Tuesday 17 November 2015

Spring 999 - Campaign Update

With the fall of Stygustan, only six nations remain. The winter was peaceful, but the victory over Stygustan has reignited the warlike hearts of the Treyine people. Tropilium is their target. All other nations remain at peace for now ...

New Wars
Treyine invades Tropilium


Saturday 31 October 2015

Winter 998 - Campaign Update

Once the mightiest and most enlightened empire on Talomir, Stygustan is no more, a victim of the international desire to control the nectarine trade and production.
"Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair"
With Stygustan defeated, peace reigns over Talomir, enforced by legally binding treaties for the time being.

Death Checks
A minor (Level 1) wizard of the Mirish army choked and died on a nectarine stone.

No other personalities died this winter.

Magic Items
Tereken has found the Pipes of the Dead

Holy Relics
Altengard has recovered the Spear of St Lindorf.

Talomir in Winter 998

Treyine vs Stygustan - Autumn 998 - In the shade of arrows

Hi All,

A fairly quick battle that took me embarrassingly long to just sit down and hash out.

You can see them very large if you right click and open the image in a new tab.



The only way that Stygustan had a chance was to use their magic advantage. The demon and blast spells seemed to be the right direction, but I let the generals unit get to close and massed bow fire is just deadly.

The Stygustanis lost the infantry and archer in the pursuit but they were conquered anyway.

This one ended up being a bit of fun because my son helped me roll dice and push troops around. Still trying to get him hooked.

Thursday 8 October 2015

Autumn 998 - Campaign Update

The ancient empire of Stygustan, home of the oldest gods of Talomir lies in ruins, its nectarine orchards now controlled by the dastardly General Pereira, whose lust for the delights of this fruit knows no bounds. Meanwhile, the Mangu army drinks kumis and licks its wounds after a hard-fought battle that nearly meant a heroic defeat under the chariot wheels of the effete Stygustani.

With the collapse of Stygustan, Talomir's fields are briefly quiet, untrampled by any armies until rumblings are heard from Treyine. Wind maiden ships appear over the horizon flying above the colourful standards of the Treyine nobility. Treyine has seen an opportunity and plans to pluck the last of the nectarine orchards before General Pereira can do so. Will Stygustan still be a sovereign nation by the winter? Only time will tell.

For the rest of Talomir, all nations are bound by treaties sworn in the presence of the gods. Peace must reign there, or the gods will wish to know why not.

The situation at the start of Autumn 998:

Stygustan versus Mangu - Fight to the Bitter End

"Are you sure, Magic Man?" the Stygustan General asked. "Can you summon a Major Demon?"
"This spell will bring death and destruction to the battlefield my General," was the reply.
It did. But not in the way the Magician intended.
**********************************
As the Mangu army moved forward the Stygustanni army moved down the hill. This is when the Magic User tried a very ambitious Summon Spell. It failed.
Meanwhile the infantry chose not to stand and be shot at and charged instead! 

 The unexpected charge forced the 1st Mangu line of skirmishing cavalry to retire, then rout  as the infantry followed up.
 The 2nd line of Mangu cavalry, the lancers counter-charged and swept the infantry away. On the right the Mangu skirmishers poured deadly fire into the Magic Users, taking the Class 3 and one Class 2 Out of the Fight. Worse still, the remaining Magic Users routed away. 120 points of Magic thrown away due to trying the Summon Spell

 The archers, outnumbered and surrounded, moved into missile ranch of 3rd line of Mangu cavalry. The Stygustan General, seeing the Mangu sweeping in from the right, charged the Mangu skirmishers to his front, driving them away.

 The Mangu General led a charge to sweep them away. The archers fired and fought in melee.
Luck was with them - big luck as in rolling snake eyes on the Involved In Melee Test. Because the cavalry didn't break the archers on the first turn they retired, having suffered many hits.
The archers followed up on their turn, fired and  the Mangu General went down!

 A Leader Lost test was taken  the Mangu cavalry lancers left the field except for the relatively untouched skirmishers. The Stygustan General charged with is Light Chariots the remaining Mangu heavy cavalry, who routed from the field.

In desperation the Mangu skirmishers charged the archers from behind and routed them off. Following they isolated the Stygustani General and routed him as well, sending him Out of the Fight. The remaining Stygustanni routed away on a failed Leader Lost test.
Stygustan lost 3 archers and 1 infantry in the pursuit.
There was a 3% chance of the Magic User trying a Summon Gate Spell. Having failed, it was a waste of 120 Magic Points. But I  guess that's why we roll dice.

