This is a phrase that we have talked about a lot on this site and at conferences. I have felt in recent times the phrase has been lost, but linked below is a presentation made by Jen Deyenberg who shows it is alive and well. She runs a teaching with Technology blog called Trails Optional I didn't see the live presentation but get email updates from her blog. Have a click though.
What struck me is that along with some interesting new games and ideas, the older ideas that we have talked about on this very site are still being used today.
I spent the afternoon with my 12 year old friend teaching me all about Minecraft - its definitely something that I need to get into and this presentation just confirmed it again for me.
Hearse Driver 3D - Now Available on the App Store!
Have you ever wanted to be... a hearse driver?
Hearse Driver is a hilarious driving game with crazy ragdoll physics, colorful 3D graphics, and a huge map where you can drive everywhere!
You are the driver of a hearse and you have to transport the dead guy safely to his final resting place.
Use your best skills, avoid the traffic and be as fast as possible without letting the dead guy fall off the car.
Collect coins and get the best time to unlock new content from the Shop.
Main Features:
- Hilarious Ragdoll Physics
- A Huge Map to explore
- Two Game Modes
- Gorgeous 3D Graphics
- Shop with Unlockable Coffins, Characters and Vehicles
- Universal App with Full Retina and iPad Support
- Surprisingly Addictive Gameplay
Please tell everyone how much you love the game and support us with your Reviews.
Feel free to give us your feedback, we will really appreciate it!
Somewhere in Anatolia - A 1st Crusade Scenario
Last night, I had to knock something together for the Lads. I had to do it in a hurry because painting commissions have been piling up of late - deadlines pending! Consequently, I decided to pull out an old favourite and do a 1st Crusade marching column scenario. I've done several of these, all a bit different, and they always provide a definate set of victory conditions (the Franks must exit the appropriate table edge with X units), and something more to think about than 'kill the enemy'.
The scenario invloves the unwashed European masses marching through the wilderness on an ill defined road towards the Holy Land. Ahead of the column, an encounter with a caravan heading west is imminent. No Seljuk forces are deployed.
The Christian vanguard. Two commands of knights and 'local' guides.
The Christian mainward. A ragtaggle column of pilgrims, foot sergeants and knights.
The Christian rearward. More of the same.
Anyway, last night the game got underway:
Arrivals, the Seljuks are here!
Thousands of 'em.
The advance of the van is blocked.
The caravan scatters, getting in the way of everything (umpires choice!).
You never expect the Village People. Though to be fair, Peter did.
But, they are not as hard as they look.
Knights charge, the Seljuks falter - the Seljuk King is killed.
Turn 2. At the rear of the column, more Seljuks arrive.
The battle is now in two parts. A battle at the head and tail.
A shot of the action at the end of night one. Proving, if nothing else, that Frankish pilgrims will always plough the fields and scatter.
Next week the action will continue
You might have noticed the playing cards around the three edges of the table. The Seljuk player puts a numerically similar card by each of his three commands. They can deploy onto the table, on a march card, providing that they don't roll a 1. A 1 delays entry until the next turn. The two entry points at the rear of the Frankish column (K and Q) cannot be entry points until turn 2. Due to the vagueries of the FoB system, the caravan was added as a scenario fail safe. It is a trap; hidden amongst each caravan unit is a unit of Ghazis. They have been added as a speed bump. The caravan moves and acts on Frankish cards until it is in combat, or deploys as into its parts, when it joins the Seljuk sequencing.
Anyway, last night the game got underway:
Next week the action will continue
A look at the Eisenkern APC
I thought I would pass along some shots of the Eisenkern APC. When last you saw the design it was pretty much a roughed in hull, the final version received more details inside and out.
This kit will feature see through window sections so that you may view the interior, movable quad ‘Scorpion’ weapons system that provides enough arc, azimuth and elevation to clear unwanted guests from your doorstep. Linked and movable front suspension, doors and hatches that you may leave open or closed (Due to the scale I could not create full working hinges on the smaller doors and hatches, you may need to decide if you want to glue the smaller doors in the open or closed position, the larger rear hatch has full hinges). The Kickstarter backers will receive the full crew compliment, 10 riflemen, driver and gunner. I won’t know if we can include the ten riflemen in the general release until we know how many sprues we will need to complete the kit.
