Dragon Rampant Action

Some Dragon Rampant action this week at the club to close out September.  I painted this army during this year's painting challenge but they haven't been out of the box since March - I'd forgotten how much I like them.  I played agains against Aled with his Gondor themed heavy Human army (also painted during the challenge).    We also used an additional rule from the blog of rules author Dan Mersey and each took a Battle Banner.  I placed mine with my Commander's unit:


New Upgrade: Holy Men & Banners

‘Holy Men & Banners’ special characters

• Available to: Any unit except for Skirmishers or Villagers; units containing your Leader may not take this upgrade.
• Cost: 1 point per unit.
• Maximum of 1 special character per unit.
• Special characters may not transfer between units.
• Replace one ordinary model in the unit with a special character. This special character moves, fights, and acts in all ways like any other model in the unit.
• Units with a special character gain +1 to all Courage tests (in the same way as, and in addition to, being within 12” of their Leader – see page 11 of the rulebook).
• Test for the death of special characters in the same way as Leader Lucky Blows.
• A player killing an opposing unit’s special character gains +1 Glory.

Source: http://merseybooks.blogspot.com.au/2016/01/landwasters-and-raven-feeders-official.html

We played Scenario C but after Aled fumbled his first two turns and my army gobbled up 2/3 of the tokens we adjusted it so that the units that took the treasures kept them and once all treasures were taken we had d6 turns to get off the table with them.  That turned it into a much more balanced game.

We used a river as a long linear obstacle with a bridge and 2 fords to focus the action

The Action was thick and fast in the centre, where my Offensive Heavy foot, lead by my leader and with the Banner boosting courage tests, held out against repeated Heavy Horse charges.  They were eventually driven back with heavy casualties, unbattered and still holding their treasure token proudly.

"You shall not pass!"...except they eventually did, as they had boasted!  :-)

On the left flank I wanted to crush the impudent humans who stood against me, but Aled's placement of his Heavy Foot (with war banner) in a Wall of Spears near the ford was masterful and bottlenecked me badly.  My Heavy Horse was decimated and a lesser warbeast destroyed before he too pulled back in good order.  Songs of Honour and Valour would be sung in the Gondor camp that night

Stoic Gondor holds out on the left flank against the odds!

In the end, I held 6 tokens to Aled's 3, but he achieved a Glory boast and inflicted a lot more casualties upon me.  

I would call it a draw or a pyrrhic victory at best.  Great fun to get the DR toys out again!