The A Song Of Ice And Fire Miniatures Game event at Ribble Rumble took place on the first weekend of December and I was among the lucky few to attend the event. After a forced march through the cold weather of the North to reach Stockport, several players descended for an event to remember. Here is my review of the event and what I learnt from each of my games.
The Event
While CMON markets the game as a competitive miniatures game, and quite a lot of people play as such at other events, Ribble Rumble has a reputation for caring more about a friendly, fun game than winning at all costs or what your ranking will be, so a themed, sporting list build is be encouraged. This does not mean people showed up with themed lists as there were people with strong lists taking part in the event.
The event cost £40 for 5 games over two days and lunch for each day too. Meeting several new people and playing games against players I have never played against was a treat. The atmosphere was very relaxed and not as intense as some of the other events I have been to. It helps that there is a bar to fill you with beer to go alongside your games.
It was held at Element Games in Stockport which has almost every miniature game stocked with it even branching out into various board games, painting supplies, and even 3D printers. I got to meet Steven who has his miniatures on display and have been featured on some of these articles. The miniatures on display at the event look fantastic and I particularly like some of the scenery that was used in other games.
Big thanks to Brian McGonigle for running the event. You can find his blog here with some awesome battle reports and event reviews – https://brianmcgonigle.blogspot.com/
My Lists
I decided to bring Neutrals as I am more experienced with the Faction and know it is not the strongest out there. It also allows me to bring two very different themes lists from each other in my Targaryen supporters of the Stormcrows, and the devious flayers of House Bolton. The NCUs are the only thing that hurts making themed lists for Neutrals as it is very limiting, so I tried my best but mostly ignored NCUs. My armies are not fully painted, so enjoy some actions shots from the event whilst I discuss what I brought.
Daario Naharis, Stormcrow CommanderÂ
Faction: Neutral
Commander: Daario Naharis – Stormcrow Captain
Points: 40 / 40
Activations: 7
Combat Units
- Stormcrow Dervishes ( 7 )
Daario Naharis – Stormcrow Captain ( 0 )
- Stormcrow Mercenaries ( 5 )
Stormcrow Lieutenant ( 1 )
- Stormcrow Archers ( 6 )
Bronn – The Sellsword ( 1 )
- Hedge Knights ( 7 )
Glory Seeker ( 1 )
Non Combat Units
- Tycho Nestoris ( 5 )
- Petyr Baelish ( 4 )
- Lord Varys ( 4 )
I wanted at least one of each Stormcrow Unit and character, so bringing the Dervishes, Archers, and Mercenaries along with Commander Daario and the Lieutenant was going to be the base for my list. Since Varys is working to better Daenerys’ claim, he was perfect to add in, but after that no NCUs really had any part in the Targaryen plan.
Petyr could end up anywhere that would help him to ascend to power, perhaps Daenerys has invaded, and he has taken control of the Vale, thus choosing to side with the Targaryens. Tycho finally backs the right side so he can cover some of their expenses for investing in the realm.
The Hedge Knights play into the Mercenary theme of the Faction, but I painted them up to resemble some knights Barristan Selmy respected or loved in his life. In a pre-released chapter of The Winds of Winter, Selmy resolves to ride out and meet his enemy on the field rather than watch the impending outbreak annihilate Meereen. On the eve of the offensive, he gives a pep talk to his newly anointed knights and soldiers. So this is what my Targaryen Hedge Knights represent in the force.
