Welcome!

Welcome to the Blog of a Skirmish wargamer! I hope you enjoy reading it!



All my rule sets are freely downloadable from our club website's Downloads page





If you need to contact me my E-Mail address is richardbradley5@gmail.com







Saturday, 27 December 2025

Christmas Lullubi?

Today we were doing Midgard again, but this time going back to the Ancient Sumerians. In the past we had done inter state wars, but I recently finished my Zagros Highlanders (a Lullubi and Gutian force). This was therefore one of the many raids made by the mountain tribes into the Sumerian plains. I got Lawrence to play alongside while Phil got Tony with the Sumerians.

Amazingly, We both did 'Omens' for our forces, we got a '6' and the Sumerians a '1' which meant our starting Rep was 15 and the Sumerians 8! Surely this would be a walk over for the barbarians...

My left wing, 2 units of Slingers and 2 of Javelinmen, alongside 4 units of Gutian warriors.

In the centre, a thin line of Lullubi warriors.
Lawrence had a mix of Lullubi Archers and Javelinmen, and 4 units of Lullubi warriors.
Tony, opposite Lawrence had a wing of 'Nim' archers and slingers.
The Sumerian centre was a solid line of spearmen.
Phil, on their right, had the Battle Carts with a slinger unit flanking his half of the spearmen.
The Sumerians.
My light infantry was a bit slow getting forward, as were my warriors, as they side stepped to back them up.
As we had agreed, Lawrence also sent his lights forward on the flank, to overwhelm the Sumerian 'Nim' (light infantry, it means 'Flies' in Akkadian!).
The Sumerians were able to occupy the wood first.
My wing was trying to outflank the Sumerian right and overwhelm the troops there with numbers.
Lawrence was trying to destroy the Nim facing him, before committing his warriors.
Lawrence soon had the Sumerian Nim Javelinmen on the run!
Tony detached a spear unit to chase away the victorious Lullubi archers.
On my wing, I made a mistake awaiting the enemy slingers, as Phil committed his Battle Carts in as well!
My dice failed and I did no damage before getting run over!
Lawrence continued driving the Sumerians out of the wood.
The Sumerian centre advanced, keener to engage our centre before our wings could win and outflank them.
Lawrence was crushing Tony's light troops!
My Gutian warriors beat a Sumerian spear unit, but my light troops were fencing round the Sumerian Carts, which I could not damage for toffee! I felt like I was facing elephants!!!
The Sumerian centre approached our withdrawn centre.
Lawrence was finishing off the Sumerians in the wood.
Phil detached more spears from his centre - his slingers beat mine as he cleverly put his Commander in Chief in support, potentially risky, but it paid off!
Back with Lawrence, his archers were damaging the Sumerian spearmen.
His other archers massacred the Sumerian Hero leading their light infantry.
Unfortunately, his other bow unit was caught by the spear unit, but did well in the melee!
The Sumerians caught one of my Gutian warrior units, I caused no damage to them, but Phil got over the 8 hits he needed to destroy me!
My other Gutians broke a Sumerian unit supporting Phil's Carts.
My slingers routed, no surprise!
My supporting Warriors destroyed the cocky Sumerian slingers, but my warriors were destroyed too, having taken damage supporting my slingers!
At great cost, I had now isolated the Battle carts.
I suicide charged my weakened unit into the flank of another Sumerian warrior unit.
In the centre, our units were now engaged by the Sumerian centre.
Lawrence managed to support his archers against the left wing Sumerian spear unit.
Sadly, the archers didn't survive.
Lawrence's lights were now getting into the Sumerian rear.
The Sumerians were a tough lot for the lightly equipped Lullubi!
Lawrence's 2 units of spears managed to break an isolated Sumerian unit.
Our centre units were getting beaten elsewhere, another unit lost!
I tried charging the Battle Carts with a warrior unit! - another great roll from Phil and my unit was destroyed!
Another of Lawrence's warrior units broke too.
...and another!
Phil's Battle Carts took out my Javelinmen, I again only got 2 hits, not enough to damage them, and his general wasn't injured either, which had been my hope!
At the end of this turn, our Lullubi had zero reputation, our centre had been almost destroyed!
Both sides had suffered on my wing!
Those Battle Carts were the star of the show though, I don't know how they did it!

Ah well, one up for civilisation I suppose! 

Saturday, 20 December 2025

Midgard mishaps

 Today, for the last game before Christmas, we usually have a fun game, but this year we had another Midgard game, this time using an Anglo Norman force against Aelle's Saxon Raiders from the rule book.

Lawrence was rather limited in the units he could use, so decided on a force of Norman Cavalry with Saxon Fyrd, I suggested as Saxon archers usually fought within the shield wall, the Fyrd be deployed as Warriors with missiles (bows), the Norman Knights as Heavy Riders (Knights)

I randomly got Tony again, so was a Saxon, Phil was running the Fyrd for Lawrence. The Normans got to be the defender so deployed as below. Tony had a Hero with Omens, and threw a 5 - +2 Reputation was added to our pot!

The Armies at setup.

Lawrence had got these lovely Normans pre painted, very nice indeed!
The Fyrd looked good too!
Tony's nice Saxons deployed with the Hearth guard facing the Normans...
...and the other spearmen facing the Fyrd.
I started badly, my plan had been to beat the Fyrd Slingers and flank the Knights, unfortunately, I failed to get a second move, even my Hero failed to help! This meant the Fyrd slingers had wood advantage, but all was not yet lost, and I had 2 units against his one. The rest of our line stayed back.
Phil sent his Crossbowmen forward with some Fyrd.
The Normans advanced slowly.
Again! I failed a second move, so didn't even reach the wood, the Fyrd Slings did, and shot, killing half my first unit!!!
The next turn, I charged my other unit , and although the Fyrdir evaded, I caught them!
My damaged unit stayed back, at least I could still use it to flank enemy units!
In the centre, I saw that giving the Fyrd Bows was a mistake, one of our units lost a Stamina point at long range, and other units were driven back, very atypical of Fyrd combat.
My Heath guard were Armour 4, so didn't suffer any missile losses, but I was slowed.
In the wood, my dice failed! I got 1 hit, Lawrence 3, my unit failed its stand test, then failed its rout test, and fled!
I moved a spear unit to support my flank, which was collapsing.
The Saxon Fyrd and the Normans charged, gaining a lot of Rep as their heroes went in too!
The Fyrd got better dice, and beat these 3 units!
My Spearmen and Hearth guard were hit too.
On Tony's side, one of his Spear units broke. (Phil got a great roll again)
My Hearth guard did badly, I did get my 'Stand Fast' to take a Stamina loss of my left hand unit though!
On Tony's side - despite the hole in his line, his other units were doing ok.

The Normans were pushing my Hearth guard back with losses.
Tony was getting pushed back too.
One Spear unit - despite being fought by a Fyrd Spear unit and a Norman Knight unit, managed to break the Fyrd unit!
Unfortunately, on Tony's side, the beaten Spear unit succumbed!
One of my Hearth guard units broke, but my other unit drove back the second Knight unit...
...and it Broke!
It was turn end, and My pot was empty, the Anglo Normans (no surprise!) had won majorly!

Ah well!