ACKsArpy Campaign 2024 October-November (The Combined AAR)

A player's statement that was chosen to head the article for humor value. It is also sort of true of ACKs.

As is something of a point of pride among readers of the BROsr it was pleasing that the campaign lasted longer than 6 turns at a proper 7, a number signaling completion in some traditions. The turns were each supposed to represent two weeks of in game time, played in one week of real time, but when life became especially busy for my players, the turns were slowed down to 1 to 1 time.  

Blue is the Count of Wales, Dark Blue the Count of Midlands, White the Count of York, Red the Viscount of Cornwall and the forests are filled with elves (to a Viscount level in the ACKs rules.)

Turn 1.

The first turn was fairly slow. I made the executive decision mid-game to not track movements on a public maps (with one semi-accidental exception) and as such there is not a good series of neat maps of movement. The Count of Wales tried to spread his troops out and achieve one of my Twilight Imperium/Catan inspired objectives, but it was ill-thought out on my side and did not work out. The Viscount of Cornwall did some basic maneuverings in and around Bristol, but did not achieve his goals of allying with dragons or suborning other mystical creatures to his cause. The Elvish lord, through raw charisma and magics collected a harem of random adventurers, a widow viscountess in Cichester and maybe another? The Count of the Midlands didn't do anything and neither did the Count of York.

One of the funny little things that was discussed at this point was speculation on why the Viscount of Bristol could not find any lawyers (he was considering 'lawfare') and the persistent rumors of undead in the regions around the free Southern cities.  

Elven player's artwork of a one of his characters.

Elven player's artwork of another of his characters.

Turn 2.

Rumors in London.  (As a game effect, regardless of all other factors all players could hear these rumors from the streets of London)

It has been reported that merchants from the naked Picts have been attacked and assaulted by flying monsters that seized and devoured their horses. (This was a fake rumor)

The mysterious consort to the Viscountess of Dorchester is reported as dead. (This was also fake.)

The men of Dover report that barbarians from the lands of Jutland have passed them traveling southwards. (This was real, but per random rolls, the barbarians died in the forests anti-climatically.)

The County of the South are allegedly surrounded by undead abominations that have been stealing merchants from each of the major roads.' (Entirely true and entirely ignored after the first turn.)

The inactive Count of Midlands was assassinated. This was done really late in the turn, as I had been delaying to play the event out with the player, but due to real-life intervention this was impossible. As I could not understand how to run the rules for assassins in ACKs, I took a page out of the BROsr and ran the assassination with AD&D rules. The Elf Lord had hired the three assassins as an opening move and it was effective as a tactic. Otherwise most of the action centered around the Viscount of Cornwall, who dashed about countryside, met bandits, somehow rolled max reaction and recruited them and doubled his army. 

The Counts of Wales and York were basically inactive.

Turn 3.

Rumors.

1. 9 families of peasant folk have perished and been sucked dry outside Darlington to an infestation of carnivorous flies! The people yearn for a hero to rescue them from such a horrid fate!  (This was real and the Count of York ignored this, how sad.)
2. Terrible news comes out of the hinterlands between the County of the South and the County of Wales. Reports persist of whole hamlets being wiped out by some terror of the Day Without Night, or perhaps a creature escaped from the Succession Wars after Nero. Over 500 hundred have been killed by whatever this threat is and refugees leave that land almost deserted. The fear is too such a great extent that a folk of over 800 have fled that land and piteously beg entry into Gloucester. (The Viscount of York had somehow run across a massive Chaos Hulk and wisely avoided it. It then caused much death and destruction and was ignored by the players.)
3. Reports exist of a friendly sky blue dragon in the mountains north of Lancaster who spared a group of three junior venturers and gave them his defaced copper coins and told them a riddle. The nature of the riddle is unknown but the boys of Baker street suggest unlikely and irreverent meanings.  (This was real, but the dragon had three siblings who were not friendly and would have eaten anyone who found the youngish group.)
4. Further terror reported in the South County! Over 130 have been killed by a strange beast of unknown strength or type. It is widely assumed to be a carnivorous creature, but a monstrosity insatiable and insane for the bodies found have been foully desecrated. No consistent reports have been announced as to the nature of this danger, but it is truly a fearful thing. (The Viscount had also bumped into some Wargs and ignored them.)
5. Rumors abound of elves plying the roads of the South County. Mothers write their daughters to wear veils and amulets against evil and fathers warn their sons that the beauty of the elves is likely false or magic in origin. (As mentioned, up until this point the Elf-Lord was using Charisma and spells to collect a harem.)
6. The Infamous Bandit Brand the Brash and his no-good band have been reported in the South County in the service of the Viscount of Cornwall. Priests of the temples of Jupiter/Ammonar are advised to not allow him into their temples for fear of theft and assault to the gods. (As mentioned above, the player got a really good reaction roll and recruited a known bandit. I wanted to hint to him that others would likely look on this without favor.)
7. Rumors of undead walking the land have proven founded, at least between the Midlands County, South County and the Weald Forest. (No one cared.)
8. Reports of an attempted assassination were made against the Count in Shrewsberry on the 18th of October. Further details will be forthcoming. (As mentioned above, he died.) 
9. Faithful Romans celebrate the Victory Games of Sulla and will continue to do so until the 3rd of November. Unfaithful Romans will be judged for their laxness in honoring this worthy. (This was based on the quick use of a Wikipedia and led to Sulla showing up a lot in the references of the early campaign.)

The Count of York began acting late on this turn, while the player for the Count of Wales, due to a promotion, resigned. Another stepped into a of Viscount of Venonis, but they were not too involved due to real life issues.