Roose Bolton, Castellan of Harrenhal
Faction: Neutral
Commander: Roose Bolton – The Leech Lord
Points: 40 / 40
Activations: 7
Combat Units
- House Bolton Blackguards ( 6 )
Roose Bolton – The Leech Lord ( 0 )
- House Bolton Cutthroats ( 5 )
Bolton Flayer ( 1 )
- House Bolton Cutthroats ( 5 )
Bolton Flayer ( 1 )
- Stormcrow Archers ( 6 )
- House Bolton Flayed Men ( 8 )
Non Combat Units
- Petyr Baelish ( 4 )
- Lord Varys ( 4 )
My Boltons and Bloody Mummers all have the same base design as they combine to make my Forces of Harrenhal army for the Neutrals. Although no Brave Companion is within my list, I still like to design it as if it was Roose holding Harrenhal. Blackguard is an obvious personal guard for Roose, whilst bringing a good block of Cutthroats and Flayed Men fills out the rest. The Stormcrow Archers in the list were being represented by the new Dreadfort Archer models to fit better with the aesthetic of the force.
Petyr played his role well when seizing a good relationship with Roose in the show, which gives enough of an idea that he is not against working with them for his own gain. Varys is so confusing at times that perhaps he would throw his hat in to at least learn what is going on with the new Warden of the North.
I don’t like this list and did not have time to test some other versions to find a better feeling force that is thematic.
Game 1 – Steve Butler (Darkman) – Oops all Ranged Dothraki
Faction: Targaryen
Commander: Khal Drogo – The Great Khal
Points: 40 / 40
Activations: 7
Combat Units
- Drogo’s Bloodriders ( 8 )
Khal Drogo – The Great Khal ( 0 )
- Dothraki Outriders ( 6 )
Jorah Mormont – The Exiled Knight ( 1 )
- Dothraki Outriders ( 6 )
Fortune Seeker ( 1 )
- Dothraki Outriders ( 6 )
Non Combat Units
- Illyrio Mopatis ( 4 )
- Lord Varys ( 4 )
- Petyr Baelish ( 4 )
First game was against Steve’s very mobile Dothraki force, he brought a shooty version and a combat version but chose to use the ranged one against my Stormcrows. First mission was Game of Thrones and Steve took it. I have already played against this list, and it is super tough to face Neutrals, it is fast and has a lot of attacking potential. He was able to take a lot of zones due to my cagey nature in the game.
I needed to commit and just live with the fact I was going to be attacked, however the first thing I would send forward would be shot at a lot before it would have a chance to do anything substantial. Drogo is in his Bloodriders as a strong distraction, so I do need to make my way through that Unit first. Personally, I believe I would need a cavalry list to catch up with this list to pin the Units down. Remaking the Bolton List into a cavalry list or a resilient list with Blackguards and Flayed Men might be the key.
A surprising outcome was that neither of us had lost a Unit, although I got so close to killing Drogo. I will get you next time!
Game 2 – Jack Ling (Warmaster) – Jaime Lannister
Faction: Lannister
Commander: Jaime Lannister – The Kingslayer
Points: 40 / 40
Activations: 7
Combat Units
- The Warrior’s Sons ( 7 )
Jaime Lannister – The Kingslayer ( 0 )
- Knights of Casterly Rock ( 8 )
- Lannister Halberdiers ( 5 )
Guard Captain ( 1 )
- Lannister Crossbowmen ( 6 )
Bronn – The Sellsword ( 1 )
Non Combat Units
- Pycelle ( 4 )
- Cersei Lannister ( 4 )
- The High Sparrow ( 4 )
Second game was against Jack’s Lannisters and brough Jaime Lannister! It is not often you get to see Commanders considered terrible show up at events, Ribble encourages this, and I am glad Jack was courageous enough to bring him. Although Jaime didn’t do too much for the game as he just doesn’t affect all that much.
I hate Dance with Dragons, I have played it too much and often the negatives to movement when you are forced to hold the anvils that are the objectives limits what I want to with my Units. I think to improve from this game I need to consider the mission more and not rush to grab them.
Jack also showed me the true power of Lannister Crossbowmen that just unload a lot of attacks in a turn. I am unsure if ranged Units are a big problem in the game or whether it is just how many attacks you can pull off with them from a good distance away that needs some work but by God is it strong. Throwing a tough Unit in the way, making sure they are Weakened, or out positioning them are the best ways to deal with them.
