Starting a 1066 Hastings project (12mm).

[Norm]

Well not quite yet, but my blogs sets out the plan.

Link - http://battlefieldswarriors.blogspot.co.uk/2017/03/1066-project.html

[Norm]

That's OK, it does have the potential to be one sided and when I started out on my boardgame design (many  years ago - 2000!), I initially did a solitaire system in which the system played Harold - anyway things moved on and I feel pretty happy that the game I ended up with works fine as a fun two player game.

It seems that you need an emotional connection to get into the game, for William it is a very hard fought battle, where victory always feels just one turn away and for Harold, it is holding on for dear life, with fear that collapse is just one turn away. It is then the managing of forces to try and get that last push that becomes engaging for both players. Both players should care, if you can get that, then there is no reason for the game to be boring.

I also have Impetuous counter-attacks by the Anglo - Saxons, Feigned cavalry attacks by the Normans,  and morale / rout is built around casualties and warrior class / nationality, so just before mid game, routs start to happen in individual locations and while this breakdown starts slowly, it starts to escalate over a number of turns and it becomes a question of which side will collapse first.

In the boardgame, the map is around 20 hexes wide, so this creates a lot of individual locations where different things are happening. Both players will likely have serious problems in some places, while they do well in others, so there is a lot of nuance in the game - the problem I may have in my figure game is that the width of the battlefield  (12 hexes) might undermine that element of play.

The usability of the armies outside Hastings is not such an issue for me, I have the Vikings to consider and would also like to do a 1066 campaign system, in which case alternatives to Hastings will likely fall out of that.

Lastly, a lot of my gaming is about figures on hexes on smaller tables, I like promoting that way of gaming and I think that Hastings as a good recognisable action, will help demonstrate some of the advantages of a hexed battlefield.

I hope you enjoy what follows and that you Dark Age interests get a tickle. Cheers Norm.

[Norm]

Yes, I am fairly confident that the subject can be covered at an interesting level, but it does need 'getting into' a deeper level rather than playing at the superficial level. The hardest part will be sticking with it while I paint up the armies :-)

[Eric the Shed]

Interesting docu drama on the BBC at the moment about 1066 with Dan Snow - worth checking out on iplayer

[Norm]

Hi, thanks, watched part 1 last week (part 2 tomorrow evening) and thought it was a fair stab at a fresh presentation. The three historians role playing around the table felt a bit strange, but as part of the mix, I thought it all came across quite well. I am surprised this was not done for last year, it being the 950th anniversary etc.

[Breazer]

If i had to guess i'd say the series was likely planned for last year but not finished in time.