600pt King Baldwin's demise in Serbia
Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2008 8:30 am
No photos in this one, the prose should paint a picture for you all.
Just recently received our Sword and Scimmitar books. My mate is a big fan of Crusaders so went early Crusaders and me, being of Balkan stock, went with the middle period Serbs.
Had my game with the Serbs for the first time used in over 15 years and they snatched a victory from the jaws of defeat. It was almost another Kosovo (1389) with the Serbs poised to loose but in the end the tables were turned on the Crusaders. What I love about this game is how it can dramatically swing an outcome.
Anyway the way we lined up.
Serbs
Field Commander
Tactical Commander
Tactical Commander
Serbian Noble Cavalry
Serbian Noble Cavalry
Serbian Noble Cavalry
Cuman cavalry archers
Cuman cavalry archers
Serbian spearmen
Serbian Archers Medium Foot
Serbian Archers Medium Foot
Serbian Archers Light Foot
Serbian Archers Light Foot
Serbian Archers Light Foot (Poor quality but a battle group of 8 bases)
Crusaders
Inspired Commander (King Baldwin)
Tactical Commander
Tactical Commander
Knights
Knights
Cavalry archers
Crossbow Medium Foot
Archers Medium Foot
Spearmen
Spearmen
Spearmen
I made a huge mistake in deployment by having a noble cavalry all alone on the far right flank. The rest of my cavalry were on the left flank with the archers all aligned in the middle with spearmen in support. Most of the terrain ended up in my opponents half. He also stuffed up by putting a steep hill which ended up almost in the middle of the battlefield. He thought his medium foot wouldn't get affected but they do. All his knights and cavalry were on my left and his spearmen were behind the steep hill.
The terrain worked to my advantage as he had to split his infantry and try and go around the steep hill. He moved his crossbow on the hill but they became disordered so they shot with less dice. On my left his cavalry was moving forward but he had trouble getting them through as he had the steep hill to his left, a forest behind and a brush to his right, My half of the field was all clear.
The Serb archers, in battle line with the spearmen and a TC, moved forward to go for the crossbow and the spearmen in column trying to get around the hill. The lone noble cavalry I was trying to move from the far right to the far left. The cavalry on my left moved forward with the Cumans in front to screen against his archer cavalry.
After about two turns of movement it all started. Cumans engaged his cavalry archers in a shootout, it didn't go my way. Didn't loose any bases but he disrupted me while he remained steady. His first knights were able to get out and he spread them in one straight line. I had one Noble Cavalry spread out and the other in battle line of 2 across and 2 deep and we charged his Knights with Baldwin at the front, fighting us. The impact phase was atrocious, I lost out to him and one battle group (BG) went disrupted.
In the middle it was another story, the Serbs showed the three finger salute before they unleashed a hail of arrows. I had so many archers some couldn't even shoot. Two BG's shot at the crossbow on the hill and my big BG of poor quality shot at the spearmen trying to come around the hill. The crossbow, with less dice to roll, shooting back did nothing to me but my bow devastated him. He went disrupted and was already disordered from being on the steep hill. The spearmen also went disrupted. He was panicking big time and was trying hard to move his generals around to try and get the cohesion back.
The noble cavalry from the far right was still riding hard to get across to the left. The noble cavalry fighting his knights started to turn the table and he lost a base, but I also lost one as well as I rolled a bloody 1 on my death roll. The Cumans trying to protect the left flank got charged by his archer cavalry and lost out big time. The first rout of the game. He had his other spear come around the hill and charge my other Cumans that were protecting the right wing of the noble cavalry. We had to run away and the spear started to get around my cavalry's right flank.
Then his other knights came through and joined the cavalry battle. Things went from bad to worse. I couldn't roll to save my life. With Baldwin in the front he was re-rolling his 1's and 2's and I lost another cavalry base which made one Noble cavalry go Fragmented, one away from rout.
