Lion Rampant - Medieval Wargaming Rules (Osprey Wargames)

This is a nice, easy to learn set of rules for playing games with miniature toy soldiers on a table top,or other playing surface. I have been playing various historical wargames for more than 40 years now, and I have to say that I have become enamored with Lion Rampant.Although it is not overly-complex, and may seem simplistic in some ways, it still gives a feel for warfare in the Medieval period, and it requires only a modicum of expense to assemble a force with which to play. Units are divided into either mounted or foot, and these two categories have 3-4 subcategories. But regardless, with a single exception, all mounted units consist of 6miniatures, and all foot consist of 12miniatures.Most retinues(what your force is referred to by the rules) consist of 1-3 mounted units and 3-4 foot units. A list of sample retinues covering a wide-range of potential armies and time periods is included in the back of the book. In addition to the rules themselves, several samplescenarios for games are included in the book.The book itself, though paperback, is the same size and style as all the other Osprey books, meaning it is lavishly illustrated with color plates and well-edited.I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It certainly isn't the top-of-the-line most historically accurate set of rules for the medieval period. HOWEVER, it is easy to learn, quite enjoyable, excellent for those on a budget, and gives a great bit of flavour for the period. Not just that, but it serves as an excellent introductory set of rules to bring someone into historical gaming.For those with miniatures from other periods, such as ancients or dark ages, there are numerous sites online that offer army lists and rules mods for Lion Rampant that will allow you to easily play battles from those periods, including large, multi-player games.

A good miniature book for small scale pure medieval war gaming. The combat system is solid and the scenarios varied and interesting. The game offers a method for players presenting their own winning goals without shifting the scenario goal(s). This would be a great system for small kingdom campaigns and offers great ideas for various national groups. The small size of the units means gamers can get into the game without investing a huge amount of money and time. This is not an in depth simulation nor does it give major differences in weapons and armor. Pretty much one man-at-arms is going to be as good as another. And Serfs lose in straight up combat. While there are unique leader character traits that can make leaders more interesting, the 11 random options will not give a huge variety in your commanders. Still, this is a useful addition to a war gamer's library and a good option for someone wanting to try out miniature dark ages war gaming without committing an arm and a leg.

I had played several ww2 war-games in the past and most of them have values and fine details on nearly Avery aspect imaginable. So what ended up happening was constant thumbing through the pages. If that is how you like your games, this game may not be for you. This game scarcities abut of realism for smoother game play and greater flexibility. That is why I love it. It was nice not to have to follow all these little rules and historical foot notes and just play a game. It is model neutral so you can use basically what ever you which is cheaper and you don't have to stay within one small stretch of time. The rules can be easily adapted for saxons vs. vikings, 100 years war, or any number of your own made up conflicts of sword and shield.

Lion Rampant is everything that wargame rules should be: short, simple, well-presented, fun, and inexpensive. Daniel Mersey is an experienced rules writer and this latest set from him is a winner. I've played several games now and the rules have become a big hit with our local gaming group. The price is amazingly low for what you get—and it's a complete package. You don't have to buy supplements, special dice, etc. that just rack up the cost of getting started. Although it's offered as a skirmish set of rules, it easily works for small battles if you just up the representative scale from 1:1 to 1:10, 1:20, etc. Paint about 40 figures and you have a force to play. Army lists allow a lot of variation, so you can create pretty much any Medieval force that suits you. Lion Rampant has a very classic wargame feel to it and is an excellent set of rules. It can also be tinkered with and easily adapted to periods outside the Middle Ages.

