A follow up Fantasy game to my earlier one from my Petaudia campaign, the Battle of Urd's Ford. The powerful sorceress, Carmilhan, Queen of Lestrigon, has intervened in the civil war in Styrmonia, intent on restoring her influence, if not establishing full control, over that realm. Rules are Dragon Rampant, with "house" amendments owing to the size of the game, the main ones being that leaders are on separate bases and can attach themselves to any unit in their "command"; if a unit in a "command" fails to activate, then just that "command" completes its activation phase, not the whole army, as is normal in Dragon Rampant. Figures are from various sources, including old Vendel Miniatures, Old Glory, Essex Miniatures, Lucid Eye, old Grenadier, and Games Workshop. The painting quality goes back decades!

On the Strymonian side are the forces of the Church of Ferrex:

tough infantry with hammers and plançons.

Strymonian crossbowmen.

Strymonian spearmen.

Metrocles, Count of Tantalus, the Strymonian commander and Siurano the Illusionist (who counts as a Wizardling, being not all that good a magician!).

Pietro the Black, a Leucadian mercenary leader hired by Metrocles, and Zimri the elf-troll, an agent of Quinapalus the Wise, the top wizard in Petaudia.

Leucadian mercenary knights and men-at-arms.

Strymonian knight and men-at-arms.

The battlefield. The skeletons are the first wave of Carmilhan's army. They are Summoned units, being raised from the dead prior to the battle.

Another view of the battlefield. Metrocles and his force have to stop their enemy crossing the river, which means Urd's Ford in the centre. But Carmilhan has a few tricks up her sleeve!

The skeletons, being undead, are used as "cannon fodder" to wear down the enemy.

Being undead, I ruled that they could walk across the riverbed, rolling dice for potential losses to undercurrents, holes, etc, ignoring the need for a ford or bridge.

The first goblin "command" arrives on the table, with orders to cross the ford and capture the earth and log barricades.

Wolf riders are the first to cross after the skeletons.

Achard, Captain-Governor of Gath, a giant minotaur figure I have had for years.

Wolf riders with halberds, something a bit different.

Can't remember where the figures came from though! Kallistra?

The elf-troll had a great battle, fighting off skeletons, giant spiders and wolf riders. Under Dragon Rampant rules, all my leaders count as Single or Reduced Model Units, usually with 6 Strength Points.

The single elf unit on the battlefield, fighting off skeletons with swords.

I do not "overrate" my ordinary elves, in order to give some balance to the different sides. These broke and ran after being attacker by wolf riders,

These are old Grenadier barbarian figures. In my Petaudia campaign, they are mercenary troops from the tropical islands of Numancia hired by Carmilhan. Their impractical attire means they are rather vulnerable in combat, although the axemen and swordsmen pack a hefty punch!

The build-up continues for Carmilhan's forces.

The red counter indicates that unit is "Battered", which means it has fallen back

from combat and has to rally.

Ogres moving up in support of the goblins.

Carmilhan's bodyguard "command" appears on the battlefield - spiders, half-orcs and black elves.

The Captain-Governor of Flam, the capital of Carmilhan's kingdom.

The sorceress queen herself - Carmilhan. The figure was given to me by one of my step-daughters, who bought it in a Games Workshop/Warhammer shop. It was an experience she describes as "like when Penny from The Big Bang goes into the Comic Books store"!

The sorceress' master stroke - stone bridges created by magic spell! However, the power required t maintain them meant she could not do anything else for the rest of the game.

The barricades are all homemade from oak twigs picked up in the garden and my

usual sand and gravel basing material.

The elf-troll fighting off the spiders.

Then the wolf riders!

Ogres and hill trolls moving across the ford.

The sorceress' bodyguard of black elves, led by their captain, Calandrine, a sorceress in her own right.

Giant boars with their hobgoblin riders beside a homemade stone circle and plinth,

the latter a piece of flint from a nearby field.

The battle nears its end, with the defenders in serious trouble having lost control of the ford and their right wing having collapsed completely.