The naked and the bronze

On Saturday, I was able to run (and play) one of my aborted Enfilade! games. It was planned both at Enfilade! and here as an intimate four-player affair using the Tribal rules and my beloved 40mm Northern European Bronze Age minis, but it generated a lot of interest, so it to grew to an eight-player mob scene. Four players with normal warbands is about the max I have figures for, so I enlisted Troy Wold to bring his collection and together we were able to create eight small warbands.

Side A, all using my figures, were Eric Donaldson, Dean Motoyama, me, and Kevin Smyth. Side B, using Troy's figures (and one warband using mine), were Gene Anderson, Troy, Scott Abbott, and Mark Wensnahan. Everyone had four units (warlord, hero, warriors, marksmen) and two honor points.

I modeled the terrain after the site of a large prehistoric battle that took place in Tollense Valley ca. 1300 B.C., only my river was less loopy. If I'd had more setup time, I'd have added loopy bit, but straight as an canal worked in a pinch.

I meant to bring a little bridge to span the river. Tollense seems to have been fought over/around a wooden causeway that spanned the river and marshy ground around it. As it was, I used a ford piece of river that became a rather fiercely contested place in the game.

Side A won initiative on the first turn and Dean galloped his horsemen across the river in a bold bid to sweep Scott's troops away. He wound up getting shot at and attacked. He was shortly reduced to a single horseman remaining.

The action around the ford was fast and furious compared to the slow dance that went on on our end. I used my nifty objective cards that I had professionally printed up. 

My objective was On This Day We Die. It's pretty cool, but I was at a disadvantage. I started every player with a pool of two honor points. I soon realized that getting two of my units killed would cause me to lose by getting to zero honor points. I had to gain a few honor points before I could afford to get everyone killed.

The moment I realized it was just after I got my warriors unit killed (not intentionally) by Troy's spearmen. He pulled a combat deck entirely of high black cards and I pulled a pitiful deck. After surrendering the blood payment, I had only one honor point to go and three units left to die, including my warlord who would have to surrender two honor points as blood payment.

To add to my dilemma, Troy had a standard bearer with the Rally Round The Flag skill. Essentially, beating his units in combat would gain me no honor points. Only killing them would because I'd get blood payment from him. Troys troops stood at the river's edge mocking me.

Heedless to good sense, I threw my warlord and hero in against Troy, won neither combat, but got well bashed for it. At that point, I pulled back. Unknowingly, that triggered Troy, whose objective was to kill my warlord with his warlord or hero. He had to follow me, which took him out of range of his standard bearer's effect. I managed to win a couple combats and pick up a few honor points.

Kevin and Gene went cautiously towards each other across the stream. I have no idea what their objectives were, but I assume they were acting in pursuit of them (although I do not assume the same for myself). They eventually wound up in several clashes that pushed Gene back across the river, only to reappear.

As the fighting at the ford intensified, Dean became the first casualty when his warband's honor points fell to zero. 

He had little left at the time, but it all went away, leaving Eric alone against two warbands.

Back in my world, my clashes with Troy's hero and warlord were going better for me. I managed to get a few wins, which put my honor point total right for getting all my units slaughtered. Ultimately, the battle came down to fighting between our warlords and heroes. For me, they were y only viable fighting units, battered though they were. For Troy, he needed to kill my warlord to win.

It was a near run thing, but in the end, I killed his warlord and that pesky standard bearer for the loss of my warlord. At this point, I went atomic and charged my wounded hero against Troy's undefeated spearmen, and lost as I assumed he would.

Troy ended the game with his spearmen and archers intact. The archers stayed on his side of the river, mostly providing fire support for the fight at the ford. My archers, who'd done good service whittling away at Troy's warlord and hero, attempted suicide against Troy's spearmen, but he was on to me. I survived the game with a lone archer alive, thus losing my bid.

By this time, the fight at the ford had petered out. Eric had a badly diminished hero and a unit of slingers. He kept the hero and hiding and was stalking Mark's warlord, who was going from one hiding place to another seeking refuge from flying rocks.

I was a great game and everyone had a good time. Tribal is catching on with several players, who are buying the rules and planning warbands. We have a Tribal game day coming up later this month in Tacoma. We'll be creating Tribal warbands from our existing Saga armies. I hoping for a small 2-round tournament this summer.