To The Strongest! - Hail Cid

Yesterday evening at the club I introduced Quinton and Greg to 'To The Strongest' by Simon Miller. Both had seen the games that Martin and I have been playing of late and were keen to have a go.

Realising I needed four decks of cards - we usually use Martins and he was not able to make it - I popped to the local Pound Shop where I purchased six decks for a whole pound!

This time I utilised my El Cid collections of Christian Spanish and Almohavids and we used quite large units on a larger grid - effectively a smaller game, but with likely more figures than our earlier games. Prior to the game I marked out my cloth in a 20cm grid on the reverse side to the earlier 15cm grid.

The Christian Spanish were:

Quinton sets up the Spanish

• Heroic General
• Caballeros: Veteran Cavalry with Hero (spears and javelins)
• Caballeros: Veteran Cavalry with Hero (spears and javelins)
• Caballeros: Veteran Cavalry with Hero (spears and javelins)
• Jinetes: Light Cavalry (javelins)
• Jinetes: Light Cavalry (javelins)

• General
• Guards: Veteran Spearmen (spears and javelins)
• Peones: Raw Spearmen (spears, javelins and bows*)
• Peones: Raw Spearmen (spears, javelins and bows*)
• Crossbowmen: Crossbowmen (crossbow)
• Skirmishers: Light Infantry (slings)
• Skirmishers: Light Infantry (slings)

The Almorhavids were:

• Heroic General
• Berber Foot: Veteran Spearmen (spears, javelins and bows*)
• Berber Foot: Veteran Spearmen (spears, javelins and bows*)
• Berber Foot: Veteran Spearmen (spears, javelins and bows*)
• Berber Horse: Veteran Light Horse (javelins)
• Tribal Foot: Light Infantry (javelins)

• Heroic General
• Berber Foot: Veteran Spearmen (spears, javelins and bows*)
• Berber Foot: Veteran Spearmen (spears, javelins and bows*)
• Berber Horse: Veteran Light Horse (javelins)
• Tribal Foot: Light Infantry (javelins)

Jinetes take on the Berber Horse

Points wise the Almohavids worked out about 110pts and the Spanish were about 100pts.

* I used the Spearmen profile but gave the Raw units a single round of ammo for bowfire and the Veretan units three rounds of ammo, a standard unit would have two rounds. I stuck my finger in the air and costed this at 2pts

Quinton would play the Christian Spanish while Greg was the Almohavids. I would try to ensure that things ran smoothly.

The terrain was laid out the armies deployed and battle commenced.

The Spanish pushed their infantry up and the Almohavids moved to counter that while the Christian cavalry advanced on their opponents pinning them in place. First blood fell to the Spanish, a unit of Berber cavalry were wiped out in a hail of javelins from the Jinetes.

Peones about to suffer

Both players now went through a session of poor luck, neither players were able to motivate their commands to do anything coordinated and all missile fire was desultory. However, the Almohavids were first to pounce, One of the Peone units was isolated so a Berber foot unit charged in inflicting two hits and killing their General. The Spanish cavalry moved to respond, a unit led by their general crashed into the flank of the Berber foot also causing two hits, both foot units were in a pretty bad way.

The Spanish lot a unit of Jinetes and then the Caballeros went in again and that Berber foot unit was
wiped out. The unit of Peones was doomed, with no General to guide them and on a double hit with enemy in close range were unable to rally and were wiped out.

The lines of foot close in on each other 

A calamity then struck the Christians, their recently valiant Cabalerros were charged in the flank by a unit of Berber foot and failed to evade. Two hits in combat and they failed to save. The Christian losses were totted up and they had reached their Victory medals total and the Berbers were victorious.

Both Quint and Greg enjoyed the game and we've scheduled a re-match next week. I may get the Warring States Chinese out for that - I should have enough units for two players.

Berber horse tie down the crossbowmen

Here are more pictures from the game. The figures are all from my collection and painted by myself. The Christian Spanish are Perry Miniatures from the First Crusades range and the Berbers are mainly Gripping Beast from their El Cid range.

A few more images from the game.

Now may be a good time to pray!