The last years I've usually played a 'Seasonal Christmas Wargame' between my Gingerbread and Cookie Men armies. Last year I also added a Cookie Monster to my Holiday games encouraged by James from Quantrill's Toy Soldiers Blog. I've usually been using different rules for these 'Seasonal games' each year, and needed to find something 'new' for this year. My initial plan this year was to play using the 'One Page Rules - Age of Fantasy: Skirmish', but when I saw a Battle Report with the full rules posted by Bob on his Wargame Miscellany Blog recently I changed my mind. Bob described these rules as Featherstone-style based on Donald Featherstone's Ancient rules and they seemed very complete and playable, and I got really interested to try them out while I was reading his blogpost. Bob and his friend played a game with these rules using Vikings and Anglo-Saxon miniatures, but I think my 'Gingerbread men and Cookie men armies' are armed in a similar way and therefore can be used with these rules. My war bands are smaller than what's suggested by the rules so I just had to amend them to suit my smaller units. This game and 'Battle Report' is not a review of the rules, but just playing for pure fun.
Rules
This is the rules how they were posted by Bob Cordery. I've just formatted them to fit one page in a Word-document for ease of reference:
Scenario
The Scenario is simply to control and hold the Christmas table (top).
Forces:
- Gingerbread men Army
- A leader with sword and shield.
- A unit of 2 'Knights' armed with swords and shields. They will fight as 'Huscarls' and 'armoured infantry'.
- A unit of 3 unarmored infantry armed with spears. They will fight as 'Fyrd/ Bondi'.
- A unit of 3 archers.
- Cookie men Army:
- A leader with sword and shield
- A unit of 2 'Knights' armed with sword and shield. They will fight as 'Huscarls' and 'armoured infantry'.
- A unit of 3 unarmored infantry armed with spears. They will fight as 'Fyrd/ Bondi'.
- A unit of 3 archers.
- Cookie Monster: Perhaps not so 'Featherstone style' but a single Cookie Monster on the table to create some chaos. It will fight as 'Berserker' and only in melee, have +2 in melee each time and a health of 6.
The rules are not so clear regarding initiative, so I roll dice for initiative each turn, and always activate the cookie-monester last. So let's poor some 'Christmas brew', roll some dice and let the game begin:
Turn 1
To close in the large gap on the battlefield the combatants are advancing toward each other. Still none of them are in range for ranged weapons, The Gingerbread Husecarls are moving around the wood to flank the Cookie men army:
Turn 2
The mutual advancement continues and the armies opposing each other are in range of the archers. - With no effect though:
Turn 3
To eliminate the efficiency of the Cookie men's bows the Gingerbread Fyrd charges into a melee.
The Gingerbread archers managed to take out a member of the Cookie men Fyrd, which in return charges into the Gingerbread archers accompanied with their leader. At the same time the Cookie monster had caught upon the charging Cookie men warband and takes out another one of their Fyrd:
Turn 4
The Gingerbread archers falls back so they can take advantage of their ranged weapons. -With no success though so the Cookie men keep following them. The Cookie men archers makes a tactical retreat to use the advantage of their ranged weapons. -With no success: The Cookie monster engages one of the Cookie men Huscarls in a melee:
Turn 5
As the Cookie men Fyrd and leader keeps fighting the Gingerbread archers in melee, it finally pays of and they takes out one of those Gingerbread archers. The Gingerbread Fyrd follows the Cookie men archers and charges into another melee. The Cookie monster finish one of the Cookie Huscarls off:
Turn 6
The last Cookie Huscarl charges into a melee with the Gingerbread Fyrd, and manage to takes one of them out:
...The remaining part of the Gingerbread Fyrd counter attack and takes out the Cookie Huscarl which earlier received a wound from the Cookie monster:
Turn 7
The Gingerbread archers keep falling back to create som space between them and the following Cookie men Fyrd and leader. Their arrow misses again:
The Gingerbread Huscarls are finally around the woods, but the Cookie men archers turns around to front them. No hits though. The Gingerbread leader teams up with his archers. The Cookie monster charges the last Gingerbread Fyrd and takes it out:
Turn 8
The melee between the Gingerbread archers and leader continues and the last Cookie men Fyrd is lost. The Cookie monster gives the Gingerbread leader a wound. Behind them the Gingerbread Huscarls has made a 'shieldwall' against those incoming arrows, awaiting a flanging maneuver from their leader and Fyrd:
Turn 9
The Cookie men leader takes out one Gingerbread archer and the Cookie monster takes out the Gingerbread leader:
The Gingerbread Huscarls realizes that there will be no flanking maneuver and relief so they charges into the Cookie men archers:
Turn 10
The remaining Gingerbread archer manages to take out the Cookie men leader...
...the the Cookie monster takes out the the last Gingerbread archer:
Turn 11
In a melee the Gingerbread Huscarls takes out one of the Cookie men archers:
Turn 12
The rest of the Cookie men archers runs of in panic and send soe arrows against those Gingerbread Huscarls with no effect:
The Gingerbread Huscarls follows up. So does the Cookie monster:
Turn 13
The Gingerbread Huscarls charges into another melee with the Cookie men archers and takes one of them out:
The Cookie monster attack one of the Gingerbread Huscarls from behind and takes him out:
Turn 14
Both the last remaining Cookie men archer and Gingerbread Huscarl 'freezes'. The Cookie monster takes advantage and approaches the last Gingerbread Huscarl:
Turn 14
The Gingerbread Huscarl and Cookie monster continue to fight in a melee:
Realizing that they have a common enemy the Cookie man archer also charges into a melee with the Cookie monster. Both of them get a wound:
Turn 15
The Cookie monster finis of the Gingerbread Huscarl, and the Cookie man backs off and fire an arrow with no success:
Turn 16
The Cookie monter follow the retreating Cookie man and charges into another melee. -With no success though:
Turn 17
The Cookie man keeps backing and shoots another unsuccessful arrow:
Turn 18
The Cookie monster keeps following the fleeing Cookie man and finish him off in a melee:
The game took about an hour and a half to complete and the complete rules can be found on Bobs's blog 'Wargame Miscellany' in this blogpost. Thank you for the rules and inspiration Bob!
I guess the rules for next years Seasonal Battle gives it self, as it will probably and finally be 'One Page Rules - Age of Fantasy: Skirmish'.
I guess the rules for next years Seasonal Battle gives it self, as it will probably and finally be 'One Page Rules - Age of Fantasy: Skirmish'.
Good continuing on the Holidays!
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