A private team event - Byzantines v Hungarians

[GDod]

Kiwiwarlord of the Magyar is still in a tense headlock with GDod, the resolute emperor of the Byzantines. With 2 turns to dusk, the Hungarians have finally passed the 60% threshold for a byzantine victory, though the result still remains uncertain and could change suddenly. Hungarians are rallying all around us and have distanced themselves from immediate danger. Whether they can rally enough units to take the lead next turn is a tall ask but not impossible.

The emperor, overlooking the battle on several dwarven shoulders (for luck) awaits the outcome.

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[GDod]

Kiwiwarlord of the Magyar has been finally put to the sword by GDod's second in command, as he has also been unfortunately dispatched. Just before dusk, the Hungarian submitted to a Byzantine victory 62%-44%. The Byzantines had just over a third more manpower, which clearly made a difference in the long war of attrition.

The Byzantine engines and numerous aggressive mixed foot made a prolonged exchange of missiles untenable and caused consternation among the numerous Hungarian cavalry, particularly the knights. With rocks from three engines raining down, and the skies filled with arrows from both sides, charges and counter charges ensued throughout the day.

On the Hungarian left and right, light cavalry dominated the elusive flanking advantage. While it was extensively beaten back on the left with tremendous cost to the Hungarians, a unit had slipped through. On the right, the Hungarians met with more success and eventually managed to silence the engines. Moreover, cavalry were slipping through in the centre. A timely arrival of byzantine reserves plugged the holes with aid from the Byzantines returning from the Hungarian left, having secured this flank. At this point many Hungarian cavalry retired to regroup in their rear but by then is was far too late for another attempt to decisively breach the ragged byzantine line.

A long game of strike and counter-strike that was enjoyable from start to end.

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[KiwiWarlord]

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Kiwiwarlord of the Magyar has been finally put to the sword by GDod's second in command, as he has also been unfortunately dispatched. Just before dusk, the Hungarian submitted to a Byzantine victory 62%-44%. The Byzantines had just over a third more manpower, which clearly made a difference in the long war of attrition.

Excellent report Gavin, fair & accurate.Well done.
The massive number of Byzantine Skoutatoi/Archer units was what clinched it for the Byzantines (imo ) as they could withstand all the mounted charges and then shoot them up.

[ahuyton]

So an enjoyable Round One comes to an end with honours even, two victories to each side.

So now we move to the scenario, Sirmium, a large scale classic battle.

Here are the match-ups:

Kiwiwarlord v Lascar (l)
PeterthePainter v Fybyyn (w)
GentlemanRanker v ahuyton (l)
Warrior230 v Gdod (w)

Byzantine players, please launch the games.

[GDod]

Our Sirmium scenario is now available for you warrior230. May your goulash be hot and tasty. Password = warrior

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Rinse and repeat team!

[GDod]

The battle followed the historical result. 50-22 (This difference was mostly from the slaughter in pursuit at the end)

Our initial moves imitated the historical version as detailed in phase two of the drawing below. However, the Hungarians did much better than documented as the historical phase three. Rather than smashing the Hungarians, the Byzantine cavalry and their supporting infantry on their left flank broke under a concerted Hungarian attack in force. Unfortunately, this took much longer than anticipated because by the time the Hungarians had cleared the remnants from this area, the battle was over elsewhere. A stream of Byzantine and Lombardy knights and supporting troops had already turned to undertake a fresh offensive against these jubilant and pursuing Hungarians. However, unlike their historical counter-parts, my Byzantines failed to capture the main Hungarian standard during the battle.

In all fairness to my determined and erstwhile enemy, warrior230 fought like a caged lion, and very nearly pulled off a sweeping envelopment. Nevertheless, that little bit of rough (as the actor said to the bishop) and the redirection of knights around it also weakened the center, which made holding the centre a risky proposition. On the Byzantine right, the huge disparity in knights and the reluctance to withdraw made the Byzantine victory on this flank inevitable.

This scenario certainly favors the Byzantines and despite my opponents insistence that it was a poor show, I wholeheartedly disagree. Certainly, warrior230's attack on the Byzantine left was expertly executed and I think a strategic error (a reluctance to withdraw) on the other flank may have cost the Hungarians the victory and the field!

Pleasant and informative banter with Paul along the way made the whole experience a very enjoyable accompaniment to the game and my light beverage (not so much light as oak rested if you know what I mean) whilst in my old man's comfy chair during these very uncertain times.

[warrior230]

Great report Gavin! and congratulations on a well earned victory! The game was great fun and quite tense through the latter stages. Thanks again for a very enjoyable match... looking forward to fighting again soon..

[PeterThePainter]

I am impressed guys 10 days after Alan posted the pairings you have a result and it reads like a great battle! Well done.

[GentlemanRanker]

Rinse and withdraw?

ahuyton’s Byzantines concede the field of Sirmium to GentlemanRanker’s Hungarians with the score at 14 to 30.