The Viscount of Cornwall's men dealing with a troublesome rustbeast.

Most importantly, the Viscount of Cornwall and the Elf-Lord made an alliance against the Count of York and began marching through the countryside together, then a forest where they slaughtered all my poorly thought out encounters, arriving with trouble in London, conquering Dover and then returning to London near the end of the fortnight, per sources the Elf Lord spilt off at Dover to go to Canterbury. This was done through two or three long phone calls, which worked fairly well. I was misreading the encounter table at this point and the players kept meeting things that were far stronger than average and since I was still learning how to read these situations, they were effectively able to slaughter greater monsters in displays that were not always up to my own standards. Still I think they enjoyed it.

Turn 4.

Rumors.

1. It is said that the Usurper of Canterbury has been ousted and that a wandering Paladin who fought a hundred battles for Constantine himself has been reborn a demon at the service of the fey lords of the forest. Others say that the Usurper’s designated heir has been accepted as rightful ruler of Canterbury by the Elves. (Amusingly, this Paladin was the genuine article and was convinced that the Elves were going to act in a Lawful manner.)
2. Elves are said to have caused great confusion on the streets of London and men are encouraged by an unnamed council member to keep their daughters safely in their own homes until this ceases to be so likely. (They had not caused any problems, but the Viscount of Cornwall had rolled an encounter of two wagons having accident three times in a row and this is meant to be an example of a rumor twisting slightly.)
3. The notorious Brand the Bandit has been seen in the neighborhood of London and the honorable Bookies Guild is offering 43 gp for proof of his death. (Once again hinting to the Viscount of Cornwall that his hired man was in with a bad crowd.)
4.Traders who have passed between the South County and the County of Wales report that the devastation is through and that unnatural wastelands are springing up and that foul beasts and fouler beast men are becoming prolific in this death march. (Nobody cared.)
5. Three Councilors of London are to stand for election on the 24th of November. (By time of midgame preparations I probably spent the longest on organizing the Council of London. In game they were meant to represent a council formed from the eight most prestigious church men, Roman Temple priests, and merchants of various camps. From outside of the main game viewpoint, having seen how easy it was for characters to be charmed or otherwise overwhelmed by shenanigans, these numbers were somewhat intended to make London a harder nut to crack, so that one assassination or mind control would be insufficient to take over the richest prize in Britannia.)
6. Chaos most foul expands towards Oxford as the vast majority of a baron’s land has been rendered a charnel pit. None who have travelled that way have been able to confirm the nature of the foul beast or beasts that have done this but it is said 4 out of 5 of the peasants in that area have been devoured or defiled in death.  (Nobody cared.)
7. In pleasing news a private adventurer from Darlington has gone out and killed the carnivorous flies in that region, raided their stump and crushed their eggs. No more will the peasants of Darlington fear the biting flies… or at least this group of them. (The Count of York was pleased that luck had resolved a minor problem for him.)
8. Dover is reported in the hands of the lord of Exeter. Given the recent reports about their previous evils, this is likely deserved. (The capture of Dover was accomplished by a probably incorrect reading of the rules, but essentially the Elf-Lord personally killed almost half of the token guard-force (like 30 0th levels) before storming the personal chambers of the local ruler and killing him. The Lord Exeter who had waited outside the walls while all this was occurring then came in and offered his services as a new ruler.) 
9. The Lord of Exeter is reported as having caused a half dozen wagon accidents while wandering the street like a country bumpkin! (I am unsure why this was reported on twice.)
10. Valen the Fallen, a corrupted greater titan, has been reported as having killed off a group of semi-humanoids of avian origin, plucked them for the construction of a high value feather pillow and then cut a swath of destruction across the North until he reached the walls of York. (This was a few mistakes on top of each other. I had rolled up a lair type I didn't really want in a Britannia/Heptarchy Themed campaign (Satrapy of Faravahar) and I took this turn's opportunity to change that. Had York's player not been involved, this likely would have ended their tenure in-game, but he rallied an army and won good treasure from the corrupted titan's death.) 

11. Rumors of a great, righteous army in York and Lancaster fill the hearts of the righteous with joy, the wicked with fear and the Romans with concern. (Nothing really to add hear.)
12. It is reported that the Line of Shrewsberry has gone into exile in France and that there they work with the former lords of the Welsh. Chaos throughout the isles? (Nothing really to add hear)

Through wandering the streets of London the Viscount of Cornwall had learned about a draconic statute and went to see it, finding he did not have the tools to destroyed it. After observing it, the player tried to influence the elections so that the various Roman temples would open their coffers to him. As I had rolled these up randomly, there were some very good options in the temple vaults, including a Rod of Cataclysm. However, during his actions there, he discovered that the priest to the shrine of Sulla was a chaotic actor who had brought a pack of wargs into the city. The Viscount destroyed these, and finding out that the original bandit he had hired was also Chaotic, had the Elf-Lord kill him. Surprisingly, the bandits didn't fail their morale checks and abandon their lord (probably because of the discretion of the Elf-Lord in dealing with the issue) and instead increased in their loyalty to the Viscount so as to be kept away from the elves.

I am not sure if this was made at this time or not, but it suits the mood of the elves.

The combined force then traveled past Dover and Canterberry towards Boston. 

Meanwhile York was active and coordinating with the Viscount of Venonis and sending forces into Wales to snap up as much of that realm as was possible. 

Turn 5. 

Rumors From the Streets of London.

