The Andalusians get a first outing

We convened a meeting of the Madison Sunday Tea & Crumpets Wargames Club, Drew, Bruce and Josh came round to mine and we put almost all the El Cid collection on the table for a huge bash. I've been adding a few Andalusans to the collection of late and last weeks game was an opportunity to put them on the table.

Victoria has bought a light-box of late and set the scene accordingly while we enjoyed a pre-game cup of tea and cake.

The two forces I had picked were roughly equal. Drew and Bruce took the Spanish.

The Spanish

Commander (leadership 8)

• One unit Caballeros Hildagos Knights - heavy cavalry with spears and/or javelins (Tough fighters)
• Two units Caballeros medium cavalry with spears and/or javelins
• Two units Jinetes light cavalry with spears and/or javelins fielded as small units (Feigned flight)

Commander (leadership 8)

• One unit Caballeros Hildagos Knights - heavy cavalry with spears and/or javelins (Tough fighters)
• Two units Caballeros medium cavalry with spears and/or javelins
• Two units Andalusian Jinetes light cavalry with spears and/or javelins fielded as small units (Militia, 
• Feigned flight)

Commander (leadership 8)

• Two units Mercenary Heavy Infantry with spears (Drilled)
• One unit Mercenary Light infantry Retainers with crossbows
• One unit Skirmishers with Bows fielded as small units

Commander (leadership 8)

• Two units Peone medium infantry with spears and or javelins and bows (Militia)
• One unit Andalusian medium infantry with spears and or javelins and bows (Militia)
• One unit Pilgrim  medium infantry (Militia, Levy)
• One unit Skirmishers with Javelins fielded as small units
• One unit Skirmishers with Bows fielded as small units

Josh and had I the Almoravids

Almoravids

Commander (leadership 8)

• One unit Hasham heavy cavalry guard with spears (Drilled, Tough fighters)
• Two units Light cavalry Berbers with spears and/or javelins fielded as small units (Marauders, Marksmen, Feigned flight)

Commander (leadership 8)

• Black Guard medium infantry with spears (Tough Fighters, Stubborn)
• Four units Berber medium infantry with mixed ranks of spears and/or javelins and bows (Stubborn)
• Two units Skirmishers with javelins fielded as small units

Commander (leadership 8)

• One unit Mercenary medium infantry with spears (Tough Fighters, Stubborn)
• One unit Berber medium infantry with mixed ranks of spears and/or javelins and bows (Stubborn)
• Three units Berber light infantry with bows
• Two units Skirmishers with javelins fielded as small units

Commander (leadership 8)

Four units Light cavalry Berbers with spears and/or javelins fielded as small units (Marauders, Marksmen, Feigned flight)

The Berbers took the first turn and as is seemingly normal with our games  although the light troops all moved the heavy infantry centre refused to budge!

Things went even worse for the Spanish, both of Drews commands blundered and then both rolled a '1' taking the entire Spanish left straight off the table!

Un-perturbed Bruce stuck to his plan, advancing and inclining his horse to the right to head towards the softer units of Berber bowmen deployed there.

The Caballeros Hildagos smashed into the bowmen and easily won the combat, but a double six for the morale test saw the Berber bowmen holding in by a thread! Double sixes were becoming a feature of this game already.

As may be expected the Christian horse were more than a match for the Berber archers deployed on our left and were soon dominating that flank, but not without considerable casualties of their own.

The Spanish left had now regained the field, but it looked like the outcome was already settled without their presence.

Josh took the Amir and his Hasham Guard cavalry in an attempt to stem the flow. The fanatic horsemen crashed into the Caballeros Hildagos, forcing them back but failing to break them.

The combat continued and both sides were now spent but fighting furiously, until disaster for the Moors, a round of combat was drawn and as both units were Shaken both needed a test, The Berbers rolled a double one - bugger

The game was truly up for the Almoravids now, despite a stout defence in the centre, pushing back the returning Christian horse they now had marauding Caballeros on their flank and rear.

Some brave but futile fighting by the Berber foot saw the battle draw to a close, a resounding victory for the forces of Castille.

A great game, but I think that although theoretically about even forces the Christians seem to have a big advantage in these games. I had made all the Berber foot stubborn based upon previous experience and they did hold their own in a straight fight, maybe upgrading the units of bowmen from light infantry to medium infantry will make them less fragile.