This year a slightly reduced field of six veteran players took to the tables: Mark, Stan, Nick G, Gordon, Kevin and me. The format was simple: with five rounds we each played one game against every other player.. simple!! Having one the tournament twice before, this time I managed a credible third, with a long overdue tournament victory to Nick G.
I played Nick in my third game of the day, and while Nick beat me, it was perhaps the most memorable game of HotT I can recall playing. While I'll post sundry photos of the other games in another post, I thought I'd offer a detailed account of this game.
Nick fielded an Early German army which included warband ...
and a host of ghostly hordes.. the dead of Teutobergerwald. It also included a dragon... hmmm.. did i mention the dragon? mumble mumble mumble....
Carruthers had at this stage had a successful campaign so far, having used his recently arrived air wing to good effect to beat off both previous opponents. Confidence in the new technology was high...
Early in the game the German dragon arrived, and .. in a rush of blood to the head it appears in hindsight, he ordered the air wing into action, with the airboat, supported by two flyers, hurtling towards the dragon pinning it against the base line.
Sadly, Carruthers had indeed over-estimated the combat power of his air wing, as the German dragon breathed vivid red and orange flame at the attackers, bringing the airboat down in a fiery ball of flame.
In its next turn the dragon clearly felt that it liked the taste of British air, and took on one of the remaining flyers.
The other flyer fled across the table, but was quickly caught by the dragon. Carruthers was heard to scream some curly language at his advisers...
The British shooters had meanwhile swung around the German left flank, and were kept busy dispatching Hordes as they reappeared adjacent to the German stronghold.
The dragon then began a game of cat and mouse as it tried to attack the British line which included Carruthers himself. Absolutely 'bloody anoyed' at the poor performance of his new flyers, Carruthers himself took the responsibility of dispatching the aerial menace.
'Nothing beats the cold steel, I tell you... blood, guts and cold steel...' Carruthers' voice was heard echoing across the battlefield as the dragon fled from the onslaught.
Carruthers then turned and lead his steam robot against the German hero, but the hero was tougher match, and the end was at hand, Carruthers' army was beginning to dissipate. Carruthers himself was extracted from the battlefield by his loyal staff, filled as they were with admiration for the man who had single handedly dispatched the nemesis of the British air wing.
This was an extraordinarily good game which swung one way then the other. Carruthers' victory against the dragon had looked to be a turning point in the battle, but it was not to be.
Thanks Nick for a wonderful game of HotT.
