Pillage: The Dark Ages

 

This week I umpired two games of Pillage the Middle Ages to culminate the Icelandic blood feud campaign. First, Orm the Overbearing ambushed Thorkel Crone-Nose. 

Thorkel needed to cut his way to safety and moved his battle line out around a barrow to get off the board. 

Orm (the bald guy in the foreground) ordered his men forward in pursuit. 

A furious scrum erupted beside some large stones. Archers picked off supporting spearmen to even the odds. At times they threated Thorkel and Orm. 

Thorkel made a break for it! He did get away but at quite a cost. Orm's warband, was mostly made up of serfs but these fought well to inflict many casualties on Thorkel. It was a very narrow result but Orm had regained some of his honour ... but he was still an outlaw. 

So what does an Overbearing outlaw do? Burn Thorkel's long house to the ground with him inside. It didn't quite work and a fierce battle erupted around Thorkel's farm. 

His men stoutly defened the hall. 

Orm's men rushed onwards with murdered in the eyes and hearts. 

Again, archers rained down shots. Both sides targeted the leaders. 

By Odin! The hall of Thorkel was ablaze!

Scattered melee broke out across the farm as hatred surged in the hearts of all involved. Each side had suffered at the hands of the other. Both fought to end the feud once and for all. 

Orm, in the background, has suffered a wound. 

But so had Thorkel. Both reddened their axes slaying their foes but arrows whined again and again gnawing a shields and seeking a way between steel rings. Thorkel's forces were slowly being massacred. Finally, several arrows pierced his armour and this mighty warrior died. Orm was overjoyed but he was a hunted man. 

Bards claimed that Thorkel did not die but he never recovered his former battle prowess or vigour. Orm lived long in the wilderness, his inner spite eventually turning him into a troll. Many had died and the kinsmen of each swore an oath before the local gothi to end the feud. 

Pillage The Dark Ages

 

Ok, I posted these images a couple of months ago, and now I'm attempting to write a report. 

It's not going to work ... 

I like the Pillage rules quite a bit ... I mean, I'm a sucker for this period of history. The game plays a lot like MESBG and I also like this game. 

This scenario had something to do with protecting two or three pilgrims against the Norman aggressors. No doubt, they were on their way to seeing that venerable and holy Anglo-saint - Cuthbert. 

You can see the battle scrum forming in the centre right of the table. The pilgrims on the road. 

The Norman list pricing allows them to have more soldiers in their warband ... I sodded if I know why. It makes them very tricky to fight against, especially with their higher number of cavalry. Cavalry in Pillage provide a extra 50/50 save making the warrior much harder to kill. 

The Norman cavalry have lapped about the Saxon line while their brave fyrd warriors try to fend off the foe desperately. 

I have a vague feeling the Normans lost ... but I don't know how. 

Pillage feels quite hit and miss to me. Warriors are very similar and the only factors that really effect combat is the +1 charge bonus and the spear support. It just feels like, with quite similar army size and composition, its just down to the roll of a dice ... seems very funny to say for a wargame - that is always about a roll of the dice. 

This is another game ... I have now idea what is happening. 

There's fight here and there ... I think the Saxon's were trying to burn down a Norman settlement ... serves the invading bastards right! 

There's some houses with Norman warriors and knights on guard against Saxon aggressors. These images are backwards too ... I'm clearly not very good at this. 

Now, the above is a very pretty picture. I do need another building or two for Pillage - as you can see I've got some scratch built ruined wall plugging up the gap. I think this works as Roman ruins (some not too ruined) were frequently incorporated into constructions across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. 

I'll just stop typing as these feeble attempts at a narrative are setting the fragile hobby of historical wargame back by many years. 

Dark Age Cavalry

As I paint through any remaining miniatures in the house I hit six Dark Age Heavy Cavalry from a Gripping Beast box. I've been meaning to paint these for some time. And now - as I really can't leave the house - I have no excuse.

Gripping Beast create wonderful miniatures and I can't say I've done them justice as my painting was a little rushed. I envisage these to be Saxon cavalry from around the 7th to 8th C. I'd like to use the Dux Bellorum rules a little more to recreate the inter-kingdom warfare of this period. Cavalry will make those battles a little more dynamic as with big blobs of infantry things can be a little stale.

Arthurian Wargaming

Now bereft of other figures to paint ... thanks in part to my dithering when ordering and also the delay in postal deliveries during COVID ... I am painting any remaining figures I have.

This has led me back to the Dark Ages of Arthurian wargaming. Two stray Westwind character models that have lingered around my workbench for well over 12 months have now been daubed. And the results were quite pleasing ...

On the left stands the dark magician - complete with severed head topping his staff. He will be a worthy addition and a great source of narrative for battles - if I get over my aversion for creating scenarios again?

The right side shows the bard ready to regale his audience with remembrances of past valour and treachery. There is a very good Dux Bellorum scenario needed a bard that I would like to play again. In this even the defeated side can win if the bard is correctly placed throughout the game.

Now all I have left is 6 Dark Age cavalry - from a Late Roman Gripping Beast plastics box. They are being painted as Saxons ... but as I wish to paint other things these are dragging ... I'll pour myself another scotch and get back to their completion. Then I'll be ready for when those medieval condottieri arrive.

