Brettonia vs Hardenburg - Warhammer

Averland war of Succession part 9 - Strike at Pfungzig - Lord of the Rings the strategy battle game

Having been beaten all the way back from Grenzstadt, Pietr was pursued back to the captured town of Pfungzig by Ferdinand's vanguard, his main force following up behind. On the long retreat back to Pfungzig only the Kasotians had maintained good order, the last of the Grand Army's Greatswords having been cut down to a man at the battle of Grenzstadt hills, by their bitter rivals The 3rd Leopold's Own. 

As the weary remains of the Grand Army arrived and started to enter the town, news came to Pietr that the Averland van was on them and he quickly dispatched orders to the Kasotian second in command, a captain Gonzalo, to cover their retreat into the town.

           Ferdinand himself had sent a company of the 3rd, aided by some knights of the Blazing sun and Tilian hand gunners, to try and catch the foe as they entered the town and beat back any enemy rearguard they encountered, under the command of Raimund his nephew.          

        

This was a game we did using lord of the rings rules. We also wanted to have ago at using almost exactly the same force and seeing how that went.

Kasotian rearguard 

Knight's of Kasos...10 knights of Gonder

Kasos hand gunners...30 black root vale rangers (can't remember why we chose them they'r pretty rubbish) 

Kasotian pike...30 Dol Amroth men at arms

Captain Gonzalo...Madril

Colour Guard...3 citadel guard 

Averland vanguard

Knight's of the blazing sun...10 knight's of Gondor

Tilian hand gunners...30 black root vale rangers 

3rd Leopold's Own...30 Dol Amroth men at arms

Raimund...knight of the white tower (hes actually quite good for 55 points)

Greatswords...3 citadel guard     

        

The Kasotains formed up in a tight line on the right, out side the town's defenses. 

As the noon sun appeared from behind a cloud, it flashed on swords and armor as the Averlanders arrived.      

Captain Gonzalo ordered a swift advance, as the Averlander line pulled up, Sending his hand gunners in first to soften up the enemy. But as they marched forward bursts of smoke appeared from the tree line and men fell from the line, with bloody wounds. The Tilians had already got into position and started to open fire.       

The pastures out side the town were soon swept with smoke and men, as the Averlanders sent knights off to the right to try and out flank the foe and the Kasotian knights thundered forward to deal with the men in the copse. One plucky Tilian stepped out of the trees and shot a knight from his horse before rushing back to cover.    

The copse soon became a important part of the battle, knights plunging in and sending men flying before they were bogged down and hauled from their mounts and hacked down by halbadiers. Kasotians on the left had lined up to hold off the out flanking knights, but were hard put to as they were charged after a volley from a group of hand gunners to their flank.Captain Gonzalo lead a line of men forward to take on the mainstay of halberdiers. All but himself and a hand gunner were shot down. 

A column of pikemen marched quickly to help the knights, as the rest of the knights of the blazing sun charged in to fend off the horsemen.    

Bloody fighting continued in the copse as Raimund strode down to lead the battle in the thick of the fighting. The opposing horsemen battled away with each other with the foot men rushed in among them surrounding knights and cutting them down.   

The thin line of pikemen battled off the first charge with only a few men lost, knowing they must hold until reinforcements came or the flank would fall.    

It was at this crucial moment that disaster fell to the Kasotians and heroism to the Averlanders.

A quickly formed line of men had rushed from the pike column to defend their leader when the halberds had charged! The ensign, colours held high had plunged into the fray and fell upon the Kasotian captain and in a ferocious hand to hand fight cut him down with his sword! The Kasotians started to melt away, men fleeing for the town or countryside as soon as their leader fell.         

The Averlander's on the right cut down the last holding pikemen... 

...and hunt the routers down.

The Greatswords kill off the last colour guard and Raimund and his men surround the final knight in the copse...

News reached Pietr that the Kasotians had fallen and Averlanders had taken the defenses to the south of the town, knowing he could no longer hold the town with part of the wall taken, he ordered the evacuation of his men. The Grand Army was beaten and fell back to Hardenburg with a small troop of Averlanders on its trail to make sure it was well and truly gone...

Victory to Averland!

The battle had been interesting with the power of battle swaying this way and that, the killing of the Kasotian captain was the clincher though, and the rest of their men began to fail their leadership and disappear. This painting of the battle of Pavia describes the fight in the copse quite well.

