I’ve finally been able to run a solo game of the Retinue rules I wrote. Reginald II found himself pitted against Sir Percy of Latchwell; both knights sought to capture Eldrina of Corkburrough, a local landlady whose strong political influence has been turning the residents of the area (noble and humble alike) against the king.
Setup:
I rolled dice for the two lances, and Percy was much luckier, with a 4 for his Retinue as compared to Reggie’s 2. I decide to split the points evenly and give each lance that many 1 HP soldiers. Below are their lists.
The game had a few modifications such as my encounter “blips” (explained near the end of this post), and the addition of peasant units who were affiliated with Eldrina the landlady, and not either Lance.
A view of the board. I used a cork board to provide a portable surface in case the dining room table was needed, and some old blocks to create buildings—terrain pieces are a bit scarce for me, and I’m alright using my imagination.
The Northwest corner finds Sir Percy entering through the woods, while the Southwest finds Sir Reginald II proceeding through the village. On the Eastern side of the battlefield we find the church and the ruins of Corkburrough castle. Through the center of the field runs a river.
Views from both knights and the western side of the village.
A couple of peasants load up an ox-drawn cart (presumably for Lady Eldrina’s escape), while two more take up position in the ruins, ready to loose their arrows toward the bridge. Note the encounter blip; there are three on the field, one in the ruins, one in the church courtyard, and one in the church sanctuary. If Eldrina is not found in the first two, then she is automatically placed at the third.
The first two turns find Reginald and his men moving swiftly behind the village toward the river ford, while Sir Percy uses the “Issue Order” ability to help speed his men through the forest (they were moving at 1/2 speed on account of the “Crowded” terrain).
By turn 3, Percy’s archers were able to slip around the forest at full speed while his infantry and made it to the edge of the wood. His poor Yeoman, Pierre-Antoine was still trudging through the center of the wood. Meanwhile, Reginald had crossed the river Ford and was preparing to strike the peasants near the church.
With Percy’s archers removed from play, the two lances are more evenly matched in number. A lucky break for Reginald before combat heats up.
Reginald barrels into the peasants preparing the cart. I decided to roll morale (something that I need to add to the next draft of the rules), with 1-3 causing them to take cover in the church and 4-6 seeing them hold their ground. A perfect 6 is rolled, so the peasants stand firm in defense of their ox and in the name of their Lady Eldrina.
Meanwhile, just as Percy’s billmen arrive on the bridge one is dispatched by Reginald’s deadeye archers! After the lances’ turn comes the peasants, who are finally activated by Reginald’s charge (which slew one dagger-wielding plebeian).
With his Retinue defeated before they even got to strike (due to poor initiative rolls), Sir Percy is hard-pressed to find Eldrina and abscond with her!
Be sure to check the next post for the thrilling conclusion!
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