Dragon Rampant - first few games and thoughts

[dijit]

Been thinking about getting the rules, and your write-up makes them sound like right up my multi-purposing-everything-principle alley.

Thanks! 

Im thinking of getting my hands on them too. We might be able to set something in motion here in Dk with them.
Duncan

[affun]

Im thinking of getting my hands on them too. We might be able to set something in motion here in Dk with them.
Duncan

Our SoBH group in FROB are talking about having some games of Dragon Rampant here in the new year
(Which is great since I am STILL slowly working on that God of Battles/Lion Rampant/Saga army-thing I've been meaning to do for years.)

[Hobgoblin]

Been thinking about getting the rules, and your write-up makes them sound like right up my multi-purposing-everything-principle alley.

Multi-purposing everything is very much the way forward, I think! And yes, these rules are great for that. You can mix multi-based and single-based models with ease, for example.

It's also easy to work up towards full-size units while playing the game. If you have three heroic swordsmen rather than six, for example, you can use them as a reduced-model unit of Elite Foot until you have the other three painted up - at which point you could use them as one full-model unit or two reduced ones. If you want to try out the horse-archer rules but only have one horse archer, you can make him a heroic single-model unit. And so on.

Also, the mixed-weapons rule allows you to field a mix of archers and light infantry as one unit (as in Lion Rampant). I've found that useful while working on a unit of archers; half-way through, you can field them as Scouts (Bidowers in LR) or as half of a Light Foot unit with six melee troops. So, the orc archers in the photos above began their Lion Rampant career as Bidowers and mixed-weapon Light Foot, before progressing to Archer status. In the same way, my orcish Elite Foot will soon be a 12-strong unit of Bellicose Foot with the armour upgrade.

All of which goes to say that it's a great game in terms of "time to table" (the most important element in any wargame in my view). It's very easy to survey a collection of miniatures and say, "well, those can be X, and those can be Y with the Z upgrade - and that can be A as a single-model unit."

[Hobgoblin]

Our SoBH group in FROB are talking about having some games of Dragon Rampant here in the new year
(Which is great since I am STILL slowly working on that God of Battles/Lion Rampant/Saga army-thing I've been meaning to do for years.)

I think SoBH and LR/DR complement each other nicely, as a warband for the former generally makes a suitably sized unit for the latter.

[Hobgoblin]

We played our second formal DR game yesterday afternoon/evening. We rolled for a scenario and got Death Chase. Not ideal for a dining table that's three feet wide at most, especially as we'd decided on 30-point warbands. But we persevered all the same.

The sides were as follows:

The goblins (trying to exit by the far side of the table): 30 points
1 x Armoured Orcs (Bellicose Foot* with Shiny Armour) @ 6 points
1 x Orcs (Bellicose Foot) @ 4 points
1 x Wolfriders (Light Riders) @ 4 points
1 x Night Goblin Archers (Scouts) @ 2 points
1 x Trolls (Bellicose Foot - 4 models) @ 4 points
1 x Giants (Elite Foot - 3 models) @ 6 points
1 x Orc Archers (Light Missiles) @ 4 points

The reptiles (trying to stop them): 33 points (by dint of some miscalculation along the way ...)
1 x Mounted Hero (Elite Riders - 1 model) @ 6 points
1 x Lizardmen led by a Troglodyte (Elite Foot) @ 6 points
1 x Lizardmen (Heavy Foot - 6 models) @ 4 points
1 x Cliff Dragon (Lesser Warbeasts + Flying - 1 model) @ 6 points
1 x Ratmen led by Shaman (Light Foot + Wizardling) @ 5 points
1 x Tyrannosaur (Greater Warbeast) @ 6 points

The game began with the cliff dragon swooping down towards the wolfriders and giants. My son kept the ratmen in reserve, positioning them on a hill towards the west end of the board and forming them up into a wall of spears. He also kept the mounted hero back, but sent the tyrannosaur and lizardmen forward.