The town of Pfungzig was back in Averlander hands for the first time in some months and the Grand Army was out for the count. The Marines, with the prince, were now trapped with no line of retreat, supplies or reinforcements between the armies of Ferdinand and Baron Kastor in the captured town of Bieswang, a peaceful settlement to the war seemed inevitable...     

By M

  Ensign Claus Glühend, after his decisive and heroic action in the battle, cutting down Captain Gonzalo in hand to hand combat, received a handsome monetary reward, a small acre of land and a distinguished in battle script, the latter he sealed onto his jacket as a badge.

Averland war of Succession part 8 - Attack on Bieswang - Pike and Shotte

Kastor's army having broken itself in the assault on Pfungzig, was forced to fall back to Bieswang once more, where it was reinforced by new Tilean mercenaries, along with more recruits from Averheim.

With Pietr newly arrived in Pfungzig, after his long retreat through the hill country of Averland following his disastrous defeat at the Battle of Grenzsdadt and again, when he tried to make a stand in the foothills, Vyshnevtsky was able to commit the full force of the Hardenburg marines to advancing on Bieswang. And so, just outside the town, the two armies met. 

 



Kastor Leitdorf's new army of Averland
Heavy infantry brigade (left)

• Count's greatswords - gallowglass
• Averland Halbediers - halbediers
• Averland Swordsmen - swordsmen
• Great cannon - heavy gun

Spearmen brigade (centre)

• Tilean Spearmen - Swiss pike
• Tilean Spearmen - Swiss pike
• Averheim Spearmen - pike
• Mortar - heavy gun

Blazing Sun's brigade (right)

• Knights of the Blazing Sun - Gendarmes 
• Knights of the Blazing Sun - Gendarmes 
• (Kastor's Griffon - Men at arms)
• Hellblaster - heavy gun
• Battle Wizard - medium gun

Prince Vyshnevtsky's Hardenburg Marines
Bernardo Belletto's Household brigade (left)

• Prince's greatswords - gallowglass
• Outriders - reiters
• Outriders - reiters
• Hellblaster - heavy gun
• Hellblaster - heavy gun

Warden Carranado's Kasotian brigade (centre)

• Kasotian spearmen - Swiss pike
• Kasotian handgunners - Swiss arquebusiers
• Kasotian handgunners - Swiss arquebusiers
• Hardenburg lspearmen - pike
• Kasotian great cannon - heavy gun

Don Quixote's infantry brigade (right)

• Kasotian spearmen - Swiss pike
• Kasotian handgunners - Swiss arquebusiers
• Hardenburg handgunners - Swiss arquebusiers
• Prince's greatswords - gallowglass
• Chaplain of the knights of the Black Bear - heavy gun

The battle commenced with an artillery bombardment from either side, though it caused no damage.

Carranardo, Warden of Kasos, having disgraced himself at the battle of Grenzsdadt, was awarded another chance by Vyshnevtsky, commanding one of his brigades

To the north the Averlander heavy brigade began its advance, which was quickly followed by a speedy advance by Don Quixote's brigade.

While attempting to form just beyond the woods, the heavy brigade caught Quixote's Kasotians.

After throwing back the initial charge, Quixote's own greatswords charged. Seeing the battle intensifying, Carranado committed his Hardenburgers in support, while Vyshnevtksy himself moved up to command the action.

After a brief but bloody clash the Prince's greatswords broke the halbediers, while the Kasotian spearmen defeated the swordsmen, sending the heavy brigade into retreat. However this now left them exposed to artillery fire.

However the other Averland infantry brigade was now starting to close on Quixote's men, while long range artillery fire, managed to strike the Kasotian centre.

Moving his men forward rapidly, Vyshenvtsky's greatswords charged home into the swordsmen and broke them, leaving the heavy brigade broken.

The greatswords however, remained steady, charging forwards into the Hardenburger handgunners, while the artillery opened fire, sending Vyshnevtsky's greatswords from the field. With Kastor and the Blazing suns advancing rapidly to join the fight in the north, it seemed like Vyshnevtsky may have overreached his hand.

The handgunners however, managed to hold against the greatswords, and inflicted enough casualties to put them out of action, leaving the heavy brigade to fall back on Bieswang. Hardenburg artillery caused heavy casualties on an advancing block of Tilean spearmen, but the nearby wizard stepped in to heal and rally them.

The blazing suns now swept in, engaging the Hardenburg handgunners and supporting the Averheim spearmen's attack on the Hardenburg spearmen, while artillery fire again proved devastating, breaking the Kasotian spearmen.

