MIA Playtests

First off we apologize for not posting on our blog for some time. We have been busy with holidays, shipping Kickstarter stuff and attending shows.
However, at our two previous shows we have run four games of Flint and Feather and taught rules to seventeen players. This is a slow process getting the rules out there and teaching them to gamer's everywhere.

At Historicon in July we had eleven players around two games. The first game was run by Howard Whitehouse and had five players competing over an assault on a village complete with a long house and surrounding log wall. The attackers consisted of three groups of five warriors in one warband while the defenders had ten warriors. I am told the assualt of the village failed but both sides suffered tremendous casualties.
The Iroquois advanced through a throng of trees to the north of the village. They were met with stern bow fire from the walls as they approached.

The first group of attackers went against the wall and were repulsed by the defenders with heavy casualties. This assault was followed up by the second and third groups led by their players and these groups were also repulsed. Thanks to all the player that helped playtest this game.
Cigar Box Mats were used in both these games and they helped make our games look impressive for the audience that surrounded them at Historicon. This scenario also gave us a chance to try out the defensive position rules. These rules certainly stiffen the defensive players in close combat.

We really enjoyed our time at Historicon and our support there grows every year. We will continue to support the HMGS and this venue and we appreciate the support of our fans at the show. Every year we plan new releases to coincide with this show and our supporters have helped make the trip down to Fredericksburg an outstanding experience for us.
The venue there is outstanding, modern and clean. The weather can be very warm at that time of the year but being inside does well to negate any discomfort this may bring. We also take route 17 when we drive in and never have had any trouble with traffic because we stay away from I-81. We believe as a company that getting out and meeting the gamers is an important part of our summer campaign. Also, providing new and innovative products for the show ensures continued relevance and gives you, the gamers, something to make your trip worthwhile. We will continue to strive for these goals as we grow our company. Thanks to all for your continued support!

In the second game we ran at Historicon six players squared off in a three versus three player game. Each player controlled a small six warrior warband. All the warbands were created fairly equal. However, a player showed up with his own warband and figures. Tim had some Patawomeck figures and they took part in the game taking a position on either side of the table. This warband added an interesting wrinkle to the game as Tim choose to arm most of his warriors with bows, which meant they were all using knives in close combat which gave them a -1d6 modifier when in melee. The trade off of missile fire weapons versus a slightly less powerful close combat result was effective in the game. The warband was able to cause some damage with bows before charging and winning a close combat. However, his group was pulled well out of range of the enemy and had very little effect on the rest of the game. We are going to have to playtest this strategy more to make confirm its effect on the game. Tim also made use of the move cautiously rules which we usually do not teach in demo games but made sense with his bow first strategy. Stay tuned for more thoughts on these points.

Off to the right flank we had a Great Warrior versus Great Warrior combat as the two leaders of their groups charged into each other in the middle of a frozen river. This combat was fierce and fun for the participants as the two leaders squared off. Meanwhile on the left flank more cautious movement resulted in a late game exchange of combats. Furs markers played an important role in the game and both sides captured a warrior from the other and after two hours of playing it was determined that things on the table were relatively even. As it was getting late the referees decided, with the acquiescence of the players, that the fight was relatively even at this point and both sides could go home and claim a victory to their tribe.