The Infamous cart on TS

A Tabletop Simulator game of Infamy.  Furius Quilpius takes the Romans and the O`Finnigan himself takes the Celts

On come the Romans, looking professional

The Cart appears.

And the Gauls try some desultory rock slinging

Ambush!  The boys from Gaul charge out.  A little over ambitious?

Fights!  Its pretty even really.  4 Warbands vs 3 Blades  (old school thinking there)

Those Roman dice are, in the Gallic vernacular, "shite."  The Gauls force the use of the Optio to hold the line.

The shock piles up on the forces of Rome

But Rome uses Signa cards to rally. and the Gauls fervour has run dry

The Gauls bring on two bands of tribal levy to attempt to outflank the Romans, but those Auxilia are on hand.  

And time caught up with me there, or rather the time difference between England and Cyprus.  

This was the first time I had used Multiplayer role in TS, and I was impressed.  Some wrinkles to iron out with sound, but by and large it worked well.

Keen to give it another go.

Gulf Strike on Zoom

After another spectacular game of Gulf Strike on the Zoom conference the membership have apparently voted that this "mega game" will be the first on table for the "return."

Please note that the complexity of these rules is officially set at "bake your noodle" level and whilst I would be the first to admit to being skeptical at first, it has been a real eye opener.

All maps, including the supplements will be used.  The plan as agreed was to replace the counters with 3mm figures and micro aircraft/ships.  Whilst there will be cost implications to this it will look spectacular.

Operational map E from the General magazine additional supplement will replace the 1983 original map E.

I suggested that we try the alternate Eastern European variant.  This will feature on next week's game, with the "Flogger strategem" in play.  

"Buy in" is strictly on knowledge of the rules, (1983 please, none of your 4th edition ... And you know who you are sir).  The game is too complicated for long rules discussions and needs a "press on" attitude.  May I point out yet again that my 2nd edition has the commemorative Desert Shield expansion and "Saddam Strike" sticker on the front of the box.  Just saying.

The Eastern Europe variant for this week.

A Quick Infamy Interlude

After an agreement that 20mm would be our recommended scale for the new Infamy rules can I draw attention to the quality of my HaT figures, unlikely as it may seem this cheap route has real visual appeal.  For those elderly fellows who insist on metal we agreed the quality of the Newline and the "quirky" Irregular.

May I also reiterate my thanks for choosing the late republican period.  I am keen to get Marius Mules on the go.

If anyone has questions on Gulf Strike 3d please direct them to Dr P or Captain the Honourable QW, or the Savage McGurk via the blog.  None of these gentlemen have the Saddam commemorative edition but all have proved to be keen Strikers over the last few weeks.

Also our thanks again to Master Nellikyn Trollope for reintroducing us to this lost classic. 

Infamy by Whatsapp

An ad hoc meeting of the Society on WhatsApp, the idea being to thrash out the new Infamy rules.

Each participant was given a role, card dude, dice roller, rules savant, tabletop mover, keeper of the morale table etc.  It gave everyone a job and got us all involved.

The tabletop, complete with Roman Numerals

Terrain diced up

Scenario, pass the cart off the table.

Deploying the terrain

The Roman core force plus an additional Auxilia group.

The Britons core force plus extra chariots.  Britons are the attacker in Roman territory

The Roman deployment zone

Morale.  The Romans 10 the Britons 11

The British deployment zone.  Narrow and it narrowed my thinking about deployment.

Fought with 20mm figures based for Infamy, on a 3ft by 4ft table,
using 2cm to the inch on the ruler made it 4 by 6ft.

The British slingers are first on.  Love these guys.

British Tribal Levy next on.  Should probably have left them off for now.

Overview

Roman Auxilia bowmen come on in skirmish order deploying into the marsh.

Followed by Centurion Appius Viagra and his three groups.

The Romans are joined by the two groups of Auxilia.  All Romans now on table. 

The ordinary warriors come on over the hill.  It's get out of the way you levy idiots,
except that the Warriors card did not come out again for ages after this.  

The big boss Warlord comes on with his chariots

The second chariot group nestles in behind the boss.  It's a right angle battle!
The cart comes on making it to just behind the Levy

The Levy build some fervour

The Big Boss trundles past the Legionaries and has a spear chuck.

He gets some fervour, and it rather goes to his head.

The Levy get a spurt on and the second in command comes
forward to have another spear chuck from his chariots.

At the best of times I am unpredictable, and here I go again,
the boss and his armoured nobles get off their chariots
and charge the Legionaries.  This on a Signa card

They draw the first round but its apparent they will lose their wind and the second round.
I should have fled back to the chariots, but the Signa card activation meant I was locked in.

Defeated in round two and pushed back to the chariots

The Auxilia come forward to "Crowd" the Britons

And the Centurion gets rid of the shock left over from the fight.

The Levy try to threaten the legionaries flank after a devastating Pila throw shocks the Britons Second Boss

Some team members then proceed to show their true colours.
I cant even look at that!

Finally the warbands move off the hill, but the bowmen punish them.

Overview as that damn wagon creeps forward.

The Legion move and Pila the Levy

And the levy pile in.  Unpredictable or rash?

It's a slaughter as the Levy are smashed

The left flank group are broken and flee.

The HaT German command figure on the right flank holds on.

The Warriors come to the aid of the Levy and get stuck in.  
Did you build fervour? I hear you ask.  Nah!

And they get thumped.  The Legionaries pass figures forward to fill the line.

Run away run away.

The remaining warriors break off and get themselves into the marsh. 
 The slingers are the most effective British troops today and have a go at the Legion, adding shock.

Roman drill and around the turn.  The Optio and Centurion both take shock off.

The Big Boss leads the chariot groups in against the Auxilia.  
Its all about saving face at this point.

But I've wised up and the chariots are ready to take me to safety.
These are only Auxilia, how tough can they be?

Pretty tough then.  Run away, run away!

The Britons roll EPIC dice of Homeric proportions. 
The worst seen in many a year!

The end game.  The wagon is lost and so is the battle.

But on a last gasp of pride British Leader 2 piles into the Auxilia.
With predictable results. 

The proper end game.

A steep learning curve that I`m still processing.  I had a plan for the Romans, "Lines Lines Lines."

The Britons didn`t build fervour and allowed the Romans to take the initiative.  Add onto that a poor deployment strategy and they attacked a roman force piecemeal allowing them to recover.

The chariots were and eye opener.  Love the way they are in and out, and the shooting.  The Legionaries, apart from messing up and having shields up when the tribal levies hit them, performed as expected, efficiently.  So did the Auxiliaries.  

Looking ahead?  Maybe some Cavalry and fanatics added into the mix?  have a look at Romans attacking and the Barbarian ambush points?