CLUB GAME DAY: MONGOL INVASION OF HUNGARY (LION RAMPANT II)

 

The Club 2026 Game Day Game In Progress: a Lion Rampant II mega game..

Following up from the previous post, here is the report on our club's 2026 Game Day game. We've had a team of five club members working to put this together since January. I was the coordinator, responsible for the overall scheme and structure of the "big picture" connecting and regularizing action across the tables, and the logistics on the day (the room layout, the rules briefing, the catering, and helping out game masters to facilitate play as needed). As usual, you may clix pix for BIG PIX in this report.

THE SCHEME

We set up the game with action on three fronts, each on its own table, but the fronts were connected, so there was a mechanism to transit units to an adjacent front (incurring some delay). The concept was a Mongol advance towards a frontier capital. Table 1 would be the main approach, with a conventional pitched battle on a 12 foot long table with the Western/Hungarians defending and the Mongols trying to drive them back. Table 2 represented another front, with a key position on the approach to the objective, the loss of which would seriously compromise the Western/ Hungarian posture in the region and open the way for a Mongol advance. Table 3 represented a raid/foraging operation, with the defenders trying to gather in food and supplies to stock the defense of the city ahead of the Mongols, who were trying to capture the material for their own use or to burn it to deny it to the defense. The OOBs and victory conditions on each table were left to the assigned game masters. At the macro level, the decision would be simple: victory would go to the side that won on two tables out of three (or all three, if it was a sweep). 

SETTING UP

The Game Masters Arrive.

Setting up their tables: upper left, Charlie, Table 3; upper right, AJ, Table 2; and  Ralph, Table 1...

...Phil, the club secretary, also arrived early, setting up the all-important coffee and donut station. 

THE MUSTER

Club members arrive and take in the proceedings, and the coffee and donuts...

...after the situation and rules briefing, players picked sides and took up positions at the tables. There were eight players on Table 1, five players on Table 2, and four players on Table 3. 

TABLE 1 (THE PITCHED BATTLE)

Ralph giving the game briefing. 

Left: The Mongols, from left to right, Byron, Earl, and Jordan (not pictured off camera to the left, Phil). Right: the Hungarians/Westerners, from left to right, Scott, Michael, Rob, and Gregg. Being the main effort, the Great Khan (Earl), was on this table, as was King Bella of Hungary (Michael). 

This was the largest of the games, with eight players and 40 units on a 12 foot table. It was a hammer and tongs affair all day long, winning being a combination of taking ground and eliminating units, with the decision going to the Mongols.  At the far end of the table (in blue and white shirt), Mike C can be seen, who was co-game master, taking care of business at the far end of the table. 

TABLE 2 (THE KEY POSITION)

AJ giving the game briefing, the key terrain being control of the large hill complex and the river crossing. 

Left: the Mongols (from left to right, Buddy and Mike). Right: the Hungarian/ Westerners (from left to right, Greg, Dr Dick, and Bob).

The action on this table was a mixture of head on combat and sweeping maneuver by the Mongol light cavalry to seize a late opportunity to capture the bridge. In the end, this went to the last die roll of the last turn, with the decision going to the Hungarians/ Westerners. 

TABLE 3 (THE RAID/FORAGE EFFORT)

Charlie giving the game briefing. John Mac, seated at right (club president), played on the Western side along with George (not pictured). The action on this table involved seizing and escorting livestock and other targets off the table edge (or preventing same), as well as whacking a few of the opposing forces, of course. This was the smallest of the games, with four players. 

The Mongol raiders: from left to right, Chris and Gordon. 

In the later stages of this game, both sides decided to march one of their warbands off to the center table (Table 1), where they essentially arrived late and negated each other, not influencing the outcome there. However, the thinning of units on an already open table opened the door for a Hungarian/ Western comeback, leading to a series of chess like moves between John and Gordon in the closing stages of the day, with another nail biter going down to the last turn, with John being able to keep moving the deciding herd just out of reach of Gordon's pursuing Mongol light cavalry unit, exiting the board at the end and pulling out a Western victory by 2 points here.  

CONCLUSION

For those who have been keeping score, the final result was a Hungarian /Western victory, gaining a winning decision on 2 of the 3 tables, thus turning back the Mongol incursion. We were prepared for a larger turn out: the wing tables were capable of handling 6 players (and were flexible by design so we could adjust, as was the case, with 5 and 4 players). Even with a few members having family and other issues that kept them away, we still had 19 players (and 5 game masters) in attendance, so I think we can count it a fine club showing, regardless--enough to support this large game without any compromises. Sometimes, it's easy to take such things for granted given that there are gamers who can't even find others to game with on a regular basis, let alone engage in multi-player games. And of course, it was grand day out, with a room full of friends and guests among tables loaded with toy soldiers. 

Excelsior!

THINGS TO COME: CLUB GAME DAY, MONGOL INVASION OF HUNGARY

 

Greetings, dear reader(s). I guess this would fall into a "Work in Progress" post. For the last few months, a 5 person consortium in our gaming club has been working towards our Spring Game Day game. For those new to this blog, our club usually holds one Saturday "Game Day" per year. These provide us the opportunity to put on big games (these are club-member & club guest-only events, not to be confused with our Open Game Days, which we also hold once per year). 

 

                                           King Bella                The Great Khan

This year, we are putting on a game set in the 13th Century Mongol Invasion of Hungary, pitting Western forces led by King Bella of Hungary against the Great Khan and the Mongols and their subjects.  The game is coming up this weekend, and we're putting the final touches on arrangements. The game will be played using a stripped down version of Lion Rampant II and the combined collections of five club members. Here is a selection of shots featuring some of the terrain and figures from playtests we've been doing in advance of the event (as usual, you may clix pix for BIG PIX)...

 

The game will be set on three three tables, each being a different "front" in the approaches to a frontier capital.  The tables will be connected, but not directly (any units exiting will have to transit a notional route, taking up some time, before arriving at the next table). 

We will be putting something on the order of 800, 28mm figures on the table, with each player running a warband of 4 or 5 units (with some spare units in reserve should turnout be higher than expected or we need to infuse them to keep the game running if someone gets wiped out early).

We will have 1 center table, with 8 players and 2 Game Masters, and 2 wing tables, with 1 Game Master and 4-6 players each. If needs be, we'll be able expand by a few players beyond these planned numbers. I'll be coordinating the overall event and supporting as needed.  The Khan and King Bella players will be on the Center Table, and each of the Wing tables will be led by a Duke (Western) or Noyan (Mongol) player. All told, there will be 5 game masters and something on the order of 20-24 players. 

If I don't get too wrapped up in execution, I hope to have some shots and a report in the wake of the event. 

Excelsior!