A couple of weeks back I popped down to Phil's for another Dark Ages game of On Bloody Ground, this time the Saxons were tasked with saving Englalande from the depredations of Phil's pudding bowl haircut Normans who have a something of a reputation for being a bit good - and they have a lot of cavalry!
Following last game's winning tactics, once again the Saxon Huscarls took the centre flanked by brave Thegns, with Geburs skirmishing to their front.
As the Normans have not only skirmishers but some pesky crossbowmen I tried to whittle down the Norman missile troops by focusing the Geburs on one enemy group at a time.
On the Saxon left Phil decided to try and ride down the Geburs there who had pushed forward a little too far, fuelled by a couple too many cans of Carling Black Label!
Unfortunately (for Phil) his Breton Stipendarii decided that it was too early in the day for fighting so they ignored his instructions!
The Geburs laughed at his misfortune and slung some rocks at the enemy cavalry, surprisingly killing one!
In the centre the Normans moved stoically forward, a unit of dismounted Milites with two units of Liberi, screened by Flemish crossbowmen.
The Normans clearly believed God was on their side with all their religious iconography...
But surely they know God is an Englishman?
Having killed a Breton cavalryman the Black Label fuelled Geburs decided to toss some rocks at the Flemish crossbows but too many cans of lager clearly affected their aim...
Meanwhile in the centre the Saxon king and his Huscarls threw Monty Python themed insults at the advancing Normans in old English! Þīn mōdor wæs hāmtūna dēor and þīn fæder stanc æscberige!!
Enraged by the hurtful insults a unit of Norman Milites charged a unit of Saxon Thegns on the English left. Whose mother is a hamster now eh?
They smashed into the Saxon shieldwall, but whilst two brave Englishman died, three Normans crashed to the ground...
Failing their Leadership test, three more Milites slunk off whilst the combat continued...
The Gods of Wargaming were clearly laughing at Phil as four more Normans fell, the cavalry inflicting no further casualties on the Saxon infantry!
Predictably the remaining Normans routed, the jeers of the English echoing in their ears! Hāmtūna! Hāmtūna!
A second unit of Miltes, under the leadership of a Norman Duke charged forward as well...
Smashing into the shieldwall of another group of Thegns!
This combat was closer and bloodier than the previous...
But the Normans had left their flank exposed and the original Thegn unit hammered into them!
Defeat for the Normans was inevitable...
The Saxons capturing the enemy Duke!
On the opposite flank the Breton Stipendarii charged in on the Saxon Ceorl shieldwall...
With somewhat predictable results as the Saxons tossed javelins and throwing weapons at them as they charged in, before poking them with their spears!
With his cavalry defeated on both flanks Phil went for broke, his King charging forward with the final remaining unit of Milites cavalry...
Their target - the Saxon King and his Huscarl bodyguard!
Spearhead glinted and Dane-axe shone in the sunlight as battle was joined! Milite and Huscarl falling in bloody carnage...
The Normans won the combat by one but as the Huscarls were Veteran they were able to re-roll their failed Leadership test and thus withstood the Norman charge!
The next round of combat again went the way of the Normans but the Saxons once more passed their Leadership roll and did not fall back.
Taking advantage of the status quo in the centre, a unit of Thegns saw their opportunity to charge in on the Norman Milites flank!
Smashing into the side of the Norman Knights...
Their involvement proved the tipping point as knight and horse fell in a bloody mess on the spearpoints of the Saxon warriors!
The Milites failed their Leadership test and the last two Normans fled, leaving their King and his Battle Standard to be captured by the English!! Hāl to Englalande!
Englalande! Englalande! The Ceorls taunt the shocked remaining Normans!
With a dramatic and decisive victory on the cards the Saxons took to the front foot...
Two units of Thegns charging in on a group of Norman Liberi foot...
Hit in the front and the flank, the Liberi tried desperately to resist the Saxons...
Fighting hard, many a Saxon and Norman were found to have seen their last sunrise...
However the end result was inevitable...
The last Liberi was cut down...
And the Norman unit defeated!
With the battle entering its final turns the remnants of the Norman army, a unit of dismounted Milites, two Liberi and the Flemish crossbowmen attempted to regain some small amount of honour for their side...
The Milites charged forward...
Hammering into the Saxon shieldwall...
Inflicting many casualties and causing the Saxons to take a Leadership test...
Which they would have failed if not for the nearby Saxon Abbod who doing his best "you shall not pass" Gandalf impression added a vital +1 to the Saxon dice roll, ensuring the English withstood the combat test. Phew!
The fierce combat continued into the final turn of the game...
Proving very bloody!
Taking the opportunity to use weight of numbers, another unit of Saxon Thegns and the serving Huscarls charged into the flanks of the melee...
But the Normans were going down fighting, taking out many of the English unit they charged into!
Despite the assistance from their comrades, the Thegns in the centre found themselves almost wiped out. Could the Normans snatch a minor success out of a major defeat by demolishing just one Saxon unit?
Desperate times call for desperate measures - and Phil ordered his Flemish crossbowmen to charge into the flanking Saxon Thegns to help the Milites!!!
A desperate and confusing melee ensued with the Saxons fighting the Milites they had attacked in the side, whilst trying to fight off the Flemish in their side and rear!
However whilst a number of brave Saxon warriors fell, overall the Thegns stood tall and resisted the enemy assault!
As the battle ended the Milites failed to kill the sole remaining Thegn of the unit they had originally charged - this would not have altered the battle but would have given Phil a few more victory points and one small success in a overwhelming loss to hang his helmet on...
Overall a decisive victory for the Saxons and a devastating defeat for the Norman invaders who fled skulking back to France never to darken our fair shores again - a new era of Saxon prosperity being ushered into 11th century Europe and no doubt the world now being a very different place to that which actually occurred after 1066...
Although a clear Saxon victory Phil got his abacus out and worked out the Victory Points, the final score being 1937 points to the Saxons, just 448 for the Normans. Anything over 750 is a Crushing Defeat according to the rulebook, I think a new level - Annihilating Defeat - should be included in On Bloody Ground following this level of victory!
Despite the level of defeat I think Phil still enjoyed the game, the Gods of Wargaming clearly influenced his dice rolls on more than one occasion resulting in things not quite going his way at key points with devastating consequences.
