The concept of New Year is celebrated in various cultures and countries around the world. Each culture has its own traditions, customs, and specific dates to mark the beginning of a new year. In Sri Lanka, there is a unique celebration called "Pahan New Year." Pahan New Year is celebrated by the Sinhalese community, who make up the majority of the population in Sri Lanka. According to the ancient Sinhala calendar, the New Year falls on the 13th or 14th of April each year. This date is determined by astrological calculations and is a significant time for agricultural communities as it marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the new agricultural cycle.
Above: Unit card Below: Reference cards that cover most of the rules.
For instance, my spearmen could reanimate at the end of the round; one spearman for every green squiggle rune result provided there were empty on the unit tray. While it would be quite easy to take the miniatures from this game and use them in other games such as Dungeons and Dragons , it would take some work to proxy models from other games into Runewars simply because of the way the bases snap into their movement trays.
This date is determined by astrological calculations and is a significant time for agricultural communities as it marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of the new agricultural cycle. Preparations for Pahan New Year start well in advance. People clean their houses and decorate them with festive ornaments and flowers.
RuneWars: The Miniatures Game – Impressions
At EGX, the lovely folks from Esdevium Games were kind enough to play a demo game of RuneWars with me. If you don’t know, RuneWars is an upcoming miniatures game from FFG which will have you assembling and painting minis, building army lists and fighting skirmish battles.
Like every other FFG game out there it uses custom dice. Each unit is controlled by a dial on which you choose your actions for the turn. Every round essentially has 2 phases: choosing a unit’s action on its action dial and resolving those actions. Once actions are assigned they’re resolved in ascending initiative order. Each action has an initiative number next to it. Lower numbers happen sooner and higher numbers happen later.
Blue: Movement Green: Shift in place or raise morale Red: Attack
Every action dial has a second wheel on which you set modifiers. Choose to move? You can use the modifier wheel to change the movement into a charge or a turn. The colour of modifier you set has to match the colour of the action you’ve set. For example, you set a 3-speed manoeuvre on the action wheel (left in picture) then you can set that manoeuvre to turn 45 degrees, at the cost of reducing its speed by one, using the modifier wheel (right in picture).
Peripheral fluff aside, the core mechanics of the game are quite simple. There’s no messing around with tape measures, manoeuvres are handled with preset templates and the dice system is relatively straight forward. It’s exciting to set your moves with a plan in your head. Anticipation builds to tiny moments of triumph or defeat as you move through the initiative activations. You predict your opponent will move up quickly so you set your unit to charge at initiative 5 (white number on the dials). If you’re opponent moves first they’ll be in charge range, if they’ve opted to do something else or their move has a later initiative you’ll charge at nothing and perhaps put your unit in a bad position. The tactical strategy is incredibly satisfying and it seems knowing the initiative of every action on your opponents dial will be crucial to victory.
If a unit moves and collides with an enemy unit they become locked in combat. If your unit was simply moving then your unit takes a morale debuff and does not get to attack. However, if you set your unit to charge then they will perform an attack on the enemy unit they collide with. If you set an attack action on the dial the unit will simply attack any units they are locked in combat with.
Above: Unit card Below: Reference cards that cover most of the rules.
The most interesting part of the game is setting your action dials. Considering initiative is essential. If the enemy charges you, crashing their unit into yours and engaging in combat and then your unit activates revealing a movement action, that action is wasted. Instead, if you predict the enemy charge and set your unit to attack, you’ll get to retaliate. Similarly how far away are the enemy? Perhaps they’re not in charge range now, but what if your charge has a late initiative? Meaning by the time you charge the enemy might have moved forward. Early game, activating later can have its benefits though once you’re locked in combat activating to attack early is essential.
Is that a worm you’re riding or are you just pleased to seem me?
Magic in the game is influenced by casting runes each round. The runes are little cardboard coins with a different symbol on each side. These symbols interact with any magical powers that a unit might have. For instance, my spearmen could reanimate at the end of the round; one spearman for every green squiggle rune result (provided there were empty on the unit tray). The runes seem like an easily changeable part of the game should designers need more flexibility. From the demo, it wasn’t clear if the runes were fixed or if players got to create the pool at the start of the match. Either way, the fact that the runes are simple cardboard makes it easier for the designers to tinker with the mechanic in a way not possible with custom dice. However, if you’re relying on certain magical abilities that need specific rune results you could end up faced with frustratingly bad luck at critical moments.
The Runes are in our favour!
