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π· Olga Adelina Sitinjak added a new photo
π· Lie Siauw Yung added a new photo
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Battle Of Edgehill 1642 - The Action
This is the second post on our recent refight of the Battle of Edgehill, the first, last week covered the set up for the game, orbats, rules etc with a video run through of the table set up, if you missed it, click the link below,
https://yarkshiregamer.blogspot.com/2019/10/battle-of-edgehill-1642-part-1-set-up.html
I will let the pictures tell most of the story, apologies for the number of pics but I think it explains things better than paragraph after paragraph of prose.
The Battle plan of both sides was pretty much the same as the actual battle, the Royalist would launch both wings of Cavalry forward at their opposing Parliamentary wings (after engaging the Dragoons on the Roundhead flanks with similar troops), send the infantry forward and try and break into the rebel lines in the hope that Rupert and the boys would be back before tea to round things off nicely for the King.
Above we see Prince Rupert leading forward his Cavalry with his own and Prince Maurices units in the fore, orders Advance to HC (Hand to Hand Combat). No point messing about with Royalist Cavalry, get it forward and get it into contact.
The Royalist left started the same, Wilmots Cavalry, less in numbers and in quality started the escalation of walk, to trot, to canter, to gallop as they advanced on the Cavalry to their fore.
This photo looking down the table with the Royalists on the right, shows the early part of the Battle perfectly, you can see Wilmot to the fore, one move away from contact, The Parliamentary Guns opening up as the Kings front line advances, and in the distance Ruperts headlong rush into that flank.
Wilmots and Fieldings front lines meet North of Brixfield Farm.
Whilst on the other flank Ruperts Cavalry charge home after their opponents chose to stand and fire, but under the pressure of the Gallopers charge they fired their pistols before the Cavaliers were in range. Also seen is Maurice and his Regt their opponents have trotted into contact.
Wilmots Horse have the upper hand, one Parliamentary unit routs after losing 50 % of its strength whilst the other is narrowly beaten and is pushed back.
Rupert and Maurice on the other hand break both units they fight and immediately pursue their beaten adversaries.
The front lines are much closer now and musketry ripples up and down the lines. In the centre a poor morale check on one of Fieldings Regiments of Foot, under fire from Roundhead Artillery causes that brigade to pause it's advance.
Most of the Royalists have a larger proportion of Pike to Shot than the Parliament so rather than try and beat the odds in a firefight the tactic is to close to Hand to Hand combat.
On the Royalist left the Cavalry battle has bogged down, the followers of the King have the advantage but some poor dice means it's no push over. Rupert and the boys however are off the table (hence no photo). Maurice found that the unit it broke stopped directly in front of the second line leaving the Parliament in a disorganised mass of two units which the young Prince just roads straight through.
Rupert had a slightly harder fight as their opponents in the second line stood to meet them, but stood vs Elite Gallopers is always going to be a loss. So 4 Regiments of Royalist Horse leave the table in pursuit, leaving only Lord Byron and his unit on the field.
The Battle along the front line is fierce with no clear advantage to either side, both armies have Raw units and the morale of these units can be brittle, above one of Meldrums Foot units routs from contact, similar scenes are happening on both sides up and down the line.
The King surveys the action protected by his Gentleman Pensioners.
In the centre Parliamentary firepower is keeping the Royalist troops at bay who are desperately trying to reorganize the lines to get moving forward again.
But Belasyses Foot Regiments are making better headway on the Royalist right looking to make contact the next turn.
A good view along the lines at the mid point of the Battle.
The infantry contest between Meldrum for Parliament and Wentworth for the King continues to ebb and flow.
A momentary set back in the centre for the Roundheads as a Raw unit in the front line gives way, but there are no dramas as Ballards Foot step up to take their place.
Things are going the Kings way on their right, after a cross of Pike the Royalists Infantry are victorious and rout their foe, but the sight of the retreating troops was too much for the last Royalist Cavalry unit on that flank who charged headlong into a Pursuit with a unit they hadn't even been in contact with., typical !
