Happy Mithrasmas

Yes, it's that time of year once more when we celebrate the birth of Mithras.

Where we dress in our finest clothes, visit one another and exchange presents whether over the time of the winter celebrations of Mithras or the feasting at the Roman celebration of Saturnalia.
So, raise a glass, slaughter your bull, put a Druidic Log on your Yuletide fire, imbibe some strong drink and enerally have a good time.
The photograph shows a small part of my gladiator collection wondering why there is a snow-laden fir tree in the arena.

From all of us here at the Ludus of Josephus have a merry Mithrasmas.

P.S. Sorry for the day's delay in posting, but I was poorly yesterday after a visit to the hospital where I found my appointment had been cancelled!

Gladiator - Summary.

We concluded our last Munus (games) of the first year, with three of us participating in just two games. The game I played in, I lost, but my gladiator survived and got only 1 less fame point than the winner, because my gladiator was two tiers (levels) below my opponent and gained credit for that. 

The other game played was a match between a Retiarius and a Secutor, for which I took a prefuse number of photographs - nearly fifty photographs overall.

I took photographs further out than normal, trying to keep the large iron gate in each photo. The first photograph shows the intial set-up (as always), Secutor on the left and the Retiarius (net man) on the right.
I've ony selected the first two  moves worth of photographs, but it does show just how much movement there is in a game.

Turn 1, after two attacks the secutor hasn't hurt the Retiarius.

 Turn 1 (still), the Retiarius throws his net, misses, then puts in a driven attack against the retiarius.

Turn 2, the Retiarius (wins the initiative) and attempts to recieve his net

The retiarius has retreaved his net and succesfaully throws it at the Secutor

The retiarius fails to wound the Secutor with a special attack...

The Secutor falls back, and removes one of the two action dice lost

So, six photographs show most of the too and fro of just two turns of the game. Each turn there are a lot of decisions for a player to make, mostly surround the roll of his six action dice.

This game went on for 11 turns with neither gladiator striking a telling wound on his opponent, Eventually the retiarius' dice rolling finally let him down and he had to appeal to the crowd for mercy.

After quite a tense run through the "appeal to the crowd " table, the decision was passed on to the editor (organiser) of the game (another table). Eventually after a songle recount, the retiarus was granted meryc and he would live to fight another day, 

There was a little more paperwork to do, as this was the final munus of the year, crowns of Laurelswere awarded, champions decided and fame alloted.

We're giving it a rest this week, but playing the boardgame "Spartacus" instead.

That's it for another week hopefully you found something of interest and as always, your comments are both welcomed and appreciated.

The Saturnalia Munus

 "The Sagurnalia Munus" or in other words the "The Xmas Games". Saturnalia is the Roman equivalent of the Xmas holiday, where the Romans dressed up in their best clothes, exchanged presents and got a little tipsy, much like our present day celebrations.

In our Gladiator games' terms it's the last games of the year, where crowns are awarded for wins and champions are selected.

The highlight of the games was the fight between the two best gladiators our players had.

In this case it was my level 3 Hoplomachus (the chap on the left with the spear against the brute of a character, a Murmillo.

This is my attempt at giving a blow by blow account of how the fight went, with the photograph above showing their start poisition.

The primary 'feature' of this munus was that the editor wanted to see Hoplomachi, (hence this fight) and the particular event for this fight was that it was "Sine Missione",  that is to say "To the death". So one or other of the two highest level gladiators was going to die ! 

"Catch me if you can"

Turn 1, (Photographs above), after winning the initiative the Hoplomachus rolls an unstoppable double six for his long range attack, wounding the Murmillo in his right arm - a mere scratch, then he retreated

The Murmillo does catch the Hoplomachus, forcing him to retire.

The Mumillo catches the Hoplomachus, attacks and though he doesen''t beat the Hoplomachus' defence, it's enough to force him back.