Game 3 – Aden (spykr) – Mag the Mighty
Faction: Free Folk
Commander: Mag the Mighty – Mag Mar Tun Doh Weg
Points: 40 / 40
Activations: 8
Combat Units
- Mag the Mighty – Mag Mar Tun Doh Weg ( 5 )
- Savage Giant ( 7 )
- Wun Wun ( 8 )
- Thenn Warriors ( 5 )
Borroq – Boar Skinchanger ( 2 )
- Borroq’s Boar ( 2 )
- Varamyr Sixskins – Master Skinchanger ( 3 )
Non Combat Units
- Lady Val ( 4 )
- Craster ( 4 )
Third game was Fire and Blood, and I was facing Ayden with the Monsters from the North. I have not played against Mag to know what tools he has at his disposal other than the obvious bunch of Blitz, Hurl Boulder, and Monsters from the North. So, I was expecting an interesting game. I marked his Varamyr and Boar, he marked my Archers and Mercenaries.
In the first game my cagey style was a bad play but, in this game, it was the right one. I was able to stay at a good distance from the giants threatening them with the Archers and Cavalry if he ever committed to moving forward. Whilst my Mercs pushed on and Daario lept into combat. Because I had marked the Boar, I knew killing it early would be easier if I could catch it, this would catapult me forward. Varamyr and the Boar were on the opposite side to the giants, so I over committed with the Dervishes which paid off big time.
Ayden lost this game for the same reasons I lost the first game, not committing forward. If he pushed up with all three giants, my bows and cavalry would be lucky to kill one but would be very unlikely to kill two. He would then be able to tie up the bows which were shooting anyways whether he was closer or not. He should have applied the pressure and just get in there.
He did pull it back with some good repositioning towards the Mercs and Daario, but it was too late, and the bows continued to slowly whittle the monsters down. I learnt that Daario’s Reckless Strikes is very useful against Giants, but also destroying one thing at a time is important and the Neutrals can do this well with the right Units in Stormcrow forces.
Game 4 – John Wall (Johnw) – Meta Greyjoys
Faction: Greyjoy
Commander: Victarion Greyjoy – The Iron Captain
Points: 40 / 40
Activations: 7
Combat Units
- Silenced Men ( 7 )
Victarion Greyjoy – The Iron Captain ( 0 )
- Drowned Men ( 4 )
- Blacktyde Chosen ( 7 )
Baelor Blacktyde – Captain of the Nightflyer ( 1 )
- Golden Company Swordsmen ( 7 )
Nute – The Barber ( 1 )
Non Combat Units
- Balon Greyjoy ( 5 )
- Erik Ironmaker ( 4 )
- Aeron Greyjoy ( 4 )
Fourth game was Feast for Crows, and I was playing John’s very tough Greyjoy list. Going into this game with a thematic Neutral list was a terrifying prospect and I do not have a lot of faith in performing very well. The list gets more bonus attacks than I can generate and there is no risk in throwing the Silenced Men to the fire due to Balon Greyjoy. It would be a tough fight and I would need to take every advantage I could possibly get.
John may have a good list, but the mission and deployment saw him split his three Units up. This isn’t a massive disadvantage due to how many attacks one Unit could have, but it certainly resulted in my whole army taking on half of his. The true power he had was from Balon, John put me in positions were killing Victarion would just have him brought back at full strength and ready for an action. I am still unsure if committing to forcing the use of that ability would be the best way to deal with that threat.
The game came down to the wire, with my Hedge Knights charging Drowned Men holding an objective, I needed to play Reckless Strikes to ensure I can kill the Unit and the hold the objective to tie the game then win with points on the board, but I rolled a one not achieving the play and losing a very close game.
This could have been a wipe, but it was my favourite game of the event due to how close it was whilst being challenging to play. I learnt a lot about the Greyjoys and how they operate currently whilst learning valuable lessons for all games.
