Donny Brook

I had a great day today actually playing some war games… yes an actual game. I was kindly invited along for a Sunday games day with some old Re-enacting buddies. 

The first game of the afternoon was a game of Donny Brook, a game I have heard many good things about but never played. I opted to play the Town Militia as I was sitting near the town. They were a motley lot of pitch folks and scythes but did have one unit of musketeers, who actually caused the enemy pirates a lot of grief. A tall dark stranger lead them on his horse.

As the first pirate ship pulled into dock they were met with a splattering of shot.

The motley mob of scythes ran to guard a bridge while the musketeers ran to the docks.

 The game involved a force of Cultists carrying a casket from one side of the map to the other, across a river and down to the docks. Once at the docks the pirate force would whisk it away. My poor militia were caught between the two. There was also a force of government troops who were on my side, but they were too far away to aid my poor yeomen..

To the south of the town the armed militia had more success. A steady musketry was kept up on the approaching vessels, causing several pirates to plunge into the dockside.

Cultist horseman charge the bridge after their leader paralysis’s my militia with fear. His mere presence rooted my guys to the spot, they couldn’t even fight back, they became wheat to the horseman’s blades. A few escaped but were again taken by the black fear and froze.

The Cultists pour across the vacant bridge carrying their dark mysterious casket with them.

In my force was also a poacher who was a crack shot. The very first round of combat he took down a pirate with his fouling piece. He had more luck than most, taking down a couple of others. His luck ran out though when he met a pirate captain in hand to hand combat. Although the fight went on for a while he was eventually knocked to the ground unconscious. He was despatched soon after.

Needless to say the militia failed to stop the casket from getting through to the pirates and the day was lost. 

It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed the kind of role play element to the game. Also seeing all the seventeenth Century figures on the table was great. Loads of character in the forces, did I mention the ghoul…