Britain: Bones of Albion is a captivating supplement for the Napoleonic-era gothic horror skirmish wargame The Silver Bayonet, created by the imaginative Joseph A. McCullough and published by the esteemed Osprey Games. This expansion delves deeper into the dark and mysterious landscapes of Britain during this tumultuous period, introducing players to an array of chilling new scenarios, eerie creatures, and sinister factions. With richly detailed lore and comprehensive rules, it invites players to explore not only the strategic elements of skirmish battles but also the haunting narratives that unfold in the shadows, making each game an immersive experience steeped in horror and intrigue.
There is much to like and also some significant disapointments.
The plot is awesome and centres around a Druidic circle of stones prepared on the isle of Anglessey to repulse the Roman invaders. The story begins on the isle of Anglesey, the heart of Druidic power in Britain. A powerful Druidic circle of stones has been meticulously arranged for a devastating ritual—a spell intended to utterly destroy the invading Roman legions.
However, before the Druids can complete the ceremony and unleash the magic, the Romans launch a swift and brutal attack. The Druids are slaughtered, the ritual is halted, and the Romans, fearing the latent power, dismantle the circle and scatter the stones as spoils of war across the length and breadth of the captured province of Britannia.
Two hundred years go by. The stones are forgotten, covered by Roman towns, forts, and fields. Then, one stone is discovered, maybe during a local dig or when an old building falls down.This act breaks two hundred years of peace. The stone quickly releases a small part of the original ritual’s power, marking its possible return to its true purpose.
The urgency and power of the original spell—to destroy the foreign occupier—is now awakened, not just in Britain, but upon an unprepared, fractured Europe struggling with the decline of the Roman Empire. The discovery sets off a desperate race to find and reassemble the remaining stones, either to complete the destructive ritual or to contain the unleashed, ancient magic before it tears the continent apart. a spell to destroy the Roman invaders.
The scenarios are much the same as we have come to expect, but because they are based on actual locations in Britain such as:
Medibogdum
A Roman fort in the lakes District. Had a large following of Mithraism which unfortunately was not included in the scenario.
The Ferns
The Fens, or Fenlands, are a large, flat, low-lying region in eastern England that was once a marshy wetland and well known for its spooky legends. Common myths surrounding the Fens include will-o’-the-wisps (like the Lantern Man), which lure people to their death, and creatures such as boggarts, phantom dogs like Black Shuck, and spirits of the Viking Great Army. The scenario is located in the marsh near Ely Cathedral.
Tre’r Ceiri
Tre’r Ceiri is one of the best-preserved Iron Age hillforts in Britain, located on the eastern peak of Yr Eifl (The Rivals) on the Llŷn Peninsula in north-western Wales. Known as “town of the giants,” it was built around 400-200 BC and continued to be inhabited during the Romano-British period (c. AD 150–400), with around 400 residents at its peak. Its main features include extensive stone walls and the remains of about 150 stone houses, showcasing the ancient communities that lived there.
Lud’s Church
Lud’s Church is a deep, mossy chasm in the Back Forest at the Peak District National Park in Staffordshire, England. This 100-meter gorge was created by a massive landslip and is rich in history and mythology.
Lud’s Church is a deep, mossy chasm rich in folklore, with legends stretching from history to myth. It is most famously associated with the medieval Arthurian tale as the likely location of the Green Chapel in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Historically, it was a secret meeting place for the persecuted religious group, the Lollards, which led to a tragic local story about a girl named Alice being killed during a raid. Other myths suggest it was a hiding place for outlaws like Robin Hood and Friar Tuck and Jacobite leader Bonnie Prince Charlie.
Brough of Birsay
The Brough of Birsay is a dramatically situated tidal island off the northwest coast of the Orkney Mainland, only reachable on foot via a causeway at low tide. This windswept spot is a vital historical nexus, containing the layered remains of a high-status Pictish settlement (7th-8th century) and an extensive Norse village (9th-12th century), which includes the ruins of longhouses, a sauna, and a 12th-century Romanesque church. Furthermore, the site is steeped in folklore, most notably as the traditional, temporary burial place of Saint Magnus Erlendsson, the martyred Viking Earl whose cult turned Birsay into a major pilgrimage site in the 12th century, with tales of miracles and heavenly lights surrounding his grave before his relics were moved to Kirkwall.
