Sunday 14 June 2009

Pike and Plunder - Ready to go!


The new Pike and Plunder campaign using version 2 is all set and ready to go. The format of the campaign is going to be a little different from last time. I have recruited four players from the Yahoo Piquet Group to play the heads of state by email. The battles will be fought at my place, using my collection of 16C figures, by the Ilkley Lads (we will be using a 'side bet' victory points league to keep it competitive).
The email players are:
Pete - France
Colin - Spain
Al - Venice
Jason - Papal State
As you can see from the above picture the board is ready for initial deployments. The map was printed from the A4 version as a nine page poster (not doable with Mac apparently) enlarging it to 34" x 22". The map was taped together and put behind a sheet of perspex on a 'notice board'. This is a great tip for anyone using the large paper maps supplied with most military boardgames these days - it keeps the map free from wear and coffee mug stains, and allows counters to be slid around easily.
I will not be using the counters that come with the game. I prefer to use bits and pieces from my 'counter box'. I've been collecting these bits an pieces for years and can rustle up counters for almost anything. For this game they comprise:
Painted 'chequers' with round sticky labels (in the centre) for armies.
'Skittle men' for agents.
Poker chips for florins (yellow = 20, red = 10, blue = 5, white = 1).
Big tiddly winks for possession markers (red, blue, yellow, green).
Small tiddly winks for the trackers(red, blue, yellow, green).
Black and white tiddly winks with numbers on for improved fortification and siege markers, etc.
Small plastic gold coins (from a broken Las Vegas fridge magnet) for 'paid' markers.
Small plastic chequers with crowns on (red and black) from a couple of Christmas cracker draughts games for influence chips.
Cigar boxes, clearly labeled, have been sorted to keep the players markers and Ruse De Guerre cards in. Lastly all the Pike and Plunder playing cards have been cut out and placed in card sleeves for easy shuffling.
All set and ready to go. I cannot wait for the off! I'll keep you all informed of progress in the campaign here and on the Pike and Plunder blog site with card by card, phase by phase, blow by blow, accounts; detailing how the game is played along the way.
The rules, maps and counters are still available as a down load here:

Friday 5 June 2009

Pike & Plunder version 2 now on sale.


Pike and Plunder version 2.0 (by yours truly and edited by Martin Stephenson of Vexillia Limited) is now available as a down loadable PDF. It is an Italian Wars campaign for 2 to 4 players - battles being fought on the table-top with rules of choice. Campaign moves are playable by email to free up time for the all important table-top encounters.

The package includes rules (32 pages), card stock (84 unique Pike and Plunder playing cards), A4 map and A2 Map (or US equivalent) with playing counters for both. The cost is £5.
I am available to answer any questions about Pike and Plunder here or on the Pike and Plunder blog site: http://pikeandplunder.blogspot.com/
A full Pike and Plunder campaign will also be starting shortly and its progress will be fully reported on both blogs.
If you like the sound of Pike and Plunder, or have a general interest in wargame campaign systems / mechanics and are looking for something different, follow the link below:

Monday 1 June 2009

Ager Sanguinis available as free download

It has been 6 months since Ager Sanguinis (rules for the Early Crusadea) was published in Miniature Wargames. They are based on Piquet's Field of Battle rules by Brent Oman (who kindly gave his permission for their publication). I think that Andrew has probably sold as many back issues of it as he is going to. Consequently, and as promised, it is now available as a free download. I'm afraid you will have to join one of these two groups to get it. You will find it in the files section under the title, not surprisingly, AGER SANGUINIS.

http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/Piquet/

http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/shatteredlances/

I hope you like it. If you do you, you might want to contact Andrew at Miniature Wargames for a glossy copy. The version in the Jan 09 edition is a 12 page (24 side) centrefold pull out supplement with frontispage, nicely fonted and coloured card stock and is illustrated with photos throughout. It is also advertisement free.

andrew@miniwargames.com