Swordpoint; How to Play Videos by Medieval Warrior Parts I, II, III and IV (Updated 14/11/2020)

  The first thing I need to point out is that the following "How to Play Swordpoint" videos have been skilfully collated and narrated by Nic aka Medieval Wargamer with his permission from his YouTube Channel.

Here are Parts I, II and III with more to come.

I know just from general chat on the net that Swordpoint by Gripping Beast has been compared, unfairly in my opinion, with Warhammer Ancient Battles or at least as a 'successor' to WAB. There are some comparisons that can be made with WAB though only to the point that Swordpoint has been developed  as a stand alone game and only superficially resembles WAB, in the same way that all wargames rules owe something to HG Wells and Donald Featherstone. Rolls To Hit and rolls To Save etc. The system places a great emphasis on the Line of Battle where units support one another by their local presence which basically equates to an elite unit may not easily break through a line of comparatively lower status on the table top. Maintaining the Line of Battle is the key to a successful game.

Other innovations include Shooting comes before movement etc so one has to think of where both your and your enemies units might be in the next turn.

I think he's done a great job of explaining the rules, certainly better then I could do as my skills with any IT editing video tool kit are minimal which is probably being kind to myself!

Without further ado:

Why I like SWORDPOINT Rules- "Line of Battle"

Why I like SWORDPOINT Rules - Part 2. Shooting

Miniature Battle Aids - Unit Cards

SWORDPOINT Rules -Part III (COMBAT)

SWORDPOINT Rules Part IV. Cohesion-Break and Rally Tests

Gripping Beast Display Game- WAB Age of Arthur Campaign Weekend Warhammer World 2007(?)

One of the things I loved about this display was the sheer array of Gripping Beast models scattered about (the odd Foundry mini too but "shhhhh!". Some from many years ago and long out of production, some of middle age and some newly released to go with the release of the Age of Arthur Warhammer Ancient Battles book penned by James Morris.

Having trawled through all my old laptops I was not able to find any pictures of the games I played over the two days but I expect that I was very busy getting slaughtered! If memory serves I did not come close to winning a single game but I do remember all the faces of my opponents and the many laughs we shared.

Now, onto the truly awesome pictures. All the images are 'clickable' and the files a huge so please, feast your eyes.

Anglo Danish Huscarls and Fyrd Unit 1

Over the past year, every now and again I've been rebasing my Anglo Danes hoping to build up enough of a head of steam to get me painting the odd unit for this army again. As well as there being a number of different manufacturers they have been painted at various times, a few here a few there, over the last twenty years! Therefore the style of some of the painting might look different from one miniature to the next. It is about time I got the damn army completed so I have dropped the Nineteenth Century stuff for now and I'm going to fit in the odd unit of Anglo Danes . My Normans have got to have someone to fight inhouse! The manufacturers include, Gripping Beast- both out of production and not, Footsore Miniatures and Saxon Miniatures (now sold by Warlord Games).

I have another unit ready to add the texture to the sand/grit and the beginnings on yet another. The former needs a couple of miniatures painted up as well as a small 40mm diameter Command Base and a semi circle Shieldwall Marker, which I will have to do for this unit too. All the units of Huscarls/Fyrd will have Command and Shieldwall Markers along with their Norse allies. More on the Norse in another post.

605th Anniversary of Agincourt 1415

A Henry! A Henry!  

A Oxford! A Oxford!

It was one of those days. From a French perspective, everything that should have happened did not. Ditto from the English perspective. It is safe to say neither Jean II le Meingre Boucicaut nor Henry V were expecting the battle to follow the pattern illustrated in the popular Agincourt Hymn written sometime in the early 15th Century. We now have Jean II le Meingre Boucicaut's plan for the battle which included two attacks by Mounted Men at Arms on the flanks of the Archers. A plan foiled on the day by delays and Henry V taking the initiative and marching forward to a point on the battlefield where his flanks were protected. Or that is the assumption. We do not know if Henry marched forward in an attempt to goad the French into attacking and guard his flanks. That argument will go on for many years to come. That is the way of things.

A Camoys! A Camoys!

Suffice to say:

Deo gratias Anglia redde pro victoria!

[Give thanks, England, to God for victory!]

Owre Kynge went forth to Normandy

With grace and myght of chyvalry

Ther God for hym wrought mervelusly;

Wherefore Englonde may call and cry}}

Chorus

Deo gratias!

Deo gratias Anglia redde pro victoria!

He sette sege, forsothe to say,

To Harflu towne with ryal aray;

That toune he wan and made afray

That Fraunce shal rewe tyl domesday.

Chorus

Then went hym forth, owre king comely,

In Agincourt feld he faught manly;

Throw grace of God most marvelously,

He had both feld and victory.

Chorus

Ther lordys, erles and barone

Were slayne and taken and that full soon,

Ans summe were broght into Lundone

With joye and blisse and gret renone.

Chorus

Almighty God he keep owre kynge,

His people, and alle his well-wyllynge,

And give them grace wythoute endyng;

Then may we call and savely syng:

Chorus^[5]

Facsimile of the Agincourt Carol in the Trinity Carol Roll (Trinity MS O.3.58)