1. It is said that the garrison towns among the Welsh are conquered and sacked by a northern horde. Others deny this and say that they willing accepted a Northern York. Others still, say that they requested Northern Protection!  
2. It is reported that there was an engagement in marriage between the premier family of the North and that of the Venonisian Nobility. Further details are entirely too limited. (This was somewhat important ingame, but is mainly interesting in that it happened.)
3. The election of London has concluded with a single new elector on the council. Councilor Arminius from the Temple of Turos-Mars has retained his office as has Councilor Hemlock of the Temple of Jupiter-Amonaur; Councilor Rotherham former priest to the Shrine of Sulla has been replaced by a Blade Dancer of Ianna in an act seen to indicate the rising power of that temple. 
4. The Viscount of Exeter is reported as having hunted out and destroyed a notable nest of evil and chaotic forces in the very city of London! Heads of chaotic beasts line the walls and merchants speak of cloaks made from the very fibers of their hairs. He is rumored to have been instrumental in the result of the election, but who can say as to the exact causes of the results?   
5. The Honorable and Worshipful Bookies Guild is pleased to announced that their bounty of 43 GP on the head (and upper torso) of Brand the Brash Bandit was claimed. Let those who try to cheat on their bets beware! (The Elves claimed this before leaving London.)
6. Strange symbols and unnatural colors are reported on the Thames, and a man resting in the Temple of Neptune/Naurivus woke screaming, eyes dripping blood, skin hot to the touch and hair smoking, spoke thus, “Terrible war, and the river Thames [is] foaming with streams of blood!" (Mostly just intended to encourage a scene.)
7. A race of honest light two year old horses is announced to be held in London on the 10th of December. 8 Horses to be run and all horses to be registered with the Temple of Neptune/Naurivus. Proceeds will be used for the noblest of causes. The distance is to be 1 furlong, so as not to over tax the health of the noble beasts. (Nobody cared.)
8. Reports from the South speak of no new depredations from the chaotic areas, but who can say what iniquities develop there within the Shadow?(Nobody cared.)

This is around the time I actually figured out the weather table and the movement started to match that of small armies fighting the winter weather that is more consistent with an English winter. 

York conquered London and The Cornwall-Elvish Alliance took Boston. Both sides behaved very competently in these strokes. York had assembled a significant army and siege equipment and had good luck in crushing their opponents. Due to similar good planning by the Viscount of Cornwall his seizure of Boston was not quickly reportable information in London and the Count of York would not know about the extent of his losses for quite a while. Most of the turn's time was spent on rolling up weather and the Cornwall-Elvish alliance dealing with a plague. 

Drawn by the Elvish player after they used 'enhanced interrogation tactics' on the previous overlord of Boston.

Through the use of the Avian Messenger Spell, the Alliance then directed the Viscount of Cornwall's family and personal staff to abandon Exeter and retreat into the forest with the Elves.

Most of the tension for me was wondering weather the Cornwall-Elvish Alliance and the Count of York would meet before the end of the turn in York. Had this happened, my money would have been on an Alliance victory as the majority of the Yorkist troops were busy conquering London at the time. However, bad weather slowed the Alliance and the Count of York was not in his city at the beginning of the next turn.

A few players made moves inspired by misreading the map.

Turn 6. 

Rumors.  

1. London has fallen under the Northern Heel! Down with the offenders of Jupiter Ammonaur! Throw off the Yorkist Heel… (the following man has been arrested for disturbing the peace.) 
2. London has been liberated by the right honorable and righteous champion of York, Ferguson, in noble battle on Fegurson’s Bridge! Long may he live and high may Yorkish Banners fly! 
3. Rumors swirl about a Yorkist and Venonis marriage.  
4. Bad weather denies the people of London news of Shrewsberry, Oxford, Canterbury, and York. This is to say nothing of those lands further away.  
5. Rumors writhe throughout the city about the fates of the councillors from the temple of Jupiter Ammonaur and Inna. (They led the ineffective resistance to the Count of York's men.)
6. Travelers warn of dreaded Cockatrice hunting along the hinterland near Venonis.

York then embarked on a very complicated set of orders to min-max my victory cards and to reap victory. Generally things worked for him, but with some losses. His messengers to Wales generally met horrible ends and without the spell Avian messenger or large parties to deliver orders, orders had worse than even odds of making their targets.

For whatever reason the vagaries of war table began to yield omens (good and bad) more regularly from this point on, I think heightening tensions. 

Meanwhile, the Cornish-Elven Alliance, their sicknesses mostly dealt with, continued the road up towards York, despite very bleak weather. Weirdly they got a bad omen, which I interpreted as five, sickened giant ferrets coming up onto the road and dying in front of them in horrific fashion. The Elf Lord dispatched manes (I am told this is pronounced man-ees) to pick them up and carry them out of the way to avoid the army being reinfected. 

Unknown to them they passed their first demon boar at this time, though this one would not be effective. They reached the city of York on the 15th of December and rather casually broke into it. It is worth noting that defenses were generally very weak in this campaign. Probably, something to address in future campaigns. They then took one hostage from the Count of York's surviving family.

The Viscount of Cornwall then stayed there and re-organized (read as 'looting the libraries of scrolls') while the Elves cut loose. They tore across the countryside to Lancaster and after a brief resistance, killed everyone that they could catch. Then went down to do the same thing in Bolton. On the way, they attacked everything that moved, to gather xp, and this did not work out well. The Elves met a demon boar wandering the road in human guise and he responded to Elf-Lord's somatic gestures by Enslavement. This then led to a very tense session, as the enslaved Elf-Lord and his important followers were led away from their army. 

