LION RAMPANT RESOURCES PAGE ADDED

Greetings, all.  I recently played in another excellent Lion Rampant II  (LR) game in our group (game report will probably be coming after Christmas).  This is not the first foray into these rules; our group has played LR I before and has now embraced LR II (along with other games in the Dan Mersey Osprey Rules family). This last foray inspired me to produce a set of resources similar to those I had done to support playing Pikeman's Lament (see my Pikeman's Lament Resource Page for more if interested).  And I've added a new Lion Rampant resource page to this blog where they are posted: see tab at top or follow the link: Lion Rampant Resources Page.  The resource page is mostly redundant with this post because as time goes on that will be the landing page as opposed to this post (which, like others, will disappear down the que). Meanwhile, most everything you can find there you can find on this introductory post. 

And, given that Aly and company have embarked on a Lion Rampant II Campaign at this festive time of year... I thought I'd offer this as my Christmas present to he and his fellows--and to any and all who come to this blog with an interest in Lion Rampant II: (perhaps not as useful, or welcome, as a nice pair of socks, but if printed off and stuffed in the shoes, could serve as such).

Player Reference (click for pdf)

Front

Back

The player reference is a one-page, two sided resource that should provide most of what is needed to play (at least that's what we have found). On the front, the information is broken down into color-coded sections: admin/game system (black); movement (green); combat (red); and courage/morale (purple).  Each section contains page references to the rules (should you want to look things up). On the reverse is a listing of the special abilities (again with page references).  These are not all inclusive, but are a selection of specials that are most common, that may apply to more than one unit type, and/or are not reflected in an adjustment to the values and scores on the unit profile  (things like Veteran, for instance, which has different adjustments for different units: those are instead reflected on the stat line on the unit matrix). 

Unit Matrix (click for pdf)

Front

Back

The unit matrix is intended to be used in conjunction with the player reference. As the name suggests, it provides unit-specific information needed to play. As with the player reference, it also has the special abilities listed on the back, along with page references. Given that upgrades can be "stacked," the unit matrix does not list all possible variations for the unit, but a representative range of likely unit configurations, with each line showing one upgrade. 

Click to Enlarge

The information is broken down by the major unit on the first line (all in caps and highlighted in gray), with its variants listed below (upper and lower case, no highlight). The above shows the first unit on the matrix (Elite Cav) with its variants below: Motivated, Drilled and Mounted Bow. The stat-line for each reflects the characteristics of that variant. Reading left to right, you can see the point value, the number of figures, the type (H=Horse/Mounted; F=Foot/Infantry), the unit, page where you can find the unit profile, and the rest is self explanatory. The activation number for specials (when applicable) is in brackets. Finally, in parenthesis you see abbreviations for the Fearsome and Bloodthirsty upgrades for this unit and its variants (which are other options available).  In practice, I use the unit matrix as a central reference when designing scenarios and orders of battle.

I have found when running games of PL that there are players who basically play off of the unit matrix (as opposed to unit cards), using the player reference on an "as needed" basis for other information.  As a game host, I find the opposite: I use the player reference continuously and refer to the unit matrix to facilitate unit-specific cases. Of course, your mileage may vary!

Well, that's all for now.  In the near future (as mentioned), I'll have a battle report of our recent trip into Lion Rampant II--pitting Mongol raiders against a defending force of Hungarians and Teutons.  

Excelsior!