This is the fourth report in our narrative campaign series, Campaign of Thrones. After each battle, the characters on the losing side will potentially be captured or killed. This will transform the story as we know it, inspiring new ‘What If?’ scenarios and battle reports. Join us on this alternative dice-driven version of the War of the Five Kings and battle at the Wall.
The Campaign continues with the Battle of the Camps. After Jaime Lannister’s defeat at the Whispering Wood, the Stark army raced south to liberate the Tully’s famous stronghold, Riverrun, from the besieging Lannister forces. The Lannisters needed to put in a strong performance here if they wanted to be major players going forward. Anything can happen as our campaign diverges further from the books. Tywin Lannister is dead, and the future of House Lannister now hangs in the balance.
This scenario utilizes the Proxy Commander rule found in many of the custom scenarios. In this case, a Guard Captain model was used to ‘lead’ the Lannisters because no major Lannister characters were present at this battle (let's hope CMON gives us Lord Andros Brax in like Lannister Heroes Box 6 or something). Tywin’s commander attachment and tactics cards were used, but not his model.
It’s a small thing and makes no difference gameplay wise, but it makes the scenarios more authentic to the source material, which is one of the main goals of this website. This rule will also allow me to kill off certain characters in the campaign, but still use their commander attachments and tactics cards if the need arises.
The game size was standard at 40 Points per army. The lists were:
HOUSE LANNISTER:
Units (Attachments)
Lannister Halberdiers (Guard Captain, Commander)
Lannister Halberdiers (Assault Veteran)
Lannister Guardsmen
Lannister Crossbowmen
Knights of Casterly Rock
NCUs
Pycelle
Petyr Baelish
HOUSE STARK:
Units (Attachments)
Tully Cavaliers (Brynden Tully, Commander)
Mormont She-Bears (Robb Stark)
Stark Outriders
Umber Berserkers
Grey Wind
NCUs
Catelyn Stark
Walder Frey
DEPLOYMENT
Just like at the Whispering Wood, the Lannisters are forced into a central defensive position.
In the lower left deployment, the Stark Outriders and Robb’s She-Bears faced off against Lannister Guardsmen, who were well protected by dangerous stakes.
In the top left, commander Brynden Tully's Cavaliers and Grey Wind faced off against a well-fortified unit of Crossbowmen, protected by 2 stakes.
The 2 Halberdier units (the commander Halberdiers and the Vet Halberdiers) were deployed facing the Umber Berserkers in the lower right corner, while the Knights of Casterly Rock were positioned nearest to the castle wall corner.
ROUND 1
The Starks used their castle wall activation early in the round, utilizing it as a pass mechanism to get a better sense of the Lannisters' strategy. Knowing how powerful the activation advantage is, the Knights of Casterly Rock made a beeline for Riverrun. The Tully Cavaliers had no choice but to chase after the Knights and get in striking distance for round 2, putting major resources into defending their stronghold. The other Lannister units didn’t move an inch as the Stark combat units closed in around them.
ROUND 2
The Knights of Casterly Rock were perhaps too preoccupied with commander ‘Blackfish’ Brynden Tully and his Cavaliers on their heels, as they left their flank exposed to Riverrun’s battlements. The castle wall began the round by inflicting 6 wounds on the Lannister lance cavalry, dealing a heavy blow by removing a full rank. The Lannister’s tactics board skill really came into play, as Petyr Baelish was placed on the crown zone, but used the bags’ ability to heal the Knights. Petyr also used his once per game ability to control bags for the round. On the next turn, the Tully Cavaliers activated and the Lannister player used Subjugation of Power, stripping the commander’s cavalry of its powerful lance ability and making it almost useless on the charge. The Tully Cavaliers decided not to get a weak charge into the Knights of Casterly Rock, and instead repositioned themselves to potentially attack the commander Halberdiers unit in the rear. Pycelle weakened the Tully Cavaliers and claimed the horse zone, allowing the commander Halberdiers to be set for any charge.
The Berserkers activated and used Winter is Coming to shut off Set for Charge and Lannister Supremacy. This allowed them to crash into the Lannister commander unit and deal 4 wounds, claiming the objective token. The Umber Berserkers and the two units of Halberdiers traded blows for much the round. The Knights of Casterly Rock surprisingly turned and charged right into the weakened Brynden Tully, doing 4 wounds.
The Lannister Crossbowmen were able to get some effective shots against the encroaching Outriders. Grey Wind claimed the objective token on the left flank, steering clear of the thick of the battle. With the final action of the round, Walder Frey was placed on the tactics board and the Berserkers get a final shot into the commander Halberdiers, doing 4 wounds total.
After the back-and-forth action, the Vet Halberdiers were able to hang onto the objective token and score a point for the Lannisters, along with Grey Wind for House Stark. Grey Wind’s objective token let the Stark player force a Lannister unit to take a panic test, but the Guardsmen passed.
1 to 1 tie.
ROUND 3
The Umber Berserkers, having suffered 3 Halberdier attacks in the previous round, had only 3 wounds remaining. Pycelle started the round by claiming swords. The Vet Halberdiers rolled 7 attack dice against the Berserkers, but only got 2 hits! The Umbers were even able to save one with a 6. The Umbers, knowing they were close to death, decided to do as much damage as they possibly could to the Vet Halberdier unit on their way out. They activated and were able to cause 5 wounds. A few turns later, the Vet Halberdier activated and destroyed the Berserkers. 2 to 1 for House Lannister.
