Ravenfeast is a free ruleset released by the heroes down at LittleWarsTV. It’s a great ruleset on paper and today I got to test it.
The scenario here is as follows:
Eirik the Beheader has been converted to Christianity by Father Hosmon. Boris the Cold Hearted… decidedly doesn’t like this. He has come to kill the good father. Eirik wants to get Father Hosmon to the river to escape, and Boris wants to kill him.
The board. Boris and team. Eirik and his burgeoning Christian group. The battle starts with Boris’ men crossing the bridge as Erik’s men rush to defensive positions. One feature of the ruleset is shield walls. Here, I formed a wall as I advanced to try and stall one branch of Eirik’s forces. Here we see the main split. My shield wall engages on the bottom as I start to push toward the top to stop the good father from slipping by (he has the giant cross slowing him down).Two shield walls meet! They fought… For a long time. These guys were a pain in my butt. As events progressed, I got my Leader and one Huscarl to slip by behind my lines and try to position to stop the priest as my men died to stall his forces. The first Death Worthy of a Song! Heirleif the Green-Hatted beheads an enemy Huscarl! Too bad he already had a nickname. My shield wall breaks, but fights on. Eirik the Beheader… gets beheaded! My berserker puts an end to his beheading ways in the best way possible. Meanwhile, the good father slips by my Leader! The next initiative would determine if he lives or dies. He wins the initiative and slips by, winning the game for the now-deceased Eirik.
Ultimately, Eirik’s team lost 11 men and I lost 10. It was a close match. I felt like I was winning toward the end, but I failed to stop Father Hosmon from just slipping by. This won’t be the end, though! Boris will stop the spread of this Christian cult or die trying!
I really enjoyed the rules and next time I’ll add in Rune Cards, which give three random one-off powers to each side. I think this will add some needed spontaneaity and variety to the battle. I can solidly recommend you give these rules a try. They’re genuinely good and a great way to start historical wargaming.
Small Scale Victory 
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