Turn two 

Turn two another attack by the initiaitve winning Hoplonachus see the defending Murmillo roll "snake eyes", another automatic hit " The murmillo suffers a slow kill wound (of doom) to his shield arm, causing him to to bleed (losing an extra fatigue each turn. The attack of the Murmillo is feeble and easily repulsed.

From my viewpoint, all was going better than planned

Turn 3 and the Mumillo is on the ascendancy!

Turn 3 saw the Murmillo win the initiative and unleashed a deadly blow, a deep wound to my Hoplomachus' right leg, causing a bleed token too.

 

Turn three and the Murmillo inflics a deep wound on the Hoplomahcus.

My Hoplomachus  returns a flurry of three attacks on the Murmillo who stubbornly refuses to be hit.

Starting position at the start of turn 4

Turn four and the dastardly Murmillo once more has the initiative (my luck seems to have run out)

Here he comes...causing me to retreat

Eventually the Murmillo causes another deep wound to the Hoplomachus' right arm

Turn five and the Murmillo has sportingly lost the initieative and my Hoplomachus (bleeding profusely) can finally attempt a comeback

Manouvering around the Murmillo, my attack had little effect

The Murmillo's attacks didn't all prove futile, he inflicted a single flesh wound to my Hoplomachus' head.

 Both gladiators are now tiring.

Turn 6, with the starting position as in the photograph above, winning the intiative was very important, the middle game had passed and we were now at the begining of the end phase.

I'd had enough wounds (3) to lose one of my action dice (a bad blow at this stage of the game), my opponent, true to form, was fierce and didn't lose a die until he had four wounds.
We rolled for intiaitve and I narrowly won by one pip! We rolled the action dice, I had 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, enough for two attacks if I used the 6 (a wild die) my opponent rolled 1,3,3,3,4,5 enough to give him two attacks too (the '4' and the '5'). I decided to retain the initiative, used the '2' to get a parry token nd the '5' to use my special attack - an extended, aimed lunge.
I rolled the attack, a middling roll, but one my opponent couldn't beat - he'd used up his parry tokens and hadn't yet replenished tham.

My hit location roll was two off the area I needed to hit, but because I had an aimed shot I could adjust it to hit his left arm. I no needed to cause at least a single owund on the area with a roll of 6+ on two dice. The roll was a six ! I had inflicted a single wound  disabling the Murmillo's left arm and thus ending the fight. With "Sine Missione" in effect the murmillo's life was ended....

The end !

Taking photographs and writing notes for this game report meant we'd played about an hour or so for just the six turns (five and a half really as my oppnent didn;t get his sixth.

My gladiator's playsheet at game's end.

My opponent's playsheet.

It was a great game played well by both of us and thoroughly enjoyable, with at least another game too this week.

That's it then for another week, hopefully you 've enjoyed this write-up as much as I have putting it together.

As always your comments are welcomed and truly appreciated.,

IO SATURNALIA !

 

 

Sojourn

I haven't actually been on holiday, s the title may suggest, but having missed posting last week it feels like I have been.

The truth of the matter was that I forgot to post and by Wednesday, when I realised I hadn't posted I decided that I wouldn't bother.  I had to report about two games of gladiator combat  that we'd played, though I only mnaged one photogrpah (on the right)  before my camera decided it needed its battery charging !  
This week's post was going to be about the "Battleground 2022" show in Stockton, but real life conspired against me getting there. 

This post, such as it is was meant to be done yesterday, but I forgot (again), probably due to the unwanted knowledge that I now have three additional Doctor, Clinic and hospital visits in December.
Unfortunately that's all I've got for this week. 

(The photograph is two Gladiators, representing two provocators after one has had their first move.

I'll try and get my players along again this week  after failing to do so last week,

That's it then for another week.

The Great Hall

Along with visiting Winchester cathedral, I also visited the great 13th century medieval Hall (pictured right), famous mostly because of the reproduction of the round table .

The great hall has been a royal residence, a stronghold and a courtroom as well as beind used for TV and films.
The round table was painted by Henry VIII around 1516 CE.