The fight left the Hardenburg spearmen retreating, while the Blazing Suns swept through both units of handgunners, annihilating Don Quixote's brigade.

The Hardenburg spearmen now foolhardily charged the Blazing Suns, who countercharged and cut their unit to pieces. The right wing had well and truly fallen.

Seeing the devastation on the right, but also the weakness in the centre and left, Belletto's household brigade pushed forwards along the road.

Charging onto the nearest gun, the Blazing Suns found themselves hit in the side by the Chaplain's spells. A combination of the magic and hailshot scattered their unit, sending them from the field.

On the left though, the Averland artillery were finding equal targets, and hit a hard blow to the outriders.

Now the Spearmen brigade began its advance on the Hradenburg gun positions. Up and down the line the guns opened fire, with the handgunners' right wing. Enfilading fire from the two hellblasters now tore through the Tilean spearmen, while fire from the nearer guns left the Averheim spearmen shaken, leaving the Spearmen brigade broken and with them the rest of the Averland army.

Victory to Hardenburg!

 

The battle had seen a short sharp combat in the north, with an entire brigade of Hardenburgers and Kasotians annihilated, followed by a sweeping advance from the north by the Averlanders which had broken on the Hardenburgers' steady guns.

And so the day was left in Hardenburg's hands, and Vyshnevtsky at last advanced, on his third attempt, into Bieswang, leaving Kastor to fall back to Averheim. It was only the second town to have fallen to Hardenburg during the campaign, but it was a key one in their advance on Averheim.
 

By B

Averland war of Succession part 7 - The Assault of Pfungzig - Warhammer Fantasy

After Pietr's second defeat at the Battle of the Grenzsdadt Hills, the Grand Army would be retreating further north again, heading for Pfungzig which was, as things stood, still in Hardenburger hands, occupied by the Prince's son and the Hardenburg Marines. However whether this would be the case much longer was now a matter to decide. 

Vyshnevtsky and the Marines, having been defeated on their second advance on Bieswang, had fallen back on Pfungzig again, which had quickly been surrounded by Kastor's new army, recruited from Averheim, Bieswang, Streissen and Heideck. Now they were ready to launch an assault on the town, which, if successful, would throw Vyshnevtky back over Blue Reach, and leave Pietr stranded in the foothills of Averland.

 

The armies were 2500pts aside composed as follows -

Kastor Leitdorf's new army of Averland
- Kastor Leitdorf, Empire General on Griffon
- Wizard Lord (Life)
- Captain
- Wizard (Life)
- Wizard (Metal)
- 25 Tilean Handgunners
- 30 Averheim halbediers, shields and full command
- 20 halbediers, shields and full command
- 14 Knights of the Blazing Suns (Reiksguard knights) with full command and magic standard
- Mortar
- Great Cannon
- Hellblaster
- Steam Tank
- (18 greatswords with full command and magic standard)

Prince Vyshnevtsky's Hardenburg Marines
- Prince Vyshnevtsky, Empire General on Griffon
- Lord High Justice, Wizard Lord (Metal)
- Captain Marlow, Battle standard bearer
- Chaplain of the Knights of the Black Bear, Wizard (Life)
- 20 Kasotian Handgunners
- 39 Combined Kasotian and Hardenburg Halbediers with full command and 2 detachments of 10 Handgunners
- 5 Knights of the Black Bear
- 5 Knights of the Black Bear
- 40 Greatswords with full command and magic standard
- 5 Outriders with bardings and marksman
- Great Cannon
- Great Cannon
- Hellblaster
(4 obstacles providing cover from shooting)

The battle commenced with Kastor's Steam Tank rumbling forwards, crushing the woods before it, before firing off its artillery at the nearby Hardenburger artillery, but overshooting.

However on the otherside, the Averland great cannon fired on its opposite, bouncing the shot straight in to the Kasotian gun and destroying it.

The artillery bombardment continued, with the mortar scoring a hit on the spearmen, taking out half of a rank.

As the Steam Tank continued its advance, the 'Streissen Tank enthusiast' (a Streissen university graduate who had taken command of this new purchase from Nuln in this assault) popped up to let off his repeating pistol at the nearby Lord High Justice, however he missed.

As the tank rolled forwards, the right flank opened fire. The great cannon misfired, putting it out of action for the next turn, while the outriders opened fire on the steam tank, but to little effect. However the Lord High Justice and the hellblaster managed to cause a bit of damage on it.

