My second game of WAB at the Woolston Club ... and what a belter!
Same opponent (Darren) and armies (HYW English vs Early Saxons) as last time, but this time I was a little more prepared having given the matter some considerable thought.
From my last game I learned a number of important lessons.
- take more archers
- don't deploy them at the front of my deployment zone
- use the heavy cavalry more effectively
- figure out a way of driving off those pesky skirmishers protecting the enemy formed units from archery.
So this time may army was as follows
Noble + 9 Mounted Knights LSM
Noble ASB + 17 Spearmen with heavy armour LSM
18 Spearmen with heavy armour LSM
10 Archers
10 Archers
10 Archers
10 Archers
10 Archers
5 Hobilars
5 Hobilars
The plan was to deploy the archers across the centre of the table (back from the front of the zone) with the Knights in the middle and Spearmen behind the archers to either side. The Hobilars were placed on each flank to take on units of skirmishers. That was how I deployed.
The archers were great most of the time. The Hobilars performed well, with one unit tying up Darren's formidable Saxon skirmishing cavalry for much of the game. Having driven off most of the skirmishers they rode near the main Saxon units preventing them from marching and allowing my archers a little longer to soften them up.
The Saxon general was bravely leading a unit of what Darren described as 'angry farmers', they were only WS 2 anyway. He advanced his men directly towards my heavy cavalry in the centre of the field. Sounding the charge they thundered towards their foe, lances at the ready ... can you guess what happened next ... oh the embarrassment of it all! The flower of English chivalry were (narrowly) defeated by a bunch of Saxon farmers. But that was not all. Defeated by one point they had to make a break test on a 7 with a re-roll for the nearby ASB. First roll was '5' and '4' ... second roll '4' and '5' Aaaaaagh! They ran for it, taking the other unit of spears with them. Next turn - did they rally, of course not and off the table they went! Luckily the spears rallied.
Throughout all this farce the archers kept the skies dark with arrows inflicting a terrible toll on the lightly armoured Saxons. In the final turn of the game the combined efforts of one unit of Spearmen and the Hobilars routed the Saxon general's unit and the field belonged to the (HYW) English.
So my second game of WAB and my first victory!
It was a close game throughout, decided only in the final turn, with plenty of funny moments too. As I've said before, Darren is a brilliant guy to play against. A good fun game all round.
Interestingly it may have been this game which helped one of the other club guys, Clinton, to finally jump on the WAB wagon. Welcome aboard mate!
Same opponent (Darren) and armies (HYW English vs Early Saxons) as last time, but this time I was a little more prepared having given the matter some considerable thought.
From my last game I learned a number of important lessons.
- take more archers
- don't deploy them at the front of my deployment zone
- use the heavy cavalry more effectively
- figure out a way of driving off those pesky skirmishers protecting the enemy formed units from archery.
So this time may army was as follows
Noble + 9 Mounted Knights LSM
Noble ASB + 17 Spearmen with heavy armour LSM
18 Spearmen with heavy armour LSM
10 Archers
10 Archers
10 Archers
10 Archers
10 Archers
5 Hobilars
5 Hobilars
The plan was to deploy the archers across the centre of the table (back from the front of the zone) with the Knights in the middle and Spearmen behind the archers to either side. The Hobilars were placed on each flank to take on units of skirmishers. That was how I deployed.
The archers were great most of the time. The Hobilars performed well, with one unit tying up Darren's formidable Saxon skirmishing cavalry for much of the game. Having driven off most of the skirmishers they rode near the main Saxon units preventing them from marching and allowing my archers a little longer to soften them up.
The Saxon general was bravely leading a unit of what Darren described as 'angry farmers', they were only WS 2 anyway. He advanced his men directly towards my heavy cavalry in the centre of the field. Sounding the charge they thundered towards their foe, lances at the ready ... can you guess what happened next ... oh the embarrassment of it all! The flower of English chivalry were (narrowly) defeated by a bunch of Saxon farmers. But that was not all. Defeated by one point they had to make a break test on a 7 with a re-roll for the nearby ASB. First roll was '5' and '4' ... second roll '4' and '5' Aaaaaagh! They ran for it, taking the other unit of spears with them. Next turn - did they rally, of course not and off the table they went! Luckily the spears rallied.
Throughout all this farce the archers kept the skies dark with arrows inflicting a terrible toll on the lightly armoured Saxons. In the final turn of the game the combined efforts of one unit of Spearmen and the Hobilars routed the Saxon general's unit and the field belonged to the (HYW) English.
So my second game of WAB and my first victory!
It was a close game throughout, decided only in the final turn, with plenty of funny moments too. As I've said before, Darren is a brilliant guy to play against. A good fun game all round.
Interestingly it may have been this game which helped one of the other club guys, Clinton, to finally jump on the WAB wagon. Welcome aboard mate!
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