After a while the player risked it and started fighting. They quickly discovered that the demon boar was immune to mundane weapons and that the Enslavement allowed the Elf-Lord to be forced to fight his own side. Worse, he had not used his spells yet and this was too strong. The player began looking at his inheritance laws, but ultimately, he had one of the Elf-Lord's wives rally the army and fight. 

Despite casualties, the fight was decided quickly in the Elves favor and they went on to sack Bolton and leave it a lifeless ruin. They then enjoyed a good omen the next day.

Meanwhile garbled reports of atrocity trickled into London and the Count of York was enraged. He declared total Elf Death (in other words) and immediately took a cavalry force back to his defiled seat of power. Along the way he burned trees to spite the elves and he left orders for his spare infantry to begin cutting down every tree within sight of London. Another force was sent to claim Dover and Canterbury with strict orders of vengeance. 

The Viscount of Cornwall's patrols of cavalry warned him in time and he prepared to flee the overwhelming force coming up against him from the South. He left a body double, his sick and wounded and after a number of other stratagems fled as fast as possible towards the draconic statue that he had thought to destroy earlier. He now intended to pledge himself to Chaos and gain incredible powers and destroy his enemies. 

The Count of York came back to find his relatives killed or captured and his stance on the elves was redoubled. No Cornish troops survived his conquest and the same stance was taken with collaborators. A force cavalry tried to pursue the Cornish Viscount, but they were too slow. The Viscount of Cornwall then passed 6 demon boars in row, much to his growing unease, as all of them rolled very favorable impressions and just stood there, watching his ride towards the draconic altar with favor. As this was entirely up to the dice rolls it gave things an especially eerie feeling. 

There was also some comedy as the Viscount of Cornwall went through his looted scrolls.

Meanwhile the Dover's garrison was killed or put to forced labor, while Canterbury proved more awkward. The lord of the place was the npc paladin mentioned earlier. He was genuinely Lawful and had been impressed by the Elf-Lord's killing of a powerful demonic creature outside the walls and had made an oath of service to him. He could not be convinced that this being he had seen act in a Lawful way just a short time before could have actually done that heinous deeds reported. This was perhaps the longest negotiation carried out in game and probably the one held in best faith by both parties, but ultimately both sides had their orders. The fight was brutal, a cone of fear spell made it closer to even, however York triumphed. 

Just before things wound down, they came to a head in London. The Viscount of Cornwall had been fascinated with the loyalists to himself he had gathered in Boston and gave them free reign to cause covert trouble in London. London was not entirely loyal to York, as he represented the Church faction and the majority of the powers in London were not aligned with them. So a spy was sent and began plotting. He failed his rolls though and near the end of the turn he was captured and the spy revealed who he was working with; the temples of Jupiter/Ammonaur and Inna. This inspired the local commander to send a company of troops to each, and seize them. One of the priests, then took out the Rod of Cataclysm and called it down on the City of London! (I then read the rules for it, and to my chagrin discovered that this takes a whole week to arrive.)  There was a quick trial and then mass executions of these traitors and the temples were plundered of their goods. 

Turn 7. 

Rumors. 

1. London is rocked by a sense of doom. Speculation runs rampant! Is this punishment for forsaking the Roman gods? Is one of the ancient kings or revered emperors plucking strings of fate? Has a malignant being brought its focus onto the people? Or is the new faith about to see a miracle of judgement? Theories flow faster and faster as the people of London begin to panic. (This rumor drowns out all others on the 26th of December from noon onwards.) (It was of course the Rod of Cataclysm going off.)
2. It is said that the sense of doom, the feeling of the bottom dropping out from and dashing all hopes and dreams by the lax and the unconverted, began after an alleged agent of Exeter was captured and an underling of the Count of York brought sacrilege against the temples of Jupiter Ascendant in his aspect as Ammonar and the Blade Dancer temple of Inna.
3. It is said, in nervous whispers that the whole population of both temples were killed for crimes of high treason and that some or all of them perished in a fate worse than death. Servants say heated arguments passed between Ferguson and the high priest of Neptune, but this is firmly denied by the temple. (This is exactly what had happened.)
4. Things are somewhat settled on Friday the 27th, but an air of tension and doom lingers over the city.
5. Rumors spread about the fall of York, Bolton and the whole of the north to the Elves. Of the instability of Wales and the South country. Insects and bats speak of a plan by the men of York to kill all the Elves. Tales spread of a vampire butchering the whole of the population of York and draining them all of their vital essence in a horrid ritual.
6. From the south comes troubling and verified accounts of spreading Chaos, to the gates of Glouster and Bristol.
7. Confused tales tell of the cockatrices leaving statues around the area of Venonis, but the actual number killed is unknown.
8. One stabilizing element to the lives of the people of London has been the recent knowledge that the trees to the south of the city are being cleared. It brings peace to know that the elves will struggle to sneak up on that angle of the city, by means of the forest.

Wishes now began to be fired off. As explained in a previous post these were given in reward for books that players reviewed as inspired by a BROsr group's similar practice. 

The Viscount of Cornwall reached his draconic statue and pledged himself to Chaos and used his wish to summon forth an undead legion. 

There had been some heart-searching about this course, but given his alliance with the elves it seemed necessary.

With 2 400 unholy skeletons he began to march on London. Weather was favorable to this, but it was also favorable to the Count of York, who blazed into London at the double, discovered the cause of the sense of Doom, had his mages study it and then when he realized this could be averted by shattering the Rod of Cataclysm, broke it with some pomp and fanfare.

On January 1st of A.D. 411 battle was fought between the forces of York and Cornwall's undead half legion. Numbers were entirely in favor of the forces of Chaos, but the heavy cavalry of Law thundered valiantly and siege artillery played no small part as well. The forces of Chaos ultimately fled, until a convenient time.  

