LANDWASTERS

& RAVEN FEEDERS

When has the period of warfare defined by a rules writer ever been TROOP TYPES & POINTS VALUES
adhered to by the players? Was it ever? I know that I’ve used certain The generic nature of Lion Rampant
rules that I enjoy for battles in periods seemingly unsuited to the original troop types means that they may be
design, and the feedback I’ve received in person and online shows me transposed wholesale from the medieval
that my Lion Rampant medieval rules are ripe for tweaking to many period back a few hundred years without
other periods (I’ve seen Zulu War, Horse & Musket, Ancients, SciFi and any drastic reworking of the rules.
Fantasy Lion Rampant). I think it’s worth renaming troop types
to convey a feeling for the period, but
Owning a reasonably impressive between the Fall of Rome and the rise of feel free to refer to your own Warband’s
collection of Dark Ages models, that Feudalism. A change of pace for my early units by more specific, tailored titles
I’ve mustered over the years for my Dux medieval gaming, if you like. rather than my generic ones shown in the
Bellorum rules, Simon MacDowall’s conversion table (for example, Norman
excellent Blades of Crimson (published This article looks at how to raise a heavy cavalry will fight better if you
many moons ago in Practical Wargamer Warband (which seems a more suitable continually refer to them as milites as
magazine, 1993), and Studio Tomahawk’s title for a group of Dark Ages warriors opposed to ‘Mounted Companions’).
/Gripping Beast superlative Saga than the medieval ‘Retinue’; your Leader
The upgrades available in this period are
skirmish, I thought I’d add another option is restyled as your Warlord) for your more limited than for medieval Retinues,
for Dark Ages wargaming by writing a preferred nation, and proposes a list of and the appropriate ones may also be
Lion Rampant variant to cover the period Boasts more suited to the Dark Ages. found in the conversion table.

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 NEW UPGRADE:
HOLY MEN & BANNERS
I toyed with the idea of allowing units
to include ‘special characters’ in the
original, medieval ruleboo , but my final

DARKAGES
410 - 1066
conclusion was that this didn t uite fit
in with the feeling of the period. But the
Dark Ages seems, to me at least, to be an
era ripe for adding a little spice to units.
‘Holy Men & Banners’ allows you to
replace one model from a non-Leader
unit with a suitably inspirational model:
be that model a warrior with a standard,
Medieval Dark Ages Allowable
Notes a champion holding the head of an
Troop Type Troop Type upgrades
incautious opponent, or a holy person
This troop type should only be used to of your Warband’s chosen religion.
Men-at-Arms Cataphracts Mounted bows represented fully armoured cataphracts on Regardless of the way this model is
fully armoured horses.
depicted, it has the same effect: it makes
The Warlord’s bodyguard and his best that unit feel more confident of its own
Mounted Mounted prowess and a little more prepared to
Mounted bows fighters sometimes they would fight on
Serjeants Companions
foot, sometimes mounted. stick around when the going gets tough.
The majority of horsemen in the Dark
Mounted Javelins
Riders Ages fall into this category: unarmoured, UPGRADE:
Yeomen Expert
and using either javelins or bows. ‘HOLY MEN & BANNERS’
The Warlord’s bodyguard and his best
SPECIAL CHARACTERS
Foot Foot
fighters sometimes they would fight on • Available to: Any unit except
Men-at-Arms Companions
foot, sometimes mounted. for irmishers or illagers
Armoured spearmen, equipped with body units containing your Leader
Foot Serjeants
Upper Class
Expert armour as well as a shield. may not take this upgrade.
Spearmen
Schiltron renamed Shieldwall. • Cost: One point per unit.
mpetuous warriors fighting in a much • Maximum of one special
Fierce Foot Warriors
looser formation than spearmen. character per unit.
Unarmoured spearmen, equipped with • Special characters may not
Javelins only a shield. transfer between units.
Lower Class
Foot Yeomen Mixed
Spearmen Schiltron renamed Shieldwall. • Replace one ordinary model in
Weapons
They cannot be upgraded to Expert! the unit with a special character.
This special character moves,
Should be rare: only usable if defending fights, and acts in all ways li e
Serfs Villagers
against raiders, etc. any other model in the unit.
Units of bowmen would be fairly rare, • Units with a special character
Bidowers/Skirmishers and Foot Yeomen gain +1 to all Courage tests
Slingers
with Mixed Weapons being better
Archers Archers (-1 point, (in the same way as, and in
representations of missile fire for many
range 12'')
Warbands. Note that they cannot be
addition to, being within 12''
upgraded to Expert! of their Leader - see page 11
of the rulebook).
Only usable by a very limited number
Crossbowmen Crossbowmen • Test for the death of special
of armies in this period.
characters in the same way as
ometimes specifically trained, Leader Lucky Blows.
Bidowers Skirmishers
sometimes skilled hunters or woodsmen.
• A player killing an opposing
unit’s special character gains
+1 Glory.
By keeping the rules simple and
offering an easy to remember
courage boost, I think this upgrade
presents all sorts of opportunities
to introduce some of the wonderful
character models that are available
for Dark Ages armies and having
them play a meaningful role in
your games. Setting the cost at one
point means that this becomes a
nice option should you find yourself
with a single point or two left over
after creating your dream Warband.

