Playing in an open comp is a bit like a blind date. You have no idea what your going to face and even if its a decent match - King Harold got four blind dates and didn't fancy any of them.
Went to Derby worlds at Donnington with an Anglo Danish army using the Brilliant CinC option with Harold godwinson. This gives 6 BdS including the man himself. My list was as follows:
King Harold Godwinson: 6 BdS, 18 SpO, 5 PsO, 2 PsI; 37.5 ME
Morcar of Northumbria: 10 BdO, 18 SpO, 5 PsO, 3 PsI, 1 BtS; 37.5 ME
Edwin of Mercia: 10 CvI; 15 ME
Army Baggage: 6 BgO, 4 HdO 8ME
98ME. Breaks 49.5
Stratagems: flank attack, concealed command, Changing deployment: 15pts
Everything was irregular.
Danes only have ag 1 so chances are would be defending - Took one Ship just in case or if any water feature used. General plan coordinate and engage Bd and Sp with a flank attack using the cavalry while screening them with Ps. As plans go they have to be modified with what you happen to face on the day.
I must mention started writing this two weeks after the event so my memory of the games are not complete and i can't remember the full names of all the players in fact i can't find the name at all of one because i did not write it down. So treat the reports as an overview.
1st game Ian's Sui Chinese - sorry never wrote last name!
I ended up defending and deploying first - No sea! I chose a river and it fell on edges 1, 3 across table width. In the spirit of fun i decided not to deploy behind a river so placed it near my table edge and got a boggy flat on my left edge. Comically Ian's 2 terrain features and my final hill fell behind my river and played no part in the game. In retrospect deploying behind a river would have been better. Weather score 2 in summer meant rivers low and light wind from SW, meaning my Ship would move in difficult at 160 paces.
I deployed Harold and Morcar further forward of the river and sent Edwin on a flank attack on edge 3. My Ship sat out the game on the river just in front of the baggage and played no further part in game - nice day for fishing. I was faced with LhS, KnX , CvS/O and Bw. My pips were low and it wasn't long before Ians LhS were flanking and charging into my rear - ouch! My foot got engaged with his other mounted and Edwins flank march eventually came on. More bad pips and my SpO went impetuous and charged through Edwins Cavalry and these became spent. The Sp got picked off. Not helpful. Don't remember all the details for this game but i think soon after one cmd broke the +2 casualty rule to neighbouring cmd caused a break and a final 10 - 15 to Ian. In retrospect deploying closer to the Bf and securing it with Ps and not moving forward would have been better.
2nd game against Stuart whigham's Tribal Mongolian
Not looking forward to facing more LhS again. This time there was more of them. Agression dicing got tied twice and the season changed from spring to autumn. defending again and deploying first again. Weather no difference. Only a wood on my right flank and a gentle hill on my left played any part in game. Tried getting a river but rolled a double 5! Unlucky. Placed my subs psiloi in wood. Edwin on narrow hill in column with Harold centre and Morcar right. The CvI would be facing LhS so used changing deployment stratagem and put Harolds cmd on hill and the Cv in centre. most of Stuarts LhS attacked on my left leaving Harold exposed. He marched some LH behind the hill so he could also get at the baggage. I used the pips i had to move sub generals across to help which was very pip intensive. My horde and baggage were brave and held on for a while. The LhS were getting flank and rears behind my line and I was suffering -1's and -2's on combat. Eventually Harold's cmd broke and Edwins cavalry that had taken casualties added +2 to their losses in total it was enough for the Mongols and a 0 - 25 to Stuart.
Changing deployment was a mistake Edwins CvI would have been +1 uphill against a lot more LhS and would have broke eventually but it would have been a different game and maybe a better result. Against a more mobile army you have to plan for bad pips. I later got it right but would have to wait another day.
3rd game against Steves Seljuk Turks
Sorry but not sure about name of player but was one of the gentlemen players from Nottingham who is one of the best i have played before and will refer to him as Steve - think it was Steve?