I was able to shrink the vehicle down a bit from the original render but it is still a BEAST! It is about a foot taller than the modern day Stryker APC but considerably wider and longer. Roughly 3 meters tall, 4.97 meter wide and 10.15 meters long. You won’t be parking this monster in a tight space without smashing a few bumpers.
This vehicle is as heavily armored as a main battle tank, weighing in at over 70 tons in rides on six huge solid tires, each with an independent drive system that allows this vehicle to spin in place, in the same manner as its tracked brethren.
The nose section is taken up by the reactor, this is the same full size reactor found on the Leviathan Crusader and Mortis, allowing the APC indefinite range and access to impressive speed… The reactor in this vehicle is capable of recharging equipment and the super capacitors found on lighter vehicles and Leviathan, in this way, the ‘Keilerkopf’ becomes a central part of any forward unit’s logistics. Everything you need for planetary conquest.
Even with its monster size, the interior is still a bit cramped, eight riflemen are seated in the rear with just enough room for a trooper to stand, equip and egress. Two riflemen take up the ‘shotgun positions on either side of the APC’s driver and gunner and would likely use the side doors when possible.
Going to the past: The next PTD2 Story Update and more!
Want to get the Shiny Starters? Shiny Zorua? Shiny legendary dogs? Shiny Mew? or any other shiny pokemon in the game? Adopt them today using SnD coins! Click here for more info.
Visit the PTD: Pokemon Center - a place to trade pokemon, get your Daily Code, adopt Pokemon, view your items and change your avatar!
Welcome to the Sam and Dan Games Developer Blog! Coming back from chaos!
Sam and Dan Games: Fundraiser! Phase 3
Help us keep making games and earn awesome prizes like Shiny Rayquaza and Shiny Heatran!
Our Goal: $50,000
What's New
It has been chaos, to say the least, these past couple of weeks. For the first time in my life I moved out of my parents house and into my own apartment. All of this in preparation for my wedding which is 2 short months from now! Chaos might have been a soft word. With all the moving also came computer problems. I had to take my development computer to be fixed and now my old computer is giving me trouble. I've never had this much trouble before! While I haven't been able to really sit down and work on anything my mind has not stopped thinking about what and who is making all of this possible. You guys and gals are the reason I'm able to push my life into the next stage and I'm able to wake up every day and think about making video games instead of coding something I have no interest in for somebody I don't even really know. Because of that I will give it my all as long as you guys will have me.
I did manage a few things, Cosmoids got a small update, some tweaks on the first level to make it a bit shorter and some massive changes to the tutorials so they are easier to understand and more to the point.
Speaking of Cosmoids...
Designing a game before coding it
The way I make Pokemon Tower Defense is that each week I think about what to work on next and early in the week I will make a plan, write the blog with my plan and then I try to accomplish my plan. In more detail this means I'm making it up as I go. Each week I think about where the story could go. While I have some very basic plans for the overall story, the lines of dialog and the different events that will happen are not planned out months in advance. At the most I will have an idea like having Mewthree win, and then slowly during the week I will think about how this will happen. Same with the battles, ptd1 transfers, new attacks. Having been doing this for a few years now I can see that there are benefits to this method. The main benefit is the speed that you can put things out. There are however some drawbacks to this style. I think an obvious example is the Avatars in PTD1. Your player doesn't have an avatar until later in the game. This is the result of not having time to add it initially but then eventually getting the time and figuring out how to add it in. Going back and adding it to all the previous levels would have been a big undertaking that would have stalled the game updates so I was never willing to do it. At the same thing I think it is odd to add new things as you go and having the old content not take advantage of these things.
So for Cosmoids I want to design the game in advance before I make it. What this means is that I will be coming up with the levels and moves in advance before I actually code them. Then I will see what everything looks like and be able to implements new things into the whole game instead of just adding them as I go. So far I have designed up to level 5. My goal for the game is for it to have about 40ish levels before I consider it complete.
Designing a level doesn't take a very long time but making it interesting, challenging, and fun can be quite a challenge. For Cosmoids we are following a similar formula that PTD1 has. You watch a story scene then you play the level and you watch another story scene. So the first thing you have to think about is where is your story at. What happened in the previous level, in the previous story scene and where do you want the story to go and how will it tie into the next Cosmoids you want to use on the next level. Then you think about what attacks should this new Cosmoid have and how is it different from the others. What kind of different role can it take. Finally using those new attacks you create an idea for how the level itself will play. What will be the challenge on the level. How will you test the player. Will it be a puzzle or the ability to dodge moves. Or will he have to have Cosmoids that have high defense. A lot of thought goes into making each level. So being able to focus on just the design lets you do it quick and it also lets you see the big picture quicker which can hopefully lead to the game feeling more unified.