But the blunders weren't restricted to one side, a Raw unit belonging to Essex decided it would be a good idea to chase after a unit of Royalist Foot to it's fore as it routed, it ended in tears when they crashed into another Royalist unit, this second one was Trained and had an abundance of Pike. The Essex men routed back the way they came, lesson learned.
After plenty of drawn or narrowly won melees Wilmots Cavalry throw a double 1 for morale and they rout, leaving only 1 Royalist Cavalry unit left on the table.
Leading to one of the more amusing moment when the Parliamentary Cavalry literally trotted of in pursuit of the vanquished foe (who are travelling 6" a turn faster) safe to say that they gave up the chase pretty sharpish.
The empty right flank looked tempting to Stapleton and his Cuirass who started to move out from their position in the reserve.
Guess who just got back today ? Rupert and the boys are back in town !
Finally the Royalist centre got it's act together, the Kings Lifeguard of Foot had formed up, rallying the remnants of Fieldings units behind it and the rest of Bryon and Gerrards Foot alongside them, the drums sounded and the flags waved as the second line advanced towards Essex and his troops.
Pressure was also mounting on the Parliament left, another unit broke in melee, Maurice had returned with his Cavalry and the Firelocks and Dragoons from that flank were now in range of the Thistle Farm.
As night closed in the Royalist second line charged as one at Essex and Ballard.
One of the smaller Royalist units were repelled by the fire on the way in but all the other units hit home, Gerrards Foot above was about to win it's third melee of the day.
The Lifeguard also won it's melee and the whole of the Parliament left was being pushed back, at that point the Parliament called it a day.
The other flank was pretty much in stalemate, two units had fought each other twice to a stand still draw during the game. What tipped it's Parliaments way on that flank was the last unit of Royalist Cavalry deciding to chase after a shattered Roundhead unit (the one that pursued Wilmot). Fine idea but it left the whole of that flank under threat from Stapletons Cuirass who were now free to roam around unopposed. This forced the Royalist Foot behind Byron to form a defensive line 90 degrees to the main attack to protect against the threat of the Armoured Cavalry.
The Lord Generals Foot above hold the remnants of the Parliament lines. So the Kings Men have the day but fall short of a decisive victory much like the real battle. We had pretty much recreated history. The Parliamentary Cavalry of Fielding performed better than on the day but Rupert was unstoppable. The fighting was fierce and ended up, as on the day with the Royalist right pushing the Parliament back whilst falling back themselves on their left.
Many people asked about the fate of Sir Edmund Verney, Royalist Standard Bearer, those supporters of the King (like myself) will be glad to know that this Noble Gentleman survived the Battle, having charged with the Kings Lifeguard. He still retains both hands and is appearing in twice weekly piano recitals at Radway Church.
So thats the ECW collection away for a couple of years ! Next up Italian Wars.
π Bulex Eva Anax Timah shared Iis Sugianti's post
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A Pirate'S Life, Maybe Not For Me
A big part of it is that Tortuga 1667 wants to be a social deduction game, a genre of game that generally requires a large number of players to be interesting, and most of our non-RPG gaming tends to be done in groups of 2-4 players. Plus I don't really like social deduction games. I find them to be too abstract and lacking in interesting game mechanics or compelling adventure, the two things I tend to look for in a game.
So how did we end up with this game in the first place? Well, it is absolutely beautiful too look at, and it was offered as an add-on in Facade Games' Kickstarter campaign for Deadwood 1876. Plus the player official player count is 2-9, so we figured we might be able to make it work for smaller groups.
At the start of the game, each player is given a secret affiliation, either French or English. The game then involves jockeying for the positions on the board that allow you to either move the other players around, or allocate treasure chests to one side or the other. The trick is that you don't know which players are on your side, and every part of the game relies on anticipating whether or not you think the other players will help or hinder you.
For example, a player in the Captain position can call for an attack, which adds more treasure to his ship. But the attack is resolved by each whose pawn is currently on that ship secretly playing a card that will either help or hinder the attack, so an attack will only be successful if the majority of players on the ship think the Captain is on their side.
