Our wargames club has recently started a small ongoing campaign for Burrows and Badgers. With no real set schedule, each player is open to arrange games with other players as they wish, with no more than two games being played against the same player before then playing another participant. So with my newly created Royalist warband, Duke Otto Sternjaw and his Brocktower Chevaliers I set up my first game against my friend Nic and his Freebeasts, The Greytail Scavengers, led by his Ornery Wildcat Sydney Greytail.
The two warbands
Royalists
Duke Otto Sternjaw (Bulldog) Ser Geralt Longshanks (Hare) Ser Kennith Shadforth (Border Terrier) Ser Cornelius Stoutwhiskers (Mouse) Robyn Locksley (Mouse)
Freebeasts
Sydney Greytail (Wildcat) Esme Rosepetal (Hare) Ruffus (Pug) Fran (Ferret) Harriet Softpad (Mouse)
Game 1 - Take and Hold - Marshland Ruins south of the Brocktower.
The scenario rolled for our first game was Take and Hold and we set up the table to represent the old ruins in the marshlands south of Brocktower.
Both sides would gain Victory points for controlling each Large Ruin at the end of the game, I would also gain pennies for my secondary objective (Scavenger Hunt) if I could carryout a successful search action against the ruins.
Turn 1 saw both sides vying for position and making their way towards the nearest ruins for each side.
Turn 2 and with the opposing factions being slightly closer, the opposing archers starting loosing of a few arrows - Harriet let fly against Kennith, who was taking cover in the larged walled ruin but the arrow pinged off the stonework.
Robyn in return took aim and had a shot against Sydney but the range wasn't ideal and it flew wide of its mark.
Duke Otto advancing on the Freebeast Rogues was suddenly blasted by a bolt of Lightning from Esme's staff but it failed to cause any damage against the Hulking Bulldog.
Fran, sneaking up on Robyn chucked a throwing knife but again this resulted in a miss.
Turn 3 and now the forces drew nearer. Geralt charged over the wall and swung his sword hitting Sydney causing a few wounds.
Esme again called down the lightning and fried Cornelius, severely wounding the Mouse Knight. Duke Otto charged into Sydney who reeling from Geralts strike was duly felled by a might blow from Otto's mace.
Turn 4 with the Scavengers seeing their Feline leader deftly crushed by Duke Otto they felt that consolidating their gains was better than carrying on the fight, that was after however when Fran had taken out Ser Cornelius with a knife strike.
So with both sides ceasing conflict to gain their objectives the bragging rights went more to the Royalists for taking out the Scavengers leader, even though Ser Cornelius was left with a damaged hand.
However after clearing the field and not finding anything (failed all my search rolls during the game for my secondary objective) news filtered through that Sydney Greytail wasn't as finished as it was thought and he was claiming revenge on the Chevaliers.
Game 2 - Surprise Attack - Brocktower Farmstead
Due to Nics rolls during the campaign steps, he got to pick the scenario and who would be attacker and defender for our second game. To keep it narrative, and the fact The Greytails wanted revenge, Nic chose Surprise Attack, ambushing the Chevaliers on their way back to Brocktower Castle.
So at an outlying farmstead where the Royalists had laid up over night the Freebeasts struck.
Rolling for my secondary objective I gained Assassinate. This was fluff for the narrative as after thinking I had removed the Rogue leader I could now make sure of it.
As defender I had to roll to see if any of my force would be starting on the table and who would arrive later in the battle. My rolls were terrible and I only started with Robyn the archer, perched on a rooftop as lookout.
Turn 1 seeing the Scavengers sneak towards the farmstead Robyn leaps from his elevated position and manages to dash into range so he can take a quick shot against Fran. Breathing heavily the shot is rushed and flies wildly across the field.
Harriet in response, coolly notches an arrow and fires at Robyn hitting him right in the chest. Bleeding heavily Robyn is suddenly blasted by lightning from Esme, that's Robyn out of the fight, poor, poor Robyn!
Turn 2 Duke Otto arrives hearing the scream of Robyn as he's fried. With a huge roar he charges Harriet and crushes the tiny mouse with one crushing blow of his mace. Ser Kennith also enters the fray and attacks Esme, wounding the Hare witch severely.
In return the Terrier Knight is attacked from behind by Ruffus the Pug! Ser Cornelius joins his Knightly friends and finishes off Esme, putting the witch out of action.
Turn 3 results in a wild three way fur-ball with Ruffus, Cornelius and Kennith trading multiple blows. Geralt who has been skirting the flanks of the Scavengers and with a mighty swing of his sword, dispatches the Wildcat rogue.
Turn 4 seeing their leader again struck down the rest of the Greytail Scavengers route from the field. Their ambush foiled and their reputation as dangerous beasts shattered in Brocktower and the surrounding regions.
Two excellent fun games, the second slightly harsher on Nic's warband but in the campaign step it wasn't as bad as the battle made out.
Burrows and Badgers is a fantastic skirmish game with amazing Anthropomorphic miniatures. If you haven't tried it or got any of the miniatures I highly recommend you do.
