Slitherine

We're off again, for Season 11. Ancients matches for this season can be found at: viewtopic.php?f=493&t=106079&p=930094#p930094 . This time in High Middle Ages Division A:

SnuggleBunnies - Papal 1050-1154 AD with Byzantine 1050-1071 AD allies

vs

ConstantinIX - Berber (Almohad) 1121-1269 AD
Cunningcairn - Aragonese 1200-1274 AD with Castilian/Leonese 1200-1319 allies
ericdoman1 - Irish 1131-1259 AD and Norwegian 1050-1154 AD allies
harveylh - Berber (Murabit) 1087-1147 AD
ianiow - Tuareg 950-1500 AD
Nosy_Rat - Andalusian 1228-1248 AD
oscarius - Kingdom of Sicily 1200-1266 AD
tyronec - Italian (Ghibelline) 1200-1319 AD + Kingdom of Sicily 1200-1266 AD
XLegione - Italo-Norman 1072-1154 AD

Battles

vs ericdoman1
https://youtu.be/3HFWEXwMntI
Papal 1050-1154 AD with Byzantine 1050-1071 AD allies
vs
Irish 1131-1259 AD and Norwegian 1050-1154 AD allies

vs oscarius
https://youtu.be/0VMYGesLzJg
Papal 1050-1154 AD with Byzantine 1050-1071 AD allies
vs
Sicilian 1200-1266

vs Nosy_Rat
https://youtu.be/4Wg_V6bOknw
Papal 1050-1154 with Byzantine (Italy) 1050-1071 allies
vs
Andalusian 1228-1248

vs Cunningcairn
https://youtu.be/hetZCaZLMbE
Papal 1050-1154 with Byzantine (Italy) 1050-1071 allies
vs
Aragonese 1200-1274 with Castilian/Leonese 1200-1319 allies

vs XLegione
https://youtu.be/bWXLZkP1R2k
Papal 1050-1154 with Byzantine (Italy) 1050-1071 allies
vs
Italo-Norman 1072-1154

vs ianiow
https://youtu.be/CUAS3Bq13P8
Papal 1050-1154 with Byzantine (Italy) 1050-1071 allies
vs
Tuareg 950-1500

vs tyronec
https://youtu.be/Y0INtCCuWos
Papal 1050-1154 with Byzantine (Italy) 1050-1071 allies
vs
Italian (Ghibellene) 1200-1319 with Sicilian 1200-1266 allies

vs harveylh
https://youtu.be/6fNd-MNJ9-k
Papal 1050-1154 with Byzantine (Italy) 1050-1071 allies
vs
Berber (Murabit) 1087-1147

vs ConstantinIX
https://youtu.be/8N4UJ7v8e2I
Papal 1050-1154 with Byzantine (Italy) 1050-1071 allies
vs
Berber (Almohad) 1121-1269

New 6/9

vs ericdoman1
https://youtu.be/3HFWEXwMntI
Papal 1050-1154 AD with Byzantine 1050-1071 AD allies
vs
Irish 1131-1259 AD and Norwegian 1050-1154 AD allies

Eric deploys his horde of medium foot and skirmishers backed up by light spear cavalry, and rapidly pushes into contact. My outnumbered but individually hard hitting Byzantine units camp out on two hills, with cavalry on the wings. In retrospect, I sure wish I had brought some Klibanophoroi...

New 6/10

vs oscarius
https://youtu.be/0VMYGesLzJg
Papal 1050-1154 AD with Byzantine 1050-1071 AD allies
vs
Sicilian 1200-1266

oscarius deploys large numbers of Late Knights; I anchor my flank on a large hill and wait for him to advance into the plain before sending my mobs of light infantry backed by a hodgepodge battle line of Skoutatoi & Archers, Spearmen, Lancers, Klibanophoroi, and my 2 units of Early Knights.