By the 3rd of January the Elf-Lord and the former Viscount of Cornwall had fled England, but the Count of York had enough of things and and had already purchased a map of the elven fastnesses. This map proved accurate as...

Then on the next day, the 5th of January, a force of Yorkists arrived at the forest fastness nearest Darlington and put the Elves to the Sword as well. But that was not all...

And then the Count of York announced that he would be holding his coronation. The Viscount of Venonis the only other player remaining, accepted an invitation to the event and the campaign could be declared concluded. 

If you like how this went, see the five of the player's perspectives here. These are basically as the player wrote them, with names removed to maintain privacy.

Conclusion.

Overall, a solid Yorkist victory. Interestingly, this is the third time we have recorded a campaign's results here on this blog and a third win for this player. This can be considered a challenge to the other players of my future campaigns! 

Thank you for reading and I hope you find this report inspirational to your own campaigns as I have found the reports and interviews of others I have benefited from, especially Macho Mandalf's written work and the This is Dunder Moose's Youtube channel. 

ACKsArpy Campaign 2024 October-November (Book Reviews for Wishes.)

As mentioned in the last article I elected to imitate the BROsr in their book review for Wish level spells in their recent campaigns. This is obviously very disruptive to a campaign at any level, arguably less disruptive in at the domain level of play than at the first level. The wishes earned by the book reviews below, arguably had a comparatively minor effect on the direction of the campaign. However, if this rule had been present from the very beginning of the campaign it is likely that things would have turned out very differently. Not to spoil the AAR, but only three of the four wishes earned would be used. 

So further testing is required.

The reviews below are written by two of the players who made it to the last turn and are organized with one from the player from Exeter and three from the player from York. 

Book Review 1.

The Author of The Great Invasion has a novel way of reviewing that section in history where Rome laid claim to the misty isles of Britannia. Rather than just present it as a dull report of historical events he presents it as a gripping war documentary with catching chapter titles like you might expect to find in an epic novel. Indeed at first glance one would be forgiven for thinking that the book you held in your hands was not in fact historical fiction as indeed I first thought upon picking it up at the second hand bookshop, however upon examining the pages one discovers in no uncertain terms that what you are holding is in fact a history book and a well written one at that.

The first chapter opens with a thrilling recount of Caesars landing on the shores of Britain that sounds eerily similar to something like D-Day, except without modern weapons, and this is a recurring theme of how the Roman military parallels nicely with many modern military aspects.
He then gives a long history of Britain prior to the coming of the Romans explaining the cultural development, the technological improvements and where these influences likely originated from. 

The second chapter continues with the cultural analysis of early Britain, this time focused on the Celtic peoples that are arriving from mainland Europe. He also briefly discusses early Roman development up to the point where Caesar is looking across the channel at Britain, we then switch views to focus upon Caesar and his career up to that point and his reasons for going to Britain.

Chapter three encompasses Caesar's two landings in Britain along with the difficulties he encountered and the opposition given by the local tribes. Here the author has largely drawn upon Caesar's personal commentary upon the operations, an appropriate choice as it is a concise eye witness account, if somewhat embellished as was Caesar's want.

Throughout  chapter 4 we are introduced to the structure of the roman army, its ranks, standards, and general principles of service. The author draws humorous connections between aspects of the Roman military system and a modern one. Numerous historical references are given from old source documents found via archaeological activity. 

Chapter 5 details the opening stages of the second Roman invasion of Britain during the reign of Claudius. Here the author draws upon the writings of two classical Roman historians and interjects with his own commentary at whiles. He also elaborates upon the traits of Claudius and what sort of character he was.

Chapter 6 continues with the second Roman invasion, this time the author elaborates on the significant gap in written historical records for it and the reliance upon archaeology to gather evidence to piece together what transpired during those years. There is brief mention of Vespasian and his character and what he was likely doing in Britain at that time, regardless there is little written record of his doings and again one must turn to the spade for answers. 

The invasion is continued in chapter 7 with insight into Roman politics at the time and its impact upon the people who would be leading the military operations in Britain. Further details of the continued expansion and resistance are explored, the author makes mention of the archaeological findings, finally ending with the final defeat of Caratacus.

Chapter 8 details events that would eventually lead to the rebellion of Boadicea, how Roman mistreatment of the populace and the cruel misdeeds of the locals created a cycle of violence. The culling of the druids is also mentioned and some archaeological findings regarding that event.

Here in chapter 9 we are shown the bloody events of the revolt of the Iceni under Boadicea and the wanton cruelties committed by the uprising. The author makes mention of the various archaeological discoveries of the places that were destroyed at this time. The aftermath of the revolt with the subsequent changing of governors and the shift towards a more clement policy are also mentioned.

In chapter 10 the Romans have realized the need for further expansion to secure their borders and this is detailed at some length. Various references from historical sources made and the effects of civilization and roman policy upon the locals. Various archaeological findings are brought up as well.

We continue where we left off in chapter 10 with an excavation of a large encampment area speculated to be the place where the Brigantes and their allies made a final stand. The author summarizes various archaeological findings made by the archaeologist Sir Mortimer Wheeler and the support they provide for the site being that of the Brigantes and their allies.

Chapter 12 deals with Frontinus and Agricola. The author begins Frontinus as chronologically his governorship preceded that of Agricola, the details of his career are elaborated as well as his campaign to subdue the area we know as Wales. Agricola gets significantly more limelight since Tacitus wrote a biography on him and apparently married his daughter hence extra attention was given to the details of the writing. Likewise Agricola’s career is summarized and his completion of the conquest of Wales begun by Frontinus. It ends with his preparations to invade Scotland.

