Dave had 3 FCs – 2 of which were allies, 1 Tibetan and 1 Steppe Nomad, 2 x 4 Sup Armd Cav Bw Sw, 2 x 4 Avg Unpro Bw Sd – (the Nomads), 1 x 6 LF Bow, 2 x 4 Avg Cats, 1 x 4 Sup Cats, 3 x 4 Sup HF & 1 x 6 Avg HF – all the HF were OffSp, Bow Star and the Cats also had Bow star. So 12 BGs breaking on 12.
Dave won the initiative and chose Agricultural. We had a smattering of terrain but on reflection I should have gone for more Rough rather than Uneven. Faced with all those spears and expecting the Cats to dismount my Knights once again got off their horses. 1 of the Cats remained mounted.
English deployment
Tibetan deployment
Extreme Right Flank – 2 x Nomad plus FC
This was a really enjoyable game which ebbed and flowed. On paper the English looked the stronger army. The HF billmen are an even match for the Heavily armoured OffSp and the LB should shoot the Nomads to pieces.
I advanced my LF to slow / draw out the enemy HF but forgot about those pesky Bow Star. They chuck out a lot of firepower! Becoming disrupted the Irish LF decided to bug out.
Things started well with one of the Average Nomads shot down quickly. The LB then focused on the other Avg Nomad cav which proved a little more resilient – check out these dice.
But with no general or rear support we’d get them eventually. Dave had left one of his HF in a single rank and this too looked like a promising target.
So at this point I’m 3 enemy BGs up without having lost any of my own and complacency set in. I should have manoeuvred my Billmen better but they ended up facing a Sup BG of Nomads. The other surviving Sup Nomads rode away to threaten my camp. And on my right 2 BGs of HA Of Sp plunged into the terrain to take on 2 BGs of LB. My shooting was ineffective and I would lose both BGs.
Back in the centre the remaining mounted Cats charged into my dismounted Knights supported by a BG of foot. That was another BG gone.
And then 2 more of these seemingly indestructible HF went into my remaining HF BG and a LB BG.
The LB held up well but the HF collapsed exposing the MF XB in rear support. The LB would eventually break their opponents - the highlight being five hits out of 6 dice needing 5’s or 6’s but it was too little too late.
Snake eyes on my right destroyed my right flank.
That just left the centre. Those pesky nomads managed to stay out of trouble despite having 3 of my BGs trying to pin them down. I think they ended up Fragmented. The decisive moment was a Cat charge into my HF billmen which swept them away.
End result was the loss of my army but I at least had the consolation prize of having taken down 9 of Dave’s 12 so my score wasn’t too embarrassing.