A not very Rampant Dragon!

 Today, we had another game of Dragon Rampant at the club - and it was a free for all scenario from the book.

As in our last game we did away with the (to us silly) 3" distance between units, but Lawrence has said he thought we should give the rule which says you have to give the next activation to the opposition if you fail anything but a compulsory test.

We decided to deploy onto the table as we activated...

The 'right' of the table with my guys on the hill (not really there yet, but Phil wanted a pic of them!)

The 'Left' of the table, with Lawrence's nice temple.

A view from the 'West'.

Phil went first and got a lot of his Orc/Goblin army on table...

...expendable Goblins in the lead of course! 

Roderick got his Khorne forces on table no problem.

My first roll was a...

 

...so this was my fearsome Orc and Goblin army!!!

Lawrence got his 'lesser Goblins' and allies on table.

In the second turn I got most of my guys on table...

Lawrence paints a lovely Orc, doesn't he?

Lawrence was pushing forward nicely.

...The Khorne-ish were approaching my side of the table.

Lawrence detached his wolves on a wide outflanking move.

Phil was having problems with activation too and most of his army stayed stuck in his deployment area!

I finally took the hill in front of my deployment area, but most of my units were lagging behind.

Lawrence's scout force of invisible Mini-Gobbos were making fair progress. 

Phil was having problems coming out to meet them!

...Maybe they just couldn't see them, them being 'Invisible' and all?

A band of Khorne-ish were now on the hill opposite my troops.

My multi armed Light Infantry Goblins loosed some arrows at them as they were being aggressive.

Good shooting from the Gobbos!

The big beasty I had ignored now replied with a spore attack which killed three of my Gobbos!...

...they fell back 'Battered'.

Lawrence's little guys were now in range of Phil's stationary Orcs.

...as more units shot, another Orc fell.

Good shooting stunties!

Some of his units were still arriving, would they be enough to destroy Phil's Orcs?

I now moved towards the side of the table where Phil and Lawrence were engaging, as neither Rod or myself fancied fighting 2 battles on different sides of the table.

Phil got some Hell Hounds moving, but they didn't reach their targets and suffered a lot of arrow damage!

They then charged and caught the snotlings Mini Gobbos and began to chew them up!

The other units covered their retreating friends and drove off the last of the Hell Hounds.

Phil next got his Hobgoblins in...Splat, Splat, Splat!

The last two little gobbos didn't look too happy!

Oddly, the Hobgoblins didn't care that they had won the battle, and retreated 'Battered' themselves!

...as did the last two mini-archers.

I was having trouble with activations... 

...and half my units were stuck on what I named 'Sticky Hill'

The Khorne-ish were now heading a little faster than me towards Phil's flank.

Now Lawrence's wolves leapt out and bit into Phil's archers!

The archers retreated from the snapping jaws, but nothing worse.

Phil's Hobgoblins were now back in good order.

He now attacked the wolves!

The wolves were beaten (Lawrence's dicing was awful!!!)

The wolves retreated, and were hit by the newly arrived Orc general! - just activated and arrived on table!

He made dog food of the wolves!

The survivors fled back into the wood 'battered'

I was still stuck to Sticky Hill'.

The little archers were still sticking it to the Hob-Gobs.

2 of my units were wading slowly off Sticky hill.

Only two units were making their way towards Phil.

Phil had noticed the mov onto his flank, and he put his flank on alert.

My last Orc unit had now been stationary on the hill for 4 moves...

The others were slowly getting themselves back into the semblance of an army!

The wolves had got themselves sorted, and charged the Orc general!

The little guys were on their own, with an Ogre.

Rod's Khornish beasty was making good progress entering the wood on Lawrence's flank.

Some 'Beligerent' foot were slowly coming up in support.

Ho, hum...

I couldn't get my archers to join the rest of the army.

Phil's powerful general came up to hold the front against the Little people.

My Archers got moving...eventually.

Lawrence engaged Phil's Gobbos on the rocks.

Some more Hobgobs came up in support.

I was getting my lead units up to the Temple.

Even my last unit had woken up and moved a little across Sticky hill.

Rod was having trouble getting his Belligerents to move up.

The Beasty entered the wood and attacked Lawrence's Ogre, which was there.

All my Units came to a shuddering halt again...

I wonder why?

Lawrence had the same first activation fail!

Phil's Hobgobs advance untroubled by Lawrence's archers.

They charged, having to pursue the evading Gobbos in column so as not to get within 1" of the next unit.

The massed archery picked one of the attackers off...

...then another!

It didn't save the evading unit which failed its evade.

My last unit was almost off Sticky hill.

I had given up on keeping my army together and took whatever I could forward.

'Wait for us'!

Lawrence got another Hobgob.

After a hard fight, Lawrence's Ogre had driven Rod's Beastie back.

Splat, Splat, Splat again!

The Khornish forces were beginning to reach arrow range of Phil.

Phil, having finished off the last of the Little People, withdrew from Roderick's forces, satisfied with his tally of enemy units destroyed.

On my suggestion we called the game there...we would have needed 3 more hours to finish, and the club closed in one!

Phil was the clear winner, and Lawrence agreed the system we used last game, where a failed activation stopped that unit, and you could dice for all the rest of your units before activation passed to the next player was a lot better!

I never knew how hard it was to roll 5 or more on 2 D6's...!!!!