The Leopard Campaign: Scenario Two – The Man in the Wagon

A Spy’s Warning

It all began with a note smuggled out of besieged Plymouth.

The message was brief but alarming. An important Royalist prisoner, Sir Edmund Vine, was to be moved from the city under heavy guard before being transported to London for interrogation. Whatever information Vine possessed, the Parliamentarians clearly considered it valuable. The note also revealed the prisoner’s route and identified the ideal ambush site—a small market square through which the wagon would pass before descending the narrow road leading to the East Gate.

The Leopard’s orders were straightforward: rescue Sir Edmund before he disappeared into Parliament’s prison system.

(For the Leopard earlier adventures - start here.)

Wood Block Cutting of the Lepoard dating from the 1650s

The Morning of 17 March 1643

Before dawn, while most of Plymouth still slept, the Leopard and his companions slipped into position amongst the alleys and buildings bordering the square. In the distance, they could already hear the rumble of wagon wheels and the steady tramp of marching feet.

The trap was set.

Springing the Ambush

As the wagon turned into the square, the Royalists melted deeper into the shadows. Surprise would be their greatest weapon.
The vehicle concealed its precious cargo beneath heavy canvas, but the escort was formidable enough. A burly sergeant led a dozen Plymouth militiamen through the early morning gloom. Once the wagon reached the market cross at the centre of the square, the Leopard struck. Musket shots echoed between the buildings, scattering several of the militia and leaving only the hard-bitten veterans to protect their prisoner. The ambush had worked. For a brief moment, the odds seemed firmly in the Royalists’ favour.
The Leopard and his men surged forward before the escort could recover.

Edgar and Billy - The Other Mission

Not everyone was focused on the rescue. Edgar and young Billy had been tasked with locating a series of intelligence caches left by Royalist agents within the city. Unfortunately, those dead drops lay dangerously close to the fighting. Worse still, shots suddenly rang out from upper windows overlooking the square.

Parliamentarian snipers.

The city authorities had anticipated just such an attack. Or perhaps someone had betrayed them.

Chaos in the Square

Isaac—rarely far from a bottle and never far from trouble—attempted to shoot the wagon driver. As the company’s best marksman, success should have been assured. Instead, the shot flew harmlessly wide.
Whether the fault lay with the musket, the weather, or the previous night’s ale remains a matter of debate. Giving up with the musket, Issac abandoned subtlety, gripping his musket like a club and charging towards the melee. He managed only a few strides before slipping spectacularly on the wet cobbles and crashing to the ground.
The square itself soon became an unexpected ally of the Royalists. One of the wagon wheels struck an uneven cobblestone, jolting the vehicle violently and forcing the driver to halt while he regained control.

The Leopard wasted no time.

His men closed in from all sides, surrounding the stalled wagon before the escort could react.
Unfortunately, the remaining defenders proved far tougher than expected.

I am running a few minutes late; my previous meeting is running over.

At their centre stood Sergeant Hopgood.

A giant of a man and a former blacksmith, Hopgood wielded his halberd with frightening skill. Again and again, he held back both the Leopard and Maarten, his sweeping blows forcing them away from the wagon. Meanwhile, Edgar and Billy searched desperately for the hidden intelligence caches while dodging musket balls fired from the surrounding buildings.

A Runaway Wagon

Eventually, the driver regained control and urged the wagon forward once more. Suddenly. James and Isaac found themselves directly in its path. James threw himself clear at the last moment and even managed to grab briefly at the wagon’s side. Isaac was less fortunate. Still suffering from the effects of the previous evening’s drinking, he reacted too slowly and was knocked sprawling by the vehicle. The unfortunate marksman was left unconscious in the mud.

Recognising the danger, Maarten broke away from his duel with Hopgood and launched himself at the moving wagon. Somehow, he managed to cling to the side before disappearing beneath the canvas cover.

Inside, a desperate struggle erupted.

At the same moment, James seized his opportunity. As the wagon slowed, he hurled himself at the driver, dragging him from his seat. The driver’s whip caught James across the face, but a well-placed thrust forced the man from the reins.
The wagon ground to a halt once more.

The Fighting around the Wagon as it stalls.

The Tide Turns

As the fighting intensified, a sea mist rolled in from Plymouth Sound. Visibility dropped dramatically, reducing friend and foe alike to shadowy figures moving through the fog. The snipers abandoned their positions and moved closer to the wagon, sensing that the battle was reaching its climax.

Yet through it all, Sergeant Hopgood remained immovable.

Time after time, he blocked the Leopard’s advance, swinging his halberd with relentless determination. Although neither man could gain a decisive advantage, Hopgood’s stubborn defence prevented the Leopard from joining the struggle around the wagon. Then faithful Edgar intervened. Creeping through the confusion, he stepped quietly behind the giant sergeant and struck him from behind.

It was not heroic. It was not gentlemanly. It was, however, extremely effective. Hopgood collapsed.

Escape from Plymouth

Rain now began to pour from the darkening skies, turning the square into a treacherous mire.
Inside the wagon, Maarten finally succeeded in freeing Sir Edmund Vane. Escorted by Billy—who had also recovered another intelligence package from a Royalist agent—the rescued prisoner was hurried into the maze of alleys beyond the square.

Church bells began to ring. Shouts echoed through the streets. The alarm had been raised.

But by then, the Leopard and his companions were already disappearing into the narrow lanes, heading towards a safe house and the secret tunnel beyond.
Only Edgar was left behind.

The Angel and the Drunk

Somehow, Edgar evaded capture and eventually staggered into Lord Hopton’s camp. Demanding a drink to ease his wounds, he claimed that a dark-haired angel had rescued him from certain capture before he awoke aboard a cart bound for Saltash.
Whether anyone believed him is another matter entirely.

Post-Game Thoughts

This proved to be an excellent scenario, with momentum swinging repeatedly between the Royalists and the Plymouth militia. At one stage, I feared I had made the rescue too easy for the Leopard. Then Sergeant Hopgood appeared and almost single-handedly turned the battle in Parliament’s favour. He was one of those wonderful emergent characters that occasionally appear in solo gaming—an NPC who unexpectedly develops a personality simply through their actions on the tabletop.
Hopgood will almost certainly make another appearance in the campaign.
Once the wagon had been stopped for the second time, however, the initiative shifted decisively towards the Royalists. From that point, the rescue became increasingly difficult for the defenders to prevent.
The one change I intend to make when running the scenario again is to introduce militia reinforcements immediately after Sir Edmund is freed. That should add a greater sense of urgency to the escape phase and create a more dramatic finish.

