I'm not an early morning person unless there is a bit of hunting to be done or perhaps a bit of gaming. So when the alarm went off at 5:00 AM after only four hours of sleep, I dragged my tired butt out of bed, grabbed a shower, and headed downstairs for coffee.
There was packing to finish. So, coffee in hand, I headed to the basement to sort the last few items I was taking to sell and finish packing the game I was running.
My previous post outlines the scenario and the rules to be played. Here are some last-minute photos of the table layout and the opposing armies.
Anyway, back to the morning.
I do a lot of traveling with a buddy who doesn't always have the best sense of time. He arrives for things at what my wife likes to call "Don O'clock." I run on the philosophy that early is on time and on time is late. This disconnect causes me a good bit of consternation, but somehow things always work out.
Don O'clock rolled around, we packed the car, and hit the road for the VFW post in Butler. We arrived with forty minutes to spare before things officially started.
The guys who run this (I'm looking at you, Brad and Cullen) are great at facilitating setup and making people feel welcome. Brad I've known for almost 40 years, and Cullen I'm sure I've seen at Circle of Swords events, but I've never had the pleasure of actually meeting him.
The car was unpacked, table covers thrown on the tables, and the Dux Bellorum game laid out by 9:01 AM, a minute later than the start of the event. A Deed Worth Singing was ready to play for the 10:00 AM slot.
A friend I hadn't seen in several years was signed up for my game. Brad and two others joined to complete the four-player command structure. The rules were hastily explained, and play started. By the third turn, these guys really could have run things themselves.
Dux Bellorum is a precursor to Daniel Mersey's popular Lion Rampant game, and it shares a lot of DNA. It's a roll-to-activate system that can be modified by Leadership Points, which also play an important role in combat.
The Derfel player, Arthur's sub-commander, was plagued with poor activation rolls, and it took him most of the game to even get his troops into position. He did, however, have the option to place two or three of his units in forward positions to guard key objectives at the start of the game.
Gorlas, the Giant King's sub-commander, had the same deployment option to make early strikes on objectives. His orcs spent most of the game running around one of the patches of woods.
Arthur and the Giant King decided to face off against each other and go for the early Glory Point grab. Arthur's companion cavalry smashed into the King, dealing several wounds on the first turn. However, he couldn't catch a break after that.
At the end of the game, Arthur had lost all of his cavalry and a couple of regular foot units. The Giant King had lost one troll. It was still only a narrow victory for the monsters, 10–7 in Victory Points, since the humans held the bluff overlooking the stream and village.
The Giant King was the only commander to accumulate any glory. With five Glory Points to his name, the bards will be singing of his deeds.
I was there as a vendor as well. I had a lot of good conversations, sales were good, and there was the usual interest in the Space Pals line of figures I sell.
I didn't join in any of the afternoon games, but I was able to get photos of a lot of them. There was a good selection of scales, scopes, and genres represented.
This was a long day, a good day, and not a wasted day as the title would imply. I couldn't have asked for a better group to game with, and the other attendees were friendly and willing to spend time explaining the games they were running.
It was good to hang out with old friends and even better to meet new acquaintances that I can see becoming friends in the future. Again, a huge thank you to Brad and Cullen for organizing this and helping to make this a really fun day all around.
I look forward to seeing them at the next conventions and game days I attend.
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