Game 3 at Usk - vs Carthaginians
Oh dear we though - an army with lots of tough spear - who hopefully we can chop our way through eventually - but also likely to be stuffed full of horrible Warband-types.As command after command deployed, it became increasingly clear that the warband would be straight down the center - route 1 tactics.
Imagine our delight then when the last Carthaginian command appeared - loads of Numidians !!!
The battle had essentially lined up with a waterway at our right, from which the Carthaginians extended a wall of spears, which then turned into a line of auxilia, and then into hordes of Numidians. We had the CinC, the Germans, the main foot command, and then the landestroppen (2 Dragons Normans) who were destined to charge at the facing Numidians
The game progressed smoothly, with a Bladewall inching across the table, whilst ...............our spear-killer combo (Kn (I)/Kn (I) General/Pk (I)/Wb (F)/Bd(O)) bore down on the Carthaginian spearwall adjacent to the beach
This was our main tactic - a dense mass of spear-quick-killers, packed tightly together - even viewed here from the reverse angle...... it still looked pretty scary!
In rough seas, the Viking fleet was consigned to operating individually - a lone longship tacked its way into the strong berrze, and managed to put ashore their raiding party - behind the spearwall (from a Falcon Figures ship) The Carthaginians looked on in contempt - until the Vikings pointed out to them the relevant section of the rules - Impetuous moves ignore ZOC restrictions. The Auxilia (who thought they had the raiders pinned) looked on sheepishly!But, with a peculiar round of pip dice, the remainder of the Viking fleet suddenly found themselves in the wrong place in the wrong boat - and then I rolled a "1" immediately afterwards, and was able to learn a new rule - the crews of ships that get shipwrecked are replaced as Hd (I) !!!!!
But by now the Spear-killer combo was in - and after an initial repulse, the Germans went through! With the impetuous blade nibbling away at the rear of the Carthaginian lines, there would be no escape....
Carthage threw in everything bar the kitchen sink to try and shore up the gaps - the warband were bouncing off spears, but being ricocheted around the front of the Carthaginian lines, trying to get the last gasp kill - but as the Germans ploughed on, they became isolated - 2 Numidians dashed in and felled the Teutonic DBE's - with 4 elements down, they stood no chance, and the command was lost.
Now it was the Vikings turn to shore up a gap - Auxilia and Bd (I), not used to this front rank fighting lark, found themselves fighting elite Ax (S), whilst crossing their fingers furiously for the other blades and landestroppen to do their work - which the latter were doing with aplomb - but with heavy casualties and a total lack of coherent formation! The Viking Knights were roving the field like kings - well, to be precise, like Henry VIIIth, if he was very very drunk, and had got lost in Hampton Court Maze.
Eventually, due almost entirely to luck rather than good judgment, the Numidians were defeated - and soon after the main Viking command ailed the final Auxilia and Spear combo to win the game - 9-1
