Dragon Rampant 2nd ed. 1st look. Return to 1899 Mars.

A quick note on the Shape of Wargaming to Come.

I miss my old mate Tony.  With him I could do games linked across different rules and campaigns.  I planned it, we did it.  My current group are happy to play a wide variety of games, which is nice.  But, the fad game such as the Starwars one, Middle Earth, Avengers and now dead mans hand.  They require the spending of money and learning of basic rules.  They are on-trend.  Painted figures can be bought on the b&b, maybe primed, expensive plastic godawful plastic junk is there.  No planning, no converting.

Deep breath.  Drink pint of rum (well, coffee)  You'll note that I'm doing a lot of planning.  The odds are I'm getting one good big game a month in.  So I'm planning, painting and converting.  Most will get done in some form but I give you my these tomes well in advance.  Hopefully some of my players might read and even say "yes I'd like to do that".  Otherwise, dear reader you can take the core, adapt to your tastes and figure stock.  I would LOVE some feedback!

When 'er in doors gets a new passport we can access paypal again and I'll be making serious choices about what I keep and what to shed.

Dragon Rampant 2nd ed.  

1st reading - this should have been reduced to a simple appendix to Lion Rampant, to offer a difference.  A second such could have been added to expand (LR's) timeline into the early Renaissance.  The stopping point being the Hussite introduction of war wagons, although you will note my first attempt at such below.

 Planning for the Game 

(To be played in February or March)

I chose my Beachhead game as a good starting point.  All pictures are from there.

https://unitrecon.blogspot.com/2020/02/oaah-mars-beachhead-participation-game.html

I chose to leave out the big flyers and add more infantry.  As is the new on-trend mode, I'm going for 4 sides of 30 points.

I'm doing them one at a time.  I'm sure I've said this before, if you copy then paste into your spreadsheet proggy then turn portrait to landscape you'll get wot I use.

Force 1)  Euxinus Lacus wagon train.

Sub commander I made "insipid" as I gained a point.

Wagons are the heavy riders chariot option plus made slow and added missiles. Not sure about this for war wagons, let alone your ordinary baggage. Option below for heavy/light infantry.

Artillery is from the book.  No shoot until being unlimbered, count as a move option.

Undeployed and wagon.

Deployed.

Eeagar Herd might seem over the top, but making them cowardly will hopefully add a "skittish" element. If you've never been around a herd of large ruminants then I can assure you they are potentially quite dangerous.

		Euxinus Lacus Wagon train		3,5,12,6,4= 30
3 P Sub Commander HC  6	1	Move 5+  10”		Attack 5+  Attack V4+ Defence V5+
Courage 4 Armour 3		No shooting		INSIPID no +1 courage tests.  Counter charge
5p  Guard HC C.Bow  6	1	Move 5+  10”		Attack 5+  Attack V4+ Defence V5+
Courage 4 Armour 3		Shoot 6+ 5+ 12”		Counter charge
6 P Wagons HC.   2 as 6	2	Move 5+  8” No rough, obstacles		Attack 5+  Attack V4+ Defence V5+
Courage 4 Armour 4		Shoot 6+ 5+ 12”		Chariots.  Missiles Slow.   Counter charge
6P  Artillery  1 as 6	1	Move 8+  4” No rough, obstacles		No Attack  Defence V6+
Courage 4 Armour 3		Shoot 8+ 3+ 36”		Counts as infantry 180” arc,  Move to pivot. No leader reroll
2P Eeagar Herd.  L. WB 6	2	Move 6+  12”		Attack 5+  Attack V4+ Defence V6+
Courage 4 test-1 Armour 3		No shooting		Cowardly, retreat full.  Ranger. Fleet footed Wild Charge.

Variant. Plus a genetic wagon in case you want to add a moving objective.

5P   HI Wagon V  12	1	Move 5+  6”		Attack 6+  Attack V4+ Defence V4+
Courage 4 Armour 3		Shooting 6+  5+  6”		Wall of Spear (circle-)
1P Lighter Wagon LI.   12  2or4?		Move 5+  6”		Attack 6+ Attack V5+ Defence V4+
Courage 4 Armour 2		No shooting		Wall of Spear (circle-)  Cursed p98.  Slow.

Wot's Changed? Insipid was a leader option not pointed.

Artillery. Brand new.

Cowardly is a bit more than Fearful.

Slow and Cursed are excellent additions.

Relief Force

Commander's courageous. Not sure it's worth the cost. Ditto HI's well led. I could have added a unit of skirmishers for the 2p.

Breehr Great Warbeast with the shooting option. Mere fact it's a howdah don't enter into it.

