 1 champion
• Towards the end I started using only the British pool of dice for each side, whereas at the start I used a pool of dice for each side. This definitely favoured the Romans as their dice rolls dramatically improved when I used the British dice for them!

Campaign Score: Romans 6 Britons 3

Next game will see a lot more reinforcements for the Britons - numbers should be much higher for them as all of the units with casualties will return to full strength in addition to their usual reinforcements. The Romans will only gain a coupe of units of auxiliaries. I will post an aftermath in the next day or so to sum up what will happen going forward.