"Arthurian Legends Skirmish Game?" Topic

So I finally picked up the Thunderbolt Mountain Arthurian set, and now I want to work toward building a suitable world for their struggles. Anyone have any ideas for a skirmish level game that could be appropriate for the Age of Arthur – set more in the high Medieval fantasy period than dark ages. Conceivably I could just use a role playing system (I used to love the melee and wizard games – The Fantasy Trip), but I am open to commercially available games as well that might make for a suitable conversion to this period. Any Ideas?

David

If you like Song of Blades and Heroes, a very popular skirmish game by Ganesha Games, they have a stand alone Arthurian game:

link

How about Lion Rampant or the fantasy version Dragon Rampant? The rules are fast and fun. Units of 6-12 men, leaders/heroes are important, and easy to graft on to an RPG lite campaign if you wanted…Dragons Rampant would give a framework for a monster or a little magic here and there…

How large do you want you skirmishes to be? For a small band of 5 or 6 Sigwald's suggestion is good. If you want more, say 40 to 80 then I would suggest Lion Rampant or it's sister game Dragon Rampant if you want magical creatures and such.

Interesting that they are both written by Daniel Mersey. I'll have to see if any of our local group has experience with them. Thanks!

(I used to love the melee and wizard games – The Fantasy Trip)

Oh man, me too! I wish I still had mine (lost in a move and copies on Ebay are really frighteningly expensive). I have been looking at the SOBH Arthurian edition, evidently you can play either the "historical Arthur (kind of a contradiction in terms) or the Legendary Arthur and his knights of the Round Table.

For this I am probably more inclined toward the smaller bands of under ten figures – I also like the price! :)

I'll add a +1 for Song of Arthur and Merlin.

I think Daniel Mersey did a great job. From the book's Introduction:

Depending on your take on the legend or history, you may decide to play games set in the classic Arthurian setting of an enchanted medieval world (High Medieval King), or prefer the equally enchanted but slightly grittier setting or earlier Celtic folklore and old school history (Welsh King). Some players wish to re-enact the real life battles in Britain of the fifth and sixth centuries -- the historical era in which a real life Arthur might have lived -- bereft of magic and monsters, but still full of tactical choices and tough warbands (Historical King).

I've also seen Arthurian boards for SAGA as well

"Dux Britanniarum" from Too Fat Lardies:

link

Covers the period 450-600 AD, Post-Roman British vs Saxons. Each side starts with around 40 figures. Has a excellent campaign system.

I've been doing this very thing with my Thunderbolt Mountain figures. We've been using Age of Sigmar with the Brettonian army lists mostly with other stuff mixed in as needed, like Ogors for giants.

It is a blast. It is narrative, story driven gaming more so than competitive stuff. But it is quick, fun and free, rules and army lists so you can try it without paying anything.

Throwing my hat into the ring with Chevauchee and it's accompanying fantasy supplement. It'll fit any interpretation of the Arthurian myth, as its pretty much period neutral. Plenty of character and narrative mechanics to breathe life into your dudes too!

Isn't SAGA rolling back in time with a release for this epoch? Greedily rubbing mits together- oh boy- more plastic and metal models…..