Campaign Reflections

The game itself was a success, but the wider campaign structure remains a work in progress.
The Snakes and Ladders campaign map has not performed as well as I had hoped. Despite additional mechanics and dice rolls, it still produces a largely linear sequence of scenarios.
Likewise, while the scenario generator consistently creates interesting ideas, it still requires considerable development before each game and struggles to create a strong narrative connection between scenarios.
These elements will need some revision before the campaign continues.
For now, however, the Leopard has secured Sir Edmund Vane and the intelligence he carries.
The question is what secrets the rescued agent knows—and where those secrets will lead our adventurers next.

Chronicles of Midgard - A Review

A declaration of interest first. I was one of the playtesters for Chronicles of Midgard, and my Mystic Britain campaign — which you may have followed in earlier posts — was run using early drafts of the rules. With that caveat stated, I hope what follows reads as an honest assessment rather than advocacy.

Midgard Heroic Battles arrived in November 2023 and swiftly built a devoted following. See my review here. Since then, Midgard has won the Best New Wargames Rules Award 2024 as voted for by readers of Wargames Illustrated.  The newly published Chronicles of Midgard is the first supplement, and its central ambition is to take those fast, heroic battles and give them narrative weight and long-term consequence.

Click the image to Link to Chronicle of Midgard.

What the supplement contains

Chronicles of Midgard adds rules for fast-moving narrative campaigns and fifteen new dynamic scenarios, with a simple map-based campaign system focused on heroic deeds as two Courts of Heroes compete for renown and victory across a historical, legendary, or fantasy setting of your choice. Just under half the book is devoted to those scenarios, and they are arguably worth the price of the supplement on their own. Covering everything from open-field engagements to ambushes, river crossings, broken-terrain fights, and assaults on breached fortress walls, they offer genuine tactical variety. Combined with the five scenarios in the core rules, players now have a library of twenty from which every campaign will draw a different sequence. I would also suggest they transport cleanly to other medieval skirmish systems — something I intend to explore, though I have not yet made that transition.

The campaign system itself is streamlined by design. The map is played on a 3×7 offset grid — which, incidentally, could equally function as hexes for those who prefer a nodal campaign structure — with each square labelled as one of four terrain types: Open, River, Broken, or Fortress. These classifications feed directly into scenario generation via a d6 roll. Logistics, weather, and political fortune are not tracked turn by turn; instead, they arrive in a single pre-battle throw on the “Wheel of Fate Turns” random event table. This is an elegant solution. The Wheel of Fate brings local colour and keeps the campaign unpredictable without burying the player in administrative overhead.

Hero progression is the one element of ongoing record-keeping. At the outset, a Court of Heroes is established — typically a major hero, a couple of minor heroes, and several champions — and reputation points earned in battle are tracked as they grow. In my own games, I did not find this burdensome, and it provides precisely the kind of continuity that makes a campaign feel like more than a series of unconnected battles. Unit experience is not tracked, which keeps the bookkeeping to a minimum. After each battle, the margin of victory determines whether the winner may pursue, take plunder, or must allow a fighting retreat — most campaigns will involve between five and eight games in total.

From Athelney to Ethandun

The ready-to-play historical campaign included in the book pits King Alfred of Wessex against the Vikings in the spring of 878 AD. It supplies a campaign map, a full Court of Heroes for both sides, detailed muster rolls, and the specific army traits and unit restrictions that give each force its historical character. This latter element is particularly well handled: the campaign’s flavour is shaped not just by scenario and terrain but by limiting which traits particular units can take, grounding the game in the period without sacrificing the sandbox flexibility that makes Midgard worth playing. The campaign serves as both a standalone experience and a demonstration of how the system’s tools can be applied in any setting.

The Iron Valley

Released simultaneously as a standalone PDF, The Iron Valley offers a fantasy 'Goblet-Sized' Campaign pitting the Dwarves of the Iron Valley against an invading Orc warband under Azgoth Hornchewer. The 35-page pack contains background, maps, full Muster Rolls for Orcs and Dwarves, and five new scenarios playable as either a linear or map-based campaign. It also introduces a new trait, adding another tool for differentiating armies and giving particular forces their own identity. The format clearly signals how the planned series of Goblet-Sized Campaigns — very much akin to the Pint-Sized Campaigns produced for Chain of Command — will work going forward, with Chronicles as the manual underpinning each one.

What I would like to see added

No system is without its gaps, and a few additions would strengthen future supplements or editions. A sense of time passing matters to those of us who write campaign chronicles or dispatches. I have solved this simply by treating each map move as a month; most pre-modern campaigns ran from March to September, which tallies naturally with the suggested campaign length of five to eight battles. A formal timescale would be welcome.
I would also like to see additional terrain types. A coastal terrain category — with its own scenario table — would open up sea raiders, amphibious landings, and the kind of littoral warfare that defines so much of the early medieval world. A magical terrain type would serve high fantasy settings well. Both feel like natural extensions of what is already here.

What’s coming

The Goblet-Sized Campaign pipeline is already moving. James Morris is working on a Second Barons' War campaign covering the battles of Lewes (1264) and Evesham (1265) — two engagements that are well-suited to the Midgard format. Lewes in particular, fought over broken, hilly ground south of the town, rewards exactly the kind of terrain-driven scenario generation that Chronicles handles well, while Evesham — de Montfort trapped in a river loop, his outnumbered force destroyed in a near-encirclement — offers a ready-made scenario with its own special conditions baked in. It will be a campaign with high dramatic stakes and should demonstrate the system’s range beyond the Dark Age settings that have dominated so far.
Looking further ahead, Midgard has been selected as the ruleset for the extraordinary Hastings 960 project, an ambition to refight the Battle of Hastings at a 1:1 figure ratio, targeting over 16,000 fifteen-millimetre paper miniatures on the table for October 2026. It is a remarkable vote of confidence in the rules’ scalability, and it underscores how quickly Midgard has moved from a new release to a community institution.

Verdict

The core question for any campaign supplement is whether it adds narrative weight without adding administrative drag. Chronicles of Midgard manages that balance well. The Wheel of Fate keeps things unpredictable; hero progression gives players something to care about between battles; the scenario library ensures no two campaigns feel alike. For the solo wargamer in particular, the minimal bookkeeping is a genuine virtue — one of the reasons my own Mystic Britain campaign progressed as far as it did.
If you already play Midgard, this is a straightforward purchase. If you have been on the fence about the core rules, it is worth noting that the game now has not just an active and growing community but a substantial supplement infrastructure — historical campaigns, fantasy campaigns, a promised series of further Goblet-Sized releases — that suggests Morris and Reisswitz Press are committed to the long term.
Chronicles of Midgard is an essential addition to the shelf.

