Slitherine

It’s Digital League season, and once again I will be posting my recorded matches, this time in High Middle Ages Division A. Competition will be fierce; I normally lose about half of my League matches so it should be a good mix of triumph and tragedy. I am taking in:

SnuggleBunnies - Polish 1200-1319 AD with Baltic Tribes 1050-1283 AD allies

Against:

ConstantinIX - Mongol (Europe) 1223-1241 AD
Cunningcairn - Danish 1200-1319 AD with German (Imperial) 1200-1319 AD allies
harveylh - German (North/West) 1200-1319 AD with German (Imperial) 1200-1319 AD allies
ianiow - German (Imperial) 1200-1319 AD with Free Canton 1200-1319 AD allies
klayeckles - Irish 1131-1259 AD with Anglo Irish 1167-1274 AD allies
Nosy_Rat - Hungarian 1200-1319 AD with Tatar 1241-1339 AD allies
ruskicanuk - English 1066 AD
sunnyboy - Bohemian 1050-1154 AD
XLegione - Teutonic Order 1226-1319 AD with Polish 1200-1319 AD allies


Fell deeds awake: fire and slaughter!
spear shall be shaken, shield be splintered,
a sword-day, a red day, ere the sun rises!

Battles:

vs Nosy_Rat
https://youtu.be/oRZ0kLlJmgw
Polish 1200-1319 AD with Baltic Tribes 1050-1283 AD allies
vs
Hungarian 1200-1319 AD with Tatar 1241-1339 AD allies

vs XLegione
https://youtu.be/6h_dgH2iisg
Polish 1200-1319 AD with Baltic Tribes 1050-1283 AD allies
vs
Teutonic Order 1226-1319 with Polish 1200-1319 allies

vs ruskicanuk
https://youtu.be/_f9Z6exnX8E
Polish 1200-1319 AD with Baltic Tribes 1050-1283 AD allies
vs
English 1066

vs harveylh
https://youtu.be/S8mgOsFPeB0
Polish 1200-1319 AD with Baltic Tribes 1050-1283 AD allies
vs
German (North/West) 1200-1319 AD with German (Imperial) 1200-1319 AD allies (1200)

vs klayeckles
https://youtu.be/Y_dWU7Ck7wo
Polish 1200-1319 AD with Baltic Tribes 1050-1283 AD allies
vs
Irish 1131-1259 AD with Anglo Irish 1167-1274 AD allies

vs ianiow
https://youtu.be/A6shzUHUfvo
Polish 1200-1319 AD with Baltic Tribes 1050-1283 AD allies
vs
German (Imperial) 1200-1319 with Free Canton 1200-1319 allies

vs CONSTANTINIX
https://youtu.be/1-57zcjh71E
Polish 1200-1319 AD with Baltic Tribes 1050-1283 AD allies
vs
Mongol (Europe) 1223-1241 AD

vs Cunningcairn
https://youtu.be/re88CaQiCRA
Polish 1200-1319 AD with Baltic Tribes 1050-1283 AD allies
vs
Danes 1200-1319 with German (Imperial) 1200-1319 allies

vs sunnyboy
https://youtu.be/pfdyWXDIvjQ
Polish 1200-1319 AD with Baltic Tribes 1050-1283 AD allies
vs
Bohemian 1050-1154

New 3/1

vs Nosy_Rat
https://youtu.be/oRZ0kLlJmgw
Polish 1200-1319 AD with Baltic Tribes 1050-1283 AD allies
vs
Hungarian 1200-1319 AD with Tatar 1241-1339 AD allies

Having lost the last… I don’t even know how many matches I’d played against Nosy, I deployed, legs quaking and teeth chattering, in a strong defensive position anchored by a forest on the left and a river on the right. Spearmen, crossbowmen, and a screen of light infantry skirmishers held the front, while knightly and non-knightly cavalry waited in reserve. Undeterred by the strength of my position, Nosy responded with a ferocious head on assault, mounted archers on his right and massed archers spewing clouds of arrows on his left, followed by the thunder of his chivalry.