Saturday 6 June 2015

Summer 998 - Campaign Progress

The once mighty nation of Stygustan now lies in ruins, torn asunder by the depredations of its rapacious neighbours. Can it last much longer as an independent entity? One thing is certain. With Mirish controlling much of the main nectarine-producing areas of Stygustan, General Pereira will not be short of fruit to munch on.

Tereken, the newcomer onto the global scene has been beaten back by Altengard. Crippling war reparations have been demanded that are likely to leave Tereken too impoverished to wage war for several years to come. Altengard demand for Tereken pine nuts is thought to be a means to obtain goods readily tradeable for crates of nectarines from Stygustan.

With the number of wars and peace treaties in place now, peace has broken out across most of Talomir. Only Mangu, Stygustan and Mirish have targets for their aggression.

Wars
Mangu invades Stygustan
Mirish invades Stygustan

In this ongoing war, Stygustan decides to try to defend against Mangu and cede territory to Mirish without a fight. The pharaoh realises that he is unlikely to defeat Mirish at this time.
The beginning of Summer 998



Saturday 30 May 2015

Teufelswald - Tereken vs. Altengard - Spring 998

Sorry I'm late, here it is.








 

Hopefully I caught all the spelling mistakes and the worst of the grammatical errors. Altengard was quite the juggernaut and the terrain really favored them. In the after battle pursuit Tereken lost 2 levies and the Mounted Huscarls. Magic wasn't much of  factor and the cannon caused hits, but failed to stop the cavalry. The heroes were on opposite sides of the line and so didn't see each other. Aelberht played more of a role. Altengard had too many units for Manfred to really get stuck in, or Tereken had too few for him to get at.

I'll be quicker with the next one. (Famous last words!)

Wednesday 29 April 2015

Spring 998 - Campaign Progress

Like snarling jackals the nations of Treyine turn on once-mighty Stygustan. The evidence of its greatness is present all over that nation, but now all Stygustan's neighbours care about is the nectarine embargo. Their eyes envy the wide orchards of nectarine trees along Stygustan's coastal provinces and they seek to end the embargo by owning their own orchards. Thus, Mangu, Mirish and Treyine send their armies to seize the valuable fruit farms and perhaps to loot the tombs of the ancient Stygustani pharaohs.

Meanwhile, Tereken seizes the opportunity to invade Altengard, citing the presence in their army of a Capalan prince with the ancestral right to hold the invaded province but not the might on his own to take it.

A trader in antiques found an old bronze horn on his market stall. He knew not its provenance and never remembered buying it, but a passing centurion espied it and bought it for just a few coppers. He polished it and presented it to his legate in a bid to curry favour. The legate recognised it for what it was and hastened to the emperor seeking imperial patronage in return. Thus the War Horn of Naz Goth was returned to the fray. It is said that the emperor fills it with soapy water and blows bubbles through it.

Artefacts
The War Horn of Naz Goth appears in Tropilium.

Going to War
Mangu invades Stygustan
Mirish invades Stygustan
Tereken invades Altengard
Treyine invades Stygustan

Stygustan chooses to defend solely against Mirish

Military manoeuvres and fruit farming in Talomir, Spring 998

Sunday 26 April 2015

Mirish Settlements Aflame

Bandits have attacked and set fire to two Mirish settlements along the Mirish-Stygustan border. Mirish forces pursed the bandits, but were turned back at the border by threats from Stygustan military units.

Reports from the area confirm unusual Stygustan military activity and build up on the border with Mirish. Refugees from Stygustan are entering Mirish with tales of woe and much gnashing of teeth. 

General Pereira has been dispatched to provide non-military relief to the area. Efforts to instigate peaceful discussions with the Stygustan government have been rebuffed numerous times. 

When questioned on his way to the front, Pereira confirmed his desire to find "a final solution that will bring everlasting peace to the area."



Tuesday 21 April 2015

Winter 997 - Campaign Progress

The last year saw great changes in Talomir as war ravaged the land once more. Tereken gained surprising victories, only to be cast down at the end. Diplomats in Mirish sought peace where General Pereira wanted to carry the war to Mangu. Stygustan is under siege on two fronts and things do not look good for this once mighty nation. The map of Talomir now looks like this:
Who knows what the Spring campaigning season will bring? Well, apart from war that is. War is a given in Talomir.

Death Checks
The Tinn Khan of Mangu dies of a surfeit of figs in syrup. He is replaced by his eldest son Khan Du (WR 4).

A young mage (Level 1) in Mirish service dies in a freak incident with an alembic and a camel.

