The Second run through
Pre Battle
After talking Steve through the rules & explaining them where needed we started with the pre battle phase rolling for initial cohesion which was appalling for both sides before Steve's Saxons got the upper hand and he decided to do something about his forces cohesion pool first he consulted the Omens which foretold a bad end for has men & his fate hand shrunk by one The British seer prophesied an easy victory and increased their cohesion there by then Steve handed out the ale leaving his men fighting drunk & well up for it something which subsequently gave them quite an edge The British king made a quite good speech but the Saxon a real lemon which had is men laughing at him and not the enemy & very diffidently not taking him seriously all battle so he decided to accept the British challenge of the Champions which left his champion sore wounded and the British one hardly hurt & the British much heartened.
Battle
I had left the British deployed as they had been in the first game with the warriors and the companions to the left & deployed forward with a commander & British king close by with the levy in the centre with the second commander and the champion the British missile where behind them ready to rush in front to skirmish and them fall back behind when threatened. Steve however altered the Saxon deployment so that he had his hearth guard & one group of warriors on the side facing the British companions & warriors & two in the centre opposite the British levy with the Saxon missile on the far left of the line. He had a commander with each of the two formations of troops & his king positioned between them so that he could command both his badly wounded Champion lay on a brier behind the lines & took no part in the battle.
Turn one
The battle started with the British left advancing to put a block of the best British troops in front best Saxon ones The Saxons then got a run of all there cards more or less one after the other starting with the Saxon king. The Saxon King ordered all his men forward & they came forward in a rush screaming & shouting abuse however the warriors in the centre failed to reach more than half way to the British over all though they ended up closer to the advanced British flank.
The subsequent Saxon commanders where used to refill Steve’s hand of fate cards & and to rally off the tiny amount of shock caused by the British missile to the Saxon warrior formation. The other British commanders where used to clear the rubbish out of the British fate hand & set it up to pull a hopefully rather nasty stunt latter.
Turn two
This started with an advance by the British left, however constrained by the need to maintain a shield wall they failed to reach more than half way to the Saxons companions & the British commander had his men lock shields in anticipation of the counter charge.
The Saxon King again ordering all his men forward again needing & having the right fate card & they came forward in a rush screaming & shouting abuse however the warriors in the centre failed to reach more than half way to the British levy but the Saxon Hearth guard backed by a hail of javelins axes and rocks they threw as the came forward with the taunts & goading of the Saxon warriors holding the British Warriors in place & unable to intervene. Outnumbered & shocked by the hail of missiles the British companions where hurled back from the end of the Shield wall with minimal damage by on the Saxon companions.
The British champion then rushed forward form behind the levy shield wall to assist but failed to reach the still intact British warriors shield wall & the British king moved forwards to rally the shaken companions & the turn ended with the Saxon missile coming forward to shoot at the British Levy shield wall which they did rather ineffectually.
Turn Three
I don’t think that we finished this turn to be honest but a lot happened & I began to lose track & Steve had to go off to give his sword class & was agitating to get on with stuff so he would not be late so it got a bit rushed & my notes got rather poor.
The Saxon right wing commander came up first and continued the fight on his right flank with the two groups of Saxon companions rounding on the two groups of Warriors the right most group of Saxon companions got very badly handled by the British warriors they where facing & recoiled from shock with the British warriors following up breaking the shield wall which in the end was less than wise. The other similar fight was more of a draw with the British Warriors being pushed back slightly & the Saxons following up. The Saxon king came up next & used his one command initiative to have the group of Saxon warriors who where hanging back on the right after previously taunting to with a Carpe Diem to go round behind the left most group of British warriors & attack them in the flank & rear. the Saxon flank attack was a dismal failure & only caused a few shock on the British warriors who held.
The British king came up next & he rallied his companions as he was in command range off them & continued the fight between the badly mauled Saxon companions & the British warriors facing them which the Saxons lost but not by enough and as they had been taking kills not shock they still did not have excess shock (2 figures 1 shock if I remember it right) and he unleashed the British levy. Using Carpe Diem to pull a hopefully winning run of cards the right wing British commander was called forth & the Levy charged as well as a Levy shield wall can ploughing into the back of the flanking Saxon warriors & mauling them horribly though not quite enough the break them, but wounding the Saxon commander opposite them who had charged with them in the hope of finishing off the flanked British when he got the chance.
At which point my memory & my notes fail
Ginger
