Håtunaleken starts...

The lords year 1301 at midsummer time ... All free men of Sweden have been called to the "Mora Stones" in Lagga parish south of Uppsala by the Lord Marshal Torgils Knutsson to confirm the election of young Birger Magnusson from the House of Bjälbo as King of Sweden.

Birgers father the King Magnus Birgersson died in 1290 and the realm have been ruled by the Lord Marshal Torgils Knutsson sin then, but now the time have come to let Birger become Swedish King himself...or not...

As Sweden by the time was a Elective Kingdom and Birger have two younger brothers that also are keen to get hold of the Swedish Crown...

And there are also some of the other major noble familys that think they now have a chance to get their familis to become the royal house of Sweden...

There´s troubble in the air...

Tomorrow monday our first Campaign game will take place, I have been painting a much for this project lately, just finished me a banner and a banner holder for my character Gudmar Magnusson from the House of Ulvåsa.

I also put some time in making Activation cards for each House my friends have choosen for the campaing and also some unit cards to have the unit stats handy during play. Tonight I will get down to the club and set the terrain so all will be ready for tomorrow:)

Also got 12 more Allmog that need to be finished untill tomorrow...

If some one would get elected King during tomorrows game, he would then have to make his "Eriksgata" journy to get the election confirmed by the other things around middle Sweden. Below you have a map of how they would have to ride. After the confirmation at each thing you would be the rightfull King of Sweden...much can happen during the tripp so be sure to bring much loyal troops...

It is told that when Ragnvald Knaphövde 1134 was riding his "Eriksgata" he was killed by the Allmoge in Västergötaland sins hi had rode in to the county with out taking hostages...

Foot Yeomen from the House of Ulvåsa

Here are some pictures of the first men in the Hoast of Gudmar Magnusson from the House of Ulvåsa for our Håtunaleken club project with the Lion Rampant rules.

Of course I will field them as Foot Yeomen with Mixed weapon...a.k.a. Allmoge ;) They are all renting their propertys from Herr Gudmar and are obliged to serve in his part of the ledung therefore hi have armed them to some degree with the leftover from his armoury so they will at least a bit look like his soldiers...

Battle of Lindanär 1219 a Lion Rampant AAR

Last week Jonas from the Kampfgruppe Engel blog visit me here in Stockholm and we run some Lion Rampant games inspired by the Battle of Lindanär 1219, when the Danes got their flag Dannebrogen when it fall from the sky...

Unfortunatly in our version it landed in a Sacred oak tree that was guarded by some mean and angry baltic pagans...in short all was set for a Crusade:)

I run the Baltic Pagan as the list included in the Lion Rampant rules, as it was this Baltic Pagan Hoast that was the rolemodel the list after all ;)

Jonas Danish Crusaders Hoast was composed of 2 groups od Knights one with the leader, 1 group of Mounted Serjants, 1 group of foot serjants and 1 group of crossbowmen. 

Pagan Leader with his bodyguard (Foot men-at-Arms) and some Bidowers was deployed by the danish objective...

The Danes made good use of their Mounted Serjants that made a swift advance against the Dannebrogen in the tree...

Just in seconds they was in close premesis with the Baltic skirmishers...

The Baltic skirmishers didn´t put up much of a fight... Inspired by their mounte serjants the rest of the Danish hoast started to advance...

At last the remaining Pagans notised that their Jarl was in troubble...

Encouraged by their easy victory against the Pagan skirmishers the Mounted Serjants decided to charge the Pagan Leader...

The slowly advancing pagan warbands see their Jarl put up quite some recistance...

Glory to the Thor and Odin !!!

The Mounte Serjants got their nose bloody and had to retreat battered...

The Mercenary Horse Archers in the Pagan hoast managed to lure one of the groups of Danish Knights away, but was caught and had to fight it out in close combat...

Now the Danish Leader decided...or was forced in to a fight with the Pagan leader...

Once again the old gods prowen their strenght !!!

The Danish Leader with his knights had to retreat...

As the Knights retreated the group of Danish Crossbowmen had advanced within range...

AAAAHHHHH !!!

The Pagan Jarl lost his bannerman due to the Crossbow bolts and was all alone to protect the sacred oak against the invaders as a true hero...

The sneaky Danish Leader didn´t hesitate to exploit the Pagan leaders situation and ordered all his knights to charge him again...

The Pagan Jarl fought with bravery and died with his sword and axe in his hand so he will surely feast with Odin and Thor tonight...

After the loss of their leader the Pagan hoast lost its heart and retreated back to the protection of the deep baltic forest to be able to fight anotherday...

Indeed a good game:)  It was so nice that we run one more time, reversing the roles of attacvker and defender, so this time the Danes tried to bring down the flag from the tree as they was under attack from the pagans...I...the Pagan lost that battle to and the Danes could bring home their Dannebrogen...

