Vikings vs Saxons playtest

Thanks for the photos, Chris!  I'll try to upload mine later in the day.

Thanks, too, to all who played.  We managed to get in three or four turns, and had ten people show up, which was terrific for a game test.  

Eric and Co.,

I thought the game test was a great opportunity for us to try the rules and give the game masters (Jim Flanagan and Chris Penney) our thoughts on how it went.  I think your post-game reflections add to that body of work.  I dont think anyone will be offended by what you have to say.

Game testing and scenario design...we all have ideas about the period, about rules mechanics we like or dont like, what we hope for in a game, different opinions about what life was really like 1200 years ago based on our readings, etc.  Its a healthy process of push and pull, sharing ideas, and, hopefully, coming together in the end with what turns out to be a good game.  I prefer like units and am concerned with the pace of the game too.  I think Jim and Chris heard that from three or four of us yesterday out of the nine people playing.  

I'm sure that as people come forward with their observations, that Jim and Chris will continue to consider feedback from players throughout the game testing, and then do what they think is best for the game.  At the end of the day, they have to run it so they have to be comfortable with it.

Thanks for posting!  Hopefully, others will add their thoughts too.

Okay, here are a few photos...

I thought the rules more or less worked the way they should to capture the spirit of a skirmish game.
If we start grouping troops by weapon type or have unit vs unit melee resolution, it becomes a battle game, not a skirmish game. If the rules are simple enough, the players will pick it up and resolve combats themselves.
The only recommendation I'd make other than the ones I made at the game is to drop variable movement rates for different armor types. It's only an inch or two, and it leads to needless micromanaging of the movement phase. Just roll 2 or 3 dice for movement for each group of figures.

FWIW, Warhammer Historical Battle's Shieldwall supplement has rules for units of mixed quality and weapons. I'm not advocating anything else about the game, but even GW seems to think hodge-podge units are a feature of Dark Ages combat.

Hello.
It is my considered opinion that "like-armed" is a misnomer in any period where the mass of combat takes place with large numbers of pointy objects.

Whether hoplite phalanx or the pike in a pike-and-shot battle, the vast majority of fighting and killing takes place with swords and the like. The pole arm is too cumbersome once the initial contact is over.

If this is to be a skirmish game, then you are pretty much stuck with man-to-man die rolls for melee unless you alter what's going on by some artificial means to make it simpler.

I suspect, from all I have gotten so far on this particular scenario, that the game is quite large for the type. We have all seen this before (playing out Gettysburg with a 1 figure = 20 men set, for example). The key is one of the following:

(1) getting a large number of players and a set of rules that they can learn and play out fairly quickly,

(2) going to a more abstract system which sacrifices detail for speed, or

(3) having a game that plods a bit.

Good luck in any case. My hope is for #1.

Bob Bailey

Hey guys Im currently working on finding rules set that will work easily and effectively during a convention setting there's some good things found here
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/forgeofwar/  and at the lead adventure forum http://www.lead-adventure.de/index.php

The first group has a system of "one page rules" to freely print out on my different eras maybe some of these rule sets can be used in whole or in part. I have two projects that need something special the first is a tabletop convention game for the PC & X-box game "Fall-out 3" its a sci fi post apocalyptic setting and the other is a Victorian Sci Fi themed game based on the movie "zulu dawn" but played out on Venus and having the natives being parotmen( 40K kroot) instead of Zulu warriors. Both of these "convention games" will be using a mix of rules that are simple, easy to pick up and work well at a open convention format were folks can just jump in... finding that balance was easy using some of these web sites and going thru the awesome rule sets available on-line often for free. Ive enjoyed reading your post and feel we maybe going thru similar trials and wanted to share some resources if found to be helpful, Im looking forward to playing in your game see you at HUZZAH 2011 : )
Gordon

It looks like it is coming right along!

Very cool!

Happy Holidays!

- Andre