Euxinus relief		6, 5, 8, 4, 7= 30
6P  Commander Lance HC 6	1	Move 5+  10”		Attack 5+  Attack V4+ Defence V5+
Courage 4 Armour 3		No shooting		Courageous pass 1 courage test per game .Counter charge
5p  CBow HC 6	1	Move 5+  10”		Attack 5+  Attack V4+ Defence V5+
Courage 4 Armour 3		Shoot 6+ 5+ 12”		Counter charge
8p Breehr Gr Warbeast	1	Move 6+  10”		Attack 5+  Attack V3+ Defence V6+
Courage 3 Armour 4		Shoot 6+  5+ 12”		Ranger.  Stomper p32.
4p  Guild LI Pike 12	1	Move 5+  18”		Attack 6+ Attack V5+ Defence V4+   V3+Cavalry
Courage 4 Armour 2		No shooting		Pike. Wall Spears
7P  Guild HI Sword  12		Move 5+  6”		Attack 6+  Attack V4+ Defence V4+
Courage 4 Armour 3		No shooting		Well Led. 1 per game  Reroll  Attack, Move, Courage roll.  Offensive

Wot's Changed? Courageous is a new option.

Stomper.  is also new and another excellent addition.

Pikes is the adoption of the Lion Rampant p117.  I can see my Mycenaean pike going slow, whilst Ashigaru (light infantry?) going fast as per Kurosawa. 

Well led is another of those gambles.  is it worth it?  Or losing courage and this for a unit of skirmishers?

Herculis Ambush force  I wanted this to be fast and hard hitting, its supposed to stop the Euxinus Lacus wagon train in its tracks.

Herculis Ambush force		4,4, 16, 6 = 30
4p Sub Gen + cav.  HC  6	2	Move 5+  10”		Attack 5+  Attack V4+ Defence V5+
Courage 4 Armour 3		No shooting		Counter charge
8p Scout LR. Flyers 1 as 6	2	Move 5+  14”		Attack 7+  Attack V5+ Defence V6+
Courage 5 Armour 3		Shoot 6+ 5+ 6”		Flyer. Fast. Short range.  Good shoot.  No- move Skirmish half move & shoot.   Evade 7+  Shoot then full move,  can only be attacked by other flying units.
6p Flyer H. Mis. 1 as 12	1	Move 6+ 6”		Attack 7+  Attack V6+ Defence V5+
Courage 4 Armour 2		Shoot 7+ 4+ 12”		Weight .proj.   Flyer can only be attacked by other  flying units.

Wot's Changed? Fast. Long needed.

Flyers are as about as Martian as you can get. I worked out the magic versions first but they just didn't feel right. I see them as skirmishing in close to drop bombs or shoot with light crossbows before zooming out of range and to the rear and flanks.   Yes I could have more cavalry (well no, just about all used)  or a mass of foot skirmishers.

Heavy Missile boat I see has a deck gun, a glorified large muzzle loading shot gun.  Unlike its friends, this is a stop then shoot platform, probably just far enough off the deck to avoid being charged and some protection from shooting.  

Magic users in boats. You cannot make light cavalry into magicians. Sorry Gandalf.

8p  Crimson Magic Flyer		As HC above.		Flyer p102.  Spellcaster L1. Fast
Take That!		Shoot 7+  V 5+  18” -1 over 12”
Utter Chaos		6+ Any 18”		Use D12 until end next activation
8p  Magenta Magic Flyer		As Above.
Sharp Blades!		7+ 18” End Your next activation		Reroll ALL failed attack or Defence dice,  even if battered.
Sharp Darts		7+ 18” End Your next activation		Reroll ALL failed shooting dice,
		7+ 18” End Your next activation		Armour +1

Follow on force is still fast, but hard hitting with a solid infantry core. I've given the option for the player to swap one belligerent for 2 skirmishers.

Teshuwaan Rex, a Greater warbeast with added fear making ability.

Herculis Follow on		6,7,8,9= 30
6p  Gen, Elite Cav   6	1	Move 7+  10”		Attack 5+  Attack V3+ Defence V5+
Courage 3 Armour 4		No shooting		Wild charge.  Counter charge
7p  Teshuwaan Rex G. Warbeast 1 as 6	1	Move 6+  10”		Attack 5+  Attack V3+ Defence V6+
Courage 3 Armour 4		No shooting		Wild charge. Ranger.  Stomper p32.   Fearsome courage tests-1
4p  Borderers B. Ft.  12	1	Move 6+  8”		Attack 5+  Attack V3+ Defence V6+
Courage 4 Armour 2	2	No shooting		Wild charge.  Counter charge.   Ranger. Fleet foot
9P   HI Guard  12	1	Move 5+  8”		Attack 6+  Attack V4+ Defence V4+
Courage 3 Armour 3		No shooting		Fast. Offensive  Drums & flags
Swap 1 Borderer for 2	0	Skirmish.
2p  Scouts.  6	2	Move 7+  8”		Attack 7+ Attack V6 Defence V6
Courage 5 Armour 1		Shoot 7+  5+  12”		Skirmish half move & shoot.   Evade 7+  Shoot,move.  Hard to target Armour 2shooting max 12”  Fleet foot

Wot's Changed? Drums and Flags. Have to try it. Again, could have a skirmish unit--.