Re: ExCoB II - The Prophecy of Merlin: Ongoing
Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2023 9:23 am
Army 27 of The West - Karvon defeated Army 19 of The South - RedPossum 41-0.
The armies met on a broad plain with a rather large gentle plateau running along the Southern armies side culminating in a large steep hill. Bits of rough ground and a few trees were scattered across the plateau. A large forest lay behind the steep hill, masking off the South's left flank. A smaller woods lay behind their ridge in about the center. Another small woods covered the far right corner of the Southern side. In about the center of the field offset a little to the left was a small marsh and just to the left of it was a rather large patch of rough ground. They were to play the key part of my plan and the battle.
Given we had a rather larger force and had beaten the Southern army twice already, we fully expected them to stake out a strong defensive position somewhere along the plateau to await our initial advance and then perhaps counterattack if we presented an opening. We brought an almost maximum contingent of lights we could use to soften up a point or two for a follow up assault. With several significant areas of rough or difficult ground to possibly deal with, we brought along a sizeable contingent of medium foot and a matching sized contingent of warbands for work in the open ground. We brought along a few cavalry to support our lights and small division of lancers as our reserve.
As we weren't sure exactly where on the plateau, the Southerns would choose to concentrate, we deployed a little off center to the left initially. Our lights were deployed in a line across the center with infantry in the center and horse in equal number on both wings. A couple of cavalry deployed on each wing to support the lights. Our medium foot deployed opposite the large rough patch and marsh with the warbands to the left. Our lancers formed up to the right and rear of the medium foot as our mobile reserve. Our initial plan was to aggressively advance our lights supported by cavalry to deal with his lights and horse. Our mediums would advance to seize the rough ground and marsh in the center. Our warbands would advance a bit short of the rough ground which would allow for shifting to the right behind that area, should they be better utilized on the right. Our lancers would hold in reserve till we got a better idea of the enemy's deployment and intentions.
The Southerns deployed offset to the right in and behind the plateau, but contrary to my expectations, they advanced quite aggressively all along the front in reaction to our opening probes with our light screen. In response, we held our warbands back on the left while advancing our medium foot into the rough and marsh and deploying to defend and threaten. A couple of cavalry on their right launched a series of charges driving my horse archers back, but we quickly enveloped them and shot them both up with our light foot and horse. The bulk of their horse emerged on their left, a cataphract, a lancer and 3 cavalry. Like on our left, our lights manage to shoot up and distract one or two, then we moved up our cavalry and lancers to counter them with support of one of our medium foot on the flank from the marsh. We flanked and dispatched a couple and slowly begin grinding down the others in a protracted melee.
The main infantry clash occurred along the edge of the rough patch and the open plains to the left. His infantry got a little spread out chasing off our lights initially and did not really slow down to regroup. A lone medium foot attacked into the middle of my line in the marsh with a legion covering it's right which tried to crush a light jav holding the marsh flank on our left. A couple of leading warbands crashed into our waiting line further on and a surviving cavalry tried to run down one warband covering the left flank. He lost a general in that fighting and I think that disrupted a unit or two. We pushed a couple of our medium foot out of the marsh and flanked the embattled Southern foot in several places. We moved up reserve warbands to flank on our left. Our light horse on our left took some flank shots at his engaged foot and added to their growing disorder. Several of his foot broke due to the flanking. We used most of our light horse to chase broken units till they dispersed or were beyond rally strength. The accumulated losses led to the collapse of the Southern army.
The armies met on a broad plain with a rather large gentle plateau running along the Southern armies side culminating in a large steep hill. Bits of rough ground and a few trees were scattered across the plateau. A large forest lay behind the steep hill, masking off the South's left flank. A smaller woods lay behind their ridge in about the center. Another small woods covered the far right corner of the Southern side. In about the center of the field offset a little to the left was a small marsh and just to the left of it was a rather large patch of rough ground. They were to play the key part of my plan and the battle.
Given we had a rather larger force and had beaten the Southern army twice already, we fully expected them to stake out a strong defensive position somewhere along the plateau to await our initial advance and then perhaps counterattack if we presented an opening. We brought an almost maximum contingent of lights we could use to soften up a point or two for a follow up assault. With several significant areas of rough or difficult ground to possibly deal with, we brought along a sizeable contingent of medium foot and a matching sized contingent of warbands for work in the open ground. We brought along a few cavalry to support our lights and small division of lancers as our reserve.
As we weren't sure exactly where on the plateau, the Southerns would choose to concentrate, we deployed a little off center to the left initially. Our lights were deployed in a line across the center with infantry in the center and horse in equal number on both wings. A couple of cavalry deployed on each wing to support the lights. Our medium foot deployed opposite the large rough patch and marsh with the warbands to the left. Our lancers formed up to the right and rear of the medium foot as our mobile reserve. Our initial plan was to aggressively advance our lights supported by cavalry to deal with his lights and horse. Our mediums would advance to seize the rough ground and marsh in the center. Our warbands would advance a bit short of the rough ground which would allow for shifting to the right behind that area, should they be better utilized on the right. Our lancers would hold in reserve till we got a better idea of the enemy's deployment and intentions.
The Southerns deployed offset to the right in and behind the plateau, but contrary to my expectations, they advanced quite aggressively all along the front in reaction to our opening probes with our light screen. In response, we held our warbands back on the left while advancing our medium foot into the rough and marsh and deploying to defend and threaten. A couple of cavalry on their right launched a series of charges driving my horse archers back, but we quickly enveloped them and shot them both up with our light foot and horse. The bulk of their horse emerged on their left, a cataphract, a lancer and 3 cavalry. Like on our left, our lights manage to shoot up and distract one or two, then we moved up our cavalry and lancers to counter them with support of one of our medium foot on the flank from the marsh. We flanked and dispatched a couple and slowly begin grinding down the others in a protracted melee.
The main infantry clash occurred along the edge of the rough patch and the open plains to the left. His infantry got a little spread out chasing off our lights initially and did not really slow down to regroup. A lone medium foot attacked into the middle of my line in the marsh with a legion covering it's right which tried to crush a light jav holding the marsh flank on our left. A couple of leading warbands crashed into our waiting line further on and a surviving cavalry tried to run down one warband covering the left flank. He lost a general in that fighting and I think that disrupted a unit or two. We pushed a couple of our medium foot out of the marsh and flanked the embattled Southern foot in several places. We moved up reserve warbands to flank on our left. Our light horse on our left took some flank shots at his engaged foot and added to their growing disorder. Several of his foot broke due to the flanking. We used most of our light horse to chase broken units till they dispersed or were beyond rally strength. The accumulated losses led to the collapse of the Southern army.
