Dark Ages - week 6

Just two games this week using the Convoy scenario. In this battle the attackers have three treasure tokens assigned to different units and must attempt to get them off the opposite corner of the table, scoring 2 points for each. The defender must try to rout the treasurer carriers, scoring 2 points for each. 

Game 1 - Irish (defenders) vs Saxons (attacker)

This game is potentially very good for the Saxons as they are mostly heavy / light spearmen and so are happy being attacked. The Irish are a more attacking army and so this may not be too bad for them either. 

Saxon attackers

The Saxons formed a solid mass with the treasurer carriers at the rear. Unable to enter rough terrain their forces split either side of a field as the Irish converged from three sides.  

Irish Warriors and Gallowglass

The Irish skirmishers weakened a treasurer carrying unit before some Irish warriors finished them off. The other side of the village the Gallowglass were able to pin the Saxons back and attack the other two treasure carriers. 

The result was 6 - 0 to the Irish.

Game 2 - Arthurian / Franks (defenders) vs Anglo-Norman (attackers) 

The defenders plan was to mass most of their forces near the exit point and use their archers to weaken the attackers before they reached the exit zone.   

Arthurian defenders

Frankish defenders

The attackers were fearful of being sniped and so took a long route through the dense terrain to limit the defenders fields of fire.  

Anglo-Norman attackers

AN skirmishers

So the defenders withdrew their archers to cover the flanks of the heavy infantry blocking the exit path. 

As the attackers approached the defenders were able to inflict some casualties. We then realized that there was an issue in the scenario - treasure carrier can nt launch attacks and the way was completely blocked. So we tweaked things to allow then to Attack on 8+. 

Defenders are well set 

The weakened attacker launched several assaults at the Roman and Frankish infantry but bounced off. It was agreed the attackers could not break through so it was a 6-0 win for the defenders.   

The final attack

Campaign Scores 

     

Dark Ages - week 5

The scenario we played this week involved lots of movement - the defender was trying to cross from one corner to the opposite one, while the attacker tried to envelope them from the sides. The defender won by getting more than half their points off and the attacker won by routing more than half the defenders points. Following the Pope's ban on crossbows the Flemish have become Norse.

Game 1 - Welsh (defender) vs Anglo-Norman (attacker)

This was likely a good scenario for the fast moving Welsh who might be able to out manoeuvre the Anglo-Normans, and so they set-up to push straight down the middle while the ANs had mounted one side and foot the other.

AN knights try to cut-off the Welsh

True to form the Welsh scuttled up the centre with their horse leading the way. Initially it looked like they might escape with minimal casualties and much of the light horse escaped unscathed. Eventually the  ANs came to grips with them were able to kill enough to mean the Welsh could only get exactly half their units off. Draw.  

Welsh foot in a bind

Game 2 - Arthurian / Roman (Defenders) vs Norse (attacker). 

The Arthurian's hugged the northern side of the table looking to avoid the Norse archers. 

Some slow movement from the defenders allowed the Norse to close the gap and bring them to combat in centre field. 

After the struggle the Arthurian's lost over half their points and so were unable to win the game. Norse win.   

Romans and Norse clash

Game 3 - Franks (defender) vs Irish/Anglo-Norman

The attackers deployed with the Irish to the west and the ANs to the east. After initially moving up the centre the Franks pushed all their troops towards the ANs making it a classic hammer & anvil game.  

Franks swing east to avoid the Irish

With the Irish in hot pursuit the Franks engaged the ANs and were able to destroy their elite horse. Meanwhile the Irish warriors mowed down the Frankish archers and engaged their infantry. As the Frankish horse was whittled away it fell to their infantry to try and win the game.  

In a tense finish the ANs final unit of spearmen managed to hold the Frankish up long enough for the Irish Gallowglass to kill more than half the Franks. Irish / Anglo-Norman win. 

AN spears hold the line

      

Campaign situation

Dark Ages - week 4

In this weeks battles we played Sausages with mustard - where the attacker is raiding the defenders supply lines. There are 4 supply points in the centre which can be burnt for 2 points by the attackers. Any that survive when half the attackers points are destroyed score 2 points for the defender. The defender starts with 1/6 of their points in the centre as guards. 

Game 1 - Anglo-Norman (defender) vs Saxons (attacker) 

The Saxons moved forward as quickly as possible, aided by some slow movement from the Norman knights, and managed to burn one of the supply points. Their matches were a little damp though and they were unable to burn more before the main body of the Anglo-Normans arrived.    

A tough fight around the village saw heavy casualties on both sides with the defenders winning 6-2 

Game 2 - Flemish (defender) vs Anglo-Norman / Franks

The slow moving Flemish placed some of their feared Crossbows in the village with the rest of their infantry moving up. The quicker attackers looked to flank in the east and attack through the middle. Early on the attackers made progress but could not get the supplies to burn, must be the climate!     

A hard fight followed as the Crossbows dominated the centre field and the fighting mostly occurred in the woods. With the attackers unable to burn any further supplies the defenders won 6 - 2   

Game 3 - Irish (defender) vs Norse (attacker)

The Irish deployed some of their slower moving Gallowglass in the centre with the rest looking to move quickly to the west side of the village. The Norse spread pretty evenly across the table. The Irish were looking to focus their forces to eliminate the attackers quickly, but were gambling on them taking a few turns to destroy the supplies closest to them.

The Norse had some superior fire starters in their ranks and were able to set fire to two supply dumps before the Irish could get to them. The Irish flank attack was able to cut through the more spread out Norse and prevent any further damage. Draw 4 - 4  

Campaign Scores

 

    

Dark Ages - week 3

The scenario this week involved both sides racing to secure a crossroads and hold it against the enemy. 1 point was scored for holding the objective at the end of the turn with the first to 5 the winner. Destroying the enemy scoring 5 points.

Game 1 - Welsh vs Flemish

 In this game both sides boasted a lot of shooting with the larger Welsh army also the quicker of the wo, but with shorter range shooting.

Flemish leader consults his trusty field guide

The Welsh hordes

The Welsh arrived at the crossroads first and took an early lead before being pushed back by Flemish heavy infantry and shooting. They then countered with their own heavier units but were unable to shift the defensively minded Flemish. 

I lost the vital parchment so we're calling this a 5 - 3 Flemish win.

Game 2 - Anglo-Norman vs Anglo Norman (Viking style)

This game was a mirror-match with the only difference being the Viking-style army had 1 each of Elite cavalry and foot whereas the other had 2 Elite cavalry.  

Charge!

As befits a grudge match both sides got stuck in and it was the cavalry army who took the crossroads first. The objective changed hands multiple times.    

The junction changed sides frequently 

The Viking-style army squeaked a 5-4 win. 

Game 3 - Norse vs Frankish

The Frankish advanced was more cautious and ordered than the Norse and so the Vikings were able to get a heavy infantry unit in shield wall onto the crossroads first. This proved very tough to shift and so racked-up some points before being routed.   

Frankish host

Norse attempts to attack beyond the crossroads into the Frankish archers proved unsuccessful but their own archers did hold off the Frankish heavy cavalry for most of the game. 

The Norse were able to hold the crossroads by feeding units successively into the fray and so won a convincing 5-0. 

Norse hold the crossroads

Campaign situation

A few people are carrying are carrying upgrade "badges" from previous games where they did nt use them.