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 SCENARIOS NEW BOASTS A few suggestions to get you started:
Dragging Lion Rampant from the In Lion Rampant, making Boasts at the 3 GLORY BOASTS
medieval period back to the Dark Ages start of every scenario can sometimes be
doesn t re uire any modification to as important as fulfilling that scenario s • “I have prayed to the Gods and they
scenarios - the twelve included in the objectives: completed Boasts win you have listened!”: For the duration of the
rulebook will all work well for this earlier victory points. And what do victory battle, you may never have more than one
period. points make? Victories! Battered unit on the table. If you last until
the end of the scenario with this being the
Some scenarios feel more appropriate The Boasts included in the rulebook are case, you get your glory; your units may
with certain Warbands as the attacker very much targeted at medieval battles. be destroyed, just not visibly losing faith
rather than the defender, so you could That said, many of them work very well in the face of their enemies.
introduce an Aggression rating as a die in any battle setting, not least the Dark
roll modifier for each arband when Ages, but also think about what sort of • “Your shields are as strong as the
rolling for Attackers and Defenders (+2 Boasts would work for your chosen Dark walls of my mead hall”: None of your
for Vikings and Huns, -1 for Franks and Ages Warband and let your imagination units may be the ‘loser’ in a melee in
Arthurian Britons, for example) or just throw out new Boasts. this game.
be prepared to suspend your disbelief and
fight out whatever match ups the dice
offer you.

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• “They will cower before me”: At least
three enemy units on the table must be
Battered at any one time.
2 GLORY BOASTS
• “Burn their homes”: If the table has at
least one building on it, and you’re not
playing a scenario where your objective
is to burn these (or one where you are
defending them!), you may Boast that
you will burn at least one of the buildings
down. See the rules in Scenario F for how
to do this.
• “They will tremble before me”: At least
two enemy units on the table must be
Battered at any one time.
• “And I shall drink my mead while
my wolves ruin their sheep onfident
in victory, you decide to go drinking
rather than be present at the battle - your
the opportunity (and Glory) is lost. This full sized force for Lion Rampant. Two
warriors are capable enough to win
Boast may be taken up to three times, and choices have been popular with players
without your help. Your Leader’s unit
may not move or take any action all used/scored on that many occasions in using smaller numbers of models:
game. If you are required to roll any dice a scenario.
• Field Warbands consisting of only 12
for this unit or move it in any way, your • “Drive them back into the sea”: You or 18 points rather than the standard 24
Boast fails. must make at least one enemy unit points. Ignore the Courage test trigger
• “We shall avenge them”: Secretly Retreat off the table during the game. ‘Retinue has had half or more of its total
choose one enemy unit; you must destroy • “Their arrows shall be lost like tears points value of units removed from play.’
or rout it during the battle to avenge the in rain”: None of your units may be
dreadful deeds it has previously in icted • Field half-sized units (3 or 6 models);
ultimately routed or destroyed by missile
on your people. use the rules exactly as written, and
fire they may ta e missile casualties, but
this cannot be the cause of their removal remember that numbers are rounded
1 GLORY BOASTS down in the rules... meaning that a
from play).
• “Plunder their dead”: On a turn three model unit counts as under half
following their enemy being wiped PLAYING WITH SMALLER strength when reduced to two models!
out or routed, one of you units must NUMBERS OF MODELS Courage tests are less likely to be failed
stand in place and take no action in the If you’re playing using a Saga warband and casualties will mount up quickly,
game (they are looting the bodies). If for e ample you might find that you meaning you’ll have faster, bloodier
disturbed by having to move or fight, don t have enough models to field a battles. Hurrah!

