War of the Roses - Show and Tell

Henry VII looks on.

Our Inspiration

A few of what was brought

Marty’s Collection

A unit of Marty’s Longbowmen

A unit of Warwick’s Longbowmen

Fitz’s force

A unit of Mowbray’s Longbowmen

A unit of Mowbray’s Billmen

A unit of mercenary handgunners.

Jeff’s Force

Welsh Longbowmen

Oxford’s Men-at-Arms

 

 

Thomas Odin Brenden

Thomas Odin Brenden passed away Saturday July 26th after a short illness.   That is the only information I have at this moment.   I will provide an update when more information becomes available, including the Visitation and Funeral.

Odin, as he was known to his friends, was a long time regular with the Centurions, in recent years he mostly played in our Seven Years' War and American Civil War games.  Gaming was one of Odin's happy places.  It didn't matter the game he was happy to play.     Many of us remember playing Rally Round the Flag with Odin in the 1990's, well before the Centurions.

Odin worked Minneapolis Public Schools in the transportation department.  He spent years driving school bus and the occasional party bus on the side, in recent years he was responsible for scheduling and working in the office.

He will be missed. 

 

"Lo, there do I see my father.

Lo, there do I see my mother. 

     and my sisters and my brothers.

Lo, there I see the line of my people

     back to the beginning of time.

Lo, they do call to me

     They bid me to take my place among them

     in the halls of Valhalla.

     Where the Brave my live Forever."

Traditional Viking Funeral Prayer

August 2025 Schedule

August 2nd
Glory is FLeeting
10mm Napoleonics
1812 Russia
Jim Fitzgerald

August 16th
Bring you "War of the Roses" figures down to show off. Additional Game Field of Glory Renaissance - Samurai 15mm

August 30th
Star Wars Miniature Battles
A Galaxy Far Far Away
Terry Ollilia

All Games at the Source Comics and Games
Setup begins at 10:30 AM and play soon after.
No Figures or Experience are Required to Play

July Schedule

July 5th
Regimental Fire & Fury
American Civil War
Western Theater
Jeff Johnson

July 19th
Field of Glory - Punic War
Somewhere in Italy
Jim Fitzgerald

All Games at the Source Comics and Games
Setup begins at 10:30 AM and play soon after.
No Figures or Experience are Required to Play

Seven Years’ War - Koenig Krieg

 Once a quarter during the Centurions gameday at the Source Comics and Games we play Koenig Krieg, version 1.5.

“Koenig Krieg” was originally published by Barry Gray in the mis 1980’s.   In 1996 Tom Dye edited the rules and republished the rules with Outland Games.    Our group refers to this as version 1.5.  The Centurions have been using this version of “Koenig Krieg” since the early 2000’s and have played hundreds of games.   It is one of the clear cut favorites of our group, along with “Field of Glory” and “Regimental Fire & Fury”.

Our latest game had 10 players, seven cavalry brigades and thirteen infantry brigades along with associated artillery and light infantry.   These numbers are typical of the favorite rule sets but by no means the largest game we have played.  

On the left Odin, Bob, Joe, Steve and Rolf were playing the British and Dutch Allies.  On the right Jack, Marty, and Tony made up 3/5ths of the French Side. 

The French were deployed along a fordable stream with two brigades of cavalry on each flank and six brigades of infantry in the center.  The river on the right hand side of the board is not fordable.  

With three brigades of cavalry on the left flank and three brigades of British and Hanoverian infantry on the right, they were supported by four brigades of DUTCH infantry on the extreme left.

The overall British Plan, personally approved by King George, was for the British cavalry on the left to move forward, engage the French cavalry on that flank, while the center British Infantry moved forward to hold the French Infantry in the center and the Hanoverians held off the French right flank while the Dutch slammed headlong into the flank of the French driving towards the center of the board.

Initially the French planned on fighting a delaying action allowing the British and her allies to come to it.   Lt. General Tony on turn one got his dander up and launched an attack towards the intersection of the British and Hanoverian Infantry.   

The aggressiveness of the French caught the British and Dutch players off guard a bit.  As General Bob noted, without the Dutch allies the British and Hanoverians were out numbered 9 Brigades to 6 Brigades.   

On turn two the British cavalry slammed into the French cavalry on the British left flank.  The superior morale of the British cavalry allowed the British to pull out a narrow win, but even in a win it was costly for the small British heavy cavalry regiments as they took winners casualties.  In the aftermath of the melee, during the exploitation phase the British lost control of one Cavalry regiment and the other two regiments ended up in a bad location.

Turn three saw the French cavalry lose an already routed heavy cavalry regiment as it was hit by a British heavy cavalry regiment, but the remaining three regiments of French cavalry stabilized that flank.   The second French cavalry brigade charged the Dutch and were repulsed taking minimal loses.  The effect on two Dutch brigades was telling as their advance slowed to a crawl.   

The British in the center ended up forming a salient, the Cavalry on the left flank was joy as affective as they hoped and the aggressive movements turned their plans from a holding the French to a full out defensive posture.

The small heavy cavalry regiments were under serious fire as they continued to dwindle in size until the were picked up in turn five as they reached four figures each.

The view from the left flank of the Dutch.   One brigade of French cavalry is all that stood in its way of coming down on the French right flank.

Turn six saw the battle of attrition in the center ramp up as the French lost much its artillery but the infantry was in good shape as it tried to press forward.   The Hanoverians on the right flank attempted to reposition it line pf defense as two brigades of infantry and two cavalry bore down on it.

In “Koenig Krieg” starting with the turn after the first casualty the game has an army morale roll, the roll of shame.   In our game the British were down two cavalry brigades and the French down one cavalry brigade.  Both sides needed to roll a d6 and have a result of five or less.   Both sides rolled a five.   If either side rolled a six it would require that side to withdrawal from the battlefield.  

The French commander an Irish import named Fitzgerald and British Commander Bob survey the tabletop from the vantage point beyond the river.   

The British commander cried out for the Dutch forces on his left flank, "without them we are lost".   The meat grinder in the center continued as the glacial advance of the Dutch slowly migrated toward the battlefield.   

At the conclusion of turn 10, the British conceded, a hard fought victory for the French.

June 2025 Schedule

June 7th
Koenig Krieg
15mm Seven Years' War
Western Theater
Jeff Johnson

June 21th
Field of Glory - Reinassance
Sengoku Period
Jim Fitzgerald

All Games at the Source Comics and Games
Setup begins at 10:30 AM and play soon after.
No Figures or Experience are Required to Play

Perry Miniatures - Plastics Restock

The Source Comics and Games has restocked several Perry Miniatures plastics recently. This includes for boxes each of War of the Roses, Dismounted Men-at-Arms, Mounted Men-at-Arms, and Light Cavalry.