Dark Age Dust Up - Crusader

This was the first outing of Nick’s newly reconstituted Romano British and Saxons and very nice they are too.

The game set up with the Brits on the top of the hill guarding two exits. It was up to the Saxons to attempt to use one of these exits to get off the table and so win.

On the Brit left Dave set his troops up behind some very convenient walls and waited for hell to be

unleashed

Steve M had the middle/right with troops which were obviously very hard core and also waited. There was a lot of waiting.

The Saxons countered this by putting a holding force of three Levy Warband’s opposite Steve M’s really, really very good troops. This should be emphasised. These troops were commanded by Steve L.

Steve H (not to be confused with Mr Steve) had the Saxon right with the bulk of the Saxon forces.
His job was to force an exit at the best possible speed and win the game for the good guys.

Things on the Saxon left started as a lot of games do with an awful lot of nothing but a few arrows
being shot. I suspect that Steve M could not believe that we would be dumb enough to face him
with such a small force and was obviously laughing fit to burst that he forgot that he might be able
to come off the hill and give me a right royal shafting. No he wasn't laughing he was waiting.

Meanwhile on the Saxon right Steve H started his assault up the hill into the teeth of a ferocious
defence be put up by Dave and his very plucky Brits. Saxon warband’s are point in the right direction
and let them go and as long as it is straight ahead you have half a chance of them doing some damage.

Steve’s warbands went at the walls hacking and yelling and gradually started to push the Brits back.
The Saxons were now joined by their allies, the Irish. The ferocious little beggars went at everything
in sight and, along with the Saxons were winning their way through.

Meanwhile up comes turn 4. The moment Steve M was waiting for. Ian’s cavalry arrives, good they
are too, straight into the left flank of a warband. Mayhem. I think it was Napoleons heavy cavalry
suited and booted and transported back in time. Anyway these guy’s put the warband to rout and
now comes a whole series of rout’s forcing the Saxons back to the mass and their leader who is
waiting to try and rally them.

We now got into a problem with the rules as we could not see how the routing units could continue
to fight normally but we could not see where this was covered in the rules perhaps someone could
point us in the right direction.

To try and hold the Brit cavalry the Saxons committed their Noble Cavalry but as it was only a small
unit, all it could do was enable the routing warbands to fall back to the commander who managed,
temporarily, to rally them. The Brits were relentless though and eventually wiped out the Noble
cavalry and then tried to attack the Saxon Noble infantry.

Steve M having waited, and seen where the attack was going decided not to impede Ian’s cavalry,
turned to his left and marched off to add his weight and support to Dave’s plucky Brits. Steve H has by this time almost pushed Dave off the table but had nothing left to deal with Steve M’s
troops as well.

As much as I was goading Nick by telling him I was going to write this up as a crushing win to the Saxons, I have, with all honesty and gritted teeth, to admit that it was in reality a decisive Romano/British victory.

Despite our few issues with the rules it did move quite quickly and very bloodily and I think everyone enjoyed the game.

Our thanks to Nick for allowing us to use his nice figures, although I believe he now is going to

replace some of the figures because he doesn't like them. By the way the only breakage was by Nick

himself as he was putting them away.

Normans vs Saxons - Crusader Rules

Normans V’s Saxons played using the Crusader Rules. The armies were just over 6000 points each

http://www.crusaderpublishing.com/crusader_rules.php

Before the report just a note on one major idiosyncrasy that I observed, a unit will conduct ALL of its
actions before the next unit is activated. If your unit routs then no other of your units can be activated
in that turn. Choose very carefully which units to activate first otherwise you may be up the creek
without a paddle.

The Cast.
Normans: General Junker (Nathan), General Tusk (Steve L).
The Saxons: Lord Nigel of Farage (Nick), Lord Boris of Johnson (Ian) and Lord Michael of Gove (Steve M).

View from behind the Norman right flank

The very friendly Normans have crossed the channel in the hope of civilising the very uncouth Saxons but as usual the Saxons get uppity. The Normans, under the command of their very famous generals have advanced towards some low hills with a small farmstead in the low ground leading to it. On the Normans right there is the house itself. In the middle is a small wooded area and on the left is a walled field.

View from behind the Norman left flank

The Normans and Saxons then deployed units alternately until they were arrayed in all there splendour.

The Normans had the cunning plan of holding their right flank with their not so very good infantry and then smash the Saxon infantry on the left with their poor to very good cavalry and hence roll up the Saxons from the right all the way through.

The Saxons deployed with Ian (The Dice Master) on their right, Steve M in the middle and Nick on the left. This is where the Normans plans unravelled.

On the Saxon left Nick moved forward to occupy the farmhouse. This was countered by Norman
infantry and skirmishers. In the middle Steve M pushed his bowmen forward this was countered again by the not so good Norman infantry.

On the right Ian waited soiling his underwear as the Norman cavalry advanced. The Normans flung their worst cavalry at the waiting Saxons. Up goes the Shield Wall, long pointy stick and all. The dice are thrown by both sides. What are the Normans thinking? The Dice Master is there. Cracking dice from Ian, not so good from Nathan and the cavalry rebounds with minimal losses. OK now the Normans know. Huscarl in all their armour and with all the training known to man are not to be trifled with using poor cavalry. Undaunted the Normans try again using slightly better cavalry and against another unit. Surely it can’t be as good. They are not, Thegns in medium armour this time, the results are worse, the cavalry routs.

On the Norman right Steve L, after exchanging arrows with Nick, launches a couple of charges. One unit of skirmishers is routed from the field but the other unit holds on. This has the effect of stalling the Saxon left.

In the middle Steve M has now become the Dice Masters apprentice and proceeds to push back all
attempts to get at him and then pushes forward himself.

On the Norman left Nathan puts in his third unit of cavalry. You can’t beat the Dice Master Nathan. OK change of tactics. The Normans have two units of very good cavalry left. They are withdrawn and pushed against the centre where Steve M awaits. Nathan is confident. Surely there can’t be anymore Huscarl or Thegns. You are right there. Instead they are Viking Mercenary with medium armour. Still heavy horse should do the job, except Steve M is now the Dice Master’s apprentice and Nathan is out thrown again. The Norman Cavalry is pushed back.

All the Saxons are now pushing forward and are relatively unscathed having had no routs at all.
The game is decided as the Normans call it a day. One in the eye for the French then?

Junker and Tusk are unhappy and accuse everybody of everything and Brexit is still 950 years, god
knows how many wars and a referendum away. Meanwhile in France the King, Tony Blair the first, has been accused of getting his intelligence chiefs to “Sex Up” the intelligence to enable him to launch an illegal war against those poor Saxons.

No political opinions intended, much.

On the whole I think everyone enjoyed the rules if not the outcome. Nathan and Steve L were well and truly out thrown. Personally (Steve L) I am not sure that I like the “unit does everything before moving” bit. The game seemed to stutter a little bit. As an alternative to Hail Caeser it has somethings going for it and I will certainly play then again. It was, after all, only the first time that four of the five had played them. Three or four more goes and I will give you a definitive opinion.

Game Report by Mr Steve L.
Pictures by JJ.