A Saga sized archer unit.

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 SAMPLE WARBANDS Irish
As with the rulebook, these are not hard and fast lists that • 2 Foot Companions* @ 12 points
players must abide by; rather, they are suggestions to base your • 2 Warriors @ 8 points
own Warband on and to set an example for building Warbands • 2 Skirmishers @ 4 points
from other kingdoms. And once again, these are intended as
Frankish (Merovingian)
suitably generic forces, rather than tied to a specific campaign
or century... your own research will be the deciding factor in • 1 Mounted Companions* @ 4 points
which specific period your arband is from • 3 Warriors @ 12 points
• 2 Lower Class Spearmen with Javelins (throwing axes) @ 8
Anglo-Saxon
points
• 2 Foot Companions* @ 12 points
Frankish (Carolingian)
• 1 Upper Class Spearmen @ 4 points
• 2 Lower Class Spearmen @ 6 points • 3 Mounted Companions * @ 12 points
• 1 Skirmishers @ 2 points • 2 Upper Class Spearmen @ 8 points
• 1 Archers @ 4 points
Arthurian British
Gothic
• 3 Mounted Companions* @ 12 points
• 2 Riders with Javelins @ 6 points • 3 Mounted Companions* @ 12 points
• 2 Lower Class Spearmen @ 6 points • 2 Lower Class Spearmen @ 6 points
• 1 Archers @ 4 points
Avar
• 1 Skirmishers @ 2 points
• 1 Cataphracts* with bows @ 8 points
Hunnic
• 2 Mounted Companions with bows @ 10 points
• 1 Expert Riders @ 6 points • 3 Riders* @ 12 points
• 1 Mounted Companions (subject nobles) @ 4 points
Breton
• 2 Warriors (subject foot) @ 8 points
• 2 Mounted Companions * @ 8 points
Norman
• 4 Riders with Javelins @ 12 points
• 2 Skirmishers @ 4 points • 3 Mounted Companions * @ 12 points
• 1 Upper Class Spearmen @ 4 points
Byzantine
• 2 Archers @ 8 points
• 2 Mounted Companions with Bows* @ 10 points
• 2 Riders @ 8 points
• 1 Upper Class Spearmen @ 4 points
• 1 Skirmishers @ 2 points

2 2

6
1

2
3
5

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 Patrician Roman
Gripping Beast special give-away figure • 2 Mounted Companions* @ 8 points
with Saga: Raven’s Shadow. This one • 1 Riders @ 4 points
has been painted by award winning • 1 Upper Class Spearmen @ 4 points
Battlefront brushman Matt Parkes. • 2 Warriors @ 8 points
Pictish and Scottish
• 2 Riders with Javelins* @ 6 points
• 3 Lower Class Spearmen with Javelins @ 12 points
• 3 Skirmishers @ 6 points
Welsh
• 1 Foot Companions * @ 6 points
• 3 Lower Class Spearmen with Javelins @ 12 points
• 3 Skirmishers @ 6 points
Viking
• 2 Foot Companions * @ 12 points
4 • 2 Upper Class Spearmen @ 8 points
• 1 Warriors @ 4 points

1 Archers

5 2 Lower class spearmen

3 Warriors

4 Foot companions

5 Riders

6 Mounted companions

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