A while back now we decided to have a go at some smaller (cheaper) scale fantasy battles, so after a bit of a look about we decided upon 10mm as our scale of choice (not least because I would be paying for all three of the armies involved!). First point of call, as is often the case with me was Irregular Miniatures, they are really nice guys to deal with and you can’t argue with their prices. So money changed hands and three £15.00 army packs were duly delivered. Myles my eldest son would be taking the lofty Elves (after finally talking him out of yet another Undead army!), Matthew my younger son the vile Orcs, and I the stout little Dwarves.
Rules were our next priority and again cheap keeps me cheerful so “Free Wargames Rules” web-site was a must view, “Follow Me Men” and “Hoards and Heroes” were both downloaded and printed out, but though both are good, neither was quite what we were looking for, so we decided to write our own and I present for your delectation and delight, our “Really Simple 10mm Fantasy Rules”. Please note that this is very much a playtest version and many things still need to be added (magic for instance).
Once these were started we could decide on how we were going to base our figures, unit sizes were worked out by each adding up the number of figures in our armies and dividing them by a number that would work evenly for each of us, twelve for infantry and eight for cavalry apparently, (it turned out Irregular had already done this as we had the right number of command packs, doh!).
Painting then ensued (with much pushing of Matthew, as it ate into his “playstation” time) and after a short time three presentable little armies were ready to take the field…..
So far three battles have been played out with Myles decimating Matty’s Orc hoard, Myles turning my poor little fellows into pin cushions (maybe I should have let him have undead after all!), and Myself and Matty getting rather bogged down in an inconclusive mess. The rules are still very much a work in progress (I’m thinking a 2cm range for Elven archers for a start!!), but they have all been rather good fun, the kids particularly like the fact that I can’t remember even the simplest rules from one turn to the next (even when I wrote them!). Next on the agenda is some scenery and additions to are armies, Myles’s other obsession is with Dragons, oh no….
Rantings from under the Wargames table 