After a thoroughly pleasent night at Andi's, with a top Thai curry and not many beers, I returned to the Gothic Victoria splendor of Burton Town Hall and Badcon.
Even the carpark looked pretty in the sunshine. 
Quite happy with day one, lost one, won one, perfect. I had won a game, better than I aimed for. Time to roll dice and crush 15mm opponents under the weight of 10mm Pendraken glory.
Round 3 vs Nick Overland and Ottomans
Nick!
What can I say? I've known Nick since 1999. He is the author of the AMAZING Sabresquadron modern rules. We have played many games over the years, but Renaissance is his one of his fortes, and his Ottoman are a really beautiful army and a great army to play against. I last faced them in FoGR, how would they do in ReG? Cards look pretty consistent for a legendary general, 5 cards, 4 greens, and a black...
After initial deployment, it became fairly obvious that this was going to be another firefight against an artillery wall (THREE batteries, yoiks!), supported by three units of Janniasries, at least two exceptional ones. This was going to be tough. Plus the Ottomans pack a really good cavalry park of other units too.
My plan, swarm his artillery and get into the backfield. Not much of a plan, but better than taking on his cavalry and Jannissarries face on.
Look, Nick's got his lasar designators out already, he's too used to playing NATO backed troops!
On the right, more cavalry, some exceptional, a lot superior! My cavalry wing is depleted, as...
One cavalry unit was on the left, tasked with supporting the Ronin and tieing down two units of Nick's average cavalry.
Nick in wargamers pondering pose. Look at those messy FOG(R) tables behind him! I was not sticking around. The exceptional foot swung right to aid the cavalry, the bulk of my foot went forwards towards the gun park (well, three base widths forwards, two back from artillery pushbacks, mostly), while on the left the Ronin and cavalry try to pin back two of his skirmishing horse before they shoot us away.
The Ronin successfully tie down one unit of Turkish cavalry, while the other turns tail and legs it. Nick's Jannisaries look on and plot our downfall.
In the centre, my infantry facing the massive Turkish gun lines, battered but unbowed. Two more of my infantry face down the awesome might of the three units of Jannisaries.
Nick keeps his house in order, I try to work out how to beat the might of the Sultan. Five of his cavalry vs my exceptional foot, two of my cavalry and a lot of accompanying Samurai and Ashugaru.
Janissaries hit my samurai, causing a kill while we do two wounds. Nick's cavalry prudently avoid my exceptionals led by Fluffy himself. 
Nick's exceptional cavalry pile into my two units of Samurai horse. Both of us add generals into the mix, mine have to lead from the front, so in they go.
On the left, the Ronin are busy chasing the cavalry, despite 'fleet of foot' (extra move) the cavalry are showing them a clean set of hooves, but the Ronin are always in danger of taking shooting casualties. At least the back table edge is approaching fast.
Rolling a yellow to finish off a base of Ottoman cavalry would really be rather pleasent, but yellow dice roll their inevitable blank! 
Fluffy gets a straight flush!
One of my Ashugaru finally breaks past the hail of heavy shot from the heaviest of Nick's artillery. Artillery that I would hopefully be able to melt down for pretty sword hilts. 
Janissaries and Ashugaru clash. Again, they kill a base to two wounds. On their right, I take a base and a wound, while Nick loses two bases. My Samurai on the left have taken a fair few hits, but eye up the guns greedily.
My two cavalries are now facing down a hell of a lot of Ottoman horse. and their general. Fluffy and his cohort catch a unit of Ottoman cavalry, taking two wounds but killing a base. Good thing Fluffy can buy off two wounds a go! 
Jannisaries prove their worth, taking out two of my units. At the same moment I break one of him. (2-4) 
On the left, maybe suicidally, my cavalry turns to face the Jannisaries. My Ronin catch the left-hand of Nick's cavalry. On the charge they aren't great, but once they get into melee, superior expert swordsmen is rather spiffing.
In the centre, the Samuari and Ashugaru make themselves aquainted with the workings of the gunpark. One battery down and the third having taken a KaB and losing a base is wondering where the legend of crews being chained to guns came from.(4-4).
