Post by diades on Nov 29, 2020 11:27:09 GMT
I, King Constantine, have gathered my allies. Athelstan will be defeated. I will teach him that there are consequences to having the cheek to march his army through my lands.
I have marked the battlefield boundary here on the Wirral at Brunanburh and waited. Now he arrives. My shield wall is anchored on its right against an ancient fort (edifice), its front right shielded by javelinmen (Ps), then a row of double ranked spearmen(3Pk). On its left and stepped behind I stand, King Constantine of Alba, with my thegns (4Wb) backed by Galwegians (3Wb), who in turn are supported on their left by light horse(LH).
The English have set their shield wall between boggy ground and a large gentle hill. The boggy ground is ahead of my right and the hill between the two armies to my left. Archers(Ps) occupy the bog, with a row of select fyrd spearmen (Sp) to their right and then the great fyrd (7Hd) behind the hill. Athelstan and his hird (4Bd) are lined up a distance behind his right flank. Two more units of select fyrd face to the right towards the waterway.
My allies, led by King Olaf of Ireland, appear in a line with its centre on the waterway, as close to the hill as it can. Hird (4Bd) on the left, Olaf and his huscarls (4Bd) on the right and berserkers (3Wb) in the centre.
Both armies move tentatively at first. The enemy great fyrd take the hill and the select fyrd awaiting Olaf’s landing wheel forward, whilst my line advances steadily.
Olaf advances onto the slope’s lower reaches and his men start to goad the enemy. Athelstan sends a unit of hird to support his right wing, which continues to advance to counter the threat posed by Olaf. My plan is working, Olaf has distracted a disproportionate amount of the English army, allowing me to redress my line fully in double ranks ready to charge, with little fear of being outflanked. My line shuffles, I bring much of my spearmen to the left by the hill, whilst I move further right. Challenges continue to be issued, shields continue to be beaten...
Athelstan orders a unit of his great fyrd on the hill crest to turn their flank to Olaf, but threatening the flank of my left most spearmen. This is too much for Olaf. He unleashes his berserkers up the hill and moves towards the other unit’s exposed flank in support, whilst I send my light horse left to help Olaf’s hird keep the English right in check. The berserkers destroy the great fyrd and charge on over the hill.
The English right engage the light horse and Olaf’s hird. The light horse recoil, whilst the hird are destroyed. In the meantime, my right has advanced and the shield walls clash in a riot of noise. Whilst I easily destroy the English in front of me and push through to punch a hole in the enemy line, my spearmen to my left are pushed back as are the javelinmen in the boggy ground to my right. Further right a single unit of my spearmen cause the enemy archers to flee.
Athelstan commits his reserves. More hird block my advance, his archers return to face my spear in the bog, whilst Athelstan moves onto the hill to further threaten the left of my main line.
Meanwhile the Irish berserkers charge into English hird on the left and Olaf reaches the flank of the remaining great fyrd on the hill top. He should come through to take Athelstan in the flank and rear. My main line advances again...
The berserkers are clearly exhausted by their rush over the hill and are destroyed by the enemy fird who advance to threaten Olaf’s flank having been held on the hilltop. Athelstan closes on the flank of my left end of the shield wall, bringing his own select fyrd forward and destroys them. To my shame, my own unit is also destroyed and it is time to run for the ships.
So after a promising start I lost 5G to 1 (plus horde). On paper the Scots looked so strong, we felt we had to give them command problems, hence representing Olaf as Viking allies and giving the Scots an odd number of pike, only one unit of 4Wb and some light horse...
History repeated. England secured. Athelstan victorious.
I have marked the battlefield boundary here on the Wirral at Brunanburh and waited. Now he arrives. My shield wall is anchored on its right against an ancient fort (edifice), its front right shielded by javelinmen (Ps), then a row of double ranked spearmen(3Pk). On its left and stepped behind I stand, King Constantine of Alba, with my thegns (4Wb) backed by Galwegians (3Wb), who in turn are supported on their left by light horse(LH).
The English have set their shield wall between boggy ground and a large gentle hill. The boggy ground is ahead of my right and the hill between the two armies to my left. Archers(Ps) occupy the bog, with a row of select fyrd spearmen (Sp) to their right and then the great fyrd (7Hd) behind the hill. Athelstan and his hird (4Bd) are lined up a distance behind his right flank. Two more units of select fyrd face to the right towards the waterway.
My allies, led by King Olaf of Ireland, appear in a line with its centre on the waterway, as close to the hill as it can. Hird (4Bd) on the left, Olaf and his huscarls (4Bd) on the right and berserkers (3Wb) in the centre.
Both armies move tentatively at first. The enemy great fyrd take the hill and the select fyrd awaiting Olaf’s landing wheel forward, whilst my line advances steadily.
Olaf advances onto the slope’s lower reaches and his men start to goad the enemy. Athelstan sends a unit of hird to support his right wing, which continues to advance to counter the threat posed by Olaf. My plan is working, Olaf has distracted a disproportionate amount of the English army, allowing me to redress my line fully in double ranks ready to charge, with little fear of being outflanked. My line shuffles, I bring much of my spearmen to the left by the hill, whilst I move further right. Challenges continue to be issued, shields continue to be beaten...
Athelstan orders a unit of his great fyrd on the hill crest to turn their flank to Olaf, but threatening the flank of my left most spearmen. This is too much for Olaf. He unleashes his berserkers up the hill and moves towards the other unit’s exposed flank in support, whilst I send my light horse left to help Olaf’s hird keep the English right in check. The berserkers destroy the great fyrd and charge on over the hill.
The English right engage the light horse and Olaf’s hird. The light horse recoil, whilst the hird are destroyed. In the meantime, my right has advanced and the shield walls clash in a riot of noise. Whilst I easily destroy the English in front of me and push through to punch a hole in the enemy line, my spearmen to my left are pushed back as are the javelinmen in the boggy ground to my right. Further right a single unit of my spearmen cause the enemy archers to flee.
Athelstan commits his reserves. More hird block my advance, his archers return to face my spear in the bog, whilst Athelstan moves onto the hill to further threaten the left of my main line.
Meanwhile the Irish berserkers charge into English hird on the left and Olaf reaches the flank of the remaining great fyrd on the hill top. He should come through to take Athelstan in the flank and rear. My main line advances again...
The berserkers are clearly exhausted by their rush over the hill and are destroyed by the enemy fird who advance to threaten Olaf’s flank having been held on the hilltop. Athelstan closes on the flank of my left end of the shield wall, bringing his own select fyrd forward and destroys them. To my shame, my own unit is also destroyed and it is time to run for the ships.
So after a promising start I lost 5G to 1 (plus horde). On paper the Scots looked so strong, we felt we had to give them command problems, hence representing Olaf as Viking allies and giving the Scots an odd number of pike, only one unit of 4Wb and some light horse...
History repeated. England secured. Athelstan victorious.