All down the line the Hardenburgers opened fire. The remaining 40 handgunners opened fire. In the centre the Kasotians took down 6 Tilean handgunners, while on the left the combined handgunners failed to take down a single knight as the bullets bounced from their armour.

On the right the Knights and Greatswords continued their advance, with Kastor waiting in the wings.

Down the line the gunners again opened fire. The Tilean handgunners failed to take down a single man. Elsewhere the bombardment went badly. The great cannon blew itself to pieces, while a boiler leak caused the steam tank to freeze in its tracks. However the hellblaster managed to score a hit on its opposite number and take out most of the crew.

This immobility proved fatal, as the Lord High Justice tore it to pieces.

A mortar shell landing in the block of spearmen, blew apart the rest of the first rank.

The Averland advance continued. With the Hardenburg artillery almost completely immobilised, the Averland spearmen advanced on the walls. The smaller of the blocks, without the magical protection awarded to the larger, took the close fire of the nearby hellblaster, losing a quarter of its men. Meanwhile Vyshnevtsky mobilised the greatswords into a column and directed it, with Captain Marlow joining it from the spearmen, to bolster the right flank against the approaching infantry units.

On the left however, the Blazing Suns at last charged home into the combined line of handgunners. A closing volley took down almost half of the knights.

Charging into the town, the Averland halbediers, caused the Lord High Justice and remaining hellblaster crewman into flight. The first men were in.

The Averland shooting and magic was now much more destructive than in past turns. The hellblaster and Tilean handgunners opened fire, taking down 5 Kasotian handgunners, while the Mortar took out a rank of greatswords. The wizard lord too caused damage, killing half the combined spearmen with dwellers below.

After a brief round of combat the Blazing Suns easily broke the handgunners and ran them down as they fled, though they lost one man in the assault. However the Black Bears were ready to face them.

On the right the Hardenburgers struck. The Greatswords column barrelled into the Halbediers, while the Knights of the Black Bear charged straight into the front of the Averheim halbediers.

Meanwhile the Black Bears also struck, hitting the Blazing Suns, while Vyshnevtksy on his griffon hit them in the flank.

After a brief but bloody scrap four Blazing Suns were dead to one Black Bear.

On the right, the Averheimers managed to throw back the knights, though to the loss of a few men, but failed to catch them. Meanwhile the Greatswords had cut down all but three members of the other halbedier block, capturing their standard, and now came to face the Averheimers. But as they manoeuvred to face the greatswords, they Averheimers took a hail of close range shots from the outriders in their rear, leaving but 18 men, to face 26 greatswords.

On the left Kastor quickly exploited the breach created by the Blazing Suns, charging into the frey with his greatswords. He and Vyshnevtsky quickly broke off with their great mounts to duel, while the greatswords took the place of the fallen knights.
The fight went on for a while Vyshnevtsky and Kastor hacking at one another, while Kastor's griffon got far the better over Vyshnevtsky's. The Black Bears captured the Blazing Suns' banner, while their chaplain used his wards to protect them and heal Vyshnevtsky from the wounds he suffered in the combat (perhaps a rather underhand method of duelling)

In the end however the Black Bears broke and were run down by Kastor's greatswords. Kastor's griffon meanwhile had at last taken down its opposite and Vyshnevtsky was left to face his foe and his steed!

On the right combat ensued in which the Averheimers and the remaining halbediers from the other block charged in on the greatswords, the greatsword quickly butchered their foes however, to the loss of only 5 of their own, leaving but one halbedier to flee from Pfungzig, while the last 8 Averheimer's tried to escape into the town, the greatswords capturing their blue standard.

The greatswords and remaining spearmen now quickly began their advance on the town quarter where Kastor and his greatswords were left in control, while the handgunners fire took down all but two of their opposites putting them to flight. Also the Black Bears charged from the town into the nearest wizard, cutting him down and overrunning into the next.

The hellblaster and mortar now fired on the greatswords' column killing nine.

Further fire from outside the town put the Kasotian spearmen and handgunners to flight. However with Vyshnevtsky still unbeaten (though nearly so), the knights re-entering the town and the Kasotian spearmen rallying at the last, the town remained firmly in Hardenburg's hands.

Kastor, so close to striking down his foe, was forced to abort at the last moment as the battle ended with Hardenburg's force still in control of the town.

 

Victory to Hardenburg! (at last!)

 

With Kastor's army beaten at Pfungzig, he was forced to fall back on Bieswang again, and with Pietr's force newly arrived in the town, Vyshnevtsky would now be able pursue, hot on Kastor's heels.

 

 

By B