Wayland’s Smithy
Wayland’s Smithy is a highly atmospheric, two-phase Neolithic chambered long barrow in Oxfordshire, built around 3600 BC near the ancient Ridgeway path and the Uffington White Horse. Initially a smaller timber structure housing 14 bodies, it was later covered by the large, trapezoidal mound and impressive sarsen stone façade visible today. The name and enduring fame come from Anglo-Saxon folklore, which linked the mysterious ancient tomb to Wayland the Smith, a powerful, invisible smith-god from Germanic mythology. Legend holds that a traveler could leave a horse and a silver coin at the site, and the mythical smith would secretly re-shoe the horse by the next morning, a belief still reflected today by visitors who leave coins as offerings among the stones.
Alfred’s Castle
The history of Alfred’s Castle is rich with layers of occupation and later romantic association. Originally a defensive earthwork, the site began with Late Bronze Age linear ditches, followed by the main Iron Age univallate hillfort construction around the 6th century BC. After its abandonment, the enclosure was re-used by Romans who built a farmhouse within its bounds between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD. Despite its origins in deep prehistory, the name “Alfred’s Castle” is a Victorian-era invention, stemming from the fort’s proximity to the supposed location of King Alfred the Great’s victory over the Danes at the Battle of Ashdown in 871 AD. This popular, though historically unsupported, connection links the ancient earthwork to the famous Anglo-Saxon king, giving the Iron Age fort its more renowned, legendary title.
Isle of Anglesey
Celtic Corner
The Isle of Anglesey, or Ynys Môn, holds a history stretching from ancient prehistory, being littered with Neolithic burial chambers like Bryn Celli Ddu, to its pivotal role as the “Mother of Wales” for its fertile farmland. Its most enduring historical fame, however, comes from its deep connection to the Druids; during the Roman conquest of Britain, Anglesey became the ultimate stronghold of the Celtic priests, known for their fierce resistance and sacred groves. Roman historians recount the dramatic invasion of 60 AD, where General Suetonius Paulinus’s forces crossed the Menai Strait to slaughter the Druids and destroy their holy sites, a decisive moment that broke the back of Celtic spiritual power in the west. Following the Romans, the island was a strategic target for Vikings, and later served as the capital for the native Welsh Princes of Gwynedd at Aberffraw, before falling under the control of English monarchs who constructed the imposing Beaumaris Castle.
All of these scenarios create a deep sense of atmosphere and heaps of opportunities for making very evocative terrain. I like this aspect of the book very much. I am disappointed with the scenarios themselves because they could have been tied with the myths and legends of the locations a lot more. The scenarios could have been in any location and are similar to the other expansions in this sense.
The choice of mainland Britain as a site for a supernatural crisis during the Napoleonic Wars is questioned, given the island’s lack of combat. I am a bit puzzled why a supernatural threat from the harvesters would arise in a peaceful area rather than a war-torn continent. It just seem to create an internal “historical” incongruity. The game tries to resolve this by introducing an ancient Druidic curse and a two-pronged invasion, blending gothic horror with historical elements but just does not fit with the overall them of The Silver Bayonet. Not a deal breaker but annoying as much more could have been done to address this.
The absence of a Druid option for the British faction is a significant missed opportunity, preventing the game from fully integrating its unique supernatural origin—the ancient magic binding the Albion undead—into the unit mechanics. Instead of a grizzled soldier, a Druid could be justified as a powerful Specialist unit: an eccentric expert, reclusive scholar, folk-magic practitioner, or even a miraculously long-lived descendant of the original curser. Including such a character would offer the British forces unique abilities focused on nullifying or manipulating the ancient magic, allowing players to engage directly with the cause of the horror rather than just the symptoms. This addition would create more dynamic, lore-driven tactical options and fully lean into the game’s “pulp horror” side.
I know you can get around this by paying the extra to include a “Follower of the old gods” but having special related Druid skills would have been nice.
I loved the setting, but disliked the formulaic scenarios that could have been more linked to the story and the locations. Not sure that I will be investing in other expansions as I think I can do better myself without the outlay. What about the exotic location of Haiti with vodoo practitioners, Iwa spirits, ancestor spirit worship, raising the dead, dru induced zombies, vodoo dolls – I could go on! More exciting than what we were fed this time around.
Setting and story line was great – but a real missed opportunity IMHO!