I introduced my mate John to this game recently, and we managed to get two of the three campaigns played out. I took a few pictures but it being a boardgame they are not very exciting.
(Early in the 1st Campaign)
The first campaign did not go very well for my Yorkist forces, and I made a few silly moves when I invaded from Calais with the Nevilles and the future Edward IV committing them to battles I didn't have to fight and withthe odds against me. This resulted in a huge series of battles in the South West that led to the deaths of Salisbury and Fauconberg, and Warwick deserting to the Lancastrian cause, Edward barely escaped the disaster. My invasion from Ireland and the troops I raised in East Anglia all came to nought, and at the end of the campaign my opponent held over 10 votes to my 3 or 4, all in all a crushing victory for the Lancastrians who did not lose one loyalist, whilst I had lost 3 including the traitorous Warwick.
The 2nd campaign was a different kettle of fish entirely, as the Yorkist forces moved straight in for the kill having realised that King Henry VI was in London with few nearby supporters. King Henry soon lay dead on the battlefield killed by the Earl of March, and the Yorkists held most of the South of England, with Lancastrian forces mustering in the North and South West. As the campaign progressed we realised we wouldn't get to play the 3rd campaign which was a little disappointing as we were both engrossed in the outcome. However knowing this, we both made some moves that we might not have done if we had a 3rd campaign to consider.
One such move was a major Lancastrian attack on the isolated Duke of York, accompanied by the Earl of Rutland and the Irish mercenaries who were all holed up in Chester, this 1st Battle of Chester saw 7 Lancastrian blocks against my 3 Yorkists. Against all the odds the Yorkists came out victorious without even losing a block, the Earl of Rutland performed magnificently hitting on 5 out of 7 rolls of the dice (he needs 2 or less to hit), the Lancastrians on the other hand had been all but annihilated as only 2 blocks retreated and both of those were badly mauled.
(The Battle of Chester, Before & After)
As a final move and at this point a little annoyed at the defenders of Chester, my opponent threw another 4 blocks at the grim survivors, leading to the 2nd Battle of Chester which again saw him fail, as I held off the attack losing the Irish, but having both Plantagenets survive. More losses followed for the Lancastrians as I pounced on isolated nobles.
(The final tally of loyalist KIA's)
And that brought the 2nd campaign to a close, the final adding up was 13 votes to 12 in the Lancastrian favour so the newly crowned Edward of Westminster would have a tenuous hold going into the 3rd campaign. The final toll of dead loyalists was 2 Yorkists dead and 6 Lancastrian dead, with the way blocks were positioned ready for the final campaign and the large losses of the 2nd campaign things were not looking too good for the remaining Lancastrians.
(Set up ready for the final campaign)
I'm off to the club next week, having not attended for about 3 weeks now, for a planned game of Rules of Engagement using 15mm Germans vs Russians.
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