It is 2822 AD.
Following the bloody and decisive battle of Krasnokherson, the League of Imperial Oligarchs’ Grand Army led by Khan Nee Tup is retreating from Kislev, predictably claiming victory. Meanwhile, Grand Hetman Zelazny’s Commonwealth Army of Solar Wars Veterans is in hot pursuit. The two Olde Enemies meet in the Valley of the Skulls. Can the Khan escape across the Kereneezer River with army intact, or will Zelazny seal his fate?
Grand Hetman Vadim Zelazny’s Commonwealth army (the Reds) sprang a trap on the retreating Leaguer Army of Khan Nee Tup Barabash (the Blues) at the club last night.
In the second outing for my 10mm sci-fi figures, the Leaguers were tasked with crossing the frozen Kereneezer river (avoiding pesky Nevski fish) and exiting off table to safety, in a mash-up of the 1812 retreat from Moscow.
Mal, Theo and Tim were Khan loyalists, with Doug, Phil, and Alex from the West London Legion, fighting for Zelazny.
I tweaked the rules from April’s game, adding saving rolls, new troop types (three sorts of Aliens), increasing armour values for some of the more powerful units, and introducing tactical cards for special power plays.
For the first three turns, there was variable deployment, with the Blues arriving on the eastern table edge (apart from one corps which held a bridgehead near the far end); and the Reds dicing for where they arrived.
Everyone was quick to pick up the rules and seemed to enjoy the game. The highlights included Doug's Alien Spawn attacking Theo's Leaguer titan and Tim's Leviathan; Phil’s awe concerning my new Space Lice figures; and Theo’s creative interpretation of the rules!
The Blues failed to make it to the river in the time available, leaving the Reds victorious.
These sci-fi rules, which are now called Mayhem Squared, remain in development. They were an overall improvement on the originals borrowed from a Miniature Wargames article, but we could have used fewer figures or a smaller table to produce a closer result. The saving rolls have prolonged the duration of the game – which was their purpose – but the saving factors could be tweaked to speed it up again if necessary.