Nick's cavalry breaks off from my exceptional guards, my cavalry is hanging on for grim death against the much better Ottamans. Jannisaries pass the Samurai, nodding and walking past each other, whistling quietly, hoping neitrher will notice. Nick has swung one of his horse to try and catch me.
Oh, I'm sorry, is that a camp sitting there? Yes, it is fortified, but still, nice to meet one. Two more artillery batteries get charged.
The batteries die (8-4) and the camp takes a hit (while killing one of my bases). Nick's cavalry eyes up my Ashugaru in the left.
Nick realises that my Exceptionals come with attached bows as his next cavalry unit breaks. It was a cheeky shot I admit, but netted another two points (10-4)
My cavalry holds on, and on and on! I lose one out of two, but before Nick's swing round behind my back lines up a killer charge, his camp is trampled.
Hell of a great game, we laughed all the way through, Nick has a good army there, but his dice were unlucky. and mine were awesome. Taking his guns and camp were definitely a good plan. (15-6) .
This puts me on a rather interesting 36 points for, and 21 points against. Table 1 beckons and nosebleed territory here we come.
Round 4: vs Alasdair and Iko Ikki and Sohi Monks
Ick!
Ohhh a historical match-up! Are they allowed?Okay, this was unexpected, I was now in 2nd place on the table ahead of John on loss difference. This means only one thing in ReG - Alasdair. One of the rules originators, and a great player, and an all round good egg.
Not a good set of scouting cards on set up. One card for Alasdair, two for me! Oops. Black are worth nowt, red equates to 40%. 
Uesugui try to shift the rebels from their mountain fastness. A vital settlement was up for grabs but the rebels fueled by religious hatred had brought two units of exceptional troops and a great deal of superior monks to back up the revolting (in all senses) peasantry.
We join the action in turn two, and it's already going wrong as my poor arquibusiers have decided that being attacked by exceptional monks is not what they came here for and head for the plains (as the hills appear to be occupied). They did kill a base, probably equalling their cost.
To their left the Ronin are suffering against superior monks too. (0-2)
Even with the Great Director in charge, my cavalry cannot cope with the onslaught of divinely inspired peasants. That was a unit of nine vs a unit of four cavalry, so a close call, two more wounds and I would have had them, honest guv (0-4). 
The Ronin keep fighting, although we are waving handbags at each other for most of the fight. To the right of shot, Fluffy and his Guard meet the other exceptional monks, and are carving into them.
The shear weight of Alasdair's peasentry is about to bend space time as their weight of numbers is telling against my smaller but better armed Ashugaru and Samurai units.
I mean, he has enough units spare to just sit their and take in the view!!! My cavalry charges what they thought were peasants, nope, superior monks in a six, which means we are equal against more numbers, not a good idea Will, especially when you don't have the cards to break off!
The man himself surveys his soon to be triumph to herald his acclaim. This game is definitely going Allegro as I fight through the Japanese Dolomites. You can see the variety of dice alI have out, all were used. I also ran out of army specific wound markers. I started the weekend with 13, note to self, paint more! You can see my dead pile and Alasdair about to envelop my army, but at least he has a decent dead pile too. (2-6 at this point).
Hmm... Sure I had units here a second ago? I mean his were beautiful, but mine should be in fronnt of them. (2-8)
"Come on then, I'll take you all on!" More of my infantry join the cavalry in returning to my figure boxes. (2-10).
Amazingly, my Ronin hold on, and on, and on, even against a second unit thrown in, breaking their initial opponents (4-10)...
My exceptionals break through, and try to catch and kill a second unit (6-10).
But alas and alack, it was not to be. Alasdair wrapped up my final cavalry unit and the Uesugui retire to lick their many many wounds (yes, I need to paint more wound markers). 6-15 was a good result to be honest. I was in range of breaking at least two more units, so I really cannot complain. Great game. A real braw; of a fight. Alasdair would go on to take second on countback, but being the organiser would not take his prize, what a gent.
What was really impressive was I looked at the time stamps on the photos while editting this, and the whole game only took an hour and a half, meaning I was home in time for the Pottery Throwdown final!
Oh yeah, despite losing to the first and second place players, I came fourth! Not sure what that says about my weekend, but it dropped my jaw. A really impressive result for my second competition in the post COVID ReG world. 42 points for, 36 against. Literally a positive result!
And my 50% win/loss record continues
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