We both agreed not to use weather. We had two large gentle hills in game, one on Steves flank nearer his base edge and the other on my left flank. Defending again and deploying again. Chose left flank to use flank attack stratagem - in hindsight the hill on the other flank was a clue he might have more deployed there? Deployed foot cmds in two lines and staggered morcar's cmd with the BdO behind the SpO so they could fill in any gaps i left the sub with the SpO. The Seljuks had 3 cmds including 44 LhS deployed as 8, 18, 18 supported by CvO and AxS. This time the Edwin came on after a few turns. Most of the Seljuks attacked on my right flank while some particulary the AxS held back to stop my centre command from wheeling too quick into his LhS. Talking of wheeling Steve showed me the best way to wheel and to wheel 8 wide. I doubled Harolds pips to assist Morcars cmd on right i realised too late that i should have deployed his BdO at an angle to stop being outflanked and yet again like the day before i had lousy pips. By now Edwin was already in combat and causing a few casualties. I didn't make the best use of doubling Harolds pips and he was struggling to get into contact. In the end it was another bad date. Morcar broke, Edwin disheartened and adding +2 again + Harolds losses made it another 0 - 25 loss.
Big mistake was not placing the BdO at an angle and keeping my lines tight then the bad pips would not have mattered so much. Like i said before always plan for bad pips especially with bad match ups. Tho i didn't know how the Seljuks would deploy by stage one the gentle hill on that edge was a clue which Steve declared as a six i think? it would have been better to have come on the other edge with the cavalry.
4th Game agains John Fletchers Northern Dynasties Chinese
In the final game found myself defending and deploying first again but to my surprise John placed a sea maximum distance inland. I chose two large gentle hills in the hope one would be near my base edge and fortunately i got it. The other fell on johns edge. I placed the hill in the centre above my base line. John also placed a road and it fell from edge 1 to the sea in a more or less diagonal line. I deployed Harold and Edwins commands on the hill Harold centre front and Edwin behind on the left flank facing left table edge, so both could fight uphill. Morcars cmd stretched from the hill to the sea supported by the ship and my baggage behind the hill with two hd facing the sea and left edge on each side. The weather made no difference in game. The chinese had 4 cmds as LhS/Cv gen; 2 cmds of KnX behind Bd/Bw one with Sp and a LhF cmd near the sea.
Game started at 5am in summer and John declared a night attack. He moved his lines forward for three turns before they became visible. His LhS ally was unreliable for most of the game but he still move it facing Edwins cmd 800 paces out of range. I elected not to move anything except the ship which threatened to shoot his LhF. Eventually The BwX started shooting and i had to come off the hill and fight along with Morcars cmd to keep the lines straight, casualties were caused by shooting before combats started and John was unlucky at times with combat dice. My BdS including Harold caused alot of damage on his foot and he lost several KnX. The Ship spent several LhF at shooting so redeemed itself finally. A KnX command was broken before the ally cmd became reliable and Edwin had his work cut out on the hill and at one point became disheartend. I lost a few BdS and Harolds element became isolated for a turn and had to join Bd from Morcars cmd, The Sub's Sp advanced close to the road and i wheeled them and in one bound and let them go impetuous in another.
Both sides were close to breaking and finally it went Johns way finishing 18-7 after working out the results. It then became clear that the unreliable allies were still unreliable when his first cmd was broken and would either have changed sides or become disheartened. Either way the score would be different and i was asked to report it. John and other players managed to get the result changed before they were entered on Computer so I got a 23 - 2 win for that game. I think John was very unlucky and would have got an 18 -7 or better if his ally was reliable. In this game the strategy was right for this army and i didn't make any game changing errors apart from not pointing out the unreliable ally problem we both overlooked.
In all four games each player coached me a little on some of the finer points of the game and John at one point helped so much I took a move back as it was unfair to him. I had four anachronistic match ups which did not help. Defending with the Danes is the best option against these. Using the CvI in one cmd was not such a good idea better to use a few in each foot command and have three or better still have a welsh ally of CvO, WbF and PsS. I think the Vikings are a better option with ag4. I did try to get the large hills on my side of the table but was not always lucky with terrain. Thanks again to everyone who made the weekend's games fun.
