Keep the Table Tidy: Hidden Activation Markers

In RRtK, each General has a number of Activation Points, corresponding to his modified War Rating.
I keep track of these by giving the Generals poker chips to represent these points, which they surrender to the "bank" as each Body is activated.

However, once activated, that Body MUST move at least 1/2 move towards its target each turn until his terms of engagement are met.

This can be good (more points to spend on getting other Bodies moving) or bad (Oops! I didn't think he'd commit his Reserve to that flank so soon - I am in real trouble!)

This means I needed some way to record which Bodies are Active.

Bearing in mind my dislike, nay revulsion, at cluttered table-tops & my love of magnetic sheets, this is what I came up with.

Thin magnetic sheet, cut from the cheap off-cuts from http://magneticdisplays.co.uk & shaped, then a bit of landscaping done on the front bit which shows when the back bit is magnetically fixed to a steel base (see the basic Activation Markers behind the units)

I position it in the centre of a base to indicate a single unit activated & straddling 2 bases, as shown, to indicate the whole Body is up & running.

Inoffensive to the eye (beautiful, even, some might say...), easy to make & use - what's not to like?

Keep the Table Tidy: Hidden Hit Markers

Now, I am the first to admit to more than a little OCD (or CDO as it SHOULD be rendered - alphabetically...) but I have always have a thing about keeping any "foreign objects" off the table while playing. I hate to see games obscured by rule sets, order chits, piles of dice - even those used as markers - curtain rings on figures denoting casualties, cups & bottles, car keys etc

When I played in 28mm or even 15mm. I made up simple markers for games with info written on the bottom & the top landscaped, maybe with a visual clue to the marker's ID such as the number of stones denoting the hits taken, or in some cases, went as far as painting up specialist figures or even vignettes to do the job.

RRtK presented a problem, though, as Bodies are made up of 1 or more Units - each Unit being a single base, 40mm x 25mm - each of which has to have its hits recorded individually, to be used in Reaction Tests & to indicate when it is spent & must leave the field.

This is what I came up with.

Firstly, as I base all of my new figures on steel bases (I get mine from Jim at productsforwargamers.com  a lovely bloke who will do custom sizes if you ask him nicely) in order to store them in my huge collection of Really Useful Boxes (horribly expensive in the UK if bought from Staples but about 1/3 the price at Rymans), lined by thin magnetic sheets to keep everything in place, especially during transit - I can even turn the boxes upside down safely!

Jim does these too, but I get mine from Coritani at magnetic displays.co.uk as they originally made them for me custom sized for the RUBoxes & now do them as standard. They also sell off-cuts cheaper which I use for my markers. Coupled with their extra-thin steel paper, I record hits on the underside of bases.

Just need to make up a few small squares with numbers on - remember to do a lot of "loose change" - & away we go. It has the added advantage of a bit of fog of war, as I sometimes forget that my Knights or whatever have already taken 4 hits so are close to breaking & order them in for a charge.

The hit are not kept secret from your opponent, either - they are revealed every time a unit takes Reaction - but it's surprising how many times he might be held at bay by a nearly spent unit because he's forgotten how mauled they are. Such fun...

5 of my 12 Nations for the mega RRtK semi-Historical solo Campaign.

Castellian Army. Based on my original historical El Cid Spanish. Not much changed with this one. Mostly Undisciplined troops & weak missile units.

Caliphate Army. An amalgam of many Muslim Armies of the El Cid period. Another of my Historical pair. I am in the process of dividing them up into 3 distinct Armies, the Almohads (including al-Andalus) in the West, the Seljuqs in the East, with the Ayyubid Sultanate in the centre, all part of the mighty Muslim Empire in my alternate timeline.

The Brethren. Based on the Teutonic Knights in Livonia with some Fanatic Red Brethren & Acolytes but plenty of Order foot soldiers as well as Subject Foot & Light Horse.

The Golden Horde. Mongol invasion army. Note Chinese Levy Foot on their Left & the Rocket Launcher in the centre. [I'm probably on a watch list after googling Muslim Caliphates & Chinese Rocket Launchers...]

Altengard Army. Based (very) loosely on the Holy Roman Empire, famous for being neither Holy, Roman or an Empire. Relying on lots of Mercenaries (Swiss Pikes & Hand-Gonnes, Brabançon Spears & Crossbows, Bohemian Light Cavalry) so plenty of potential for skulduggery if the Mercenaries decide to go on strike or even make a bid for power.

With the Caliphate army split into 3 Nations, that actually makes 7 down, 5 to go.

I have started my "Polish" army, bringing Winged Hussars forward in my universe to fight alongside Tabors (I LOVE Warwagons!) & Dual Armed Town Militia with Pavise. Also got plenty of Longbows in to start my "English" Voulgiers for my "French" more Pikes for my "Papal States" (can't wait for an anti-Pope to rise up...) & still searching for the right figures for my pre-gunpowder "Muscovy". Once they are all in place, with a basic 200pts army plus whatever the first Recruitment Rolls bring up, I'll post pics & get the Campaign proper underway. The idea is to re-roll for Recruitment every year & paint up what is needed before commencing so I can start asap & build up the armies as I go.

After that: finish my 6 Nations Maurice War of the Austrian Succession armies (if I live that long)

I am also very happy with my new terrain, both how it is generated & how I have actualised it.

Using 10mm figures has its advantages in that I can use a smaller board for most games.
For RRtK it is 3'x3' & a defender can choose which of the 4 sides to deploy on. Of course, the attacker may refuse, trying to outflank you, but if he does so too many times, he will forfeit his attack & reduce his National Morale - not a good thing to do.

The basic 3'x3'

3D terrain pieces. They do not have to be pretty, just reasonably precise in their measurements.

The bare bones of a terrain selection with a Gulley in the left foreground & right background, a River running through it & a few hills, one quite high, giving 5 seperate levels (count 'em)

The same table, dressed with a Cigar Box Battlemat & with Woods, Impassable Rocky Ground & the actual blue River adorning the field, plus 2 or 3 fields for show, in this case.

The Brethren prepare to resist the onslaught of the Golden Horde as they sweep across the River.

Not too bad, huh?

Rally Round the King

I have completed my article for Lone Warrior about my search for the best solo experience
(Spoiler Alert: it's Two Hour Wargames' Rally Round the King) & hope it will be out in September.

In the meantime, here's some pics of my units in action.

This is a selection of the things a Casting Group of Magic Users could try to Summon. 

From left to right: Ghostly Warriors from the Past, foot & mounted (suitably enshrouded in fog) Undead Skeletons & behind them a couple of Major Demons, all being faced by one very brave (foolish) Hero, one Ragnar the Red. (soon renamed the Red-Faced)

The Guild of Artillery, keepers of the secret of gunpowder, hire out their Cannon to whoever will pay.

They have you over a barrel...

A clash of ideologies. The Golden Horde attack across the river to take on the Brethren. 

A selection of those for hire at the Spring Market. Varangian Warriors (yes, they ARE viking types with horned helmets! This IS fantasy, after all) Mercenary Pikemen & the new-fangled Hand-Gonnes. You might also pick up one or more Magic Users (depending on your Tech & Mana Level & a random roll) or, if you are really lucky, a handsome Hero all of your own - swoon!

A very large Caliphate Army, with many Mercenaries prepares to advance on the enemy.

Ragnar the Red & Cucillian the White engage in Heroic Combat before the battle. Macho or what?

Earlier in the day, they had enjoyed a picnic. Then work got in the way.

When shall we three meet again (boys only night) as 3 Magic Users meet outside the pub.

More to come...