SOA battle day
Posted: Wed Sep 26, 2007 5:07 pm
The authors were at the SOA battle day on Sunday last week at Franborough and put on an FOG game of the battle of Manzikert. 6 helpers played 3 on each side and the armies were roughly 1700 pts a side on a 7 1/2 ft x 6 ft table.
The battle was played assuming the Byzantines had been more aware of the turkish threat and played as a stand up battle with the excpetion of the reserve under Andronicus Ducas being treated as a flank march at the Byzantine rear (i.e. having to roll for when it came into play).
It in fact arrived early but this didn't stop half the reserve being routed and Ducas himself being killed in action by Seljuk nobles. The Byzantine centre took the turkish camp as it did in the acutal battle and the varagians span off to assist on each flank - and tough as old boots they proved.
On the Byzantine right the best of the byzantine cavalry earned a well fought victory over the turks with their kurdish auxiliaries - a full 10 BG of mounted troops engaged in one huge tussle.
On the Byzantine left the turks recovered from several setback and 3 excelptional charges by a battle group of Seljuk nobles (the killers of ducas)resulted in the Turks winning this flank.
An excellent 5 hour game with the Byzatines reversing history with a marginal vistory. At the end of play the turks had lost 16/21 and the byzantines 11/20. A moderate vistory for the byzantines. As umpire/oprganiser I think another hour would have seen the turkish army broken (nay I hear those turkish players say
)
A fuller report will be coming soon and the DVD of the game is being worked on at present (I'm serious!).
Thanks to all who took part and the people who came along to watch and chat. A great day. I expect we will be back next year to do another refight.
Si
The battle was played assuming the Byzantines had been more aware of the turkish threat and played as a stand up battle with the excpetion of the reserve under Andronicus Ducas being treated as a flank march at the Byzantine rear (i.e. having to roll for when it came into play).
It in fact arrived early but this didn't stop half the reserve being routed and Ducas himself being killed in action by Seljuk nobles. The Byzantine centre took the turkish camp as it did in the acutal battle and the varagians span off to assist on each flank - and tough as old boots they proved.
On the Byzantine right the best of the byzantine cavalry earned a well fought victory over the turks with their kurdish auxiliaries - a full 10 BG of mounted troops engaged in one huge tussle.
On the Byzantine left the turks recovered from several setback and 3 excelptional charges by a battle group of Seljuk nobles (the killers of ducas)resulted in the Turks winning this flank.
An excellent 5 hour game with the Byzatines reversing history with a marginal vistory. At the end of play the turks had lost 16/21 and the byzantines 11/20. A moderate vistory for the byzantines. As umpire/oprganiser I think another hour would have seen the turkish army broken (nay I hear those turkish players say
)A fuller report will be coming soon and the DVD of the game is being worked on at present (I'm serious!).
Thanks to all who took part and the people who came along to watch and chat. A great day. I expect we will be back next year to do another refight.
Si