2019-06-29: Åcon 2019, Saturday

DrTheViking staged a Rogue Trader four-way scenario - I played the Orks and almost completed my objective (I had to 'salvage' the red Rhino), although my leader went down on Turn 3.

The Wasteland Muties blew up the entire board by activating a nuclear device from the Age of Strife - winning them the game, but... well...

Some of the monsters making an appearance in Rogue Trader.



The latest incarnation of Adeptus Titanicus saw a couple of demo runs. All those buildings are 3D-printed, by the way!

Wild boars from Stronghold Terrain - I think I need some of those for Paleo Diet...

The compulsory selfie stick fumble photo.



DrThe Viking and Jonas had brought some Oldhammer minis and played a Warhammer 3rd Ed. (I think) game, Undead versus Dwarves.

The Fear-rule in Warhammer seems so much more effective than the Scary-rule in God of Battles...

In the end, the Dwarves were being well overrun - it may have helped that Jonas did not read the rules in advance - Oldhammer rules are fairly complicated, and you need to know your army's meta stuff to perform well.

Sunday, the activity was limited to breakfast and pulling down the party tent, so no pics.

This was a soft reboot of Åcon after a pause last year, and I think that more games will be featured next and following years.

I brought home two boxes of somewhat battered expanded foam modern/futuristic buildings taking up too much space in our host's living room - I am going to repair the broken pieces and use it for some gaming in the attic until I bring it to Åcon and/or other events with the same bunch of guys.

2019-06-28: Åcon 2019, Friday

Last weekend, I attended the private event Åcon in Esbjerg (it was on pause last year) - a small 'invites only' gathering of gamers.

Rasmus Wichmann, probably the driving force behind Team Dread Streets, publishers of Dread Streets, the cinematic swashbuckling game, was present for a couple of hours, and I sat in on a simplified demo of said game.

It was very hot, and it probably influenced our ability to focus, but we managed to play it to an abrupt end, when Rasmus was called home. If I recall correctly, I was deemed winner (or second) because of some unused counters.

I then demoed One Page Rules Age of Fantasy Skirmish. I really need to make some mats large enough for this and other games!

At the end of Turn 4, The Goblins carried the day, holding 2 objectives against 1.

I think this late evening pic looks a lot like this one from 2016: https://argonor-wargames.blogspot.com/2016/07/acon-1-day-in-esbjerg.html

Åcon: Some Photos From Saturday

Some participants did not trust their tents to withstand the  hardships of Esbjerg summer nights...

A game of Valor & Steel & Flesh. I did not participate, just took a couple of pics.

Some Sci-Fi game. I do not recall having heard the name of the rules.

 In the evening, King of Tokyo was providing mayhem and mirth. 

Åcon: Friday Late Night Gaming

I did not play any more games Friday, apart from Nuclear War, of which I have not got any pics (it is a card-based game without much to show).

On another table, though, some Deadzone was played.

And some of the guys had a splatter-fest with Zombicide: Black Plague

Åcon: Dragon Rampant Game

I brought my Lizardmen and High Elf warbands for Dragon Rampant, and I played my first game ever against Spicker, who also had not played the game before.

I played the reptiles, while Spicker assumed the role as Prince Arodon. The light was not the best for photos, but as that is often the case at events, my esteemed readers are probably used to that...

We did not use any scenarios, just put the warbands on the table and got stuck in, in order to learn the rules.

The forces deployed for battle.

The Lizardmen moved steadily forward in cold blood. 

Most of the High Elves also advanced

(leaving Prince Arodon behind - his Griffon did not seem to care much for fighting)

The battle-lines close

The Illyrian Reavers, and the Lothern Sea Guards, picked off some Saurians on my right flank.

The Saurians and the Reavers clash just after this picture was taken 

Both units suffer casualties, and the Sea Guards keep shooting at the Saurians

The Temple Guards charge in and finish the Reavers

Meanwhile, my left flank closed in on the Ulthuans.

The Swordmasters charge into the Temple Guards led by Tzaxl himself...

...and are repelled, but at a high cost:

My leader is battered, and his unit at almost half strength!

The Saurians charge in to revenge their fallen comrades.

The Swordmasters are beaten back and battered.

The last Saurus Warriors on the right flank flee under arrow fire,

and the Temple Guards start moving towards the centre.

Prince Arodon makes a Wild Charge at Tlaxl's temple Guards.

A bloody fight breaks out

I tried to surround the remaining Swordmasters

While Arodon finishes off Tlaxl (ouch!),

the remaining Temple Guards try outflanking the Sea Guards.

The Skinks form Wall of Spears, and lure the Swordmasters into a Wild Charge

which results in their untimely demise.

But, alas, as my last unit of Saurus Warriors surged forward, they were sent fleeing by

the arrows of the Sea Guards, and with my Leader down,

and effectivly only the last Temple Guards posing a real threat,

I decided to throw in the towel, ceding the field to prince Arodon.

It felt like a closely fought battle, and the rules certainly flow well. I have some reservations about the 'sudden death' possibilty every time a unit has to check for courage, though. Especially a 12-man unit at almost full strength running away feels a bit harsh.

I shall definitely play again, trying out some of the scenarios in the book, but I do not think that Dragon Rampant will ever become my fantasy game of choice; it just has a bit too much randomness for my taste (both Activation Rolls, and the aforementioned Courage Tests), but as a quick pick-up game it works quite nicely.