In the middle things went from bad to worse for my opponent. The crossbow had had enough and routed after I shot at them again. The spear coming around the hill also routed and his bow routed after I brought in the Serbian medium foot archers to shoot. The light foot archers took the hill and turned left to help the crumbling wing as there was only one noble cavalry and Cumans there. He only had one spear BG left in the middle and charged my other medium foot archers. This is where I stuffed up, thought they could evade as all they had were bow but couldn't do that cause they are medium foot. So they hit but he rolled so badly that I won the impact and he went disrupted. That went to my favour as in the melee phase we were more even but it became a slog fest.
My third noble cavalry finally got across the far left but had to charge the spear column that he had tried to get around my other cavalry flank. To help the other two cavalry units I had the archers charge the flank of his knights (later we learned that they couldnt do that). Did jack all anyway. The knights turned and slaughtered the poor archers. He charged my other Cumans with his light horse and they were about to rout as well. The nobles against the spearmen were not doing much, just holding their own. The other two nobles against his two knights got even worse. The one that was holding his own started to crumble cohesion and went disrupted. The one that was already fragmented just gave up and routed (just did not have enough dice rolls against his). BUT THEN, as if a blessing from god, I rolled to kill Baldwin.
So as the Serbs broke, one refused and in his final death charge ran at Baldwin and skewered him. I rolled a 12. MIRACLE!!! Now everyone that saw that has to roll cohesion. His two knights, the spear and the Cumans. They all lost and went down in cohesion. That one roll of 12 just changed the whole complexion of the game. He had me on the wing and it was a matter of time. As he had three BG's already routed and the others now went fragmented he had amassed more points in losses than BG's that he has and it became an automatic victory.
It went for over three hours but you should have seen me cheering when I rolled that 12 and my opponent almost crying with despair. LOL.
My biggest mistake was having the one noble cavalry on the far right all alone which did jack all. Lesson learned, have them all stick together. If I had three to start off on the same flank I would have been able to flank him and hit his knights from the side with one while the other two came from the front and it would have been a different story. Anyway, I was so sure that I had lost that one but pulled of a stunning victory. Like I said, this game is so much enjoyable as the dice rolls really swing things and you can feel that in the game. Its about strategy and luck which is a great combination.
Just recently received our Sword and Scimmitar books. My mate is a big fan of Crusaders so went early Crusaders and me, being of Balkan stock, went with the middle period Serbs.
Had my game with the Serbs for the first time used in over 15 years and they snatched a victory from the jaws of defeat. It was almost another Kosovo (1389) with the Serbs poised to loose but in the end the tables were turned on the Crusaders. What I love about this game is how it can dramatically swing an outcome.
Anyway the way we lined up.
Serbs
Field Commander
Tactical Commander
Tactical Commander
Serbian Noble Cavalry
Serbian Noble Cavalry
Serbian Noble Cavalry
Cuman cavalry archers
Cuman cavalry archers
Serbian spearmen
Serbian Archers Medium Foot
Serbian Archers Medium Foot
Serbian Archers Light Foot
Serbian Archers Light Foot
Serbian Archers Light Foot (Poor quality but a battle group of 8 bases)
Crusaders
Inspired Commander (King Baldwin)
Tactical Commander
Tactical Commander
Knights
Knights
Cavalry archers
Crossbow Medium Foot
Archers Medium Foot
Spearmen
Spearmen
Spearmen
I made a huge mistake in deployment by having a noble cavalry all alone on the far right flank. The rest of my cavalry were on the left flank with the archers all aligned in the middle with spearmen in support. Most of the terrain ended up in my opponents half. He also stuffed up by putting a steep hill which ended up almost in the middle of the battlefield. He thought his medium foot wouldn't get affected but they do. All his knights and cavalry were on my left and his spearmen were behind the steep hill.
The terrain worked to my advantage as he had to split his infantry and try and go around the steep hill. He moved his crossbow on the hill but they became disordered so they shot with less dice. On my left his cavalry was moving forward but he had trouble getting them through as he had the steep hill to his left, a forest behind and a brush to his right, My half of the field was all clear.