Chronicles of Midgard is available from Reisswitz Press in hardcopy (£24) and PDF (£16). The Iron Valley Goblet-Sized Campaign is PDF-only. The Too Fat Lardies preview video is available on their Patreon page.

The Hidden Society - Mr Tonks

After year’ research and writing, my superhero campaign set in an alternative London in 1880 is nearly complete, so it's time to start to share the characters and background over the next few months. Here is the first to hit the press, Mr Tonks.

 

The character originated in the COM board game The Rise of Molock. However, his background has been changed to suit my Victorian London, and his abilities altered to make him compatible with SuperMission Force rules. He the Brawler in the Hidden Society, a group of heroes who protect the empire from the Rift energies that has changed the world.

Mr Tonks Origin

Tonks was a gorilla from Africa who became a star at the London Zoological Gardens. When a Rift-contaminated plague forced the zoo to close, Dr Goodall saved him using an experimental serum infused with Enlightenment current energy.

The results were extraordinary. Within weeks, Tonks had mastered anatomy, medicine, and several languages. The Enlightenment current had awakened true sapience in a non-human mind.

Elated, Goodall injected himself with a modified formula. The results were catastrophic—contaminated by Abyssal energies, he became a bloodthirsty creature that still plagues London, a mortal enemy of Tonks.

The learned hominid became the pride of society, living proof that Rift energies could elevate rather than corrupt. The elegant Mr Tonks became a popular speaker at the Royal Society and a charming presence in drawing rooms.

Yet Tonks grew weary of frivolities. Haunted by his benefactor's fate and believing his existence must serve a greater purpose, he sought out the Mace Club, where his unique perspective and immunity to mental corruption made him invaluable to the secret organisation within the St. James ' St. club - The Hidden Society.

Mystic Britain - Chronicles of Blood and Iron: Summer 495

Summer of Steel: The Road to Ruin

The spring fighting had ended with Hengst and his Dûrlingar warriors claiming the initiative. The early battles of this campaign are available here. 

From the Annals of Caer Sulis, as recorded by Brother Aldhelm:

"When summer came with heat and harvest, it brought also the reaping of men. Hengst the Grim, emboldened by his sons' spring victory, marched his host upon the ancient stones laid by Rome. The old road would run red ere autumn's first leaf fell, and the mists would hide horrors that no Christian man should witness."

The March of Hengst

After his son's triumph in late spring, Hengst sensed opportunity and moved to exploit it with ruthless speed. Rather than waiting for the full muster of his British allies, he marched immediately with a compact but formidable force: his elite housecarls, the witch Morgatha and her legions of shambling undead, and the remnants of his son's battle-hardened army.

The strategy was brutally simple—push up the old Roman road with all haste, reaching Arthur's capital before the British king could bring his reserves to bear.

But the wily Sagramoor's scouts had already brought word of the Dûrlingar movement. The Moorish general moved to block the western approach along a series of low, undulating hills. Both commanders believed they held the initiative. Neither had reckoned with the weather.

The Battle of the Mist

From the Chronicle of Camlann:

"They camped on facing ridges, each watching the other's fires burn through the dusk. When dawn broke, God had drawn a veil across the world. In that grey shroud, the dead walked unseen, and brave men's hearts turned to water. Islands of earth floated in seas of cloud, and in the depths between, shapes moved that had no right to move at all."

Overnight, both armies had made camp on opposite ridges. When morning came, the land lay smothered beneath a dense, clinging mist. Visibility shrank to mere yards. As both forces advanced, all they could discern were ghostly shapes in the murk and the occasional hilltop rising like a floating island above a sea of cloud. For the Britons, the fog brought special terror—within those mists, the insubstantial undead drifted silent as smoke.

    

The primary effect of the weather, beyond the fear it sowed, was the complete disruption of both armies' deployments. Flanking units drifted off course, becoming separated from the main body. When the mist began to lift as the armies closed, both battle lines were fragmented and broken—a circumstance that would cost Hengst dearly.

Yet Hengst, advancing blindly through the murk, remained unaware of how badly the mist had scattered his formations. His tactics were characteristically straightforward: charge along the entire front, break the British resolve, and march swiftly on Arthur's capital. Despite the limited visibility, it was the Dûrlingar who struck first, crashing into the British line. The howling dead, urged on by the necromancer witch Morgatha, caused the greatest terror among Arthur's loyal warriors.

The Fight Back

After the initial shock drove them back, the Britons found their courage and fought back with renewed determination. The mist's disruption had given them an unexpected tactical advantage. Hengst's army was small, and the broken formations created gaps that allowed the numerically superior Britons to isolate and overwhelm pockets of the enemy with minimal support.

Where the British counterattack struck, dwarven units shattered. Hengst himself found himself nearly surrounded, his standard in danger of being taken. Spotting a gap in the closing British ring, he and his death guard fought their way clear of the encirclement. But the battle was lost. The initiative had shifted once more.

From Brother Aldhelm's Chronicle:

"When the mist lifted at last, the field was a charnel house. The Dûrlingar withdrew in disorder, leaving their dead upon the ground they had thought to claim. Sagramoor's men were too exhausted to pursue with vigour, but victory was theirs nonetheless. The old Roman road would not see dwarf feet that day."

The Battle of Wolves' Wood

After his defeat in the Battle of the Mist, Hengst fell back to a wooded area straddling the old road. Here he could concentrate his forces along a narrow frontage, gaining, he hoped, some tactical advantage. His position was strengthened by the arrival of the pretender Modred, who brought cavalry to guard his more exposed flank.

Taking up position at the centre of his line, Hengst planted his standard near an old Roman milestone bearing an eagle motif—an edifice the dwarf chieftain considered a favourable omen.

From the Chronicle of Camlann:

"At the Wolves' Wood did Hengst make his stand, beneath the eagle of lost Rome. The trees themselves seemed to reject the abominations in his host, and the very earth rose against the walking dead. It was a day of axes and of blood, where heroes fell, and traitors paid the price of their ambition."

This would be no battle of sophisticated strategy. Sagramoor understood that only one path led to victory: continue up the road and burst through Hengst's strengthened position at the milestone. With this in mind, he deployed his best troops at the centre and began his advance, his flanks covered by Galahad's light cavalry on the right and the fierce Welsh warriors on the left.

Clash of Arms

The first clash came, unsurprisingly, between the British housecarls and Hengst's Death Guard, supported by the undead legion. But this day, the dead would find no fortune. The necromancer Morgatha struggled to maintain her hold over them or replenish their numbers. Some mystic force pervaded the ancient woods, rejecting these abominations of unlife. The undead wavered and dissipated like morning fog.

The battle became a brutal struggle along the main road itself. Slowly, the Britons began to push the dwarves back. At one desperate moment, arrows struck Hengst's armour—they failed to penetrate, but he was forced to invoke mighty deeds simply to preserve his life.

