Recovering from Easter.

When Easter weekend is over, I take a day or two off. This year our son, Rob, came home from his apartment in London, ON, and stayed a few days with us. His girlfriend, Eva, came along. One of the activities was playing a game of Warmaster. I've felt that this small scale/large army game was one of the best games to ever come out of Games Workshop. It seems to be the ancestor of Black Powder, Pike & Shotte, and Hail Caeser from Warlord games. There is a great deal of resemblance.

Rob and Katie took their Dwarves and Elves and battled Beth's Kislevites and my Thirty Years War Swedish army, all in 10mm. Eva had never played the game and she served as a corps commander in the Elf/Dwarf army. 

The front room is converted into a games room. Pooka did not play but looks on from the floor.

Rob, Eva, and Katie - the "Axes" of Evil... in my opinion (Rob made me write that pun.)

Beth's Kislevites with her regiments of bears in evidence

Kislevite knights, who were undoubtedly based on the famed Polish Winged Hussars

The Kislevites Tsarina in her bear chariot.
We liked the bear chariot from the Narnia movie so much we made one.

Baruk Khazâd! Khazâd ai-mênu!The Dwarf battle line advances.

Beth and I won the initiative and advanced. She sent her knights and horse archers out quickly, with her bears on the flank. My cuirassiers and "Galloper" Arquebusiers as well as the Hackapelli regiment moved quickly up the center. My 6 pike-and-shot regiments came up more slowly while a regiment of commanded shot guarded the 5 cannon "grand battery." I ended up facing Katie's Elves who came on quickly with Silver Helms and Reaver Knights as well as a Dragon Rider. Rob used his Gyrocoptors to flank the Kislivites but they were not as effective as they'd been in the past.

Kislevite War Wagons

Swedish cavalry, infantry, and guns.

A view of the Dwarven army from the flank.
Troll Slayers are in the front rank; They WANT to die!

Elvish chariots with Dwarven cannon  and the Dwarven Anvil of Doom around them.
(GW chariots)

The centre of the Elf/Dwarf army - Eva's command

Elven Silver Helms fight Finnish Hackapelli. The Finns got the worst of it.
According to the ECW/TYW rules I found on the Internet, the Hackapelli are fast "Galloper"cavalry (+1 die for each stand on the charge) & Fanatics (Immune from fear). However they are very light and save on a 6+ on wounds.

Kislevite knights and a hero battle Dwarf handgunners backed by Elvish cavalry.

An Elvish Dragon Rider. I found the dragon figures at a bring-and-buy years ago and put a Elven charioteer figure on the stand.
One of Katie's favourite units.

Elven eagles. Eva was enamoured with these things.
(Games Workshop figures.) The thing on the pillar is an objective marker.

The Swedish artillery - 3 medium guns and 2 heavy guns backed by a unit of commanded shot.
(Old Glory and Pendrakon figures)

Some of my cavalry were torn apart by the Elves but my second line of "Galloper" Arquibusiers chewed through some of the Elven cavalry. The Dragon Rider tried to hit my guns but the shot stopped it. (I was amazed!!) Actually the Dragon Rider, which usually make a mess of things, did not have good luck. As it was, only one of my pike-and-shot regiments was engaged and lost a stand to the Dragon Rider. (Three of my regiments had an attached "battalion gun" which serves as an extra shooting dice rather than a piece of long range artillery.)

On the other flank, the Kislivites were driving back the Dwarves into a small town which the cavalry could not enter. The troop caught in the open were ridden down by the Winged Knights, although they took some casualties.

Eventually time caught up with us and we had to call the game. The original intent was to base victory on the taking of two objectives. However, Rob's Dwarves were hacked up badly and he said that tactically the Elf/Dwarf army won, but strategically the Humans had the edge. Our armies were still very much intact and had the game gone on longer, it would have been a more firm victory. Still we take what we can get!

Eva enjoyed the game so much she and Rob took the Orcish and Chaos armies back to their apartment to play when time allows!

Another view of the Tsarina's chariot

The Kislevite cavalry, having opened up the left centre take on the remnant of the eagles.

This is what I faced - spearmen and the Phoenix Guard backed by bowmen.

The fight on the edge of the town commences.

And continues.
(Pendrakon and GW figures)

Kislivite horse archers vs. Dwarf warriors

The Winged Knights charge home.

My pikes and battalion guns hold the line.

Today when I came home from work, I found a D&D game in progress. Rob was trying out the 5th Edition and we all decided we like them. Beth, Katie, and Eva played with Rob DM-ing. Rob and Eva went back to London after dinner this evening. They were going to fencing, but Beth and Katie decided to skip the fencing and come home to rest. There are some cramps and pulled muscles involved.

The rooms and hallways were simulated by dice.

Rob was playing an NPC (Non-player character) for added muscle, I suppose.

Katie and Eva at the table.

Pooka - taken in the family room a while ago.
He looks so forlorn, but he really is well treated.