At our local (war)gameclub hardly anyone brought their miniatures anymore, there were current warhammer players, oldhammer players, SAGA players, Warmachine/Horde players, historical army and LoTR players but playing your wargame of choice basically meaned playing the same opponent again and again. This game made it possible to have all those players bring their models and hash it out with easy to understand and learn and it pleyes in an hour or two. The rules are clear and fun, the army composition rules are inspiring and can accomodate almost all miniatures and ideas (Especially if you take it's fantasy companion ruleset Dragon Rampant). This ruleset will inspire you to build a retinue/warband/army based around a historical, literary or even movie theme instead of specific armylists aimed at selling specific miniatures. It is worth every cent or penny

Simply put, a fantastic set of mid-sized miniature war game rules for medieval battles. Dan Mersey did a great job building an interesting game with simple, streamlined game mechanisms based on the familiar D6, capturing the nuances of different troop types in a clean and sensible manner, accounting for morale (which all good war game rules need in my opinion), and adding some chrome where appropriate (Leaders can duel, there are a small number of special troop abilities, etc.). The army lists are great, and the book is chock-full of scenarios which is terrific. And to top it all off, Osprey does their usual superb job of mixing great artwork and photos together with a clean layout, which makes this a really nice book to read through. A+

I've enjoyed Daniel Mersey's previous works: Dux Bellorum and Song of Arthur and Merlin, so when this set of rules for Grand medieval skirmishes was released, I placed an early order.I've read the book twice, though have not played any games yet, so will comment on the style.The rules are simple and are explained clearly.The different types of troops, and the clever command system ensure that your troops will tend to remain "in character".A set of 12 different scenarios guarantee plenty of replay value - even if the traditional "line em up and bust some heads" battle grows tiresome.I used the term "grand skirmish" above, and should explain what I mean.These rules are for small fights, a retinue (That'#s what your army is called) may vary between 24 figures (all mounted) to 60 or more if significant numbers of low value foot soldiers are used.This is very large for a skirmish, but small for a battle.

A simple and popular set of wargames rules for the middle ages, but not gritty enough for my tastes. This is made clear in the introduction which explains that the aim was more to create a fast and fun set of rules than ones which are realistic.Perhaps my main dissapointment in these rules is the lack of differences between units. Leaders may duel one on one but they are exactly the same, so it's just a matter of who can roll higher on the dice. Longbows are exactly the same as shortbows. All knights are just covered under "mounted men at arms". It keeps things simple but I can see it getting dull fast.One rule I did like is the idea of units moving in loose order, as long as they are within 3" of a central figure. I wish more medieval wargames rules would acknowledge that armies of the period were not trained in close order drill and did not move around like they were on a parade ground.

Almost everything has been said already about this "large skirmish" game.It's a set of very simple rules designed to allow for a fast game (mine were over in less than one hour), with a lot of strategic variables to consider, and guaranteed epic moments. The variety of scenarios, and the possibility of linking them together with a campaign also guarantees replayability.The positive impression is helped by the fact that the game never takes itself too seriously, and never forgets that it is, in fact, just a game of toy soldiers for adult children. Something that a lot of other manufacturers and players seem to have forgotten.Only small drawback is the die-based activation system (roll 2d6 to activate a unit, if the roll is failed the turn is over), which made me swear more and more heavily than normal. But I guess it's part of the wargaming experience.5/5 would play the "Sausages and Mustard" scenario again.

Nice rules, very playable. My only criticism is that some of the models (pages 5, 7, 9 and 48's middle figure) display a very poor knowledge of the rules of heraldry, while the photo of the sergeants (page 28) reminds me of an explosion in a paint factory - colourful with individual fancy heraldry like knights? I think not! Beginners beware!If I have one criticism it is that a unit of dismounted men-at-arms (6 figures) cost the same as a unit of 6 mounted men-at-arms, which is not logical given the high cost of horses suitable for knightly combat - I would increase the size of a dismounted men-at-arms unit to 8 figures.

The perfect rules set for me, it's not bogged down by the minutiae of absolute historical accuracy, rather it's about having a fun, quick, exciting & competitive game that revels in the feel of the middle ages. Every game I've played has had moments of heart stopping dread as I fear for units that may suddenly rout & watch my strongest units get cut to pieces. Each game is something of a roller coaster as each assured victory is temporarily snatched away & replaced by the yawning fear of defeat.These rules are one hell of a lot of fun, games last roughly an hour, so no time to get bored & there's no constant looking up the rules as they're very straightforward & easy to memorise. I wish these rules had been around years ago. Top marks to Daniel Mersey for creating the exact set of rules I never knew I always wanted.