Meanwhile, I sent the armoured orcs up the middle, with the wolfriders, scouts and trolls on the right flank and the archers and orcs on the left - the orcs poised to advance through ruins, where their fleet-footedness would serve them well.

The cliff dragon smashed into the advancing wolfriders, but though they were driven back, they held firm and wounded him with a volley of arrows the next turn. Further shots from the scouts dispatched him. But in the meantime, the troglodyte-led lizards had taken up a commanding position in the centre of the road down which the armoured orcs and giants were attempting to advance. A flurry of exchanges followed, with the armoured orcs eventually left in a battered and unralliable state and the giants also depleted. The lizards withdrew, at half-strength but in good order, leaving the tyrannosaur to mop up the giants. This he did, but with severe wounds, and he then succumbed to shooting from the archers and wolfriders.

The withdrawal of the lizards gave the wolfriders the freedom to advance with only the lizard hero blocking their way on the right flank, and the scouts and trolls behind them. But a failed evasion of the hero's charge saw them slaughtered to a goblin. On the unarmoured flank, the orcs had moved through the ruins, but this brought them into Wild Charge range of the ratmen. They duly surged up hill towards the rodents, who were now protected both by higher ground and the Stronger Shields spell. The orcs were repulsed with high losses, but their morale held for another charge - only for some extraordinary rolling to spell their end.

At this point, dinner loomed, and we deemed it diplomatic to end the game. None of the goblins remained past the halfway mark, and the lizard-rat alliance had three units remaining to block the way. The goblin archers, scouts and trolls sought an alternative route, and the reptiles claimed the win.

One of the main features of the game was the difficulty of manoeuvring units in cramped conditions. This isn't a complaint - it's a feature rather than a bug of the rules, and the 3" rule brought out the feeling of a force caught on the march rather than in battle order. The game was particularly challenging - and fun - as a result. I'm keen to give the scenario another go - even on our narrow table.

This was also our first experience of the magic rules. These had a limited but effective role, playing a part in boosting the ratmen's Armour to 5 (!) when combined with a Wall of Spears and the advantage of higher ground: not bad for Light Foot!

[Hobgoblin]

We squeezed in a third game this afternoon, using the "crystal gale" scenario - essentially a treasure hunt. And treasure-hunting, it appears, is the key to engrossing small girls in miniature games: my daughter played the full scenario against my son, before leaving me to take over when we agreed to continue the battle to the death once she had won on crystals gathered.

Our table was probably a bit small for this scenario, as the 3' width allowed the fastest-moving troops to get to the crystals quickly. Nevertheless, it made for a fast, furious and fun game, with the win (on crystals) coming down to a very close call. The "to the death" resolution thereafter went the other way (thought it was equally close), allowing both kids to feel victorious. I've noticed that DR and LR games do tend to be very close - a function, I think, both of the inherent balance in the system (with both sides picking from the same "under the bonnet" rosters) and the fact that most units (Serfs/Ravenous Hordes aside) have different strengths and weaknesses.

We also tried out the magic rules in full for the first time, with my son's reptiles and rats being led by an amphibian sorcerer with some hefty troglodyte henchmen (Elite Foot + Spellcaster). The only spell to feature was Power Bolt, but that had a big - though not unbalancing, given the 10-point cost - impact on proceedings.  

[Hobgoblin]

The forces for the above, by the way were as follows:

Goblins
Bellicose Foot* + Shiny Armour (armoured orcs) @ 6 points
Bellicose Foot (orcs) @ 4 points
Bellicose Foot (trolls: 4-model unit) @ 4 points
Scouts (night goblins) @ 2 points
Light Riders (wolf riders) @ 4 points
Light Missiles (orc archers) @ 4 points

Reptiles and ratmen
Elite Riders* (cold-one rider: single-model unit) @ 6 points
Elite Foot + Spellcaster (slann wizard + troglodyte minders) @ 10 points
Lesser Warbeasts + Flying (cliff dragon: single-model unit) @ 6 points
Light Foot (ratmen) @ 3 points
Ravenous Horde (zombies and skeletons) @ 1 point

I see now that the reptile side was once again overpowered by a couple of points: that's what arises from frantic negotiations with small children eager to cram in their favourite models ...