Going to the past: The next PTD2 Story Update
It's going to be a good one! Mewthree has taken over the world with his massive clones, your friends, family and heroes are about to be captured. Celebi, the time traveling pokemon, shows up and offers you a chance to save the world but you must go to the past to change it! This update will have you going to the past. You will be able to visit the locations that you have already visited but 10 years into the past. In the world you aren't born yet and Silver is still alive! What can do you to stop the events in the future? Only time will tell.
The past will be a different place, while the maps themselves will look the same, you can expect more people to be around, and different house and buildings to be accessible.
You will be able to enter the poke mart and buy items. You will be able to enter the pokemon center and rest until night time, day time or early morning. Essentially giving you control over the time of day. There will be more trainer battles in the Routes.
Another cool feature is that you can travel back to the future! Talking to celebi from your pokepad will allow you to travel back a few moments before Mewthree took over the region, allowing you to replay old battles or talk to people in the future after finding out more about them in the past.
There is a lot of content to be added to make this update possible and I hope you guys enjoy the things I have planned.
Weekly Progress
Cosmoids Progress
Thanks for sticking with us! That's all I have for you this week. As always let me know what you think!
Welcome to the Sam and Dan Games Developer Blog! Coming back from chaos!
Sam and Dan Games: Fundraiser! Phase 3
Help us keep making games and earn awesome prizes like Shiny Rayquaza and Shiny Heatran!
Our Goal: $50,000
What's New
It has been chaos, to say the least, these past couple of weeks. For the first time in my life I moved out of my parents house and into my own apartment. All of this in preparation for my wedding which is 2 short months from now! Chaos might have been a soft word. With all the moving also came computer problems. I had to take my development computer to be fixed and now my old computer is giving me trouble. I've never had this much trouble before! While I haven't been able to really sit down and work on anything my mind has not stopped thinking about what and who is making all of this possible. You guys and gals are the reason I'm able to push my life into the next stage and I'm able to wake up every day and think about making video games instead of coding something I have no interest in for somebody I don't even really know. Because of that I will give it my all as long as you guys will have me.
I did manage a few things, Cosmoids got a small update, some tweaks on the first level to make it a bit shorter and some massive changes to the tutorials so they are easier to understand and more to the point.
Speaking of Cosmoids...
Designing a game before coding it
The way I make Pokemon Tower Defense is that each week I think about what to work on next and early in the week I will make a plan, write the blog with my plan and then I try to accomplish my plan. In more detail this means I'm making it up as I go. Each week I think about where the story could go. While I have some very basic plans for the overall story, the lines of dialog and the different events that will happen are not planned out months in advance. At the most I will have an idea like having Mewthree win, and then slowly during the week I will think about how this will happen. Same with the battles, ptd1 transfers, new attacks. Having been doing this for a few years now I can see that there are benefits to this method. The main benefit is the speed that you can put things out. There are however some drawbacks to this style. I think an obvious example is the Avatars in PTD1. Your player doesn't have an avatar until later in the game. This is the result of not having time to add it initially but then eventually getting the time and figuring out how to add it in. Going back and adding it to all the previous levels would have been a big undertaking that would have stalled the game updates so I was never willing to do it. At the same thing I think it is odd to add new things as you go and having the old content not take advantage of these things.
So for Cosmoids I want to design the game in advance before I make it. What this means is that I will be coming up with the levels and moves in advance before I actually code them. Then I will see what everything looks like and be able to implements new things into the whole game instead of just adding them as I go. So far I have designed up to level 5. My goal for the game is for it to have about 40ish levels before I consider it complete.