Game 5 – nathan birbeck (birbz) – Mag the Mighty: the Sequel
Faction: Free Folk
Commander: Mag the Mighty – Mag Mar Tun Doh Weg
Points: 40 / 40
Activations: 7
Combat Units
- Mag the Mighty – Mag Mar Tun Doh Weg ( 5 )
- Savage Giant ( 7 )
- Wun Wun ( 8 )
- War Mammoth ( 6 )
- War Mammoth ( 6 )
Non Combat Units
- Lady Val ( 4 )
- Craster ( 4 )
Final game was Honed and Ready against long-time friend Nathan with Mag the Mighty. Honed and Ready is one of my favourite game modes, likely because I play a lot of high armour armies, so the walls are more or a bonus for me than my opponent. However, this time around it was on the other foot with the Giants unlikely to take a wound.
I decided to play like Steve in my first game of overextending to claim victory points early on. This would give me a good buffer from when I am eventually caught in a combat hell with the monsters. Nathan was for the most part ignoring the objectives and seeking out a wipe. I do believe this was the best play as leaving some giants behind to try and compete would likely be a bad call.
I distracted some of them with a Unit on the left side, whilst the right side held objectives and killed what they could. The game was set for a major victory for myself until Mag killed Daario in the center, played Overrun needing a six to get my Hedge Knights, and succeeding the charge. My Hedge Knights were left on four wounds away from an objective. My Archers were sitting on one. Nathan’s final Mammoth and Giant were in the middle.
What happened was a series of bad moves from both mine and Nathan’s side. Shot Mag with the Archers since I had all the bonuses, I was hoping to take him down to one Wound, then pass the morale on the Glory Seeker doing a final wound. This worked but Mag killed the Unit before dying. He then moved the mammoth with Val and shot the Archers with Craster but they lived on two wounds.
Nathan should have shot twice with his NCUs which would be very likely to kill my Archers and won the game since I would have nothing left. However, I should have retreated with the Hedge Knights onto the objective, then shot with the archers into Mag hoping to kill him. If I didn’t, then, I would just need to live with both Units to win the game. Some slight changes for both of us in the final activations could have ended in a very different result.
Awards
Sportsman – Greg Deane (Greggers)
Sportsmanship Award always is the most rewarding at Brian’s events as it is more important to have a fun game then it is to win. Look at how much Greggers has gained for making sure his opponents have some funa experiences. Greg is known to win Sportsmanship a lot due to his custodian nature for the player experience. Well deserved.
Sam Tarly Award, Not Being Much use in a Fight – Aden_ (spykr)
Ayden showed a lot of heart whislt sharing a lot of laughs. He may not be much use in a fight, but his personality boosts the morale of everyone around him. I loved my game with Adyen with the wackiness of it all and would play him again in a heartbeat.
Painting and 4th – tim whitney (timwhitney) – Night’s Watch
Tim is well known for his stunning armies in the community. He has put a lot of work into his third army following his stellar Starks and stunning non-metalic metal Golden Company. His Night’s Watch have been heavily converted to not have a single model in the same pose, with new bits added to each model, and greenstuff reposing. His most ambitious creation was the Stone Thrower conversion into a Trebuchet.
3rd – Elliot Coulbeck (Ell) – Night’s Watch
2nd – Adam Sargeant (Sarge Jungle) – Lannisters
1st – Stephen Connor (Psychoste) – Boltons
Final Thoughts
A very good event from Brian McGonigle (Bannockburn) and Element Games, I am sure there will be another next year that I will for sure be attending with another themed army, hopefully fully painted this time though. I did speak with Steven from Element Games who showed interest in doing a full event for ASOIAF. Ribble Rumble, and so many different game systems that came together for mini tournaments on the day, but the whole hall being booked out for ASOIAF would be unreal, I do hope this will come to fruition in the future.
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