The Wargaming World of Nozza

For this game, we chose to play the final scenario from the Chivalrous Bum ruleset: “ The Desperate Stand at Duncan House. ” In this encounter, John P commanded the Merrymen, who were tasked with rescuing a noble lady held captive by the treacherous Lord Duplici. Opposing them, I led a force of Normans determined to prevent the Merrymen and rescue the noble lady. We introduced a small but impactful modification to the published scenario. At the end of each turn, Lord Duplici’s forces would unleash a volley of arrows at the nearest visible figures, regardless of allegiance. This meant that both the Merrymen and the Normans had to contend with the unpredictable and indiscriminate threat posed by Duplici’s men, adding an extra layer of tension and tactical complexity to the game. Additionally, we added a dynamic control element: if either the Merrymen or the Normans were defeated, their player would immediately assume command of Lord Duplici’s forces for the remainder of the battle. This...

This game was actually played a few weeks ago, but a recent holiday delayed the write-up. We played Scenario 3: Hold the High Ground from the Chivalrous Bum rules, where the aim was to control any of the three hills - earning one victory point per hill held uncontested at the end of each round. Once again, it was Normans versus Merrymen. Turn 1 Both sides rushed forward in a scramble to seize the hills. Strong movement rolls saw the Normans surge ahead, quickly securing two of the objectives. Meanwhile, a lone Merrymen archer managed to clamber onto a hill and claim it. Running Score: Merrymen 1, Normans 2. Turn 2 Little John, Friar Tuck, and an archer charged up one of the Norman-held hills. “Up the slope, lads - drive them off!” bellowed Little John as arrows hissed overhead. The Norman soldiers braced. “Hold the line!” one shouted, as they weathered the storm of shots and blows, striking back when they could and refusing to give ground. On the hill claimed by the lone Merrymen arc...

So, last night we got our first game of Chivalrous Bum to the table - a wonderfully simple but very effective game of medieval melee. I actually discovered it indirectly thanks to Mike Demana of Lead Legionaries fame . Mike has been playing a fantasy game called Four Delvers , written by David Bezio , and while looking into that ruleset I followed the trail back to Chivalrous Bum , which is also by Bezio. Just as importantly, the rules are free to download, which makes giving it a try an easy decision. Sometimes a bit of curiosity, a good recommendation, and a zero price tag are all the excuse you need. Digging out some Robin Hood and Norman figures that have yet to see the tabletop - remnants of a long‑dormant Dragon Rampant project - I put together two opposing Retinues. One represents the Merrymen , led by Sir Robin of Locksley (Robin Hood) , while the other is commanded by Sir Guy of Gisborne. Each retinue is built using 10 Muster Points (MP) , drawn from three unit types: Peasa...