Designing a level doesn't take a very long time but making it interesting, challenging, and fun can be quite a challenge. For Cosmoids we are following a similar formula that PTD1 has. You watch a story scene then you play the level and you watch another story scene. So the first thing you have to think about is where is your story at. What happened in the previous level, in the previous story scene and where do you want the story to go and how will it tie into the next Cosmoids you want to use on the next level. Then you think about what attacks should this new Cosmoid have and how is it different from the others. What kind of different role can it take. Finally using those new attacks you create an idea for how the level itself will play. What will be the challenge on the level. How will you test the player. Will it be a puzzle or the ability to dodge moves. Or will he have to have Cosmoids that have high defense. A lot of thought goes into making each level. So being able to focus on just the design lets you do it quick and it also lets you see the big picture quicker which can hopefully lead to the game feeling more unified.
Going to the past: The next PTD2 Story Update
It's going to be a good one! Mewthree has taken over the world with his massive clones, your friends, family and heroes are about to be captured. Celebi, the time traveling pokemon, shows up and offers you a chance to save the world but you must go to the past to change it! This update will have you going to the past. You will be able to visit the locations that you have already visited but 10 years into the past. In the world you aren't born yet and Silver is still alive! What can do you to stop the events in the future? Only time will tell.
The past will be a different place, while the maps themselves will look the same, you can expect more people to be around, and different house and buildings to be accessible.
You will be able to enter the poke mart and buy items. You will be able to enter the pokemon center and rest until night time, day time or early morning. Essentially giving you control over the time of day. There will be more trainer battles in the Routes.
Another cool feature is that you can travel back to the future! Talking to celebi from your pokepad will allow you to travel back a few moments before Mewthree took over the region, allowing you to replay old battles or talk to people in the future after finding out more about them in the past.
There is a lot of content to be added to make this update possible and I hope you guys enjoy the things I have planned.
Weekly Progress
Cosmoids Progress
- Design Level 8 (70%) - Honey Badger vs Bees
- Design Level 9 (50%) - Electric City
- Design Level 10 (50%) - Electric City 2
- Design Level 11 (50%) - Electric City 3 Boss
- Mystery Gift (100%)
- Graphics (100%)
- Stats (100%)
- Attacks (100%)
- Block (100%)
- Stealth Rock (100%)
- Abilities (100%)
- Soundproof (100%)
- Evolution Info (100%)
- Add to Breeding Center (100%)
- Add to Trading Center (100%)
- Bug Fix - Can no longer use items that have zero quantity (100%)
- Traveling to the past (100%) - Travel 10 years into the past to save the world!
- Past Route 30 (100%)
- New NPC Graphics (100%)
- House 1 (100%)
- House 2 (100%)
- Trainer Battles (100%)
- Past Route 31 (100%)
- Trainer Battle (100%)
- Past Dark Cave (100%) - No Changes
- Past Violet City (100%)
- People Outside (100%)
- Houses (100%)
- Map Graphics (100%)
- People Inside Houses (100%)
- Sprout Tower (100%)
- Trainer Battles (100%)
- School (100%)
- Map Graphics (100%)
- Trainer Battles (100%)
- Gym (100%)
- Map Graphics (100%)
- Gym Battle (100%)
- PokeMart (100%)
- Add new Items (100%)
- PokeCenter (100%)
- Past Route 32 (100%)
- Trainer Battles (100%)
- Past Ruins of Alph (100%)
- Trainer Battle (100%)
- Mystery Gift (100%) - Shiny Sandile!
- Traveling to the past (100%) - Travel 10 years into the past to save the world!
- New Pokemon (100%)
- Graphics (100%)
- Stats (100%)
- Attacks (100%)
- Embargo (100%)
- Horn Drill (100%)
- Evolutions (100%)
- Add to Trading Center (100%)
- Add to Breeding Center (100%)
- New Story Scenes and Battles (100%)
- Talking to Celebi (100%)
- Past New Bark Town (100%)
- Town (100%)
- Lab (100%)
- Gold's House (100%)
- Silver's House (100%) - Still locked!
- Crystal's House (100%)
- Special Spot (100%)
- Past Route 29 (100%)
- Trainer Battle (100%)
- Past Route 46 (100%)
- Trainer Battle (100%)
- Past Cherrygrove City (100%)
- Trainer Battle (100%)
- Houses (100%)
- Map Graphic (100%)
- Flower Trade (100%)
- Pokemon Center (100%)
- Map Graphic (100%)
- Allow you to change time (100%)
- Nurse Joy Graphic (100%)
- PokeMart (100%)
- Map Graphic (100%)
- Add new items (100%)
- Allow you to buy items (100%)
- Item Security (100%)
- Save Money on the Server (100%)
- New NPC Characters Graphics (100%)
- Fixed a bug that would not reset a map's music if you exited Story Mode (100%)
- The story maps will now show the name of the location that you are in (100%)
- Trainer Adoptions will now show if the pokemon is hacked in the Adoption Page (100%)
- Added a Trainer Adoptions link to the Adoption page (100%) - You can easily find the pokemon trainers are putting up for adoption on that page.