Great start for the season

Nosy_Rat wrote: ↑Thu Mar 04, 2021 5:09 pm Great start for the season :)

You are a gentleman. No doubt vengeance will be yours next season ;)

New 3/13

vs XLegione
https://youtu.be/6h_dgH2iisg
Polish 1200-1319 AD with Baltic Tribes 1050-1283 AD allies
vs
Teutonic Order 1226-1319 with Polish 1200-1319 allies

Apparently I have a reputation as someone who likes his skirmishers, but here I decided to invest minimally in missile troops and go all in on melee heavy hitters. The results were… mixed. XLegione and I both attacked the other’s right wing in an all out bloodbath, knights and impact foot vs knights, crossbowmen, and spearmen…

New 3/15

vs ruskicanuk
https://youtu.be/_f9Z6exnX8E
Polish 1200-1319 AD with Baltic Tribes 1050-1283 AD allies
vs
English 1066

I meet ruskicanuk’s English on a battlefield dotted with rough ground and slopes, hemmed in between a mountain and a river. I bring knights, impact foot, and a swarm of infantry skirmishers. Ruski brings a massive horde of spearmen, backed by a few mounted huscarls and a decent complement of skirmishers. Do I get bogged down and stabbed to death, or charge my way to victory?

New 3/17

vs harveylh
https://youtu.be/S8mgOsFPeB0
Polish 1200-1319 AD with Baltic Tribes 1050-1283 AD allies
vs
German (North/West) 1200-1319 AD with German (Imperial) 1200-1319 AD allies (1200)

I repulse harvey’s initial probing attack and we settle in on our respective hills for some light skirmishing. Eventually, we both face up to the unpalatable fact that neither of us will attack the other, and agree to a draw. Following this, I launch an assault ‘for science’ – do I have good or just cowardly instincts?

New 3/18

vs klayeckles
https://youtu.be/Y_dWU7Ck7wo
Polish 1200-1319 AD with Baltic Tribes 1050-1283 AD allies
vs
Irish 1131-1259 AD with Anglo Irish 1167-1274 AD allies

My units are hard hitting… but klayeckles has more, and his infantry are Maneuverable. What follows is a lesson in how to use that maneuverability in conjunction with terrain to outwit a slower opponent.

New 3/21

vs ianiow
https://youtu.be/A6shzUHUfvo
Polish 1200-1319 AD with Baltic Tribes 1050-1283 AD allies
vs
German (Imperial) 1200-1319 with Free Canton 1200-1319 allies

Some light maneuvering is followed by a straightforward battle in the open in which my knights actually seem worth their points cost.

New 3/23

vs CONSTANTINIX
https://youtu.be/1-57zcjh71E
Polish 1200-1319 AD with Baltic Tribes 1050-1283 AD allies
vs
Mongol (Europe) 1223-1241 AD

A ferocious multi staged struggle; first a battle on two fronts, and then a furious race against time that comes down to the very last turn!

New 3/25

vs Cunningcairn
https://youtu.be/re88CaQiCRA
Polish 1200-1319 AD with Baltic Tribes 1050-1283 AD allies
vs
Danes 1200-1319 with German (Imperial) 1200-1319 allies

The Danes fielded a more traditional force of heavy infantry, knights, and crossbowmen, while the Poles took the field with many Baltic warriors and archers. My plan was to hold with the left and center while swinging around hard on the right to hit Cunningcairn’s more compact formation. Unfortunately my left and center had other plans…

Final 4/1

vs sunnyboy
https://youtu.be/pfdyWXDIvjQ
Polish 1200-1319 AD with Baltic Tribes 1050-1283 AD allies
vs
Bohemian 1050-1154

sunnyboy's wall of Dismounted Knights and Sergeants push uphill and slaughter all opposition, while my cavalry break through on both flanks. Mass casualties ensue for both sides...

And that's it for the season. I won 7 games, drew 1, and lost 1. That's the best I have ever done, though it was still only third place out of the ten players in the division due to the number of matches I won while suffering over 50% casualties. That's alright though, those close matches are the most enjoyable anyway. Thanks as always to stockwellpete for organizing, a special shoutout to klayeckles for my only defeat and his ruthless dismantling of my army, and hopefully by the time next season begins we will have the armies of Iberia, North Africa and Italy to play with.