In our games we found that, due to this voting mechanic, it was very difficult for a player to actually accomplish anything on their turn. Attacks would get voted down, treasure would get moved back and forth, and the social deduction part of the game wasn't very interesting, and more aggravating than fun.
It's possible that this game just needs more players than we normally have on hand (we played one game with 3 and one with 5), but honestly, if we ever have a table of 6 or more players we're more likely to play a meatier game like Battlestar Galactica, which makes more interesting use of the "secret betrayer" idea, or Dune, which allows players to decide how much "shifting alliances" they want in the game.
Rating: 2 (out of 5) This game just isn't compelling enough at low player counts, and not worth the effort of getting a large group together.
π· Giuseppe Venezia added a new photo
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Against Awards Shows
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| Image by Marco Recuay. Filed under Creative Commons. Some rights reserved. Source: Flickr |
Another day, another controversy explodes on the Internet. Controversies, and the obsessive social media coverage that they receive have become almost synonymous with award shows. Why, with Kayne's arrogant interruption of Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus desperately trying to shock at the Video Music Awards, Ellen DeGeneres making an awful transvestite joke about Liza Minnelli at the Oscars, or Sofia Vergara's irony at the Emmys taken too seriously, we tend to forget that these shows are about the awards. It seems almost routine that these shows always provoke some controversy to tweet or blog about ad nauseaum. It's just so fascinating that in a post-Madonna age, liberal and conservative alike can still be offended, and even "outraged" (a terribly misused term), by a woman shaking her ass on TV.
I have the misfortune (or fortune, rather) of missing out on these controversies that will distract journalists from otherwise newsworthy stories, because I don't watch award shows. I don't see the point. They're really a waste of time, if you think about it, and I'm briefly going to articulate exactly why.
You're an observer, not a participant
I didn't get to vote in The Dark Knight for Best Picture. I didn't get to nominate Legend Of Korra: Book 2 for a Golden Globe. I'm not getting an award because I wasn't involved in any of the shows, nor are any of my friends and family. These decisions are all made by persons I'll probably never know. Of course, popularity can have an influence on the choices of those in charge, but the verdict ultimately lies with them. So why should I be involved? Why should I care? What good does it do for me?
Is it for validation? Can you only feel justified in liking art if it wins an award? I'll love Breaking Bad, regardless if it wins Best Drama. I'll abhor Gigi, even though it won Best Picture. I'll still listen to the Airborne Toxic Event, even if they never earn a Grammy. You should like art for reasons important to you, not to society, or those who claim to speak for it.
Or do you watch these shows to see artists that you admire finally get their due recognition? Well, that's fine and all, but chances are, you'll see other artists that you don't know or care about get their fair due as well. Think about it, do you really care about who wins Best Sound Editing at the Oscars? In most cases, the person or show you'll want to win, will only catch the spotlight for less than five minutes, and that's even if they win.
Yes, yes, and yes. I know that the People's Choice Awards, the Teen's Choice Awards, and the Kid's Choice Awards allow the public to vote online, and they deserve credit for that. However, that still doesn't fix the problem of sitting through so much boredom. (Well, the Kid's Choice Awards have slime, at least!) It's still people getting awards. No plot, no climax. Not to mention that you can't choose who gets nominated (as far as I know.) That being said, these viewer participation awards don't always select the best of choices, after all, One Direction won Favorite Band for 2014. It is also noteworthy that Whitney Pastorek of Entertainment Weekly suggested that public's participation may be more marginal than advertised,
"Let's be honest: As the very clear post-show disclaimer explained, a complex system of "E-Polls" and market research and extravagant math went into choosing the nominees you saw upon your screen. And that system led to a telecast in which praise was lavished on a crassly commercial cross-section of demographically advantageous properties starring celebrities who were willing to show up." ("The People's Choice Awards: You showed up? Here's a trophy!").
