This is by no means a full battle report (or two): I had started it as such but when I was playing it became apparent that I needed to focus entirely on the game and the rules, since it is a little while since I played Twilight of Divine Right and I was making a few mistakes - and I get annoyed with myself if I make silly rules mistakes when I am in the middle of the game. So these photos are here 'just for the look of the thing'. I actually played it through twice to remind myself, and to iron out a couple of misunderstandings, as well as to have a think about how to improve the set-up to facilitate easier game play.
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The scenario is The Battle of White Mountain from the Europe's Tragedy Twilight of Divine Right scenario book.
Original Re-fight:
Here are a few images from the original re-fight in May 2020:
I don't think I have looked at this one since I posted it. I quite like it! The English and Scottish flags are a little jarring of course but you do have to click on the image to notice them otherwise they do blend in; although to be fair, they are a lot more obvious in some of the other shots, say this one:
Battle One:
Battle Two:
The central mechanics of the Twilight of Divine Right are great although I sometimes forget or mess up some of the smaller details. The way support works for example is logical but not quite as intuitive as other sets. And there is a degree of granular detail with the units which isn't always so easy to record on the table in an accessible form. I am still working on this because I don't want to have to put extra 'game' markers out now that I have managed to eliminate them from most of my games. This isn't just because they spoil 'the look' but also because it feels like it slows down the game somewhat. I will have to rethink my redoubts too: they look 'okay' but the footprint is a bit unhelpful; I think ones which are more like three sided rectangles will work better with the ground scale.
I think the new flag bases worked quite well. What was a bit surprising to me is how nice the 2020 set up looked though: a bit chocolate box with its bright green grass and blue streams compared to my muddier and earthier looking homemade cloth, but maybe GW is onto something and that kind of think just looks better for toy soldier games. Still thinking this one through...
Anyway, hope to get a full battle report out soon.
Figures (and most of the flags) by Baccus 6mm, buildings mainly by Leven I think.
Well, I think your 2020 version looks terrific! Nothing wrong with playing a scenario multiple times even when the games are partial rules’ assessments.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree: that is the problem! (A pretty first world problem, I grant you :-)...). I too think that the brighter, less naturalistic colours of the 2020 game look nicer than the 2022 game. This is partly explicable by location for the photography, since the 2022 games are in the garage whilst the 2020 game was in a relatively well-lit portion of the house, but even discounting for that, the colours just pop out more to the eye.
DeleteI'm a big fan of the whole Twilight of the Sun King series of rules, but Tbh the later iterations have far too much fussy detail for me. I just ignore all the stuff about large/small units etc. It doesn't affect the gameplay or flow of the battle, and it is much less stuff to remember.
ReplyDeleteYes, that sums up my feelings about it quite nicely.
DeleteI'm a big fan of the GW mat which I still have and is as good as new some 15 years or so since I bought it. It doesn't get huge use, maybe twice a month on average over the years and I keep it rolled up over a cardboard tube to keep it in as good as conditions as possible.
ReplyDeleteOne reason I have moved to a few core rulesets with very similar mechanics is that it makes it much easier for me to chop from one period to another, without the issue of having to relearn cum remember the rules which tend to then inhibit the actual enjoyment of the game.
Both good points: GW know what they are about! And you put your finger on a sore point for me: I like looking at lots of different rules to get under the hood, so to speak, and see what makes the mechanics works; but that is a bit antithetical to actually playing a specific scenario to its fullest.
DeletePretty photos! Thanks for sharing. I'm looking forward to hearing more about the future games. I do like the very blue rivers in the earlier games....the mat seems fine in the later one though. Maybe try mixing and matching?
ReplyDeletethanks Dave. I have been doing a little bit of prep work for some ToDR games today, hopefully some more reports soon.
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