On the flanks, fortune also favoured the Britons. The Welsh slowly drove the undead from the woods into open ground. On the right flank, Galahad charged Modred's cavalry, and the two champions met in single combat—a duel that would cost the pretender his life. With Modred dead upon the field and his forces struggling, Hengst recognised the inevitable and withdrew to his coastal fortress.

Now the dwarf chieftain faced a grim calculation: should he attempt to hold the fortress through a siege, or abandon it and return to the Isle of Vectis to plan a new campaign for the following year?

For Sagramoor, victory had secured the southern hundreds of Arthur's kingdom, but his men were near exhaustion. His own decision loomed: should he, so late in the season—early September now—attempt to lay siege Hengst'st's stronghold? Such an undertaking would certainly require Arthur's support and, more importantly, his elite guards.

From the Annals of Caer Sulis"

"Thus ended the summer campaigns, with the Dûrlingar penned upon the coast and the pretender Modred lying cold upon contested ground. The witch Morgatha had fled, her dark arts proven insufficient against the ancient powers that slumber in Britain's soil. Yet Hengst remained unbroken, his fortress strong, and autumn would bring its own trials".

Observations from the Summer Campaigns

These two summer engagements proved markedly different from the cautious spring battles. Where the spring conflicts were drawn-out affairs of probing and manoeuvring, these were head-on clashes of terrible violence—especially the final battle, which became a true bloodbath. Many heroes either barely survived through the use of mighty deeds or, in Modred's case, failed to survive at all.

The Battle of the Mist demonstrated how numerical superiority can overcome elite forces, particularly when the battle line becomes divided. The fragmentation allowed the Britons to exploit gaps and bring superior numbers to bear at crucial points, supported by better dice rolls, ultimately giving them the edge.

The Battle Wolves' Wood was a more straightforward affair. Simply put, the dice favoured the Britons that day. Hengst should have recognised his ill fortune when he threw two double ones on his risk-to-throw. This "Twist of Fate" was a warning of what was to follow. Though his mighty deeds saved him from fighting's worst effects, from that moment forward, the battle seemed lost to him.

Ironically, Modred's death also robbed Hengst of much of the propaganda value he had sought in this campaign. No longer could he claim to support a rightful British king against a usurper. He was now simply another would-be conqueror of these isles, following in the footsteps of the departed Roman masters.

From Brother Aldhelm's Chronicle"

"As summer waned and the harvest moon rose full, men on both sides sharpened their blades and wondered what autumn would bring. The war was far from over, but the balance had shifted. Whether Hengst would withdraw or make a final, desperate stand remained to be seen. The chronicler's hand grows weary, but the tale continues…"

The summer season has concluded with the Dûrlingar contained but not destroyed, their chieftain cornered but defiant. The question now is whether the autumn will bring siege, withdrawal, or some unexpected turn fate's wheel.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Autumn's Respite: The Rains Come

From the Annals of Caer Sulis, as recorded by Brother Aldhelm:

"With September's turning came the rains, as if Heaven itself wept for the blood spilled upon British soil. The old Roman roads, which had borne legions in their pride, now ran with mud thick as porridge. No army could march, no siege could prosper. Both king and chieftain looked to their walls and their hearths, and welcomed winter's coming truce."

The autumn rains arrived early, and by mid-September the old roads had become clogged with mud, making the movement of men and supply wagons both difficult and dangerous. Arthur, though victorious in the field, proved unwilling to commit his forces to a siege so late in the season. Winter campaigns were the province of desperate men, and the British king was not yet desperate.

For his part, Hengst was content to sit behind the walls of Noviomagus, waiting for spring and the arrival of fresh ships from the homeland. His coastal fortress remained secure, his core forces intact despite the summer's reverses. He had lost the pretender Modred and failed to seize the old Roman road, but he had established a foothold in Britain that would not be easily dislodged.

And so, as the year turned toward the dark months, an uneasy stalemate settled over the southern coast. The campaign's first season had concluded.

From the Chronicle of Camlann:

"Thus did the year of blood draw to its close. The Dûrlingar held their coastal stronghold, the Britons held the road and the interior. Neither had won decisively, yet neither had lost all. It was a settlement born of exhaustion and autumn's rain—a peace that both sides knew would last only until the hawthorn bloomed white again."

The Chronicler's Reflection

I chose to end the first round of this campaign at this point, primarily because I lacked Dark Age fortifications in my collection—a siege would require resources I did not possess. Therefore, like Hengst himself, a seasonal break suited my circumstances admirably.

Coincidentally, this conclusion produced a strategic landscape remarkably similar to the historical Jutish settlements in post-Roman Britain: a foreign force established in coastal strongholds, the British controlling the interior, and both sides gathering strength for the next round of conflict when spring returned.

The Jutes' holdings in post-Roman Britain. 

From Brother Aldhelm's final entry for the year 495:

"The leaves fall, the fires are banked, and warriors on both sides return to their halls. But swords are not yet beaten into ploughshares, nor spears into pruning hooks. When the spring comes, and the snow melts from the hills, the war will wake again. Until then, we wait, and we watch, and we pray."

The campaign continues...

Workbench 2026

As we turn the page on another year of gaming, it's time for my annual look back at what's been happening on the tabletop here at Anglian Wargaming HQ.

Looking Back at 2025

2025 turned out to be a pretty productive year, even if I didn't manage quite as many games as I'd hoped. I wrapped up two campaigns that had been running for a while: the pulp adventure 'Tomb of the Serpent' using Pulp Alley, and 'DNA', a superhero romp played with SuperMission Force.

The real star of the year, though, was Midgard. This sandbox game arrived late in 2024, but didn't make it to my table until March. Since then, it's dominated my gaming time and sparked my largest 28mm painting project in years. I've run several Dark Ages games with these rules now, and I'm currently deep into my first Midgard campaign: Mystic Britain. This pits Arthur's Britain against the Durlingar dwarves and their allies. The campaign should reach its climax early in 2026, though after the evil dwarves' latest victory, the outcome is far from certain!




The other campaign I started in 2025 was 'The Spectacular Adventures of the Leopard', set during the English Civil War in the West Country. This follows Edward Clement and his band of followers as they battle against the Preacher and his Parliamentary Forces. I'm using the ever-versatile Pulp Alley rules for this one, with the campaign plotted using a simple Snakes and Ladders board game.

What's Coming in 2026

I've got two new campaigns lined up for the year ahead.