The game I played was around an hour and a half including a very brief rules explanation. I controlled the evil looking, skeleton people and all of their forces from the core set. My army consisted of a skeleton riding a large worm, an undead lord/hero, two blocks of skeleton archers and a 2 block by 2 block unit of skeleton spearmen. My opponent controlled an army I would describe as “Fantasy Good Guys” – heroic looking people in gleaming armour. His forces consisted of cavalry, a hero, a large stone man and a 2×2 block of spearmen. I was able to pincer his spearmen with my Lord and spearmen, tie up his cavalry with my worm chap (preventing a rear charge on my Lord), while my archers just plinked away at his troops with the odd bit of friendly fire. I managed to wipe his team losing only one tray of spearmen. According to the guy demoing this was only the second undead win all day. Hurray for the shambling hordes!
Start of the second round, just before it all kicked off.
While we played a very simple match ignoring objectives and proper deployment. It didn’t feel like there would be a huge amount of variety in the core set (RRP £99.99). Standard matches will be 200pts and the core set allows each side to field ~100pts at a push, so every game you play you’ll be using every unit in the core set. It seems then that much like the X-Wing Miniatures game the core set is a mere morsel of the game meant to tickle the appetite rather than the hearty main course that comes in the Imperial Assault core game.
It’s a shame the minis aren’t pre-painted like the gorgeous ones I got to play with in the demo. FFG has yet to comment on whether you’ll have to paint your models for tournaments. Even so, the game is very easy to pick up and the core of the game feels incredibly tight compared with the endless tomes of rules that Warhammer comes with. It’s not a game I think I’ll be jumping into as I’m already split between X-Wing and Warhammer 40k Kill Team, but it seems like a great game to jump in on for anyone looking to get into a miniatures game.
Something else that should be considered is that flanking grants a bonus die to all attacks, so it’s worth trying to get behind or to the side of your targets before moving in, which is naturally something that the human force’s cavalry excels at, because not only can they move quickly and inflict a lot of damage but they also force an enemy unit they hit while charging to take a panic token as well, so a flanking move combined with a successful charge can be devastating, exactly as it should be.
Traditional customs are followed, and families come together to celebrate the New Year. Pahan New Year is a time for renewal, reflection, and bonding with loved ones. On the day of Pahan New Year, the day begins with the lighting of an oil lamp, signifying the dispelling of darkness and the ushering in of light and positivity. The first meal of the New Year, known as the "Punya Kalaya," is prepared before sunrise and shared as a family. There is a strong emphasis on vegetarian food during this time, and traditional dishes such as kiribath (milk rice), kokis (deep-fried crispy snack), and kavum (sweet oil cake) are prepared and enjoyed. Throughout the day, various customs and rituals take place. People engage in traditional games, such as tug-of-war, pillow fights, and climbing greased poles. These games not only provide entertainment but also symbolize the overcoming of obstacles and challenges in the coming year. Pahan New Year is also a time for spiritual reflection and religious observances. Many people visit temples and engage in meditation and prayers. These activities are believed to bring blessings and good fortune for the year ahead. In conclusion, Pahan New Year is a unique cultural celebration in Sri Lanka, marked by specific customs and rituals. It is a time for families to come together, celebrate the harvest, and embark on a new agricultural cycle. The celebration is filled with joy, traditional food, and games, as well as spiritual reflection and religious activities. Pahan New Year is an important event that promotes unity, renewal, and positivity in the Sinhalese community..
Reviews for "Pahan New Year's Eve: Parties, Fireworks, and Countdowns"
1. John - 2 stars
I found "Pahan new yeaf date" to be quite disappointing. The story lacked depth and the characters were poorly developed. The plot was predictable and overall, it didn't offer anything new or interesting. The acting was also subpar, with the actors failing to bring any life to their roles. I was hoping for a fun and entertaining film, but unfortunately, "Pahan new yeaf date" fell flat for me.
2. Sarah - 3 stars
I had high expectations for "Pahan new yeaf date" based on the trailer, but it didn't live up to the hype. The film started off promising with its intriguing premise, but it quickly lost its momentum. The pacing was slow and the story felt disjointed. Additionally, some of the comedy fell flat and the jokes seemed forced. While there were a few entertaining moments, overall, I felt underwhelmed by the film.
3. Michael - 2 stars
I was excited to watch "Pahan new yeaf date" as I had heard good things about it, but I was sorely disappointed. The writing was weak and the dialogue felt clunky and unnatural. The performances were lackluster, with the actors failing to capture the essence of their characters. The cinematography and editing were also mediocre, adding to the overall underwhelming experience. I wouldn't recommend "Pahan new yeaf date" to others looking for a quality film.
4. Emma - 1 star
"Pahan new yeaf date" was a complete waste of time. The storyline was incredibly boring and lacked any originality. The humor fell flat and the attempts at comedic timing were cringeworthy. I found myself struggling to stay engaged throughout the entire film. The acting was mediocre at best, with the actors failing to convey any emotion or depth. Overall, "Pahan new yeaf date" was a disappointment and I would not recommend it to anyone.