The 13th chapter gives a picture of Agricola’s campaign into Scotland as reconstructed from archaeology and the scant historical information as recorded by Tacitus.

The final chapter goes through Agricola’s final years of campaigning in Scotland and how his advances were pieced together from extensive archaeological work as Tacitus very often did not give much practical information regarding the campaigns. The book ends with the final defeat of the Britains in Scotland and the time of peace on the frontier that followed and also how eventually the Romans gave up on occupying Scotland and withdrew behind Hadrian's Wall.

Overall this is a very well thought out and well put together book, it gives very good insight into early Roman Britain and the campaigns by the Romans in conquering it. Definitely recommend for anyone that wants an introduction to Roman Britain that is easy to pick up and read, and is also quick to read as the book itself is only 247 pages long.

Book Review 2. 

Wulf the Saxon, by G. A. Henty, follows the story of young Wulf, the young Thane of Steyning in Sussex. It’s details his adventures during the final years of Saxon power in England, culminating in the famous battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D.

The story begins with Wulf, the ward of Harold Godwinson on account of his father‘s death, being sent home to Steyning from London on account of a quarrel between he and a Norman page, Walter Fitz-Urse. Wulf is far less in the wrong then Walter, and yet to keep the peace between an already tense relationship between Saxon and Norman in the London court, Wulf is sent home. This ultimately proves to be for the better, as he spends a year in learning how to manage his lands, and fulfill his obligations as a landowner and leader among his people. He is brought back to court at the end of the year after the matter is smoothed over.

He is involved in the wreck of Harold Godwinson in Normandy, which famously results in his capture by a petty Norman lord, and subsequent ransoming by Duke William of Normandy. Wulf, and his friend Beorn, are influential in getting Harold out of prison and into the supposedly better situation of being the forced guest of William. 

During this time that the Saxons are in Normandy, they assist William in putting down a Breton insurrection. Wulf and a young Norman noble named Guy Deburg have become friends, and during this Breton war they distinguish themselves in repelling a Breton night attack, though not without injury.
Towards the end of their forced visit, William exacts an oath from Harold under dubious circumstances, whereby Harold swears to be William’s man, and to support him for the English throne upon the death of King Edward. Only then is Harold returned to England.

Upon his return to England, Harold is forced to go to war with the Welsh, as they are raiding and plundering the west of England. Wulf, his bodyguard Osgod, and the aforementioned Beorn participate in the war. Wulf and his friends, along with a body of men, are separated from the main army at one point, are betrayed and stranded in the Welsh wilderness. They manage by means of stratagem to capture the castle that they were initially going to investigate, and then manage to hold it from recapture against all odds. Wulf and Beorn are highly praised by Earl Gurth, brother of Harold, for their conduct during the war.

As the years pass, Wulf becomes a confidant of Earl Harold, acting as his messenger a number of times between Harold and the Lady Edith, whom Harold is unofficially married to, though they can never be together due to the vast difference in their respective ranks. As the years go by, and King Edward nears death, the tension builds between the native Saxons, and the Normans who expect their duke to become the next ruler of England. There is intrigue that Wulf becomes involved in, and Harold’s life is in jeopardy. Upon the king‘s death, he names Harold as his successor, contrary to what he had originally promised to William. The English people choose Harold as their next king, and Harold, even had he chosen to, could not have refused the crown. This, along with his spurning of William’s daughter as his wife, provides the grounds under which William of Normandy prepares his holy war against England.

Harold is married to the sister of the two lords of Mercia, Edwin and Morcar, in order to attempt a more peaceful relationship between the West Saxons and these vacillating Northumbrians. He and Edith agree to lay aside the love they share for each other for the good of the country, and Edith goes into seclusion. This proves to be in vain, as Northumbria remains unhelpful in the face of growing threat.

Wulf grows suspicious of his old childhood rival, Walter Fitz-Urse, believing him to be involved in a plot against Harold’s life. His exploits in uncovering this plot, along with the daring actions of those he recruits to help him, are covered over the course of a few chapters. It culminates in an attempt on Harold‘s life, in which Wulf is badly wounded, but Harold is spared.

The book really picks up speed in the last five chapters as the long awaited storm begins to break. Tostig, Harold’s treacherous brother, despite having been treated with nothing but generosity from his brother, convinces Harold Hardrada, king of Norway, to gather in army and land in England to set up a new kingdom there in the north, thereby restoring Tostig to the rulership of Northumbria. This leads to the defeat of Edwin and Morcar in battle against the Norseman, the surrender of York, and the titanic battle of Stamford bridge.

Wulf and his bodyguard Osgod are involved throughout the campaign with many of the housecarls of Steyning.

Scarcely before the West Saxons have a chance to catch their breath after the battle of Stamford Bridge, news arrives of the landing of the pho in the south. William of Normandy, with a great army arrives on the shores of England, and marches in land, carrying fire and sword wherever they go. Wulf goes south with as many of his men as can follow the army, insisting that Osgod stay behind to recover from the loss of his left arm at Stamford Bridge, though the bodyguard is not so easily dissuaded. At the assembling of the great Saxon army in the south, Wulf rejoins his friend Beorn, and together they participate in the famous battle of Hastings. The battle is long and bloody, and for a time could’ve gone either way, but in the end, William of Normandy prevails, and with the destruction of the one great hope of England, the land falls under the control of the Norman Duke, now known as William the Conqueror. Wulf survives the battle, and goes on to live peacefully, marrying the sister of his old Norman companion, Guy Deburg, and living happily in the land of his ancestors, made safe and secure through his Norman connections.