First up is a 'steampunk' superhero campaign in which the Keepers of the Hidden Ways take on the Charnel Society in their inaugural adventure. I've been having great fun developing this alternative London, complete with a female Sherlock Holmes and her colleagues with their supernatural abilities. This will be a straightforward linear campaign with three or four scenarios making up a 'series'. The aim is to capture the feel of comic books, with new supervillain teams appearing in each chapter.

The second campaign is historical: Edward I's conquest of Wales, based on a Charles Grant 'programmed' reconnaissance campaign. Set in 1277, the English probe the Tywi Valley and meet resistance from the Welsh lords of Deheubarth. Historically, these events were a sideshow to Edward's main invasion in the north and led to the region's submission. I'm planning to use Baron's War 2nd Edition rules, with a spring start once 'Mystic Britain' campaigns wrap up. One thing I've learned is that I can only handle two concurrent campaigns – any more and I lose track of the narratives.

Projects and Ambitions

One disappointment in 2025 was not getting more historical simulations to the table, particularly following the refight of the Battle of Pynda using the Strength and Honour rules. These games need considerable research to do correctly, plus there's often significant modelling and painting involved. I plan to streamline this by focusing on 6mm or 10mm miniatures where my collection is strongest. Cynoscephalae is nearly ready for the table, and this time I'm going to experiment with different ancient rules to see how they handle these battles.

Looking further ahead, I'm working on a crusader army list and rules using the Midgard rules. With luck, I'll have something to share by year's end. I'm also converting my trial WoFun War of the Roses figures into a 10mm army, though I'll squeeze in another quick game as the army comes together.

Two longer-term projects are still in the research phase. The first is a Kiss Me Hardy campaign based on the Jack Aubrey novels, though this depends on the new edition of those rules. The second is a Glorantha project based on the wonderful RuneQuest world. The idea is to follow a small group of characters through roleplaying, skirmish games, and finally as part of a unit in mass combat. Plenty of reading and testing ahead on both fronts!

The Blog and Beyond

The blog is starting to get some decent traffic, but I want to develop it further. I'm currently looking at sharing more scenarios and campaign logs. I also write a bit of background material for my games and would like to share my thoughts on wargaming mechanisms more generally. I'm not convinced the blog is the best format for all this material, so I'm exploring Substack as a way to complement the shorter content here. More on that later.

Here's to another year of dice rolling and tape measures!​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Ashes and Secrets - The Leopard Campaign Begins

I have finally begun my Leopard Campaign, inspired by the Portable Wargames Compendium and

played—somewhat madly—on a modified Snakes and Ladders board. Traditionally, the system is used for competitive two-player campaigns, but with a few small tweaks, it works beautifully for solo play. The board generates narrative “fortune” events and strategic setbacks—perfect for civil-war skulduggery. 

Some background information on the campaign can be found here.

Orders from Plymouth

The opening entry of the campaign takes place in early March 1643. The Leopard—Royalist adventurer, spy, and occasional trouble-maker—is tasked with recovering a packet of papers hidden in the burned-out shell of Emmington Manor, east of Plymouth.

A favourable die roll landed him on a fortune square, giving him the option to delay departure and acquire aid. Rather than press his advantage and out-move the Parliamentarian patrols, the Leopard opted to recruit Joseph Widecombe, a Level-1 scout with an uncanny knack for avoiding trouble… or at least postponing it.

Marching Through the Mud

The ride to Emmington was quiet. Warm westerlies rolled in, softening the March weather but drenching the countryside with heavy rainfall. After several days of slow riding, the Leopard and his troop sighted the manor below—a charred ruin nestled in a muddy valley, its fields ruined and livestock long gone.

Dismounting, they advanced on foot. The yard was clogged with fire debris, and the thick mud made staying mounted a hazard. Muskets loaded, eyes sharp, the Leopard spotted shadowy figures edging through the distant fields.

The plan was simple: get in, get the papers, get out. Yet plans involving human beings seldom survive first contact. Isaac—still suffering from the previous night's ale—slipped face-first into the mud, punctuating his fall with an enormous fart. The rest of the troop wasn't much better; every step was swallowed by the mud. 

Issac, take the 'hair of the dog' before the battle

Closing Net of the Militia

Despite the mire, the Royalists reached the manor just as the local Parliamentarian militia—led by the Hon. Samuel Massey—began closing in. Fallen beams and half-collapsed walls turned the interior into perilous terrain.

The Leopard crept into the manor itself, while his loyal companion Edgar, formerly a cryptographer and now his most dependable retainer, searched the outbuildings.

Extract from Edgar's Diary — 3 March 1643 

"Mistress Fortune favours fools and Clements alike. The yard is a bog, the house a tomb, and Isaac a menace to nose and nerve. I searched the barn first—old habits die hard; one always checks the margins. There, amid wet ash and pig-sties, I found a loose plank concealing a rusted casket. My heart leapt. But I heard shots then, close. The militia was upon us. I fear today will be an ugly day, and the papers we seek may be the least of our concerns."

Shots in the Yard

Musketry erupted as the militia loosed a ragged volley. The Royalists returned fire with surprising discipline, scattering some of the greener conscripts. Tougher resistance came from the militia advancing through the fields—though here the mud proved to be an ally for both sides, slowing movement and blunting charges.

Inside the manor, the Leopard strained to free a heavy beam pinning an old chest. After a tense struggle, he succeeded, tearing free the bundle of documents. Objective complete… or so it seemed.

Ambush at the Rear 

The militia attack was only a distraction. The militia's captain, Samuel Massey, and a small group had circled behind the manor, cutting off the Royalist escape route. Widecombe was struck down almost immediately in the Parliamentary counterattack. Young Billy, seeking safety over valour, fell back to help hold the yard.

Only Maarten, the Leopard's old comrade-in-arms, remained to block the surprise attack. He met the militia leader in a fierce sword-lock. Though evenly matched at first, Maarten slowly began to press the advantage—each blow struck with decades of battlefield experience.

Across the fields, Isaac—alcoholic haze finally lifted—managed to wound one of Coombs's men. The skirmish devolved into a muddy melee, halberd against musket butt. Yet numbers now favoured the Royalists.

Fate delivered the final blow: Sergeant Coombs slipped in the mud, striking his head against a wall and collapsing senseless. With their leader down, the remaining militia broke.

The Royalists Escape

With the papers secured and the militia in disarray, the Leopard rallied his troop. Despite the mud, the confusion, the flatulent mishaps, and the ambush, the Royalists fought through and escaped toward their own lines. 

A strong start to the campaign—though danger came far closer than the Leopard had hoped. A couple of extra "turn cards" let the Parliamentarians tighten the noose, and despite the campaign rule limiting shooting while moving, the skirmish saw far more musketry than expected.

