For our fourth game of Lion rampant (3rd northern crusades battle), we played the scenario H, The messenger. The scenario entails taking a non combatant figure from one table corner across the battlefield to the far diagonal corner of the table. This scenario seemed fitting because the last battle the pagans rescued the pagan priest Krivas. Now they have to make their way back to pagan territory with the priest.
The pagan deployment in the northwest corner of the battlefield.
A long trek awaits the pagans, as well as some....violence.
In the southwest deployment zone the crusaders placed a unit of archers, to immediately harass the pagan movement.
The archers unleashed several volleys upon my nobles (mounted serjeants with bows). Eventually I brought the archers into melee causing only 5 wounds. Not enough to make the archers half strength, while my mounted noble units were diminished and battered.
The archers rallied on a remarkable role and it seemed that God favored the devout. My nobles were continuing to flee, losing even more men.
The archers now had to make some headway north to continue their active role in the field
Meanwhile, in the north, the pagans steadily advanced as the Brother Knights (for some reason mounted serjeants this game) closed distance. Back in the south the pesky crusader archers were finally reduced to 5 men by bow fire from my mounted nobles. This brought them below half strength, and caused them to break. The southern pagan flank was now secure. The archers had no chance of regrouping.
The pagan archers are getting into a position where they can unleash hell upon the Brother Knights. The Pagan foot-yeomen form a shield wall (schiltron) in preparation for the knights' charge.
In the south, the knights charged the remaining pagan nobles. The knights' charge was less effective due to the rough terrain, the knights lost one of their brothers and killed one of the pagans, causing the knights to retreat. The sole surviving noble pagan, lost his courage and fed the battlefield.
The knights after their retreat. The Fierce pagans loom in the background, as well as the horde of yeomen around the farmhouse. Plenty of rough terrain to trap the knights!
The crusading commander has taken a pagan helmet as a trophy. Is this some form of trickery? The evil christians know no bounds.
The Knights of the Sword are about to charge the pagan lines, but before they do, the pagan archers unleash a volley of arrows killing 2 knights.
The knights charge the archers and kill 3 pagans, but the foolish knights lose a man in the melee as well.
This rule Im not sure about, it may only apply to wild charges and I didn't feel like checking. but I believe a unit in lion rampant has to charge the closest unit? Either way I Made the crusaders role a d6 with a 50% chance of charging the archers again and a 50% chance of charging the foot-yeomen in schiltron. As You Can see the Knights charged the foot-yeomen.
The combat goes well for the yeomen
The knights are cut down to a man.
This is as far as chris and i got this game. It took us three hours (including deployment) to get to this point. Well see who prevails next time. With the mounted nobles diminished in the south, the pagan advance will be slow. I am not looking forward to facing the crusader crossbows........
And, Chris picked up this figure from Reaper. its not reaper bones. He asked me to paint it for him. Took me about 45 mins, definitely a nice looking ranger.
Here is a new addition to the above Lion rampant game. The Pagans are racing to get Krivas to the river, where a boat offers a swift escape
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