Raiding the Village of Malton

The Game got off to a lucky start for me with 4 free moves before John's arrival and then I got lucky again as John entered through the opposite short table edge.  The village had a stream running though it which complicated both our lives though John's more than mine.  Terrain played a major roll in the game mostly in my favor though my own incorrect understanding of the rules played a bigger one.

With 4 free moves I was well advance in fact my lord as in the building with out a roof and had found loot before John and his boys were even on the table!

I also had men in the village buildings on the other side of the river.

My elites and missle troops have John's elites all alone this is a promising start.

a band of Warriors grabs the loot my lord found and I make my first (and less serious) mistake... I did figures there was one piece of loot per building... I should have stayed put and kept searching. Instead I have them start running for home.

The Elite troops of both war bands clash John kills two of my men...

but over the course of two rounds of combat I kill one of his and inflict 7 shock driving them back. 

John brings in is big group of 8 warriors to help and not wanting stand up fight (especially with 18 levies that are just beyond the picture coming up)  My men begin to slowly move back ward. hoping to draw John away from my looting troops.

One building is empty but we are ready to search the other.

Briton levies and warriors form up to give chase  (got to love this Saxon eye view)  the Briton Elites get reorganized behind their cover.

My second mistake! I have a flank charge but forget to use the Cape Diem card!

A savage fight follows...

I get the better of it but then John's slingers hit me and my unit breaks!

John's men try to advance they get my missile troops but fall short of my elites

One unit is away with it s loot!

John is chasing my elites... its a slow process when you want to keep the advantage of shield wall.

 Other troops look to harass my looters on the other side of the river.

My men pause on the commanding position and wait for John to advance

We have our second bundle of loot...My third and Biggest mistake!   I try to run for my friendly side of the board (one of the short ends) but I could have withdrawn via the long neutral side of the board (that is less than 18 inches way) at any time! (I might have lost some men for doing it... but, well you'll see) I realized this after the game when I reread the rules.

My elites have the attention of most of Johns forces.

I start my run...

I almost launched a desperation charge using Carpe Diem card but it just didn't seem prudent.

so I start my elites withdrawal..

My elites are off the board and my last band of men is one move (with reasonable dice) form what I understood to be escape. (again I could have left by the long edge at any time, so frustrating to know this now).  If my card comes up first I can get away...

You guessed it John got his card and piled on as many bonuses as he could (clearly he believes the old adage that in war there is no such thing as "over kill") I lost five of six men and Cuthwulf, Osbert and Wulfric are all wounded in the exchange.  My characters do escape but John has won a 3 point victory.

This one hurt as it happened and hurt more latter (as I realized victory was in my hand)  but it was a tremendously fun game regardless.  I had been too focuses on the combat rules I still had issues with (John and I have this down now) and had not paid enough attention to rereading the campaign and scenario rules (because I thought I knew them)... Bruises train as my fencing instructor used to say.

Cuthwulf the Red and his war band

Ahead of tonight's game I wanted to profile my war band's leaders 

Lord Cuthwulf the Red Age 23 build Average; Attribute Master of Arms Wodenborn.  The calculating mind behind the war band.  A skilled warrior well know for his skill with spear or sword.

 Wulfric Champion, Age 21, Build: Tall and Strong, Attribute Constitution of an Ox. Son of a peasant.  Wulfric the son of a farmer in service to Cuthwulf's father trained in war because of his size and strength and natural skill.  He has been Cuthwulfs servant since they were both in their early teens.  Wulfric's sister is a "wise woman" in service to the gods she sees opertunity in her bothers position as Cuthwulf's champion.

 Burgred Noble, Age 34 Build Average, Attribute Constitution of an Ox, Wodenborn.  Burgred is Cuthwulf's uncle the child of his father's old age and more Cuthwulf older brother than uncle. He was sent by his brother to keep an eye on his son as he starts his career as a warlord.

Osbert Noble, Age 28 Build Short, Attribute Devout, Woudenborn. Osbert is Cuthwulf's older cousin on his Mother's side an experienced warrior  and leader of men.  He's sometimes resents having to follow a younger man follow out of family loyalty and because he has been told Cuthwulf  is blessed by the gods. 

That's not a Saxon

I had this guy left over from I don't know what... probably a D&D campaign that didn't launch or went in another direction.

 Its an old Ral Partha piece and he's the perfect captain for a fantasy guard unit or hero.

