Lion Rampant

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redmist1122
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Re: Lion Rampant

Post by redmist1122 »

I enjoy them...I made up a "Hollywood" force to filed the "Wendol" from the the movie, "The 13th Warrior"...pretty bad ass!
Greg P.
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Dragoon
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Re: Lion Rampant

Post by Dragoon »

After logging in
I’ve just written a post about Osprey games and similar
Opening rule books to get my facts straight
I was asked to log in again
And it wiped the lot out
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IanKH
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Re: Lion Rampant

Post by IanKH »

Lion Rampant and Dragon Rampant are okay. They're not the slightest bit highbrow or anything but then: the author doesn't make any such claim. They're just a fun medieval miniatures game and provide a good excuse to put your figures on the table with some nice terrain.
steve_holmes_11
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Re: Lion Rampant

Post by steve_holmes_11 »

Hello All, a long time reader, just realised I didn't have a forum login (just the shop) remedied that to post here.

Some time has passed, and now Osprey have printed a selection of rules based on the "Rampant Engine".
Just as you know there are certain Lardy game mechanics (Stress, big men, roll for movement), there are also constant Rampant mechanics (Variable activation, 12 or 6 combat dice, armour, boasts).

The Rampant games are quicker and usually require fewer figures than a lardy game.

Best Rampant features:
Rules provide a representative range of troop types for the period with their strengths and weaknesses baked in.
Quick and decisive action - games may last an hour once players are up to speed.
Some of the scenarios (combined with boasts (extra objectives)) create interesting games, and go a long way to balance the hardcore combat units.

Weaker Rampant features:
Some find them a little too simple.
Poor scenarios tend to fall into the "scrum in the middle" syndrome, so typical of skirmish games.
Activation rolls are fun, but the payer has no/few options to adjust them.
Roll a couple of 2s or 3s and 2d6 and your team may have lost before you issued your first order.

The latter really upsets some players, others simply set up a different scenario and play again.
Toys R Fun
steve_holmes_11
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Re: Lion Rampant

Post by steve_holmes_11 »

agent_pumpkin wrote: Thu Jun 16, 2016 8:45 am Dragon Rampant looks good too. Anybody tried that with space pixies or similar? ;)
Dragon Rampant is essentially Lion Rampant with a few extras bolted on (Fantastic traits, magic, and the addition of warbeasts).

Aspects of the fantastic traits can be handy to tweak a few troop types.
For example:
Heavy foot are a good defensive unit, but adding "fear" from Dragon Rampant makes the pike armed ones a tougher prospect in melee.
Adding "venomous" to your heavy shooters (possibly coupled with "weighty projectiles") distinguishes handgunners, or light ordnance from crossbowmen.

The Greater Warbeast is a good way to bring elephants to the table, while the lesser warbeast could stand in for a pack of mastiffs.
Toys R Fun
steve_holmes_11
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Re: Lion Rampant

Post by steve_holmes_11 »

I'll try to make this my final work on the Rampant series.

It seems fair to judge a set of rules against the author's design goals.
Other aspects like popularity (units sold) are worth considering, but if sales were our sole measure, we'd all be playing the Warhammers.

I read (somewhere a long time ago), the Daniel Mersey set out to provide a quick "bring your own" game with plenty of decisions and action.
"Bring your own" in this context means using those old figures you already have (and may have been gathering dust for decades).
Not tied in to official figure ranges, lists or fantasy fluff, and not requiring purchase of several codices before play begins.

I suggest he was successful in achieving his own goal.
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Bishop2K7
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Re: Lion Rampant

Post by Bishop2K7 »

Funny this thread popped up. My brother and I played our first game of Dragon Rampant just this weekend with our old Warhammer armies, which probably haven’t seen action since the late 90s. It was fun, and we will certainly play again (especially since, despite my best efforts, my brother just isn’t into Sharp Practice).
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