Help on Leadership

[Dave T]

I've only just started playing the IHMN rules (using the explorer Major Bigglesworth and his hunting friends Algy & Ginger) and would like some help on a point.

The rules say you can only have 2 characters with the leadership talent, but a number of the provided companies list a number of characters with the talent.

Does this rule not apply to the 'official' companies, do you drop the leadership skill from some characters or can Inspector Lestrade never stalk London with Homes and Watson?

all the best, Dave T

[Craig]

Hi Dave,

The rule was put in place to encourage people not to stuff their companies with characters and ignore the necessary, but often less exciting, troops.

In the case of Scotland Yard there is nothing to stop you having Lestrade with one of the deducing duo... which brings us to the more important point.

Our rules should be looked on as guidelines, not commandments. If you want to play Holmes, Watson and Lestrade in a single company, and your friends do not object, then simply do so.  See page 7 'The power of rules'

We actively encourage people to use the rules as they see fit so they enjoy playing them and weaving their own narratives.

[Dave T]

Thanks for the clarification, it makes some of the companies a lot more attractive as they will have the right characters heading them to give the right feel. 

On the two games I've had so far the native bearers were indispensible to the Explorers.  Their speed meant rifle troops had to stop to get a chance to hit them as they ran around, their numbers for melee causing problems if they didn't. In my second game it was a trusty bearer who skewered the dragon lady from behind as she focussed on the hunter.

[Irishrover13]

Dave from your experience how do the purely melee do getting across the field? Do you find they need a great deal of fire support? I am currently working on a Japanese sword school and there is no ranged in the group.  I have had mixed results with them so far and that has been against my novice wargaming friend and since you use native bearers I thought I would get your opinion on it.

[Dewbakuk]

I've used some purely melee forces and they work fine. That is assuming you have plenty of terrain and are playing on the recommended 3ft area? Water Bullets is a useful mystic power to have, as is Zone of Shadows if you don't have much cover.

[Dave T]

I wouldn't really call 2 games experienced and my opponent had only a few more games. More observations from major Bigglesworth diary on a successful foray.  I had 5 bearers with an explorer and 2 hunters with hunting rifles. My opponent had british rifles. The bearers ran ahead using cover (their speed of 2 gives a good distance or negated most terrain penalties) and tried to gang up on individuals on the edges. You asked about closing, they were doing 11" a turn (6" base + 2" speed + 3" run). They were on the first rifleman by turn 2 or 3 for no losses.

Rather than being gunned down by the rifles in best cinema tradition, what I found was if the opponents rifles moved, then most couldn't hit the bearers. If the rifles stayed still it was still hard to hit the bearers with cover bonus and run bonus, and they became sitting ducks for the hunters who were out of their military rifles range.   The hunters could also fire into melee without hitting the bearers. I'm sure some of the samurai could have the hunting skill to provide similar cover with bows.  The rifles had to close up and advance 'by the numbers'  which slowed their progress down so I could take down Mad jack and leave the field. Casualties in the 5 bearers was high though as eventually massed rifles and baynets took their toll.

My second game was facing the dragon tong delivering a message, which had similar levels of melee troops. Keeping with a buddy proved a good tactic so you always get a hit in.

The terrain and objective type would make a big difference on how well a melee only company would work, but I could see it being effective.   

[Irishrover13]

Dave I have had three games myself. All of them against a friend of mine who is more into warmachine then he is into skirmish games so he does not try that hard to play just end it quickly so his Khadorians can kick my swans around.

It is hard to judge the success of a company when the rifle armed enemy russians just charge into close combat and rarely shoots it tends to be a blood bath and often one side since my Swordsmen/women cut them apart.

Though he may be starting to get into the game because he has started to create a company, "The New Modal Russian Land army." He is slowly stating out his winter Guards, Snipers, field pieces, Calvary, warcasters as siberian shamans/captains and some of the warjacks as russian "walkers".