By the end of the day, you're watching people you'll never know hand each other awards for two to four hours. Awards that you, likely, had no real effort in giving.You're only real participation is as a view count.
Much of what's going on might not even be that relevant to you
Kelly Clarkson, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Robin Thicke, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and Beyonce are among the musical artists most represented by the Grammys as of late. This is one of the reasons I can't watch the Grammys, I don't listen to any of the new artists. Spinal Tap sounds better than a lot of what reaches Billboard these days. Now I'm not one of those retrophiles who hates new music simply because it's new. I love Nujabes, Airborne Toxic Event, DJ Okawari, and I even think that Kyary Pamyu Pamyu is a little catchy. The singles "Rolling In The Deep" by Adele and "One Engine" by The Decemberists are excellent, while The Foo Fighters' Wasting Light was a great rock album. Simply because I don't particularly like any of the artists who often win Grammys doesn't make me better than those who do, it simply means that the Grammys aren't for me.
I referenced part of this problem earlier. Even if an artist I enjoyed was getting recognition, I'd have to wade through a bunch of other artists who I don't care for just to get there. The Video Music Awards may supposedly represent my generation, but they don't represent all of us.
This even happens with the high-brow Academy. After all, how many of you actually saw Slumdog Millionaire, Nebraska, An Education, The Reader, or Michael Clayton before they were nominated for Oscars? Though, yes, these awards can help bring public attention to those lesser known films (which is a good thing), but again, is it necessary to watch the show just to get that? I think the press releases, critical reviews, and film festivals can get that much accomplished.
Don't even get me started on the Tony's. I know that I couldn't afford to see all of those shows on Broadway. Could you?
All of the results will be available online after the show.
I've hinted at this point before, but it needs repeating.
It's not as if, if you miss the show or forget to record it that you'll never get the results. You could easily save hours out of your evening and just get the results from Google. That's what it's all about, isn't it? The results: who won and who lost. Still want to see acceptance speeches or performances? Fine, look them up on YouTube. See how much time you've saved.
Again, I don't see the larger point in watching these award shows, you really get nothing out of it, aside from a chance to drool over your favorite celebrities. There's a channel for that, it's called TMZ, but I wouldn't recommend that you watch it.
I recognize that this essay has been rather, well, short, compared to my others, and I suppose it's because I don't feel the need to waste too much ink on convincing the Average Joe that watching celebrities congratulate each other is something that we see every day. No need to turn it into a televised event. That's just masturbation.
Bibliography:
"One Direction Wins Favorite Band At People's Choice Awards 2014" Perez Hilton. January 9, 2014. www.perezhilton.com
Pastorek, Whitney. "The People's Choice Awards: You showed up? Here's a trophy!" Entertainment Weekly. January 8, 2009. popwatch.ew.com
Frankenstein: A New Version Of It's Alive From Invedars
Hey guys. News about the game formerly known as It's Alive.
After the first prototypes, two editions of It's Alive from Reiver Games, and two versions of Hanukkah themed versions called Candle Quest by Victory Point Games and on The Game Crafter (still available), the game has been picked up by Invedars, returning to its original Frankenstein theme.
The new version is called Frankenstein and it looks amazing. New artwork, and a figurine and a new events expansion for Kickstarter backers.
The project is up on Kickstarter and reached its goal in only 24 hours. It is now many times above its goal.
They have already sent prototypes to reviewers for new reviews, for example:
Follow Invedars and progress about the game on Facebook.
After the first prototypes, two editions of It's Alive from Reiver Games, and two versions of Hanukkah themed versions called Candle Quest by Victory Point Games and on The Game Crafter (still available), the game has been picked up by Invedars, returning to its original Frankenstein theme.
The new version is called Frankenstein and it looks amazing. New artwork, and a figurine and a new events expansion for Kickstarter backers.
The project is up on Kickstarter and reached its goal in only 24 hours. It is now many times above its goal.
They have already sent prototypes to reviewers for new reviews, for example:
Follow Invedars and progress about the game on Facebook.
π Ica Yuni posted an update
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