The Loose Association of Wargamers

Those who know me, know I tend to avoid profanity - nothing smug or superior about it: others can speak as they like. Just a personal preference.

However, circumstances bring me to the "F" word. Fantasy.

Next Friday, my home-groan Dark Ages rules will get their first run. It will pit Late Romans/Arthurians against Saxons. The rules, as written, are straight historical but even when writing them, it occurred to me that I could add a mild magic element.

Provided everything goes OK, I thought I might devise a few extra rules, a few extra figures? I am a complete tyro with regards to Fantasy. I've never had a game of anything in the genre. So, period-specific suggestions?

And how to apply them? Cards seem obvious but could a side get an arsenal of 2-3 powers they can apply at their preference?

I don't want to add legions of orcs etc but a few figures would be mandatory...a Merlin etc? Umm....who makes 20 mm Dark Age fantasy figures?

donald

I would differentiate priests of Roman gods, Saxon priests (how did they worship the germanic pantheon - did priests have a franchise from a specific god or did they invoke them all?) followers of the Celtic ways and the New fangled lot with their three gods who are one who eat human flesh and drink human blood.

Specific effects can be reductions or benefits to morale, death dealing of various sorts, summoning a hero, or limited invisibility for a unit, free passage through forest for a unit. I'm sure I could think of others with some time.

I would track energy with a 1-6 die, each turn you cast a spell you lose energy which can only be returned by resting. Acolytes might be able to recharge a point per turn at the cost of two of their own.

In Dux Brit, Sitric Curse-Spitter, my Saxon Soothsayer can ‘curse’ a unit within 9” - basically causing 1D3 shock

Merlin can ‘magically’ cure 1D3 shock.

Suppose you could also use them to add fervor to a charge, instill fear in the enemy thereby reducing combat effectiveness or ‘rally’ broken units. Lots of little tweaks that aren’t game changing based on the superstitions of the time

And they expand on that quite significantly in the 2015 xmas special. It’s exactly your period, and as Jeremy says it’s “plausible superstition “ rather than world breaking magic. Definitely worth a fiver to have a look https://toofatlardies.co.uk/product/201 ... s-special/

Some great suggestions. I'll put some thought into this.

Finding some suitable figures might be a challenge.

donald

Druids, Roman Priesta and those of the New God who is three Gods shouldn't be too hard (Aiefix friar Tucks?) but I have no idea what a saxon priest of Thor would look like.

I'd go for magic that has a psychological effect only ie. It works because people believe it does.
That doesn't mean that you can't have things which makes people think they've seen or dragon or think they can't move. Anyone whose seen documentaries on 'faith' healing etc... will know that collective delusion and a compulsion to see or feel something often trumps what is actually happening.

grizzlymc wrote: ↑Sat Dec 05, 2020 10:50 am Druids, Roman Priesta and those of the New God who is three Gods shouldn't be too hard (Aiefix friar Tucks?) but I have no idea what a saxon priest of Thor would look like.

Grizz, have a look at Footsore Miniatures. They have the entire range from near and tidy to wild eyed in rags brandishing a cross

grizzlymc wrote: ↑Sat Dec 05, 2020 10:50 am Druids, Roman Priesta and those of the New God who is three Gods shouldn't be too hard (Aiefix friar Tucks?) but I have no idea what a saxon priest of Thor would look like.

Luckily neither does anyone else so anything that looks reasonable will do the job

I like my Early Saxon/Viking soothsayers to look the part - bushy beards, skulls, severed heads whilst Arthurian and Later Saxon more ‘monkish’