But in the end, the Leopard's superior blades—and superior 

Follow the adventures of the Leopard in besieged Plymouth - here

Mystic Britain - Chronicles of Blood and Iron: Spring 495.

Mystic Britain is my current Midgard campaign set in Arthurian Britain in the late 5th century. The background to that campaign, including the main factions in this alternative history, can be found here.

From the Annals of Caer Sulis as recorded by Brother Ashelm

 "In the year of our Lord 495, in the season when the hawthorn blooms white as bone, the shadow of the Dûrlingar fell upon our land. Hengst the Grim had crossed the waters from Vectis with fire in his heart and slaughter in his wake. The fords would run red ere summer came, and many a mother's son would find his rest beneath the cold river stones."

Spring of Blood: The Campaign Begins

Mystic Britain stands as a land fractured by competing loyalties and shifting allegiances. The coming war will test whether Arthur can unite these diverse forces against the encroaching darkness of the Dûrlingar—those fell creatures who have replaced the Jutes in our history's unfolding. The outcome promises to reshape the destiny of this turbulent realm.

For my inaugural campaign, I've chosen to play through "Modred's Coming of Age," set in the fateful spring of 495 AD. The previous years had witnessed increased Dûrlingar activity along the southern coast, but spring brought something far more ominous. Hengst, chieftain of the dark dwarves, crossed from Vectis with his host and established a fortified camp at Noviomagus (Chichester).

Arthur's spies brought word swiftly, and the British king understood immediately—this would be no mere raid. The months that followed would determine who wore the crown and whether the Britons would survive as a people.

First Moves

The campaign opened with Hengst dispatching his sons, Oasric and Penda, to secure a crossing over the Avon. Their orders were clear: find a ford, hold it, and prepare the way for the primary host. There, they would rendezvous with the traitor Modred and his men to launch a coordinated assault on Arthur's stronghold at Aquae Sulis.

When word of Hengst's advance reached Arthur, he responded with characteristic decisiveness. He dispatched his most loyal lieutenant, Sagramoor, to harry the crossing and deny the enemy their bridgehead. The Battle of the Bloody Ford

From the Chronicle of Camlann

"At the Bloody Ford did Sagramoor stand, with water to his knees and resolve in his heart. The Dûrlingar came in their hundreds, axes gleaming like winter stars, and the river that ran clear at dawn ran crimson ere the sun reached noon."

The campaign's opening engagement proved cautious on both sides. Neither commander wished to commit—and potentially lose—his best troops so early in the fighting season. The headstrong Galahad chafed at this restraint, eager to carry the fight to the enemy. Sagramoor eventually placated him with a compromise: Galahad would lead his cavalry across the river with all speed to threaten the Dûrlingar left flank, a role the young warrior embraced with enthusiasm and no small skill.

The Lines Clash

The British advance proved ponderous, and both armies suffered from poor coordination as their battle lines fragmented in the ford's treacherous currents. When the Britons finally launched their assault across the river, they achieved initial success—but the Dûrlingar line held. Then the berserkers struck, their axes carving through the British ranks and driving the attackers back across the bloodied waters.

On the British right, Galahad's cavalry had pulled the Dûrlingar line dangerously out of position as it wheeled to face the mounted threat. Rather than charging home, Galahad's riders unleashed their javelins and retired, leaving frustration and gaps in the enemy formation. The engagement remained inconclusive.

Galahad threatens the Dûrlingar lines. 

The Death of Morfans the Ugly

As combat raged along the entire front, the Dûrlingar hero Ulfharlar threw himself into the melee, bellowing a challenge to Morfans. The armies parted as if by mutual consent, and the two champions stood alone in the stream, sword and axe at ready.

What followed was brutal and swift. Morfans charged with characteristic aggression, but Ulfharlar stood planted like an oak in the river's current. As the Briton champion Pellinor leapt to deliver his blow, the dwarf's axe found its mark in his opponent's side. The fight ended almost before it began. The Dûrlingar roared their approval and surged forward.

Morfans's death broke the spirit of the Britons around him. The Dûrlingar pushed them back across the river and gained a crucial flank overlap. The berserkers exacted a terrible toll on the British levies as the dwarven army surged forward. But on the right flank, fortune favoured the Britons. Galahad's cavalry continued to sow chaos without committing to melee, pinning the extreme left of the Dûrlingar line while British infantry closed on both front and flank. It became clear that this flank would soon collapse. The battle had become a race—victory would go to whichever side could break the opposing flank first.

After the Battle

A cautious engagement where both commanders held back their elite forces, unwilling to risk them so early in the campaign. The heroes showed less restraint, throwing themselves into desperate melees. Morfans paid the ultimate price—the only fatality among the champions. The battle also demonstrated the importance of Romano-British cavalry, a tactical advantage Hengst and his sons would need to counter in battles to come.

The Battle of Two Fords 

From the Annals of Caer Sulis:

"Twice did the rivers drink deep of Dûrlingar blood, and twice did brave Sagramoor harry them south. Yet pride oft goes before the fall, and the ravens whispered warnings that went unheeded."

Following his victory at the Bloody Ford, Sagramoor pursued the retreating Dûrlingar southward. Osric realised his surprise attack had failed utterly. To advance further, he would need reinforcements. He dispatched his brother Penda with the wounded back to their father's camp while he prepared to buy time by holding the Fords of Arun.

Soon, Sagramoor's battle lines emerged from the northern hills and woodlands.

Sagramoor had gained a powerful ally—Merlin himself had joined his retinue. The wizard proved cautious, warning that the ravens showed unfavourable omens until noon. But Sagramoor needed to maintain pressure on the retreating enemy. He ordered his army forward despite Merlin's warnings, placing his elite household troops, the comitatus, at the vanguard to storm both fords simultaneously.

Fortune smiled on the Britons, aided by Osric's poor tactical decisions. Still intent on preserving his best troops, the dwarf commander deployed his warbands in mixed bow-and-spear formations, hoping to blunt the British attack before committing his elite housecarls. The strategy failed spectacularly. The narrow chokepoints of the fords prevented Osric from correcting his deployment error once battle was joined.

The Dûrlingar warriors proved no match for the British comitatus. They were pushed back into their own housecarls, creating chaos in the dwarven ranks. The Dûrlingar line held briefly, but the warrior formations began to crumble under the relentless British advance. So, on both fronts, the defences collapsed almost simultaneously as British reserves moved forward to support the assault.

The Dûrlingar Warriors are no match for the Briton Elites

The Challenge

In desperation, Ulfharlar challenged a British champion to single combat, hoping to buy time for a retreat. His challenge was accepted, but this tim,e luck abandoned the dwarf hero. He fell into the blood-red river, adding his own lifeblood to the waters.

