Irregular Wars Wargaming

In a rare alignment of the stars, I have been working on a very simple game through work: Mountsandal , a game of hunting and gathering for 1-6 players. This game has been created to help engage Key Stage II and III pupils (8-13 year olds) with the history of Ireland’s first people. It was developed under the auspices of Causeway Coast and Glens Museum Service as part of The Royal Society’s Places of Science programme. In Mountsandel , players take on the role of Mesolithic people struggling to survive in Ireland almost 10,000 years ago. Living in the Middle Stone Age, at a time before farming or permanent homes, the Mesolithic people moved between different camps at different times of the year depending on what food they could hunt or gather. This game is named after the local archaeological site of Mountsandel, on the River Bann near the modern town of Coleraine. Mountsandel is the site of the earliest known settlement on the island of Ireland, dating back to around 7,...

The most challenging part of creating a fantasy skirmish game is building mechanisms to make dungeon crawling fun and challenging, while still engaging all players with smooth mechanics. The dungeon crawling rules for FS have been through multiple iterations now, switching between matched and asymmetrical parties, from hidden movement, to free-flowing visibility and back again. At this point, we feel the balance is about right, although further testing is, of course, going to be required!  Last week we played a three-player dungeon crawl, with two parties of adventurers attempting to raid the same dungeon through different entrances. Re-instituting hidden movement, my poor denizens were represented by mini playing cards until an adventurer came withing line of sight, when their true nature was revealed. Jim took a 100 point party of gnomes (top centre), Andy T controlled 100 points of Japanese bandits (centre right), will I had 200 points of kobolds dispersed throughout the dungeo...

Part 2 - Frommage hopes for the best Soon the village was buzzing with news about the Monster attack at Everdene Farm. The dead Wolf and Barghest told the story, and Everdene added more information later, as she got better. It’s a busy time of the year throughout Rutlandshire as the harvest must be gathered-in during the next few weeks. All available hands are put to this work, including village folk who pick up seasonal employment out in the fields. There are even folk come from Leicestershire, leading to suspicious glances and mutterings in some quarters. Bloody immigrants. So news of the outrage comes at the worst possible time. But the local authorities (Uriah Heep the Reeve & Obadiah Slope the Curate) scrape together whom they can and a scratch Watch is put on night patrol. Some of these Watch-folk have bought extra equipment with funds, including bounty pay, c/f from earlier games. And here they are (L to R) (Photo #1) - Margaret Pole Goodwife: Doubting, Penitent, Strong. Hal...

Part 1 - Everdene Farm Everdene Farm is a couple of miles from Frommage, in south Rutlandshire. With the start of the harvest season only a week or so off, and the usual band of seasonal workers expected, the farm instead received a less welcome visit. But although surprised it was not unprepared. Bathsheba, the tenant farmer, is an experienced hunter. Her farm workers Dogberry and Turncoat are both former soldiers and members of the Watch, tho rostered off duty this month because of the imminent harvest. When some of the farm’s flock of sheep were found one morning torn to pieces, and the sheep dogs terrified, the three of them knew what they were up against and prepared for the fray. Here are the Hunters as portrayed in the anonymous pamphlet Ye Devil went into Rutland Shire (c1642). Everdene was portrayed as a man (Woodcut #1) and her Christian name was suppressed, so readers wouldn’t be scandalised or imbibe any socially dangerous ideas.   Bathsheba Everdene Goodwife: Lustful,...

A second demi-marine is ready to join the Flores Minor Ranger Corps - my space halflings of various origins. She is another cut-down-to-size Games Workshop Mark VI space marine with some gentle conversion using green stuff and random bits from the bits box.  Together with Bunker, she marks a small side project to add to my space halflings with a few more wee chaps and chapesses. When times are rough, halflings can always be relied on to lighten the mood! More to come in due course.