BOYL The Engines of Avalone Siege game

[Mister Rab]

I have always wanted to play a decent siege game so I'm absurdly excited about this. I've spent this evening attacking a bunch of arquebusiers with some paint (although, a quick glance under my proper lamp as opposed to the sitting room's intimate ambience, perhaps not as much accuracy as I'd like ) and dreaming of heroic sallying forth actions to raid the siege lines.

I blame Helm's Deep, Minas Tirith, Jean d'Arc at Orleans, and that glorious gaming table image at the start of Siege.

If we're having too much fun to stop, do you think we could carry on into Sunday?

 

[Thantsants]

I'm getting a bit giddy about it too - got my entire Goblinoid horde sat on the table to sort out what needs painting - pics up some time soon...

Keep on with the references - I would recommend having a good list of quotes to shout at opportune moments in the game.

Once more into the breach and all that!

There's nothing to stop you guys carrying on - I've got an artillery company or two to command in the big Epic game so will have give that my attention on Sunday.

Unless my Deathstrike missiles overshoot and land on your Halflings of course

 

[Just John]

This is all looking very tasty Found some geese too.

I can't believe what I'm reading, twice as much food, starve twice as quick! The eagles will have to do air drops, of course if they get too close they might end up as food themselves

BTW wheres this sign up thread?

 

[Thantsants]

You're on it!

I'm keeping a list on the first page of this thread so I can find it again. You'll find yourself already signed up

Eagles doing airdrops... I reckon there's a Bridge Too Far reference in there somewhere...

Mind you won't the geese just fly off if the Eagles try and drop them over the castle?

Mr Furious does have a huge amount of cavalry to come to your rescue if that's any recompense and I'm sure your Treemen will make short work of any Gobbos getting in the way of a nice lamb chop.

 

[Thantsants]

Had a think about table size and how much stuff we can get on there.

If we go for a Marcher castle I reckon that'll cover about 3.5 x 4 ft. If each farm had a building and defendable farmyard with a perimeter wall or palisade that was A4, along with an A4 field attached then each one would be 12 x 18" - a bit bigger than a square foot.

Coppices would probably take up a similar amount of room.

I think a 6 x 12 ft table would fit the bill nicely - castle in the middle with 5 or 6 farms dotted around it along with 3 or 4 coppices. Plenty of hedges, walls and palisades should result in some pretty hard fought skirmishes as well as the actual assault on the castle.

Just hope there's enough room to push the siege tower to the castle gates!

 

[Mr Furious]

Yeah, what he said! This is sounding awesome. I always wondered why the tables were configured strangely for St Gerdas Feast Siege...and I'm beginning to get a pleasant inkling.

I looked at my cavalry, needing rebasing (why doesn't anywhere stock that same baby gravel?), repainting, finishing (why do I hate horses?) or just plain painting...then decided time could be better spent looking for a head for my brave leader of men:

 

[Just John]

You're on it!

Ah yes well I knew that, just checking if you did too

On table size go for as big a table as possible and fill it with scenery. Not sure if theyve been mentioned before but coir mats for fields of crops, floor tiles for ploughed fields, houses, latrines (every village needs at least 1) We can always play on a smaller area within it then. Or you could have a fortified tower in another part of the table holding out to the last hobbit. Valiant relief forces. Rescue the chef. Plenty of opportunity for derring do.

 

[Thantsants]

Nah - this is Brave Sir Robin



He accounted for himself well during the Great Exodus from Baron Hasbor's benighted realm by slaying a Chaos Sorcerer with his trusty bow.

Mind you he hadn't been able to hit a barn door before that so he must have been able to control his trembling somehow!

Cheers John - thanks for keeping me on my toes

All great ideas - I can see muddy hallways sweeping the land as doormats mysteriously disappear overnight...

Corrugated card works quite well for ploughed fields too -



We're going to need some floor plans for the buildings and the towers in the castle - good point.

 

[Just John]

Excellent, now all that has been sorted lets get down to the important stuff - food. What time shall pre breakfast be at? Then there's breakfast, 2nd breakfat, elevenses, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner (4 course minimum) and supper to take into account. Plus the occasional snack.

A lunch break would be a good idea. Do the Foundry cater for odd dietary requirements, what with me being a goddamn leftie vegetarian.

 

[Thantsants]

Are you sure you'll have any time left for gaming there John?

I reckon they might be able to do you a bit of wafer thin ham...

I'll pass that on John and I'm sure that won't be a problem - lunch last time was a selection of sandwiches.

 

[Mister Rab]

what with me being a goddamn leftie vegetarian.

Well, that makes two of us.

 

[Flippa]

My wifes a veggie... bane of my existence to be honest. We've not been able to agree on a restaurant in years so we've not been out for dinner in 20+ years cept xmas parties and such. Even then I have to listen to her moaning about the menu

 

[Vyper]

I hate to say it, but I don't think that's necessarily much to do with being a vegetarian!

This siege is certainly starting to sound pretty epic. How long will it actually take to play though?

 

[Thantsants]

Well I'm busy on the Sunday so I'm hoping we can wrap it up by the end of Saturday.

The victory points/supplies system should speed us up towards some kind of resolution - more on which later...

Nothing to stop you chaps fighting on on the Sunday without me though.

Is there such a thing as a vegetarian Halfling?

Rab - did you say what you were bringing? I'm assuming it's knights of some kind or other.

If you haven't already can you let me know if you want Foundry to feed you at some point on the Saturday - we need to let Marcus have an idea of numbers to cater for.

 

[Just John]

Are you going to be there on Friday Thansants? If you are might it be an idea to set up as much as possible then?

 

[Thantsants]

Good thinking Batman.

Yep, I'm hoping to be. In fact I was hoping to get there in the early afternoon, get a quick game in of something else and set up what I can for the siege.

An early start on Saturday is definitely advisable. Folks turning up later will be able to join in as and when as trailing forces/reinforcements.

 

[Just John]

Excellent, the O'Hammerers are landing early Friday morning, taking a trip into Nottingham and then heading out to Foundry so we can meet up have a game of something and set up the siege.

 

[lenihan]

arrrrrgh, to be good or to be evil?

The eternal dilemma.

 

[Just John]

arrrrrgh, to be good or to be evil?

The eternal dilemma.

Well I suppose it depends on whether you want to be on the side of a race of small creatures devastating the local countryside to sate their voracious appetites or the goblins!

 

[Mister Rab]

Rab - did you say what you were bringing? I'm assuming it's knights of some kind or other.

If you haven't already can you let me know if you want Foundry to feed you at some point on the Saturday - we need to let Marcus have an idea of numbers to cater for.

Yes, I'll be bringing a valiant band of Bretonnians. It might be quite a small band, but I'll be able to bring two cannon to bolster the defenders' firepower.

I'd also like food on Saturday - thanks for organising all this.