Scrivsland: December 2011

Both Tom and I are going to the 'Cold Steel' event at Gripping Beast on the 15th January and we are both very rusty with WAB.

We decided to try out a game tonight with 1500pts of Age of Arthur Early Saxon Kingdoms each.

My List was:
1 - Cyning - 195pts
Sword, Javelins, Saxon Buckler, Army General. Veteran, Javelin Hurling
1 - Atheling - 85pts
Sword, Javelins, Saxon Buckler
1 - Thane - 75pts
Sword, Javelins, Saxon Buckler, Army Standard
1 - Scop - 65pts
Sword, Javelins, Saxon Buckler
1 - Wiglera - 70pts
Sword, Pagan Priest
19 - Gedriht - 300pts
Sword, Throwing Spear, Javelins, Saxon Buckler, Leader, Musician, Standard.
24 - Duguth - 207pts
Sword, Throwing Spear, Javelins, Saxon Buckler, Leader, Musician, Standard.
23 - Duguth - 199pts
Sword, Throwing Spear, Javelins, Saxon Buckler, Leader, Musician, Standard.
24 - Geoguth - 183pts
Sword, Throwing Spear, Javelins, Saxon Buckler, Leader, Musician, Standard.
10 - Skirmishers - 40pts
Sword, Javelins
10 - Skirmishers - 40pts
Sword, Slings
10 - Skirmishers - 40pts
Sword, Shortbow

Toms force was very similar, apart from, his general had the Fearsome Blow ability and he had forgone the skirmishers with Javelins in order to give his Gedriht Light Armour and an additional figure.

We deployed pretty much opposite each other my Geoguth going on a right flank envelopment and his Geoguth going on his right flank envelopment (with the similarities in armies and deployment you can guess we have played this battle a few times)

Tom won the dice off and elected to go first sounding a general advance. In my first turn, this is where it all went wrong for me, my Gedriht and Geoguth failed their Warband tests and surged forwards into charge range of his corresponding troops, Tom got the charge and although the melees were protracted it was pretty much his way all along with him maintaining the momentum.

Usually, I like to use my additional skirmishing troops to harry Tom's blocks and charge on my own terms as he has the slight edge in combat.

By the end of the game I had only accounted for his unit of 23 Duguth led by an Atheling and my entire army was either slain or fleeing the table.

Ho hum!

I had taken the camera to get loads of shots of the game, unfortunately, I took a photo of a unit of Geoguth led by a Wiglera while waiting for Tom to arrive and then forgot to take any others.

Wiglera leading 23 Geoguth

As it is the Christmas break we always have a days gaming at the club. This year we decided to re-fight Quatre Bras using Black Powder.

The Battle of Quatre Bras took place on the 16th June 1815 as part of the Waterloo campaign, a full description can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Quatre_Bras

The French were from the collection of James, Trev and myself, the allies were from the collection of Adie, Trev and Quinton*

We played on two 12ft by 4ft table to give a 12ft by 8ft playing area, using the Black Powder rules with Adie developing the orders of battle and scenario rules.

Matt, James, Alan and I played the French, Adie, Quinton and Trev played the Allies.

Despite a sluggish start from the French the Allied forces were hard pressed but still held on to Quatre Bras at the end of the game but had taken severe losses and were being outflanked on their left. Of note, Picton fell in a hard fight propping up the allied left flank and Ney succumbed to a ball from a Dutch-Belgian Jaeger early in the battle.

I was in command of Bachelus' Division and made a swift advance through the village of Thyle to fall on the left flank of the 7th Coalition forces.