Thanks for sticking with us! That's all I have for you this week. As always let me know what you think!
Dead Pixels
Dead Pixels
I'm pleased to showcase a new site started up by a friend of mine who used to be a member of the Games Network back when he was working in this country. Check his site out for lesson ideas and resources.
Sheffield Triples Game - Cerignola 1503
THE CAMPAIGN FOR THE KINGDOM NAPLES
AND THE BATTLE OF CERIGNOLA
Including random photos of the game, which won second prize for best demo, at Sheffield Triples 2013
In 1500 Louis XII determined that he would re-conquer the Kingdom of Naples for France. In June 1501 his army, under the command of Louis d’Armagnac Duc de Nemours, began to mass in Rome in readiness for the invasion. King Federigo of Naples anxiously watched the French preparations and frantically tried to raise an army of defence; his one consolation was that several thousand Spanish troops under the command of his friend Gonsalvo de Cordoba had crossed the Straits of Messina to land in the south of his Kingdom. It seemed as though Federigo’s uncle, King Ferdinand of Spain, was coming to his rescue.
Including random photos of the game, which won second prize for best demo, at Sheffield Triples 2013
Just before the French army departed south Pope Alexander VI disclosed the secret Treaty of Granada signed on 11th November 1500. By the provisions of the treaty King Federigo would be forced to abdicate and his kingdom would be divided. King Louis XII of France would become King of Naples and take control of Naples, Terra di Lavoro and Abruzzi. King Ferdinand of Spain would take the title Duke of Calabria and control of Calabria and Apulia. Federigo had been stitched up by his own family.
By the spring of 1502 it was all over for the old regime. The Kingdom had been occupied and divided by the armies of France and Spain. But not everything was settled. Two important regions in the Kingdom, Capitanata and Basilicata, were not mentioned in the treaty and both France and Spain laid claim to them. By the summer of 1502 what had started as angry skirmishes between French and Spanish outposts in the contested provinces had escalated into open hostilities.
The Spanish army was heavily outnumbered by the French. Fearing that he would be overrun Gonsalvo ordered most of his troops to concentrate at, and fortify, the port of Barletta on the coast of Apulia. There he would await reinforcements and events. Nemours moved the French army to blockade Barletta. Gonsalvo wisely refused to give battle and Nemours secured most of the rest of Apulia for France.
Gonsalvo’s situation in Apulia began to change from the autumn of 1502. Nemours divided his army and sent a strong force to occupy Calabria; Nemours lifted the blockade of Barletta to put his army into winter quarters; Gonsalvo was reinforced - including a contingent of seven regiments of veteran landsknecht pikemen; in late February 1503, Gonsalvo led a sortie out of Barletta and took the town of Ruvo, capturing the French captain La Palisse, 150 gendarmes and 800 infantry. The scales were in balance (both sides were now equal in number with about 10,000 men each). Gonsalvo decided that the time had come to seek a battle with Nemours. On 27th April 1503 Gonsalvo marched his army out of Barletta and Nemours moved to confront him.
The Spanish army arrived at the hill top town of Cerignola on 28th April. It was a swelteringly hot day but, rather than rest his men after their hard and dusty march, he set them to deepening and widening a wet ditch at the foot of Cerignola’s vine clad slopes. The spoil, held together with stakes and vines grubbed up from the hill side above, were piled into a low rampart. This rampart, lined end to end with thousands of arquebusier (early musketeers) would decide the battle to come.
The French were marching to Cerignola, strung out along the road, advancing without reconnaissance, and harassed by Spanish light cavalry. It was very late in the day when they finally arrived before Cerignola. On seeing the Spanish army below the town the French held a council of war to determine their next move.
The French deployed in three columns, echeloned from right to left. The right wing under Louis d’Ars comprised heavy and light cavalry. The centre comprised the Swiss under Tambien Chandieu and the Gascon infantry. The right, which had not fully arrived on the field, comprised heavy and light cavalry under Yves d’Alégre. The artillery was still on the road and miles away.