Having read many Henty books, Wulf the Saxon is certainly in my top 10. It has more than its fair share of exciting adventures on the part of the main boy character, while not neglecting the historical events surrounding him. The historical events themselves are so fascinating as to keep your attention throughout the book, and the story builds and builds the whole way through, crescendoing with the two titanic battles of Stamford Bridge and Hastings, battles which have shaped the world ever since. Wulf is an interesting character on his own, but he is surrounded by an unusually high number of well developed side characters, like Osgod, Beorn, Guy Deburg, Ulf, and others. Henty is prone to under-do his secondary characters often, leaving them rather wooden and 2 dimensional, but not so in Wulf the Saxon. As with most Henty books, there is a fair bit of exposition that doesn’t feel like how a conversation would naturally flow in real life, but it’s a common enough style, and for someone who is interested in teaching historical facts to its readers as well as providing them with an adventurous story, it is understandable.

Altogether a very good book that really does a good job in putting a gripping and interesting fiction into this historical fiction book! Highly recommended for boys between the ages of 12 and 20, and still recommended for anyone outside of that bracket.

Book Review 3.

The Dragon and the Raven by G. A. Henty, folllows the story of Edmund, a young Englishman from East Anglia in the days of the Danish and Norwegian Viking invasions of the British Isles. It is a time of constant danger and frequent warfare, and it demonstrates a little bit of the courage, discipline, and heroic manly qualities that the people of old Saxon England displayed in the face of at times nearly hopeless odds.
The story opens with Edmond as a young 14 year old boy living with his father and their faithful man Edgar in the fen country, eking out a living on fish and water fowl while waiting for a chance to return to their ancestral lands, and raise the people once again to resist the Danes. They take the opportunity presented to them, and they and many other East Anglian rulers raise an army to fight the Danes. They fight a brave and bloody battle at Kesteven, but they are eventually defeated, and East Anglia falls under Danish rule. Edmond and the faithful Edgar escape the battle, and take refuge in Wessex, where Edmond is received kindly by the soon-to-be king of the West Saxons, Alfred, and given charge of the estate of Sherburne.

The story proceeds to describe the fierce and desperate struggle of the Saxon people against the Danish invaders over the course of several years, during which Edmund and Edgar lead their vassals of Sherburne in many a gallant defense of fort, or daring attack. They develop a new method of fighting and breaking the Danish shield wall, and use it to great effect. Ultimately however, the numbers and ferocity of the Danes wear down the Saxons, and they are effectually defeated, and King Alfred goes into hiding. Edmond, after a conversation with Alfred on the subject, constructs an excellent ship, christens it the Dragon, and he uses it to carry on the war with the Danes at sea after the war on land is all but lost.

The Dragon is successful in capturing and destroying several Danish ships. In one fight, the Saxons were on the point of slaying the leader of the Danish crew, when his daughter runs out and begs for his life to be spared. Edmond does so, citing that his faith would have him show mercy to the Viking, even though the pagan gods of the Norse teach their people to be bloodthirsty, and to kill all, no matter their age or sex, or whether they have surrendered or not. Jarl Sigeberht and his daughter Freda are grateful and impressed by his show of mercy.

At one point the ship is caught in a storm, and they are driven out to sea, eventually being blown into a fjord of Norway on the other side of the North Sea. There, Edmond is surprised and captured in an ambush by the Norseman, and is taken prisoner by a Norwegian Jarl named Bjorn. He remains with them for sometime as a servant, but is freed by his old acquaintance of the ship fight, Jarl Sigeberht and his daughter Freda. He ends up fighting a duel with Sweyn, son of Bjorn, who is jealous of his friendship with the beautiful Freda. Edmund wins the duel, and returns to England.

Years pass, with some peace and some war, at the end of which time Edmond and the crew of the dragon take to the sea again, and travel to France, where they are trapped up the river Seine by the arrival of a massive Danish fleet at the mouth of the river. They participate in the famous siege of Paris by the Northmen, joining in all of the major events of the gallant defense of the place. Much time is spent upon the exciting and terrible battles and stratagems that took place during that siege, and Edmond, Edgar, and his band of Saxons are woven throughout them all. They are particularly responsible in the book for bringing about the destruction of fully half of the Danish ships by means of fire.

At the end of the siege, as the remaining Danish bands break up before the advance of the Holy Roman emperor and his army, Edmond is summoned by a messenger to visit the tent of his old friend Sigeberht, who was with the Danes at their final great assault, and was wounded and is unable to walk. He tells Edmond the sobering news that Edmund’s old rival Sweyn had carried off Freda, and left with his band of 300 Danes for who knows where. Edmund and his friends begin a long and laborious search across northern France and the Ardennes forest, eventually finding Sweyn and his men, but losing them again as they sail for the Mediterranean.

Frustrated, but undeterred, Edmund pursues his quarry into the Mediterranean itself. There they have many adventures in the process of tracking down the plundering Danes, eventually recruiting the help of a noble of Genoa and his people in finally bringing Sweyn to bay. The subsequent sea battle leads to the defeat of Sweyn , and the reuniting of Edmund with Freda, who’s father Sigeberht is there to place her hand in that of Edmond’s. Together they return to England, and there live in happiness, their descendants being Christians and strong leaders amongst their people.