New 6/18

vs Nosy_Rat
https://youtu.be/4Wg_V6bOknw
Papal 1050-1154 with Byzantine (Italy) 1050-1071 allies
vs
Andalusian 1228-1248

Nosy Rat schools me in the mind bending game of 4D Chess that is force selection. Seeing the threat of his mobs of light spear cavalry and ranged, I deploy accordingly. The day of battle revealed... a line of spearmen. Oh no!

New 6/21

vs Cunningcairn
https://youtu.be/hetZCaZLMbE
Papal 1050-1154 with Byzantine (Italy) 1050-1071 allies
vs
Aragonese 1200-1274 with Castilian/Leonese 1200-1319 allies

Cunningcairn makes strong progress in the early game with err cunning deployment of his crossbowmen shooting over a small rise, and the fearsome charge of his knights. My army was mostly composed of not very impressive infantry, but the Varangian Guard, despite Disrupting on contact with Cunning's Almughavars, heroically hold their ground and slog their way through the melee, while my Skoutatoi & Archers paired up with Light Crossbowmen to mow down the knights as they got isolated.

New 7/5

vs XLegione
https://youtu.be/bWXLZkP1R2k
Papal 1050-1154 with Byzantine (Italy) 1050-1071 allies
vs
Italo-Norman 1072-1154

The Normans occupied a strong defensive position, anchored on the left by a forest filled with archers, and on the right with... a forest filled with archers. Naturally the solution to taking on such a position is a head on assault.

New 7/13

vs ianiow
https://youtu.be/CUAS3Bq13P8
Papal 1050-1154 with Byzantine (Italy) 1050-1071 allies
vs
Tuareg 950-1500

Camels camels camels camels camels camels camels camels

New 7/15

vs tyronec
https://youtu.be/Y0INtCCuWos
Papal 1050-1154 with Byzantine (Italy) 1050-1071 allies
vs
Italian (Ghibellene) 1200-1319 with Sicilian 1200-1266 allies

A long game of maneuver before a sharp clash along the whole line. Initially, I intended to defend a weak left wing and attack with my right into open ground. tyronec however declined, withdrew his left onto high ground, and pushed forward with his right towards rough ground. This worried me given my total lack of Medium Foot, but I threw my crossbowmen and light infantry into the fray while heavier reinforcements rushed over from the center and right. Pavisiers and Crossbowmen proved vulnerable to my infantry heavy main line; they would have proved very dangerous had I invested more points into cavalry.

New 7/16

vs harveylh
https://youtu.be/6fNd-MNJ9-k
Papal 1050-1154 with Byzantine (Italy) 1050-1071 allies
vs
Berber (Murabit) 1087-1147

harvey brilliantly demonstrates how to lure an opponent out of a strong defensive position. Remember - if you're camping against someone as wily as harvey, stand your ground!

New 7/26

vs ConstantinIX
https://youtu.be/8N4UJ7v8e2I
Papal 1050-1154 with Byzantine (Italy) 1050-1071 allies
vs
Berber (Almohad) 1121-1269

Having learned my lesson about fighting Berber armies in the open against harvey, I declined battle. It may not have been glorious, but at least we got to take a sunny walk along the beach!

That concludes Season 11 High Middle Ages. I went 6W-1D-2L . Not bad. The Papal army struck me as a little bit more on the "fun" than the "good" side overall. On the bright side, its skirmishers are ok (though lots of light crossbowmen is better for shooting knights than winning the skirmish phase), it gets a few light cavalry, some cheaper non-knightly cavalry. The Skoutatoi/Archers are good support troops. It gets access to a couple units of hard hitting elite troops in the form of Varangians and Klibanophoroi.

On the down side... it has NO Medium Foot. It can only get 3 units of Superior infantry, and together those 3 cost a whopping 225pts! So it certainly isn't a terrible army, but it is small and expensive and lacks any ability to operate effectively in Rough going. Of course I knew this going in and chose it anyway, silly me. I'd like to think I'll pick something more efficient for Season 12, but I suspect I'll just pick something that looks shiny and is part of Swords & Scimitars!

GG to all my opponents, an easy going gentlemanly scholarly lot as usual.