15mm Wargaming for Fun and Sanity: OAAH Beta test Heroes n Hordes refights, 4 games!

This is a re-run of one of our first Of Armies And Hordes games entiitled Heroes n Hordes. I have the pleasure of roping an old friend, Matt Hay into playing. He's a very experienced gamer conversant with gw products, and others, that I'm not.

As this was his first time I kept everything simple. As it happened, we did 2 games in just over 2 hours!

OK, Tony n I go slower, take pics, drink coffee, eat bikkies.

I did the usual dice per scenery. Started one side with the rocks (brought back from a French France beach by 'er in doors. I tried chewing a couple but they obviously do things different in forryn parts) Reversed process with shrubbery.

The first side is as played for the original game:

Centaur General 3 3 5 General L2, Fast, 2 lives @36

Centaur Hero 3 3 5 Hero L2 Shoot1 Fast 2 lives 80?

Centaur archers 4 2 6 Shoot2 Skirmishers Fast 4 x 19 = 76

Centaur club 4 3 5 fast 4 x 15 = 60

Centaur shamen 3 2 4 Fast, Spellcaster, Alter terrain & rain arrows 18

Satyr sub General 3 3 4 Sub general L2, Highwaymen, Difficult target. 70?

Satyr shamen 3 1 4 Spellcaster, Alter terrain, Chaos, Highwaymen, Difficult target. 19

Satyrs 4 2 4 Highwaymen, Difficult target. 8 x 12 = 96

Satyr archers 4 1 4, Shoot1, Highwaymen, Difficult target. 12 x 13 = 156

Kohen 3 4 5 Hero L3 , Fearless, Devastating charge, 2 lives 100?

Numean Lion 4 4 5 Monster L2, Tough, Fear, 2 lives 51

Rabble 5 1 4 Rabble, Shoot1 24 x 5 = 120

Total approx 750.

Alter Terrain (1,2,3 actions) This spell may be cast on any one unoccupied area anywhere on the battlefield. The target area becomes rough terrain, or, if already rough, it becomes clear terrain. The effect lasts 1 turn per action spent in casting the spell. The Spell-Caster decides what type of terrain the area becomes. The spell may not create impassable terrain or water, but it may create a bridge or ford, lasting for the duration of the spell, upon a river. The spell may also be used to create a section of road or a path going through a forest instead of transforming the whole area, if the player so prefers. The spell may also be used to turn a hill into another hill type.

Chaos (2 actions) Target unit is Disordered. This spell has a range of 1 area.

Rain of Arrows (2 or 3 actions) Causes a missile attack of 1 die per action used. The arrows hit at +1, and all results of 1 are rerolled (reroll only once: if a 1 rolls up a 1 again, it stays a 1). This spell is NOT Special Damage. It hits like a regular missile attack. The +1 from the Rain of Arrows does not stack with any Shooter trait possessed by the SpellCaster, if any.

The other side are all undead, just to give it a more fantasy feel!

Heroic General. 3 3 5 General/Chariot/Hero L4, Devastating charge, Fast, 2 lives. Undead 195?

Heroes in Chariots 3 3 5 Chariot/Hero L3, Devastating charge, Fast, 2 lives. Undead X2 190?

Spearmen 4 2 5 Undead 24 @ 10

Javelin Skirmishers 4 1 5 Skirmishers, Shoot1 Undead 12 @ 10 = 120

Total approx 750.

Games 1 & 2. Not the usual narrative 'cos Matt plays with the speed of one who's club experience is that a finished game is a thing of wonder and delight and lack of confusion about the rules, particularly those expounded in yesterdays publication.

I took the living and the initiative. My poor old camera.

Javelins take out me Satyr general. Americans won't understand that.

Matt's reaction. Well, I knew he likes rolling lots of dice. Having played Rogue Stars the basic mechanism is close enough for him to pick up the basics in 5 minutes flat.

His only objection was archery that he felt was underpowered. Main objection was 4 Centaur archers rolled 8 dice in combat but only 2 in shooting. Interesting point, perhaps they could roll 4 with a lesser chance of hitting.

Game 3 I took the living again, thus Tony the undeadeded. You can tell through the presence of combustibles and caffeine, normally referred to as C&C in military parlance.

I went for a tighter deployment with a cunning plan. I was going to use my magicians to open up the scenery then push units through.

Tony decided to deploy infantry in 2 x 12's. and a big clump of 8 skirmishers.

My first dice roll. Par for the week-. Bang goes my plan.

All the more annoying as he moves his general up to the other side.

I move my archers up, just in case I get a decent set of rolls.

Centaur heroine. Ready to exploit that gap.

Threatening his flank.

Get's 'em charged by a Hero to their mutual destruction. In fact, it could have taken them out twice- ouch.

The fight for my left flank heats up.

Kohen and the Lion in support.

Kohen. Lovely figure from Khurasan.

Spot the Ewoks. Matt got these and the "treestumps" for me at a Salute years ago. I had intended them as an anti-walker unit, but they're so small. Fortunately they fit in with Splintered Lights Satyres.

Tony's general slams into my archers- they stand and fight and everyone dies. I just manage to kill him, massive overkill on me again!

No! Not those bones! Bad lion!

Archery not powerful enough, Kohen goes down in a hail of javelins.

Last remaining chariot comes in for rewenge, mutual slaughter. Lion doesn't roll many, but high factor.

Here comes the infantry.

At last I get rid of the shrubbery for 3 turns.

2 quick turnovers.

And impose shrubbery in front of chariot and lion.

The open gap.

The shrubbery goes, but it comes back with a turnover- so the chariot charges through the materialising trees!

The treeline reappears, the barrier goes.

Those skellie javelins pummel my horde.

Tony starts to work through the treeline.

Again with the shrubbery.

Surviving horde, 2 generals and magician.

Again the javelins are vicious!

Game over, half time change ends.

Game 4 I copy his formation in a tight, tight deployment. Tony starts with his beloved party ponies and gets 3, comes crashing into my general! Mutual mash. Skeletons go "and?"