The Spanish deployed behind their rampart. In the centre of the line Gonsalvo placed his German landsknechts under the command of Fabricio Zamudio. To either flank of the landsknechts were Spanish infantry, deployed for the first time in permanently organised battalions called coronela. These were commanded by Pizarro and Diego Garcia de Paredes. The front was effectively manned by arquebusiers from end to end. The mixed Italian and Spanish cavalry was drawn up, in reserve, behind the wings and centre. The heavy cavalry was commanded by Fabrizio Colonna on the left, and by Gonsalvo de Cordoba in the centre. The light cavalry was, after coming in from its harassing duties, placed on the right. The artillery was drawn up on the crest of the slope and was trained on D’Ars’ heavy cavalry.
Nemours ordered the trumpets to sound the attack. The French line moved forward under fire from Spanish arquebusier and artillery. A light wind blew the powder smoke towards the French and that, with the clouds of dust kicked up by the horse’s hooves, blinded them to the danger of the ditch until they were upon it. The French were brought to an abrupt halt at the edge of the unexpected obstacle and subjected to a murderous fire. It was several minutes before the French crossed the ditch and came to close quarters with its defenders on the other side.
Suddenly, there was a moment of panic in the Spanish ranks as a powder magazine blew up inside the entrenchment. Gonsalvo, seeing his troops flinch, rode up in person to restore their courage. All along the ditch the French tried to break through the Spaniard’s defensive line. Attempt after attempt was made in vain. Crashing volleys of Spanish arquebus fire poured into them and soon the French were knee deep in mud, and the blood of their piling dead. As the sun began to set the Duc de Nemours, riding along the line shouting words of encouragement to his men, was shot by an anonymous arquebusier. Then Chandieu crossed the ditch in an attempt to find a gap. He was immediately identified by his white plumes and fell, armour sieved, in a hail of shot. Darkness fell and the leaderless French began to falter.
Gonsalvo ordered a general advance. His infantry leaped across their breastwork crying out “Castile, Aragon, Santiago!” His cavalry crossed the ditch and wheeled in on the French flanks. The French broke. The slaughter was terrible. Only the darkness saved them from being completely massacred. The battle had lasted little more than an hour but, in that time, more than 4000 French soldiers had been slain. The Spanish had lost less than 100 men.
For the first time in history, an army comprising the best troops in Europe had been defeated by a thin line of ragged soldiers wielding short lengths of iron tube loaded with gun powder and lead pellets. Warfare was changing……….
DEPLOYMENTS
A: Louis d’Armagnac Duc de Nemours – MD10
B: Louis D’Ars – MD12
3 units of 8 Gendarmes (A Class, fierce).
2 units of 8 mounted crossbow (C Class).
C: Tambien Chandieu – MD10
1 unit of 180 Swiss pike (A Class, fierce, murderous Vs landsknechts).
2 units of 12 arquebusier (B class).
D: Gespard de Coligny – MD10
2 units of 36 French pike (D Class).
6 units of 12 crossbow (D Class, specialist shooters).
E: (Off Table) Yves d’Alégre – MD8
4 units of 8 Gendarmes (A Class, fierce).
4 units of Stradiotti (C Class, grizzled, close skirmish).
No Command: (Off Table) – MD6
4 units of artillery (D Class).
SPANISH: Army Die D10 [RED]
A: Gonsalvo de Cordoba – MD12
3 units of 8 Spanish men-at-arms (A Class, fierce).
B: Fabricio Colonna – MD10
3 units of 8 Italian men at arms (B Class).
C: Diego de Paredes – MD10
2 units of 36 Spanish infantry in colonela (C Class, grizzled, specialist shooters).
2 units of 16 Italian arquebusier (C Class).
D: Fabricio Zamudio – MD10
1 unit of 90 Landsknecht pike (B Class, fierce, murderous Vs Swiss).
1 unit of 12 Landsknecht arquebusier (C Class).
E: Pizarro de Paredes – MD10
2 units of 36 Spanish infantry in colonela (C Class, grizzled, specialist shooters).
2 units of 8 Spanish genitors (C Class, grizzled, close skirmish).
1 unit of 8 Italian mounted crossbow (C Class).
F: Pedro Novarro – MD10
2 units of artillery (D Class).