[Vermis]

And treasure-hunting, it appears, is the key to engrossing small girls in miniature games: my daughter played the full scenario against my son, before leaving me to take over when we agreed to continue the battle to the death once she had won on crystals gathered.

 

Nice set of AARs, and nice scenery to play around. Lovin' that cliff dragon.

[Hobgoblin]

Nice set of AARs, and nice scenery to play around. Lovin' that cliff dragon.

Thanks! The various ruins are "designed" by the kids before each game, explaining their somewhat eccentric layout. I really must finish painting that area of rocks ...

We managed a fourth, much bigger game this afternoon (nothing like a combination of school holidays and Edinburgh weather to encourage such pursuits). This time, the scenario was a straight fight - but with each side consisting of two 24-point warbands. The kids played one each on the same side; I played both sets of opponents. The reason for this was that some of my son's friends are expressing an interest (as are some of their fathers), and I think a multi-player DR game might be the best introduction - probably in a double-header with SoBH. My idea is to have six or eight 12-point warbands arranged into two sides. This was a test for that.

First of all, here are the "teams" awaiting kick-off:

Side 1:
Medusa and followers
Expert Light Missiles + Venomous (Medusa)* @9 points
Greater Warbeast + Flying (Griffin) @8 points
Bellicose Foot (Minotaur, rat ogres and owlbear)   @4 points
Light Foot (Ratmen) @3 points

Reptiles
Elite Foot + Spellcaster* (Slann and troglodyte bodyguards) @10 points
Greater Warbeast (Tyrannosaur) @6 points
Lesser Warbeast + Flying (Cliff dragon) @6 points
Scouts (Snakeman and lesser lizardmen archers) @2 points

Side 2
Orcs:
Bellicose Foot (Orcs) @4 points
Light Foot with Mixed Weapons (Night goblins) @5 points
Offensive Light Foot (Goblin guard) @5 points
Light Riders (Wolf riders) @4 points
Bellicose Foot + Shiny Armour* (Armoured orcs)   @6 points

Chaos warriors, wolves and orcs
Light Missiles (Orc Archers)   @ 4 points
Elite Foot* (Chaos Warriors) @6 points
Bellicose Foot (Trolls - 4 models)   @4 points
Heavy Riders (Wolf riders) @4 points
Lesser warbeasts (wolves) @4 points
Scouts (Orc trackers)   @2 points

The four-player structure worked fine. The game itself swung back and forth, and ended in the very tense finish that we've come to expect from these rules (and enjoy).

[Hobgoblin]

The battle in progress. Medusa proved the game-changer in the end. With Expert and Venomous, she was very hard-hitting from the get-go. My attempts to ride her down with wolfriders came to naught - and her position on the flank allowed her to work her way towards the centre of the field, petrifying all who stood in her way. My chaos warriors (Elite Foot) got close at the end, but then were caught in crossfire from the amphibian wizard. I'd have been better to concentrate my efforts elsewhere, forcing her to come in when I could position units to encircle her. A decent attack by a unit of Fierce Foot covered by a wood would have probably wiped her out in a turn (or at least dented her firepower severely), but she ended the game with all 12 strength points intact (much to my daughter's jubilation).

It occurred to me that the "Expert Light Missiles + Venomous" profile would also work very well for Jadis, the Narnian White Witch. Medusa will certainly be returning to the field, and my son now has designs on a cold-blooded equivalent. I have lots of slann with blowpipes lurking in the lead pile ...

[Hobgoblin]

And the view from the reptile/gorgon side at the start"

[LCpl McDoom]

Thanks Hobgoblin, really enjoyed all of this, and have now purchased the rules. Well done