Bloody Barons

Weeks ago now I set up Tewkesbury in the wargaming annexe based on the scenario in the Bloody Barons rule book with the intention of running through it solo. I then discovered that I didn't have enough figures and painted up quite a lot more. I then discovered that I had miscounted and still didn't have enough figures and painted some more. By then it was fast approaching Christmas and we had finished the run through of Marignano so it was decided to play it through as our first game of the New Year. And that, as a result of my second short notice trip to the South Coast, was yesterday; or possibly the day before depending on when I get round to posting this.

Probably the most notable feature of the night was the sheer incompetence of the umpire. I spent so much time getting to grips with the command and control aspects that, as became painfully apparent, I had only the sketchiest grasp of the combat rules, let alone those for morale. We gradually noticed elements on the Quick Play Sheet that we didn't seem to be using and so the complexity level deepened as the battle unfolded. On balance I would not recommend this as an approach.

Any review of the rules by me would therefore be of even less use than usual. What I would say is that that there seems to be an awful lot of dice rolling involved. However, another game - playing properly from the beginning - would be needed before any even vaguely sensible conclusions could be formed.