Bog off Norman

Wed 19th August

                         Turned up at Hugh's tonight expecting a bog standard game and I was not disappointed.We played a Dark age/medieval scenario involving Normans,Vikings and Irish tribes.

                          The idea of the game looked like it was going to be Normans with some paid help from the Vikings ganging up on the poor Irish.It looked like the Irish were going to be the whipping boys for the evening-no such luck.

                           Dave o'Brien our illustrious game planner came up with a few tricks on behalf of his ancestors.This came in the form of the Irish being able to place random bogs on the map usually appearing right in front of enemy units or at certain choke points on the board.Also as another hindrance,as the layout consisted of two parts of land joined by a narrow isthmus,Dave created a tidal rule meaning the tide could come in to cut off the mainland from the Norman fort.

                            Donald Adamson was Robert Fitzstephen,all round dastardly Welsh Norman ably assisted by his favourite Polish Norman general Bart.Myself and our host Hugh Wilson were the Vikings who were trying to be bribed by the dastardly Normans to help them out but we had plans of our own which meant keeping everything for ourselves.Colin Jack and Mr Ray Neal were the not so gullible Irish just waiting for everybody else to walk into their bog infested land.

                              The game started off with the Normans streaming out of their castle heading for the Irish's great hall,whilst our Vikings landed and attacked and pillaged a nearby village in their usual Viking manner.So far so good but when Hugh's forces headed for his choice of village a mysterious bog appeared in front of his eyes stopping them in their tracks and with it came the sight of Irish forces encamped behind it making typical rude Irish gestures.The effect of this bog was to hinder and denying the Vikings the ability to charge into battle in their usual direct manner.This was going to be the pattern for the evening.Hugh eventually flanked the bog and after some fisticuffs managed to take the village but became embroiled in a stand up fight with Colin's Irish.
                             

  The Norman's continued their relentless ride towards the great hall only to be hindered by another giant bog

materializing in front of them forcing them into changing direction to avoid it.Then to add insult to injury,as well as Donald's forces blundering their way forward,an Irish landed on the beach behind them forcing Donald's cavalry to stop and turn to face this new threat.Bart meanwhile continued round the flank of the Irish finding more mysterious bogs appearing in front of him.
                                 

Meanwhile my own Vikings after raiding the village turned and headed for the great hall only to blunder and head for more mysterious bogs.Their only attempt at battle ended up with them being shot at by Irish archers and losing a Viking.Hugh's forces were engaged with Colin's Irish and couldn't move far in the timescale of the game.

                                   Meanwhile Donald's Normans were involved with Ray's Irish,trying to drive them back into the sea but not succeeding losing first a unit of crossbow men who were following up the Norman cavalry,who in turn lost some of their own cavalry to the Irish forces.

                                    Once again time and mysterious bog appearances got in the way of a Norman/Viking victory.The overall individual winner was Mr Ray Neal due to him eliminating one of Donald's cavalry units.The prize was a copy of The Vikings on dvd-not the new one but the Tony Curtis version.

                 

                             Game and mysterious bog creator-Dave o'Brien

                             Normans-
                                             Robert Fitzstephen-Donald Adamson
                                             Henry Clare-Earl of Pembroke- Bart Zyndoz


                            Vikings-
                                            Ingmar the flatulent-Tim Watson

                                            Raglin the offal-Hugh Wilson


                           Diarmit-King of Leinster-Colin Jack
                           Fergal Vi Fearghty-Mr Ray Neal


                          Figures and bogs provided by Dave o'Brien
                          Figures and scenery Hugh Wilson
                          Norman figs provided by Bart(he has been waiting for ages to get these babies on the field and after all that waiting got stuck in a bog and only fired one salvo of arrows).
                           and yet another eloquent banquet provided by the fair Lady Suzanne.
                       


                           Just to say that this scenery has done well,being used as Lundy Island,Inchcolm,an occupied WW2 Japanese island and now the Emerald Isle.I'm still looking to make it the last bastion of a megalomaniac scoundrel.