Osric, recognising that both fording points were lost beyond recovery, ordered a withdrawal. Rather than retreating directly to his father's main camp, he chose to follow the old Roman road to the coastal town, hoping to regroup and receive reinforcements there.

The Battle of the Old Road

Sagramoor, flush with victory, decided not to wait for support. He occupied the hills beyond the coast, positioning his army to block any Dûrlingar movement inland. Here he would await reinforcements before launching his final assault. But in this decision, he surrendered the initiative.

Osric, now reinforced by the young pretender Modred—Arthur's cousin and, to many, the rightful king—prepared to counterattack. Modred brought cavalry with him, providing the scouting and flank protection the Dûrlingar desperately needed. More ominously, Osric had gained supernatural aid: ancient, unknown warriors from ages past, ghostly shapes filled with relentless hunger for destruction. These undead would lead the assault.

From Brother Aldhelm's Chronicle:

"On that day, God and fortune both turned their faces from the righteous. The dead walked, and the living fell before them like wheat before the scythe. Even brave Galahad, unhorsed and with his standard in the dust, could not turn the tide. Sagramoor learned that victory's sister is often defeated, and they are twins who walk hand in hand."

Some days, luck simply abandons you. The gods turn away, and Lady Fortune shows her cruel face. This was such a day for Sagramoor.

As the undead crashed into the British lines, his men seemed to lose all will to fight. Shockingly poor fortune drove them backwards onto their supporting ranks. With limited room to manoeuvre between the hills, the Britons found themselves trapped and unable to seize the initiative. Slowly but inexorably, they were pushed back off the right-hand hill where their main force crumbled.

Death Arrives Causing Panic Amongst the Britons

In desperation, Galahad led his cavalry in a crushing charge against the Dûrlingar right wing, driving them back. For a moment, it seemed the tide might turn. But then disaster struck—Galahad was unhorsed, his standard falling to the ground. With that sight, British morale shattered completely.

The day was lost. All that remained was to extract the surviving forces and regroup. As June passed into the hot summer months, the Dûrlinga once again held the initiative.

Observations from the Spring Campaign

These three battles revealed important tactical lessons:

The first engagement demonstrated the crucial value of light cavalry. Galahad's horsemen crossed the ford before the battle lines closed, becoming a constant thorn in the Dûrlingar flank—threatening, harrying, disrupting—without ever committing to decisive combat.

The second battle exposed the dangers of poor deployment. Osric's mixed formations failed to achieve their intended purpose, and the confined battlespace prevented him from adjusting his strategy once combat began. The engagement was lost before it truly started.

The third battle proved that even a strong position and a winning streak guarantee nothing. Luck can be a faithless mistress. Perhaps Sagramoor should have had a contingency plan, but the day simply belonged to the Dûrlingar—they owned the dice godsfavour or completely.

One observation applies to all three spring battles: the campaign system encouraged commanders to carefully husband their elite and limited forces. The fact that Osric lost a unit of housecarls and a berserker band at the Bloody Ford may have unconsciously influenced his overly cautious deployment at Rwo Fords.

From the Chronicle of Camlann:

"Thus passed the spring of blood, and summer came with its heat and its harvest of sorrow. The Dûrlingar, emboldened by their victory at the Old Road, marched up the ancient Roman way toward Arthur's very capital. The true test was yet to come."

Now the summer season has begun, and the Dûrlingar once again hold the initiative, marching up the old Roman road toward Arthur's capital at Aquae Sulis. The fate of Britain hangs in the balance.

The chronicler's ink runs dry here, but the war continues. More tales of blood and valour await the telling… here

Enter the Leopard – Swashbuckling in the English Civil War

Meet Edward Clement, better known as the Leopard – spy, adventurer, diplomat… and perhaps a forgotten pretender to the English crown. He is the star of my forthcoming Pulp Alley campaign set during the English Civil War, and he promises to bring cloak-and-dagger intrigue to the smoke of musket fire.

Edward Clement, aka The Leopard, spy, adventurer, diplomat

 and a forgotten pretender to the English Crown.

But where did this character come from?

The seed was planted when I stumbled across Hans Holbein's famous painting of Sir Thomas More and his family. In the background, half-hidden in a doorway, stands a mysterious young man clutching a scroll. The art historian Jack Leslau argued that this figure was Dr. John Clement, husband of Margaret Giggs, More's adopted daughter, and, more controversially, that Clement was in fact Richard of Shrewsbury, the younger of the lost Princes in the Tower. 

Thomas More and Family with Richard of Shrewsbury

in the doorway to the right.

That idea lit my imagination. What if a descendant of Clement survived into the seventeenth century? A man of mystery, royal whispers in his bloodline, stepping into the storm of the Civil War? Thus, Edward Clement – the Leopard – was born.

The Leopard's Story

Edward Clement was educated in the Low Countries and at Cambridge before entering Prince Rupert's service during the Breda campaign of 1637. When Rupert sailed for England in 1642, Edward followed, quickly catching the attention of Edward Hyde, one of Charles I's most trusted advisors. 

Court gossip puzzled over his sudden rise. Whispers of noble blood surrounded him, but Hyde saw only a helpful agent – if one with dangerous ambitions. By 1642, the Leopard had become an indispensable spy, navigating the murky shadows of the King's quarrel with Parliament. 

In early 1643, he was dispatched west to aid Sir Ralph Hopton, taking up the role of chief intelligence officer. There he crossed swords with an old nemesis: Aaron Bell, the fiery Puritan preacher who had sworn to unmask him.

The Fellowship of the Claw

Of course, no pulp hero stands alone. The Leopard commands a league of loyal companions known as the Fellowship of the Claw – a ragtag band of allies, rogues, and survivors.

• Young Billy – a nimble-fingered street urchin with quick hands and quicker charm. 
• Fletcher – the Clement family's old gamekeeper, a deadly shot when sober, a liability when not. 
• Edgar – the family's secretary and fixer; once a courier of secrets and master cryptographer, now a dangerous old man who knows everyone's business. 
• Maarten van Asbeck – a bastard son of a Dutch noble, long-time comrade of Edward, hardened by the Thirty Years' War. 
• Milo Crumb – the hapless adventurer, often lost, often in trouble… and yet somehow always stumbling into discoveries, such as the coded Parliamentary note he found when his head struck a low beam. 

It's a cast straight from the pages of a penny-dreadful – perfect for pulp adventures.

The Leopard and the Fellowship of the Claw, from the right, Billy, Fletcher, 

Edgar, the Leopard himself and Maarten. Milo had fallen into a hole.

Bringing the Leopard to Life 

This campaign utilises Pulp Alley with only minor tweaks, many of which are inspired by the excellent community on the Pulp Alley Facebook group (special thanks to Ira Gossett and his Three Musketeers adaptation).