The Serb archers, in battle line with the spearmen and a TC, moved forward to go for the crossbow and the spearmen in column trying to get around the hill. The lone noble cavalry I was trying to move from the far right to the far left. The cavalry on my left moved forward with the Cumans in front to screen against his archer cavalry.
After about two turns of movement it all started. Cumans engaged his cavalry archers in a shootout, it didn't go my way. Didn't loose any bases but he disrupted me while he remained steady. His first knights were able to get out and he spread them in one straight line. I had one Noble Cavalry spread out and the other in battle line of 2 across and 2 deep and we charged his Knights with Baldwin at the front, fighting us. The impact phase was atrocious, I lost out to him and one battle group (BG) went disrupted.
In the middle it was another story, the Serbs showed the three finger salute before they unleashed a hail of arrows. I had so many archers some couldn't even shoot. Two BG's shot at the crossbow on the hill and my big BG of poor quality shot at the spearmen trying to come around the hill. The crossbow, with less dice to roll, shooting back did nothing to me but my bow devastated him. He went disrupted and was already disordered from being on the steep hill. The spearmen also went disrupted. He was panicking big time and was trying hard to move his generals around to try and get the cohesion back.
The noble cavalry from the far right was still riding hard to get across to the left. The noble cavalry fighting his knights started to turn the table and he lost a base, but I also lost one as well as I rolled a bloody 1 on my death roll. The Cumans trying to protect the left flank got charged by his archer cavalry and lost out big time. The first rout of the game. He had his other spear come around the hill and charge my other Cumans that were protecting the right wing of the noble cavalry. We had to run away and the spear started to get around my cavalry's right flank.
Then his other knights came through and joined the cavalry battle. Things went from bad to worse. I couldn't roll to save my life. With Baldwin in the front he was re-rolling his 1's and 2's and I lost another cavalry base which made one Noble cavalry go Fragmented, one away from rout.
In the middle things went from bad to worse for my opponent. The crossbow had had enough and routed after I shot at them again. The spear coming around the hill also routed and his bow routed after I brought in the Serbian medium foot archers to shoot. The light foot archers took the hill and turned left to help the crumbling wing as there was only one noble cavalry and Cumans there. He only had one spear BG left in the middle and charged my other medium foot archers. This is where I stuffed up, thought they could evade as all they had were bow but couldn't do that cause they are medium foot. So they hit but he rolled so badly that I won the impact and he went disrupted. That went to my favour as in the melee phase we were more even but it became a slog fest.
My third noble cavalry finally got across the far left but had to charge the spear column that he had tried to get around my other cavalry flank. To help the other two cavalry units I had the archers charge the flank of his knights (later we learned that they couldnt do that). Did jack all anyway. The knights turned and slaughtered the poor archers. He charged my other Cumans with his light horse and they were about to rout as well. The nobles against the spearmen were not doing much, just holding their own. The other two nobles against his two knights got even worse. The one that was holding his own started to crumble cohesion and went disrupted. The one that was already fragmented just gave up and routed (just did not have enough dice rolls against his). BUT THEN, as if a blessing from god, I rolled to kill Baldwin.
So as the Serbs broke, one refused and in his final death charge ran at Baldwin and skewered him. I rolled a 12. MIRACLE!!! Now everyone that saw that has to roll cohesion. His two knights, the spear and the Cumans. They all lost and went down in cohesion. That one roll of 12 just changed the whole complexion of the game. He had me on the wing and it was a matter of time. As he had three BG's already routed and the others now went fragmented he had amassed more points in losses than BG's that he has and it became an automatic victory.
It went for over three hours but you should have seen me cheering when I rolled that 12 and my opponent almost crying with despair. LOL.
My biggest mistake was having the one noble cavalry on the far right all alone which did jack all. Lesson learned, have them all stick together. If I had three to start off on the same flank I would have been able to flank him and hit his knights from the side with one while the other two came from the front and it would have been a different story. Anyway, I was so sure that I had lost that one but pulled of a stunning victory. Like I said, this game is so much enjoyable as the dice rolls really swing things and you can feel that in the game. Its about strategy and luck which is a great combination.
