by Norman D. Landings » Sun Jan 28, 2018 10:18 pm
Oi! I resemble that remark!
I was actually still woozy from Friday when we played. I know, it does me no credit.
Anyhow, second game:
Before Herky hit the trail, we got him to redeploy the defenders.
So second time around, they were better positioned to mount a solid defence.
The use of face-down counters (which, remind me, I have to get back to you in 2/52 time!) meant that Lawrence & I didn’t know exactly who was where.
Default rules for the defenders: archers/slingers will withhold fire til medium range (8”) and foot will form shieldwall when approached - preferably against a fence if possible.
To compensate for the Viking’s reduced numbers from three to two warbands, I lowered the quality rating of the defending spear men from “2 stripe” to one.
(PW uses ‘stripes’ - as in a stripe painted on the back of the base - as shorthand for quality rating. ‘1 Stripe’ = peasant/militia/rookie. A single hit will kill these chumps.)
We changed the objective somewhat, too - instead of looking for loot, this time we were after slaves.
This would change our choice of deployment. Our tactics in the first raid were to keep the defenders busy to gain time for our men to search the buildings uninterrupted. This time, we needed to ‘herd’ the villagers, spreading out to cut off possible escape routes, and trying to cut them off from the defender’s positions. If they fled to defended positions, we’d have to fight to get them.
We also reconfigured our warbands - both selecting far fewer armoured men than before - chasers, not sluggers.
Everything went well to start with - I sent my huscarl and his armoured men to lead away the spear men who opposed my approach, while sneaking unarmoured men through the back door of the inn. Elsewhere, I sent a bunch of hooligans to pile-on what turned out to be a single cowherd.
Lawrence advanced in extended line across the whole village. Some of his hairy villains split off to grab up a group of playing children who made a break for the woods. One scamp almost made it, but a hand on the scruff of his neck yanked him back at the last moment.
(Heheheh!)
That’s when the wheels came off - Lawrence’s men closed on the first hut, to find it defended - but defended only by unarmoured peasantry! (The hut’s owner took the opportunity to hide inside and bar the door - note well, this’ll crop up later!)
I’ll have this lot, thought Lawrence, and charged in with the intention to subdue rather than slay.
Turns out the peasants had other ideas, though - they had no compunction about striking to kill, and although Lawrence’s Vikings were better troops, their lack of armour left them vulnerable. After the initial clash, two peasants lay cudgelled - but two Vikings lay slain! “To heck with the blunt end” yelled Lawrence’s huscarl - “Pointy ends authorized!”
Belatedly, the fight started to turn in the raider’s favour.
At the other end of the village, my huscarl and his armoured bondi had won the fight against the Norman spearmen. The lone Norman survivor fled from the inn’s yard out to the front of the building - where he met a gaggle of panicked civilians running from the unengaged end of Lawrence’s line. The lone spearman stepped up and shepherded them into the inn.
Which, you may recall, was chock-a-block with my grinning Viking thralls!
We ruled that - at any sign of a struggle within - those still outside would become aware of the danger and flee elsewhere.
But with a very lucky string of rolls, I bagged each hapless chump first go as they ran inside.
Meanwhile, my group leader had caught up with the Norman spearman and charged him mano y mano.
This is a very bad habit of mine - I have repeatedly wasted my PW leader by getting him involved in pointless melees which dragged on round after round. Also, this Norman had ‘Hero In The Making’ written all over him.
For once, I needn’t have worried. My huscarl split him from pate to chops at the first blow!
Back at the far end of Lawrence’s line, his Vikings were making very heavy weather of breaking into the hut! Eventually, two enterprising raiders chopped through the thatch and dragged the cowering peasant into captivity.
One major building remained unsearched - but it was guarded by two defender markers. Both of us decided it could be too big a bite to swallow, and we started to pull our men out, driving our captives along.
Just as we did - the dice rolled a double and the vengeful Norman lord showed up!
His knights thundered into the village as the last of Lawrence’s thralls, delayed by their struggle with the 11th century’s Hide & Seek champion, disappeared into the forest.
Success all round after a comedy of errors - but Lawrence’s casualties would rob the raid of any glory on our return to Scandinavia!