With this spiffy bear skin cloak and horse hair plum he's just flashy enough to be a hero or even villain if you need one.  I don't know if I will use him in the Saxon campaign but he was close enough that it made sense to paint him up with them.

Expanding the Saxon War Band

I've been working on some additional Nobles for the Saxon Campaign I am playing with John.  Sadly some of these pictures look less good here than they did on my camera which I can't quite explain. So if you come back latter you may see other better pictures.

Very please with this shield that I painted by hand.   Its a simple design inspired by some I have seen but not trying to copy any.

The gray cloak also came out better than I had hoped.

Another hand painted shield

It doesn't show here as well as I would like but I am really proud of how this guys hair came out.

I think I got a depth to the color you normally don't see when I paint hair and fur.

This Ax man has an head wound probably to his eye as its covered over.

His leggings are a bit ragged clearly he's a lower class warrior or a noble on hard times.

My back up Champion... his posture matches my Lord better than my current champion who is more dynamic in pose.

another shield I am very pleased with.  A little more work needs to be done on the bases, and some better pictures are needed too.

7th Armor Vs 21st Panzer Encounter at The Whiz

It was nice day at the Whiz Sunday a bunch of magics players doing their thing (a draft tournament I think) and Mark and  I got to do a nice battle some where in northern France. Mark was running 21st Panzer division.  He had two platoons of 4 Panzer IVs; a battery of 3 Lorriane Schleppers, a short platoon of panzer grenadiers (on foot) a trio or Quad 2cm Flack guns and a King Tiger.    I was running 7th Armor I had my Company commander in an Easy 8 Sherman and my 2ic in a Jumbo.  I had a "fast" tank platoon of 5 M4A3 Shermans (two up gunned to 76mm guns) and a "slow" platoon with a Jumbo, 2 Easy 8 Shermans and 2 M4 Shermans.  The rest of my force consisted of a recon platoon, and armored mortar platoon a Infantry platoon (all Confident Trained) and a Confident Veteran battery of 105s. I started with my fast Tank platoon, Infantry and Artillery on the board as we both had delayed reserves(neither of us got a reserve until turn 6) .  Mark got to go first and advanced his Tiger toward my right taking one shot at my Jumbo (2iC) which missed.

Mark tried to go over the hedge with his Panzer Ivs (he had one panzer platoon the Schleppers and the King Tiger on the board) as three of his 4 tanks go belly up on the Hedgerow... I was tempted to take shots but stuck to my plan sending my tanks to the left.

My artillery got in the first of several kills taking out on of the Schleppers and reducing Mark to a two gun battery.

The Tiger prowls his way though the village trying to gun down my observer but I made my save.

My tanks swing wide around the hedge row... I could have go through(I had hedgerow cutters)  but I opted to move around.

My artillery strikes again killing one Panzer and bailing two more... Mark has to motivate and passes.

Bog fest continues as the German commander is stuck in the woods

The American commander has similar problems trying to get over the low hedge.

My artillery takes out another panzer and this time Mark's platoon flees.

I took six shots at the German CO and missed them all... the tiger kills my platoon leader and the German 2iC snipes my Sherman 76 but only bails it out.

The American CO has gotten free of the hedge and races to firing position... as Odd Ball said the only place to hit a Tiger is in its ASS!  I got a lucky shot and blow up the Tiger. Mark passes company moral as he had only 1 platoon still on the board.  But now he has more

New Panzer IVs advance against my leaderless platoon and kill another Sherman. My slow Shermans arrive and push forward not quite where I want them but following up the attack on the left isn't a bad thing.

We drive though the Hedgerow and only have one tank bogged down. I also start my infantry forward and take out Mark's lone observer.

Mark however has his Quad Flak guns in position...

and their fire is devastating... I get shot in on his panzers and force that platoon to check and it runs.. Mark is no the ropes but...

using an audacious move his Flack trucks crash through the Hedgrow and hammer my command tanks with fire.  Its a Hail Mary strike and like most of it doesn't work out the way Mark hoped.

He also managed an assault that bailed one of my Sherman 76s (wish I had gotten his men swarming the tank) I then failed my counter attack motivation test but Mark had to test his platoon's moral and they flee this gives me a hard fought victory.   Scoring wise this is a 6-1 win for me which is one of the problems with the flames of war scorning system. Mark rendered on of my Sherman Platoons ineffective even thought 3 of its tanks were still operable, he should get a point for that.

This was my first win with the 7th Armored Division... Trained tanks are hard to push for me but I had a good game both tacitly and the dice were kind.