The Campaign Board

The backbone of the story will be a custom Snakes and Ladders campaign board. Each die roll pushes the Leopard and his companions closer to their ultimate goal – but hazards, detours, and dramatic trials lurk along the way.

The Scenario Generator

Initially, I wrote a dozen full scenarios to be played in random order, but that proved too rigid and sometimes broke the narrative. A sprawling table system followed, but that became clumsy and overcomplicated.

The final version is much sleeker: a single 3D6 table that generates mission, location, primary objective, and complications all at once. Optional tables for minor plot points and enemy leagues add spice to the game. The result feels flexible, surprising, and – crucially – keeps the narrative flowing.

Testing is underway, and I'll share the draft ideas soon. 

Enter the Leopard

The Leopard is ready to stride into history – rapier in hand, cloak billowing, secrets close to his chest. Over the coming weeks, I'll be posting more about the campaign's mechanics, introducing some other characters, including the stunning and cunning Amelie St. Simon, a noble spy, and her reckless brother, Andre. Then, the villain of our campaign, Aaron Bell, the Preacher, is a Parliamentarian spymaster with hidden ambitions. These introductions will be followed by a series of battle reports where Edward Clement and the Fellowship of the Claw take the stage. 

Adventure awaits. Will the Leopard rise as a hero of the King, or fall as another forgotten pretender? For the first chapter in a story, press here.

Maarten and his love interest, Katie Reed. 

One-time prostitute now a kicken maid in Lady Hopton's household.

Mystic Britain: Chronicles of Blood and Iron:

In November 2024, James Morris unveiled Midgard Heroic Battles, a game that merges historical and fantasy battles featuring iconic heroes and leaders. This exciting release has sparked inspiration for my Mystic Britain campaign, set in a dark age Arthurian world infused with intriguing fantasy twists.

As we look ahead, the stage is set for a gripping saga that unfolds in the fifth century. The narrative begins with dark dwarves known as the Dûrlingar, who replace the historical Jutes. These exiles arrived from the North on iron ships, landing on Thanet Island. With their fearless leaders, Hengst and Horsa, they embarked on a campaign to conquer Kent and Southern England.

The Timeline

The timeline unfolds in five captivating phases or campaigns, each based on my original concepts that intertwine 'historical' events and elements inspired by Bernard Cornwell's Winter King trilogy.

Decade of Conquest

In the initial phase, spanning from the 449s to the 50s, the Decade of Conquests began as Hengst and Horsa forged an alliance with an enigmatic group known as the Witches of Tenet (Drýgmál). However, anticipation builds as Horsa meets a tragic fate at Aylesford, his death trailing whispers of betrayal during negotiations with Briton warbands. This pivotal moment will shape Hengst's resolve to lead their warbands in a quest to subjugate the native populations, setting the stage for the Age of Arthur.

Hengst and his Sons land at Chichester. Spot the family resemblance. Figures painted by Matt Slade

The Last Roman

In the following years, from the 460s to the 70s, the 'last Roman' Ambrosius leads a counterattack. This last representative of the Roman government rallied the Britons alongside the Western Tribes and launched a series of decisive attacks along the Thames valley. The alliance succeeded in halting the Dûrlingar's advance and establishing Ambrosius as the first Dux Britannorum.

Arthur

As we move into the years 475 to 85, the young Arthur is poised to become a centrepiece of our epic tale. Following the mysterious disappearance of Ambrosius during a campaign against the Picts, the Britons declared Arthur the guardian of Ambrosius's young son, Modred. Tension will rise as the Dûrlingar are defeated at Mont Bandon, yet they continue to gain strength in the east and along the southern coast. Arthur embarks on the ambitious project of founding New Avalon and harnessing the tribal structures to forge a New Rome.

Modred - Comes of Age

From 486 to 93, Modred comes of age and challenges Arthur to his claim to the throne. Anticipation builds as Modred allies with the Dûrlingar, launching an invasion from their stronghold on Vectis into modern Hampshire, marking the beginning of my first campaign.

Arthur and his Inner Circle on the Eve of Hengst's Invasion

The Faction of Mystic Britain

At this stage, many factions remain underdeveloped, but the foundations are laid for a rich tapestry of alliances and rivalries. Among those involved will be:

The Britons, heirs to the Romano-British civilisation, whose unity is fragile as they rally behind Arthur's banner but grapple with their tribal ambitions.

The Western Tribes, who remain fiercely traditional and cautious about Arthur's growing influence, yet join forces to safeguard their lands and their mystic culture.

Mordred's followers, who have chosen to ally with the Dûrlingar in a bid to reclaim his throne, are anticipating the ramifications of such a duplicitous alliance.

The Dûrlingar, a formidable race of dark dwarves, led by Hengst and the influential Oiscingas dynasty, now dominate much of southern and eastern England.

The Witches of Tenet (Drýgmál), whose ancient coven wields powerful sorcery, are poised to influence the tides of conflict with their mysterious abilities.

Picts of the North, whose ambitions for land in the North could bring them into the fray.

The Druids, who possess ancient magic and serve as guides and healers, stay ever present in the shadows. However, they look to regain their rightful place amongst the tribes of Britain.

The Shadows Whisperers are rumoured to be otherworldly entities living in the West, perhaps remnants of exiled tribes or mythical beings, adding layers of intrigue to the unfolding saga.

The Saxons, though less dominant than the Dûrlingar, still play a role in the conflict, either seeking personal gain or offering their services as mercenaries to the dwarves and Britons.

Whats Next

Mystic Britain is set to be a land rife with fractured loyalties and shifting allegiances, creating an anticipatory atmosphere as the factions pursue their visions of survival and domination. The unfolding war will hinge on whether Arthur can unite these diverse forces against the encroaching shadow of the Dûrlingar, with the outcome promising to reshape the future of this turbulent land.

For my first campaign, I have decided to play. Modred's 'Coming of Age' is set in the spring of 495 AD. The previous years had seen increased activity along the southern coast, and in the spring of 495, Hengst, with his army, crossed from Ynys Weith/Vectis and set up camp at Noviomagnus (Chichester). Observed by Artus spies, the British king knew the next few months would be more than just another raid but a fight for his crown and the fate of the Britons.

First Moves

The campaign opens when Hengst dispatches his sons, Osric and Penda, to find a crossing over the Avon and secure the bridging point for the main host. Here, he would meet with Modred and his men to start an attack on Arthur's stronghold at Aquae Sulis. 

Once Arthur obtained news of Hengst's advance, he dispatched his loyal lieutenant, the Moor, Sagramoor, to harry the crossing. 

To follow the campaign press here.