A Tereken mage (Level 3) dies when hit on the head by a slop bucket that was unexpectedly released while being emptied from an attic window.

National Morale
Stygustan reviews the current situation and surrenders immediately to Altengard and to Tropilium. Peace will last until Winter 999 in both cases.

Magic Items, Artefacts and Holy Relics
No new Magic Items, Artefacts or Holy Relics enter play this season.

Sunday 19 April 2015

Autumn 997 - Colle Della Battaglia (Tereken invades Treyine)

I'll let the pictures do most of the talking.





Tereken also lost two levies in the after battle pursuit.

Fladnag's use of the blast spell was helpful in softening up the Treyine foot knights. With an AC of 6 they need to be whittled down so that they can be affected by reaction tests. I rolled pretty abismally for them. With both sides only having a war rating of two I had trouble getting things moving for Treyine especially. The plan to use the wind maiden's ships to get a bridgehead on the hill was the right idea, I just should have had the ships deployed as one body. I only realized after setup that they were not.

Tereken's luck just ran out this time. The icy finger of death last battle was incredibly lucky. The general being injured this time around was a little unlucky.

On a technical note, I used my photography backdrop cloth for the pictures. I think it was worth it.

See you next time.

Tuesday 24 March 2015

Autumn 997 - The Temple Cat of Doom

The tiny Stygustani army faced the might of Altengard across a valley crossed by a gully.
Altengard at the top of the photo and Stygustan at the bottom. On the left is impassable terrain. The stream represents a dry gully
The outcome was not in doubt. What was in doubt was how well the Stygustani army would acquit itself.
Using foul magics, their wizards summoned a minor demon, driving from the field some Altengardian skirmishers. They also summoned a giant temple cat against which the skirmishers would break. The main body of the infantry marched boldly forward. Their only possibility of success was to destroy the enemy general.
Sadly, it was not to be. They fired their bows as fast as they could and killed a few enemy soldiers, but then the enemy charged. Stygustani casualties were horrendous while Altengardian armour preserved the lives of many that day. Wizards were ridden down. Stygustani warriors were trampled under foot. The infantry held against the first charge, and the second, but the third was enough to drive all but the general's infantry from the field. Not long after, the general saw that all was lost and he fled the field. Under these circumstances, he truly was Im-poh-tent.

One unit of warriors was cut down by Altengard, but they did their job as a rearguard, saving the lives of their compatriots. Despite this, Stygustani morale held and the war will continue next season.

Friday 13 March 2015

Crushing Defeat - Tropilium Rising

Dreaming of their once powerful nation, Tropilium invades Stygustani territory. Led by the local Hero, Ego Cibum, and outnumbering their enemy, the Tropilium army rolls forward.

Tropilium forces advance towards the Stygustani. Archery fire from the chariots drive off the Tropilium LC and score a hit on the Hero. Mages attempt to cast spell but fail.

Tropilium Hero crashes into the Stygustan archers and CinC and battle ensues. Archers rout.

Mages fire a blast spell, routing one Tropilium unit but the Hero continues to deliver casualties to the enemy CinC unit.

More Tropilum units join the fray, the weaker Stygustani infantry rout away and their CinC leads the rout.

Stygustan losses are 1 Axemen, 1 Archers, 1 Treyine Archers. 

Friday 27 February 2015

Autumn 997 - Campaign Progress

As seems to be usual in Talomir, the summer was a grim season with many Brethren knights being slain and returned to their Red Sun. Tereken made advances into Treyine by using dark sorcery and Altengard bludgeoned Stygustan. The autumn is shaping up to be a similar season as each nation seeks to get a few licks in before winter prevents further fighting.

The remnants of the Tropilium Empire seek a revival of their colonial past. Their army invades Stygustan. Facing a war on two fronts, the Pharaoh chooses to defend against both incursions by splitting his army.

The Brethren, having been cut to ribbons in their invasion of Mirish, must defend against Mirish reprisals.

Tereken, buoyed up by their recent victory are driving on into mainland Treyine.

Wars
Altengard invades Stygustan
Mirish invades Brethren
Tereken invades Treyine
Tropilium invades Stygustan

Wednesday 11 February 2015

Summer 997 - Tereken vs. Treyine - Isle of Blood








Sorry this one took so long. I got stubborn about fixing the backgrounds and then couldn't push myself to finish them. I also took way too many pictures, but sometimes it's hard to know which moment is the key one as you're playing.

I hope it was worth the wait. Treyine only lost one archer in pursuit. I don't know what became of Lord Wigstaff or the fiddle of calling. The knight unit never routed and only took one hit. The Finger of Death spell was incredibly lucky.