Victorious Arthur Cornered

This Tuesday witnessed a return to Lion Rampant and Arthurian conflict. This week 'Hammer and Anvil' was played with the previously victorious Arthur cornered by Saxon forces. Arthur was charged with cutting a way to victory and survival. Here perfidious British lords bartered coin for their national (i know the word is ridiculous in this context) loyalty and invested cavalry forces to defeat Arthur - the probable leader of  Briton.

Arthur amassed his forces along the eastern edge of the table. Knowing he was pursued he gave orders for each unit to escape to the SW or NW corners of the table. 

His stolid spear line were probably the most in doubt of reaching safety. They would hopefully buy the time the others needed. 

The Saxons spread some of their forces in the centre to lure the Britons forward. Other were ranged along the western battlefield edge. More followed directly behind Arthur. 

Arthur ordered his men forward but with a harsh gale impeding his warriors ability to hear his commands - the Brtions had scarcely moved before the Saxons were upon them. 

The Saxons forces on just turn 2 were breathing down the necks of  Arthur's warband. The trap was sprung ... would anyone escape? (Note: The Saxon forces are closest to the table edge. Really forces in this period were extremely similar thus making it hard to discern differences on the tabletop.) 

Fortunately the same command problems dogged the Saxons. Arthur may yet survive?

British cavalry rode out trying to flank the Saxons while peppering them with javelins. 

The Saxon thegns held firm in the centre. They knew their role ... the lure Arthur into the trap. 

The spearmen prepared for a clash of arms and a hail of missiles. They formed shieldwall and plodded onward at a much reduced rate. 

British archers tried to reduce Saxon numbers but to little avail. The British were losing too many units to hope for escape. If only Arthur could flee ... hope may spring again. 

Arthur rode forth eager to cut his way out. 

Germanic fierce foot in British pay descended from rough terrain to drive off Saxon skirmishers and inflict heavy casualties on the Saxons. 

Despite their losses, the Saxons had units in important positions blocking the way to safety. 

British cavalry alone were able to ride to safety ... including Arthur. The Saxon forces had been driven off from the centre of the table. Only two groups of fierce foot inhabited rough ground which guarded the approaches to the SW and NW corners. A hail of javelins would bring one such unit down and open a line of advance to safety. But only two cavalry forces could outpace the Saxon bowmen and ride away from this perfidious trap. 

While the hero survived, the British forces - like the Saxons - were devastated. They would have to hope that a core of comitatus would be enough to remake their victorious warband. The Saxons would be emboldened - despite losing all their noblemen and leaders in the fray. In the proceeding months of British rebuilding more forces would arrive from over the waves. 

Perhaps a jealous British king might step forward to command not just his forces but those of the invaders as well ... Arthur's position of dux may yet be challenged in his moment of weakness. 

But Arthur and his core of warriors were not defeated ... 

Lion Rampant and the Great Heathen Host 865 AD

This week's game saw a return to Lion Rampant and a very large game at that. I had almost doubled the points (from 24 to 46) for each army. I enjoy setting up my dark age terrain and figures. This was part of my 'Britain of my Mind' project and (terrain especially) represents more of a dark age fantasy of misty moors and rocky tors. I find this setting very evocative. 

The Saxons had more Foot Yeomen (we called them Fyrd) while the Vikings had a mix of Foot Sergeants (some armed with 2HW) and some fierce foot (representing raiders from Dublin.) Many of the units on both sides had a shieldwall rule - basically the schiltron rule but able to move at half move while in such a formation. I haven't yet found the right rules to appropriately house rule the Dark Ages as yet ... shieldwall is good but the defender still has a large advantage as Foot Yeomen and Sergeants in Lion Rampant fight at a better defensive factor than when attacking. This led to (especially later in the game) both sides being unwilling to attack. 

Here the Saxons - led by Thegn Micko were certainly the aggressor on the evening - assaulting the Viking. They have almost reach the gate of their camp. This attack would eventually fade in ferocity as units were depleted of points then some became battered others lost. The Saxon right flank failed activation tests and only pressed too late in the game. 

This photo is just to show how unkind the flash can be to my figures. The top image is much better. 

Blows were dealt on each side. Once those casualties mount things become very hard in Lion Rampant. Courage tests are failed and once at half way the unit becomes almost useless - its combat dice are halved. 

(Note: I don't remove casualties but instead mark this with the read numbers. Also, I have yet to create shieldwall tokens so I used the blue markers shown above - I think they were made for ... ACW 'Couldn't Hit and Elephant' rules ... I need to dust those off one day ...) 

Here the rather inactive Saxon right tromps forward in a slovenly and disjointed manner. They marched into the teeth of two bidower units whose shooting took a consistent toll on the Saxons. By the time they contacted the enemy, casualties significantly weakened them leading to courage test failures. Once battered they were east prey to the Vikings. 

A good game was had - many perished but England has not yet fallen. The Vikings were victorious but significantly bloodied. Alfred will need to rally his men ... perhaps even head to a marsh and take up cooking?