As Henty books go, this is certainly a very interesting and gripping story, relying heavily on the fascinating historical details of the time period to carry the story throughout the early and middle parts of the book. In some ways it feels that Edmond is merely plugged into the story to provide a window into the events that are being described, and yet the events themselves are so interesting that it is not felt as dull or detached. Towards the end of the book there is some genuinely compelling story line revolving around the characters themselves. There is a sense in which you lose track of the scope of how much death and destruction is being described in the book, because of how quickly we move from battle to battle, from shipwrecks and atrocities to sieges and storms. The events do have a tendency therefore to blend into one another as you’re reading, and individual events and names are less distinct. Nevertheless, it is a time period that is very fascinating to many people, and Alfred the great is a pivotal figure in English history which most people know far less than they should about. The Dragon and the Raven does an excellent job in opening up the stories of this time for the reader to understand, and to be excited by tales of adventure and daring by Edmund throughout the whole thing. Very highly recommended for boys between the ages of 12 and 20, and still recommended for everyone and anyone outside of that bracket!

Book Review 4. 

After the Flood, by Bill Cooper, is the culmination of over 25 years of research by Mr. Cooper, and covers the early history and origins of several of the northern European nations, and traces their ancestry back to the Biblical Japheth and his father Noah. The book primarily is interested in verifying the authenticity of what is referred to as the Table of Nations, found in Genesis chapter 10, which details the immediate genealogy of Noah and his three sons, and where their families spread throughout the earth. It is a chapter in the Bible that can be easily overlooked as just another one of the numerous genealogies found within its pages, and yet it makes a bold statement in claiming that these men are the ancestors of most of the modern peoples and nations that we still know of today. It is an often overlooked passage both by the defenders and the critics of the Bible, but Mr. Cooper does an excellent job in providing extra-Biblical, pagan, and secular corroboration for what was written down in the Bible in this chapter.

The book begins with a couple of chapters that make the case that the existence of a creator God has always been known and excepted throughout all cultures in the world, throughout all time, and that it is a very unusual and radically extreme position to take the atheist position. He points to many examples throughout ancient literature that point to a single creator God being acknowledged even amongst well-known polytheistic societies. With this point settled, he turns his attention to corroborating the claim made in Genesis 10 about the descendants of Noah, particularly of his son Japheth, who is considered to be the father of the European peoples.

The book then takes the time to bring up the works of Nennius and Geoffrey of Monmouth, whose collections of ancient British histories provide many convincing corroborations of the Biblical text, if they are to be trusted. Which of course then leads Cooper to make his arguments for why they are to be trusted. These would seem nitpicky at first glance, but the reasoning appears to be sound and compelling when looked at carefully.

The book then proceeds to provide many texts and genealogies that were long considered authoritative on the subjects of the histories of these European peoples, but which have fallen out of favor in modern times, unjustifiably so, in Cooper’s opinion. He provides much interesting commentary and lists on the chronicles of the early Britons and their Kings, and tracing their lineage back to Japheth. He does the same with the Anglo-Saxon kings, the Danish and Norwegian kings, and those of the Irish Celts. Throughout the work he is constantly comparing the records kept by these people to the record given to us in Genesis 10, and despite natural spelling differences, there is shocking consistency between the two, as well as with each other. Most, if not all, of his sources are dated from pre-Christian times, and the oft used excuse that these accounts are heavily edited by later Christian monks is addressed by Cooper, and he gives good reasons for why this excuse falls flat at many levels.

Chapter 9 of After the Flood is devoted to establishing the view held by the ancient Britons, Irish, Romans, and other nations of the age of the earth. All of them point to an early creation of between 6 to 8000 years ago, though all of them have some slight deviation from the number given in the Bible. Cooper makes the argument, as he does for why there are slight discrepancies in their genealogies, that this is a sign of authenticity, for forgers would have given dates that align with the Biblical text. It is a similar argument as that which is used to defend the variation in the four Gospels as being proof of their authenticity, and not a conspiracy. It bears the mark of true eyewitnesses, or in the case of these ancient genealogies, the mark of peoples who have traced their own ancestry apart from Biblical bias. The fact that they all align relatively closely is very compelling therefore.

Chapters 10 through 12 of Cooper’s book shift to a different topic, though utilizing much of the same source material. He uses them to show the frequency and matter-of-factness with which these ancient accounts, having shown themselves to be otherwise reliable records of real historical events, talk about dragons and sea serpents, and the interactions that real flesh and blood historical people, not mythical ones, have with the creatures. He draws from things like the Anglo Saxon Chronicle, and the story of Beowulf, who is mentioned outside of the saga he is known for, and has his place in the ancestral line of the Danish kings, which, as he has already shown in chapter 7, goes back to Japheth like all the others. He reiterates the story of Beowulf’s interaction with Grendel, and implies, though does not outright say, that he feels the creature in the story is some form of bipedal dragon. He makes a compelling case that these creatures described throughout ancient European texts, not to mention the historical texts of almost all peoples throughout the world, our what we today refer to as dinosaurs.

In all it is a very interesting book for anyone who enjoys seeing the Bible compared with historical data from outside of its own pages, Where it can be tested empirically without bias. After the Flood is particularly unique in that it takes on a chapter usually ignored by the Christian apologetics community and their secular critics. It is a very fun read for anyone interested in old European history, and in seeing it tied in with the Bible. And it is further interesting to anyone who loves the field of cryptozoology, or dragons in general, and seeing how these ancient people, and not so ancient people, treat these creatures that we in the modern world so quickly consign to the realm of myth and legend.
All in all a fun read for those interested in history, cryptozoology, biblical apologetics, and genealogies. It’s also not that long, so it’s not as daunting as a book of genealogies might sound like it would be! I highly recommend it.