Here's the photos:

The city's medieval west gate, found en route to the Hall.

The 5.5m diameter round table, weighing 1200kg up on the wall

The other end of the Hall, opposite the table.

Close up of the above wall showing a myriad of genealogy

Stunning armourial bearing in the windows.

Picture (poor) of a model of early Winchester, Hall on the left and the West gate on the right.

I purposely didn't show these photographs last week as I wouldn't have had anything to post about this week. Last week I was occupied with a clinic visit to give blood and a hospital visit to scan my bones (being old etc.). The week was then topped of with a letter informing me of another hospital visit booked for December ! This week has already started with yet another covid booster jab (my 4th), but I am hoping to have some gladiator action this week, hoepfully,  that  I'll probably post about next week,

That's it then for this week, thanks for taking the time to visit and as always your comments are welcomed and appreciated.

Winchester

 

Not the famous western firearm, but rather the beautiful cathedral in the county of Hampshire, that was the main objective of our trip south (through horrendous storms). We only had a single day to explore both the cathedral and the Great Hall.

The photograph on the right shows the front of the cathedral's west wall, with the main window looking more like a modern day abstract mosaic as the original glass was shot through by parliamentarian soldiers in the Civil War.

Here's the photographs:

The North wall with four information stands showing the developement of the building.

One of the four information stands

Looking down to the east altar and quire and (imho) a ghastly modern 'star'

The view down the nave towards the west entrance

One style of window

Another style of window with 'cleaner' lines imo.

No caption necessary

This was about half the tiles that could be seen (note the modern replacements too)

Detail showing the many, wonderful tiles

The roof of one of the many chapels in the cathedral

Entrance to the crypt (I didn't take the tour)

Some of the many flags to be found in the cathedral

More flags, British Legion I think

Heraldic banner in one of the aisles (there were others)

One of th many epitaphs, around the cathedral, that caught my eye...

It was the palm tree in particular that drew me to this

Lieutenant Turner of the Bengal Native Infantry and commandant of the corps of guides.

A good model of the cathedral.

That's it for this week, I'm keeping the few photographs I have of the Great Hall, in reserve, until next week.

 

Thanks for taking the time to visit, sorry nothing to report on the hobby front, but  I'm still hopeful.

 

As always your comments are both welcomed and truly appreciated.

City Boards

 Another of the many 'treasures' I rescued from Bryan's (Vampifan's) collection, just about a year ago.

These boards have been lying quietly in a corner of the room where I orginally stored all of Bryan's rescued possessions and it was only when I'd finished cleaning off my games table that I thought about showing these boards.
The photograph on the right shows my table cleared off (for six foot at least), all ready to once more be used as a Xmas present wrapping startion - or maybe even a game !

I have fourteen of Bryan's 23" square boards, one being his skateboard park, which need a bit of TLC (but in the state I got it). There are another three boards, all of odd sizes: One car park board, 15" x 30"; one car park board, 22.5" x 30" and finally the base for his "Brummie's Burger" joint, 30" x 22.5". Why the change in boards sizes I don't know

Here's the photographs:

Six boards, a mix of off-centre roads and centred roads.

Another six boards, I think he must have loved his car-parks!

"Brummie's Burgers" base and the skateboard park board, plus more car parks

The single cross-roads board up against the burger joint boards

The disparity between one of the 23" square boards and Brunnie's Burger joint board.

The boards, are all made o the same standard of evrything else Bryan made; I think they;re all 5mm foam with the roas etc, printed onto card (or some quality paper), so they're not that heavy, but thy are a bit bulky. Unfortunately they do need a new home as they don't fit in with my own terrain boards = if anyone want them, please drop me an email (contact detail on my profile page).

That's it for another week, next week's post may not happen as I'm away for a long weekend to the deep South, visiting relatives in Wiltshire, with a quick diversion to Winchester.

Thanks for taking the time to visit and as always your comments are welcomed and appreciated.