The main part of this engagement was carried out in a single session over a Zoom call, which is a very pleasant way to play this wargame in the absence of a true server based multiplayer option. A couple of further turns were played using PBEM++, but by then the momentum had gone out of the game, and with the balance of advantage continuing to shift towards the Hungarians, Alan decided that discretion was the better part of valour. At that point, the Byzantines had nine disrupted and two fragmented units, as against two disrupted and one fragmented for the Hungarians, who had further flanks available.

The game started slowly, with the Alan carefully rearranging the Byzantine line to his liking. Szeckler cavalry and lights attempted an envelopment on the Hungarian right wing, but failed to get around, and were run down by the Byzantine lights and infantry, reinforced by Wallachian noble lancers.

On the Hungarian left, horse archers and Hungarian gentry cavalry faced off against Turcoman archers and Balkan lancers. Once the two lines finally closed, the additional presence of two units of Hungarian light archers and four units of Slav archers tipped the balance in the favour of the Hungarians, ensuring vital disruptions against the Byzantine cavalry.

In the centre a fearsome line of Byzantine knights and lancers advanced against a similar line of Hungarian knights and gentry cavalry. However, by stepping the line, and closing with the lancer wing before engaging the knights, it was possible for the more manoeuvrable gentry cavalry to set up a couple of flanks, one of which resulted in two routed units of knight, with a third unit fragmented, turning the tide of the battle. An interesting scenario and an enjoyable game, thank you Alan.

[KiwiWarlord]

ahuyton’s Byzantines concede the field of Sirmium to GentlemanRanker’s Hungarians with the score at 14 to 30.

Excellent work leading our Magyar Warriors to Victory over the dreaded Byzantines Gentleman of the Ranks.

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[GDod]

...the dreaded Byzantines...

I resemble that remark!

"For in the night, unseen, a single warrior, In sombre harness mailed, Dreaded of man, and surnamed the Destroyer, The rampart wall has scaled. He passed into the chamber of the sleeper, The dark and silent room, And as he entered, darker grew, and deeper, The silence and the gloom." - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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[GDod]

How's the battle going guys? Any news?

Kiwiwarlord v Lascar
PeterthePainter v Fybyyn

[PeterThePainter]

Clearly Fybyyn and I missed the memo about this being a speed chess event and are playing correspondence chess as in the days of stamps and postmen! To be fair Fybyyn has been otherwise engaged for the past week so we are only at Turn 9. Will the Hungarian centre collapse or are the Szekler cavalry going to do serious damage on the Byzantine left?

[GDod]

Hey, I like the way you two have arranged your lines into a smiley face.

[PeterThePainter]

Hey Gavin,

If I told you I had countered Fybyyn's crescent formation (eg Marathon 490 BC) with an inverted crescent formation (eg Cannae 216 BC), or was Fybyyn who countered my formation, either way you wouldn't believe me, so yes you are right we deliberately made smiley face on the battlefield. It's very difficult to do with all the evading horse archers by the way.

[KiwiWarlord]

How's the battle going guys? Any news?

Kiwiwarlord v Lascar

Move 17 of a very tough encounter, a battle that has gone to the four edges of the field with cavalry chasing each other all over.
Look to the top of the map against the Sava River, there is a Byzantine Knight unit trapped in a village.
The main battle line has been around and adjacent to the wagon. This was the centre of the Hungarian deployment line.
The Hungarians have a slight lead at the moment but are up against most of the Byzantine well armoured heavies.

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[GDod]

The emperor replies... We are optimistic that his imperial highness will continue to have a smiley face at the end of your respective actions, particularly since each of you would presumably wish to retain your own smiley face!

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[KiwiWarlord]

Hungarians retain their Smiley Face !

Battle of Sirmium Result : KiwiWarlord's Hungarians 28% Lascar's Byzantines 53%
Win for the Hungarians
Tough, hard fought battle. The Hungarians lost their Right Flank but were fortunate at times early on with the fighting in & around the woods on the Hungarian Left Flank They managed to gang up on the Byzantine troops, and with the wagon waving the Sacred Banner, inflict enough casualties for the Byzantines to surrender.

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[GDod]

Hungarians retain their Smiley Face !

Not so the messenger from the Byzantine force...While we await their general's arrival, he seems to be "unavailable", "busy elsewhere" and "on other urgent business"!

[PeterThePainter]

A brief missive from the front line just to let you know we stay alive (just). The light is fading but the fighting continues. Just played Turn 19 Hungarians 53% routed, Byzantines 50% routed. Fybyyn suggested our armies are like two boxers drawing breath for the final round. Maybe, but don't think of boxers in their prime I feel like a heavyweight who should have retired many fights ago struggling to keep up my guard let alone land a knock out punch. Gdod will note there are no more smiley faces.