WAR GAME SCENARIO NOTES
This battle will be fought using the group’s house rules for The Great Italian Wars. They are called Hell Broke Loose. They are based on Piquet mechanisms devised by Brent Oman and Bob Jones.
This war game scenario provides several military possibilities that must be recreated in order for the battle to look and feel like Cerignola.
1. The French player should not, with hindsight, be able to easily mitigate the ditch and breastwork by ‘fancy’ outflanking manoeuvres or lengthy preparation with missilery. Fortunately, the historical lateness of the day helps this a great deal, as does setting up the game with small flank areas. The French player has three game turns (turns ending on double initiative rolls do not count towards the total) to accomplish his victory conditions. The limited turns will not allow the French player much else besides an unprepared frontal assault. French victory conditions are subjective. The French player must attempt to force the ditch and do better than his historical counterpart. The degree by which he is able to do so will determine his margin of victory. His defeat can be victorious!
2. The tardiness of Yves d’Alégre’s command must be represented. He should not come immediately to action, if at all. Historically, he used his troops to cover the retreat. The easiest way to represent this is to start his command off table in columns of route. It may be, given the multiple move system and sequence cards employed in Hell Broke Loose, that he arrives quickly – it might be the opposite.
3. The artillery must be hampered in a similar fashion to Yves d’Alegre. Historically, the artillery was captured on the road, having never arrived on the field, after the battle was over. It therefore forms part of d’Alegre’s deployment but, to slow it further, it counts as a leaderless group.
4. The explosion behind the Spanish entrenchment must be replicated. Three powder magazines (marked with a wagon and stores) are placed, equally spread, behind the Spanish infantry line. When the French turn their Scenario card they roll D6. On a result of 1 – 3 one of the magazines (reading from French right to left: 1, 2, 3) explodes. Units within 12” of the explosion, and on the Spanish side of the earthwork, roll D6. On an even result they are unaffected, on an odd result they are vexed, on a result of 1 they are vexed and lose 1 unit integrity point. On a result of 4 - 6 the explosion is delayed until the cards next appearance, when the above procedure is repeated.
5. The French receive 9 cards from the Army Characterisation Deck plus a Scenario card. They are: Morale chips: 8, 10, 12, 12, 14, 16, 18 – total 90. Ciao Bella (Group wild card). Scenario 1.
6. The Spanish receive 8 cards from the Army Characterisation Deck. They are: Morale chips: 10, 10, 12, 14, 14, – total 60. Like Hail (missilery Up 1) × 2. Look Sir! (Army Morale - automatic rally for one unit).
These notes will be available to read at the table over the weekend but I'm not providing them as a handout. I believe handouts to be a waste of paper and ink. Instead, there will be address slips directing people, that wish to have this information for future use, here. Please feel free to copy these pages for your own use at home.
See you there......
Thanks for dropping by to say hello.
Bruckenkophf's In Depth Review of the Leviathan Crusader!
Some time back I sent Dennis over at Bruckenkopf the last release of DreamForge kits.
For those of you that don’t know, Bruckenkopf is a premier gaming site over in Germany, they host discussion and review covering all aspects of the hobby. Google translate makes quick work of the site for those of you such as myself, who barely speak our native tongue :)
Last week I sent Dennis an email, asking if he had an opportunity to review the kit, he let me know it would be up in time for the German gaming events circuits that are now making their appearance.
I just wandered over, as I am apt to do, and I was blown away by the review they posted on the Crusader. They said this would be the most comprehensive review in their history… they did not exaggerate…Over 100 pictures and a wall of text, explaining the assembly and his thoughts, good and bad on the Leviathan Crusader.
All I can say is wow! Strap on your google translator and have a look for yourself…
Thank you Dennis for such an in depth review!
The Leviathan Mortis is now in plastic!
The Leviathan Mortis is now production ready! This was actually the first of the new generation of Leviathan I designed back in 2002... I still have a soft spot for the Mortis.
Unlike the old resin kits the fingers and scythe will remain completely poseable. Just like the Crusader, the Mortis is highly dynamic, arms move, legs move, waist moves.... great fun and ready for some smack down.
When will this hit retail? About 3-4 months, we hope... We will not make this available until all the Kickstarter backers have been shipped and are well on their way. Stay tuned for updates!
Cheers
Mark
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