Please also visit Jonas blog and see his pictures from the game, surely better focus then mine...

The House of Ulvåsa

For our Medieval Swedish club campaign Håtunaleken with the Lion Rampant rules I have choose to run the House of Ulvåsa and their main caracter by the time the Knight, Chief Judge and Royal council member Gudmar Magnusson.

Gudmar Magnusson was maried to Margareta Ulfsdotter whoms father was a relative to the late King Magnus Birgersson. So when they was married Gudmar decided to change his CoA from a Deer Head (House of Boberg) to the Rampant Lion to show off his close connection to the Royal House of Bjälbo.

Of course the first minis to paint for my Lion Rampant Host had to be Herr Gudmar. I have built him straight from the Fire Forge Teutonic Knight box. So here a buch of pictures of our campaigns true hero;)

AAR: Raid at Penningby 1466 #2

I set up a game of Lion Rampant at the club for my friends Pål, Mattias and Jocke, the last two running the exellent Northern wargaming blog.

We run the "Sausages with Mustard" scenario from the book as that work fine for the historical Raid on Penningby 1466, that was a Raid by the Union friendly Swedish Archbishop Jöns Bengtsson from the House of Oxenstierna and his troops.

The Raid was as a first strik against Nils Bosson Sture from the House of Natt och Dag that was a allied to the deposed Swedish King Karl Knutsson from the House of Bonde, this was also the start of a 2 year civil war and rebellion against the Archbishop of Sweden.

OOB - Union
Archbishop Jöns Bengtsson from the House of Oxenstierna
1x6 Foot Men-at-Arms (Leader)
1x12 Foot Yeomen with Mixed Weapons i.e. Allmoge
1x6 Bidowers, Mercenary German Handgunners

Knight Erik Karlsson from the House of Vasa
1x6 Foot Men-at-Arms (Leader)
1x12 Foot Yeomen with Mixed Weapons i.e. Allmoge
1x6 Bidowers, Mercenary German Handgunners

OOB - Rebells
Knight Nils Bosson Sture from the House of Natt
1x6 Foot Men-at-Arms (Leader)
1x12 Foot Yeomen with Mixed Weapons i.e. Allmoge
1x6 Bidowers, Mercenary German Handgunners

Knight Sten Gustavsson from the House of Sture
1x6 Foot Men-at-Arms (Leader)
1x12 Foot Yeomen with Mixed Weapons i.e. Allmoge
1x6 Bidowers, Mercenary German Handgunners

Sten Sture´s Allmoge group was deployed in the center of the farm that the Archbishops men would try to set on fire to be victorious..

The Rest of the rebell Hoasts had to advance forward the Farm to be able to help out to stop the Pyromaniac Archbishop...

The Archbishop and his troops advanced forward the farm...the Vasa allmoge shoose the well-known field rout...

The Archbishop sent his German mercenary Handgunners and his Allmoge to advanve by the stream, bat their advande was hold up bu a heard of rebellious cows...

Both the Archbishop and Erik karlsson Vasa was keen to start to burn Nils Bosson Stures farm...

More German handgunners protected the unionists right flank...

Sten Sture arrive to the famrm shouting to the allmoge that have a long housemeeting in the couryard...

...The Archbishops men continue to try to set the buildings a fire as his allmoge cover them with shooting against the advancing Sten Sture and his men at arms... taking no consideration at all to the mother and child in the way...

Ohhh Nooo !!! screams the old lady as the Archbishop manages to set the house on fire...

The first building on fire... advancing soldiers all over the place...

The German Mercenary Handgunners have decided to try to set one of the Barns on fire...

...but they are interrupted by some of Sten Stures archers...

Flaming pigs? ....the pigs start to run for their lives as more and more soldiers start to run around the farm...

Chaos al around as the Archbishops men manages to set one more building to fire... The Allmoge of Sten Sture have got enought and start to retreat as Sten Sture himself with his brave men tries to advance forward the Archbishop...

Erik Eriksson Vasa choose to bring his men to fight it our with Sten Sture

Nils Boson Sture have at last gor his Men-at-arms to the Farm..

Fights all over the place... Sten Sture and his Men-at-Arms are puched back by Erik Eriksson Vasa and are them shoot to pieces by the Allmoge in the fields...

Now Nils Bosson Sture tries to rally his Allmoge a last time but to no vain...

Both the Archbishop and Erik Nilsson Vasa advance forward Nils Bosson Sture and his remaining Men-at-Arms...

The Archbishops Allmoge soldiers start to plunder the remaining buildings...

Nils Bosson Sture decide it is a lost cause to try to stop the evil Archbishop and starts to retreat to save his remaining men to fight anotherday...

Indeed a very nice and quick game even with 4 players. The rules worked fine and all participants seemed to have a really good time.

We used one activation card for each of the 4 hoasts and draw a randome card to determin which hoast should be allowed to try to activate, worked really good.