A Crown of Paper, A Coat of Steel

Earlier this month my friends and I met up for a Craft Day. While I relaxed and painted a bit, Michael and Will dusted off their Wars of the Roses armies and met on the battlefield to play a game of A Coat of Steel!

What? You've never heard of A Coat of Steel? It's only the best War of the Roses miniatures rulesets out today. It also works seamlessly with its fantastic campaign system A Crown of Paper. Oh, and did I mention that both sets of rules are free? Now I have your attention!

The graphics look professionally produced, with each noble pictured in his glory. Warriors clash on the battlefield while their leaders try to outwit their enemies with cunning stratagems. This isn't just two hordes rumbling about. Should you attack leaders or close up and defend? What about drawing daggers for some close-up and personal mayhem... or perhaps you'll just give them a few jabs with a pike? A supreme effort... or something else? Casualties or leaders? Delay or finish it? Each card has its strengths and weaknesses. You even get to choose what types of arrows to bring: light-weight that have range, or heavy that can punch through armor? Can you outwit your opponent?

That's just the beginning. These rules do everything right from the setup to the weather and the followers and the well-wishers and the moving and the troop types and the armor and the combat and the moral and...

Do yourself a favor: go check out the rules here and immerse yourself in this fascinating period. Purchase a box of Perry archers and get painting. It is hard to surpass the pageantry displayed on a Wars of the Roses battlefield. Each of the houses has their own livery which makes for an incredible spectacle.

Oh, and who emerged victorious on this day of battle? Well, let me tell you what happened...