On Monday we had a fun game of Normans vs Saxons using Osprey's Lion Rampant rules. The Norman invaders got the better of the Saxons, despite their mounted knights making several ill-advised 'ferocious' (compulsory) charges into the woods to attack some Saxon skirmishers. In the end, the day was actually carried by the dismounted Norman knights, who managed to break a Saxon shield wall in and around the village.
"Wales is a country far, far away, of which we know little...."
Well. After this peculiar encounter, I think we can safely say that we know even less!
Apparently, two enigmatic Anglo-Norman-Welsh brothers (or were they even brothers?), clashed with their respective retinues. In a bizarre, and very strange, set of events, various descriptions of peculiar Welshmen waved spears and fired arrows at one another (or did they?). This encounter took place in a very odd and curious glade in the middle of some unusual Welsh forested hills (or did it?).
Either way, no one really knows or remembers what happened in this strange affray, other than possibly one of the Welsh (or was he English?) brothers was slain (or was he?). At that point, the rather odd assortment of strange Welshmen (or were they English?) gently faded back into the deep, dark undergrown of the Welsh forest, never to be seen again, only to remain shrouded in enigma, mystery and overall strangeness.
Anyway, if you are confused and perplexed, then welcome to Wales.
A 13th century paring of the Mamluk Sultanate against the Mongol Ilkhanate using Lion Rampant wargame rules.
The two large cavalry forces faced off against each other on one flank, the infantry on the other. The mounted Mamluks eventually got the better of their opponents, even though they lost their commander. Likewise the Mamluk infantry was victorious, primarily due to their superior archery.
This is a very colourful period, with interesting troop types, little gamed by wargamers.
The Osprey rules were probably tested to their limit in this game, as they aren't really intended for larger battles, such as this. The shooting did appear to be overly powerful, which skewed the game somewhat. That said, everyone had fun, which is the main thing.
There were three games at the club on Monday night - Medieval, using Lion Rampant and two Flames of War WWII games, one mid war, one late.
The Byzantines defeated the Normans in this classic medieval face-off. A German SS formation narrowly defeated a British Comet formation and a swarm of Honeys was witnessed in the mid war game.
In this fun game, loosely based on the epic Battle of Kulikovo, we witnessed the Russian Principalities, under Prince Dimitry, 'throw off the Mongol Yoke'.
The Russian right flank defeated the Tartar cavalry before turning on the Golden Horde's centre, killing their C-in-C in the process. The Russian centre remained disciplined and managed to break a key unit of mercenary spearmen, sealing the Mongols' fate.
We used Lion Rampant rules, which aren't really intended for set piece battles, but worked surprisingly well in this case. The game mechanisms can be quite 'swingy' from turn to turn, which adds to the uncertainty and 'fun' of the game.
The low-light of the game, was the disgraceful display by the mercenary Genoese Crossbowmen, who failed, turn after turn, to shoot at the advancing Russians. When they did eventually roll to shoot, they didn't even cause one single casualty! Perhaps they hadn't been paid by their employers, or perhaps they'd bribed by the Russians - we'll never know. Either way, they were left to their fate, as the defeated Mongols retired from the battlefield.
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| Battle of Kulikovo Wargame |
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| Battle of Kulikovo Wargame |