The Vet Halberdiers were able to do a mini surge forth with their 2-inch movement, but they still managed to put Brynden Tully in a very dangerous predicament as he was surrounded by the Vet Halberdiers, Lannister Guardsmen, and Knights of Casterly Rock. Brynden was assailed for the rest of the round, but when the dust cleared, they survived with 1 wound remaining. The Starks got the final action of the round with Walder and used the swords attack once again. Brynden and his Cavaliers were able to get 4 hits and destroy the commander Halberdiers, likely saving the game for the poorly situated House Stark. The Vet Halberdiers and Grey Wind once again scored points for their respective armies.
3 to 3 tie game.
ROUND 4
The Stark player started the round off by having Catelyn heal 3 wounds on the Cavaliers. The engaged Knights then activated and rolled 6 dice, but only got 1 hit, which the Cavaliers saved. Once again, the Lannister dice failed when a big play was needed. The castle wall activated and bombarded at the Knights in their flank, causing 7 wounds and leaving the Knights with only 1 wound remaining. Keeping the Knights of Casterly Rock in long range of the castle wall was a huge strategic error by the Lannister player and it costed them dearly. Pycelle claimed the swords next turn, and the Knights were finally able to take out commander Blackfish and his Cavaliers. The score was 4 to 3 for House Lannister.
At this time, I decided to spice up the campaign and rolled for Brynden Tully’s fate. After rolling very low, it was proclaimed that the Blackfish was killed in action as he fought valiantly to reclaim his ancestral home.
After witnessing his great uncle killed in battle, an incensed Robb Stark and his She-Bears charged recklessly into the Lannister Guardsmen. They dealt 6 wounds but suffered 5 in retaliation from Lannister Supremacy. The Outriders crashed into the Crossbowmen, and after 2 attacks (thanks again to Walder), the Crossbowmen were destroyed, and the Starks tied the game 4 to 4.
The Vet Halberdiers began to run away with their objective token, and the Knights picked up the remaining token and followed. The Lannisters scored 2 points at the end of the round to the Starks 1 point from Grey Wind.
6 to 5 for House Lannister.
ROUND 5
The round began with the Lannisters on the run, hoping to eke out a victory via scoring objective token points. The Stark Outriders charged into the nearly dead Guardsmen, but it was a disorderly charge and they only dealt 3 wounds total, taking 4 wounds themselves from Lannister Supremacy. Both the Vet Halberdiers and Knights moved right to the board edge, praying they could outlast the enemy. The She-Bears charged into the Guardsmen and left the Lannister staple unit with only 1 wound left.
The Lannisters scored 2 points from the Vet Halberdiers and Knights to the Starks 1 point from Grey Wind. 8 to 6 for the Lannisters. While resolving the end of round scoring, Grey Wind forced the Guardsmen to take a panic test. The Guardsmen failed and were destroyed, which freed up the She-Bears to make a final assault against the fleeing Halberdiers and Knights.
8 to 7 for House Lannister.
ROUND 6
The She-Bears charged into the Halberdiers. Set for Charge did 2 wounds to the She-Bears, bringing them down to 1 rank. This prevented them from claiming the objective token by having more ranks, but also made their attack deadlier. They rolled and did 5 wounds against the Halberdiers. Pycelle claimed the swords and the Halberdiers were able to strike back. They only got 3 hits, and the She-Bears somehow managed to save all 3.
The Outriders needed a desperate charge to get into combat with the Knights of Casterly Rock. The Outriders needed to roll at least a 4… and they got a 5! The Outriders dealt 4 hits, and the Knights crit failed this crucial panic test and were destroyed. A huge, game-winning turnaround for the Starks. The score was now 8 to 8 and the Outriders controlled an objective token. The Vet Halberdiers tried to destroy the She-Bears to regain the momentum, but the She-Bears survived the offensive. Walder activated last, used the swords ability, and the She-Bears destroyed the Vet Halberdiers to wipe the Lannisters off the table.
Decisive victory for House Stark.
WRAP-UP
This is yet another game where the Lannisters somehow snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. The defensive capabilities of the Halberdier and Guardsmen make them very useful in scenarios like this. As mentioned, the likely biggest factor in the Lannister’s defeat was the shots from the castle wall, which the Lannister player could have been more careful to avoid, though it was more difficult to do considering they originally planned to attack the castle head on and changed their plan in round 2. Overall, it was another very close game that was extremely fun to play.
The Lannisters got off to a strong start with a victory during the Escape from King’s Landing, but the dice gods have turned on them since that time. To move the campaign forward, the next report will not be a battle report, but instead a series of narrative options that will be decided by the roll of the dice. Some houses, like the Lannisters, will be more likely to have a negative outcome because of their 3 consecutive losses (including the shocking crushing loss at the Green Fork and the death of their patriarch, Tywin Lannister). Major characters will have their fates sealed and the campaign will begin to totally diverge, hopefully taking us in unique and exciting directions.