Battle of Cenad Ridge, 20th Febuary 1452

Sveneslav, Dregator of Sannicolau Mare, had been over seeing the administrative matters of his town that morning, herding in the oxen for branding. But he had been interrupted with the arrival of a great party of Mercenaries, Poles and Bavarians as it would appear, and with them rode King Vlad Tepes of all Wallachia. However Vlad had not come to cut a ribbon for the town, his retainers were grabbing every able bodied man and herding them up in the centre of the village. The blacksmiths shop was ransacked of tools and they were distributed amongst the men.
Sveneslav turned his horse and rode over to the king and his Bavarian retinue. "Ah our good Friend Sveneslav, it turns out that today you have the honour of hosting an incursion by our kindly neighbours the Hungarians. My Almughavar (Catalan Spanish) mercenaries have reported that a large army of English mercenaries, on leave from France (Hundred Years war) and in the pay of Ladislaus (King of Hungary), heading straight for Cenad Ridge. Turn out your men in their Darabantis (Peasant Guerillas) and ready your Curteni (Sons and Civil servants), then we will ride for Cenad." so said Vlad Tepes Dracul III

This was a game played out at my local gaming club. It had three different forces, with mine being made solely of my own models (a mixture of Old glory and Games Workshop). The sides consisted of teh following

Wallachia
Vlad the Impaler
Vlad's Bavarian Bodyguard (14)
Polish knights (5)
Sveneslav's Curtreni
Darabanti (15)
Darabanti (15)

England
Count
Standard
Mounted Men at arms (12)
Dismounted Men at arms (10)
Longbowmne (16)

Austrian Mercenaries
Halberdiers (12)
Longbowmen (14)

The Tower situated on the field was the piece of terrain I placed using Vlad's Strategist special rule. I then placed my two Darabanti units behind the tower and the central hill. I then placed Vlad's bavarian guard behind the hill ready to support the Darabanti and the Curteni and Polish Garda Domneasca either side of the hill and in the spaces between the woods ready to help the flanks.
The Austrian Mercenaries had quite a nice little effect on the game.
Before play started both the English and Wallachians put up secret pieces of paper with our deals to the Austrians written on them. We would then at the end of the game have to full fill what we wrote if the mercenaries were fighting for us.
I offered the measly 102vps ("2" just for insult) and what ever they could catch, as you can probably see I was fairly certain that I could win without them (Those of you who have seen how I play against vampires in fantasy will know that it is a policy of mine to never dispsl summoning spells, and I always profess that a few extra units won't win you the game). It soon became clear that the English had entered into a better bargain, and I believe they offered Half Vps, his sons hand in marriage and half his daughters land. Personally I wouldn't have given that much to mere mercenaries, especially only 26 of them.

"Sveneslav and his two sons and five administrative boyars had mounted and were riding across the field towards a line of stakes along the northern ridge overlooking Cenad ridge. Behind the stakes he could see a huge line of longbowmen. The same longbowmen that thirty seven years earlier, on st. crispin's day, had massacred the French Knights at Agincourt. As his son unfurled his banner he couldn't help reminding himself of this previous battle, but this time his Darabanti were making their way around the flanks of the English to roll up the line of longbows before he charged.

"But before he could have second thoughts Vlad Dracul's Herald rode past, sounding the charge. He kicked his spurs into his horse, and with the Dracul's standard blowing in the breeze above him he charged his horse straight for the stakes of the longbows. As he rode he looked to his left and saw his other Darabanti forming up on the top of Cenad ridge, that at least was now in their hands."

On the far side of the field however the heralds had reported to the Dracul that "The field is no longer Polish and the Angles stand triumphant". They reported that "The Winged knights of Poland have ridden into the gully, and there the flower of Polish chivalry fell, to a man, to the lances of the nobility of England! Now the Austrian forces stand on their flanks, but wether they shall aide us or our enemies is still unknown to us, my liege." It was still in doubht who's side the Austrians were fighting on however.

"In front of Sveneslav he suddenly saw the Darabanti emerge. He had just suffered a hail of arrows, which had lost him three of his Curteni, but now the bowmen were bolting, abandoning their stakes as the Darabanti hacked their way through them. Then Sveneslav swung up his mace, brought round his shield and charged for the Englishmen. His horse lept over the stake and ditch, crushing them under its hooves as the Curteni ran down the Longbowmen. Soon Sveneslav was satnding admist piles of dead longbowmen, he was staring straight at the English count and his entourage, who were not looking quiet so happy... Indeed it seemed that Death walked amongst them..."

Count Peter of  Gore was standing atop his horse, his standard dismounted and holding his horse on his left and his Fools, Heralds and Bodyguard on his right. He himself was flying his falcon over the field. In front of him stood his Men at arms, dismounted from their steeds to provide a bodyguard.
However the Count was by now less passive, and with the destruction of his Bows and stakes he now realised that he was in an extremly dangerous position. His entire force (if his Son's hand in marriage and half his daughter's lands had proved tempting) was positioned on the far right of the field.

"By now Sveneslav had turned his Curteni to face the English rear. With the charge of the Darabanti the count's retinue had fled the field and the Men at arms had gone tearing off after the fleeing peasants. Now Count Peter of Gore was alone, save for his standard, and faced with Sveneslav, the curteni and a band of Darabanti. Things looked down for the English"

But by now the English Knights had turned and were galloping for the ridge, where Vlad and his bodyguard stood defiant.
"Vlad looked down form the top of Cenad ridge. The English knights were charging for him and behind them came the Austrian mercenaries. Vlad was by now preparing for the Anglo-Austrian alliance when the Austrian bowmen let lose a hail of arrows at his Bavarians. But as Vlad expected they held, their full plate armour resisting all arrows! He hefted up his shield and drew his sword, soon he would lead a charge down the hill into the english knights!"

"Sveneslav spurred his horse! He rode down onto the count, but failed to defeat the warrior lord. However now the count and his Men at arms were surrounded by two bands of Darabanti, the curteni and the Bavarians! The English looked done for"

"Vlad could not believe his fortune! The hot headed Anglish knights had ridden straight past the ridge, riding for their count. They had completly underestimated Vlad and his Bavarian Landsknetchs, and they charged the cream of english nobility in their flanks, slaying many of them and sending them into panic, disorder and eventually flight. Now Vlad was preparing his men for the Austrian attack, whilst on Cenad ridge his followers dragged the bodies of the slain knights up poles and impaled them as a sign to the rest of the angles!"

"Sveneslav could now see that the sky was darkening and he knew that they would have to pull back soon, just then one of Vlad's heralds rode up to him, sounding the fall back. As he entered the village Vlad came up to him, the battle had been inconclusive. Vlad would have to fall back to his capital, but the Count's army could by no means continue and would also have to fall back. Cenad ridge was safe for now."

The Battle ended with the Mercenaries killing two bavarians with their longbows.

I finished with twelve bavarians, five curteni, twenty six darabanti and vlad to two units of austrian mercenaries, ten men at arms and two characters.

I had killed loads and was in a strong position, but my tempremental units and the indecisive ness of the battle forced us to call it a draw.

day 20 - night attack in achaia

For this game we brought Lloyd into the studio (you may remember him from a previous game where his dwarves and my empire trounsed the skaven), It was the first time that the studio WAB armies had actually been used in a game (it was also only the second game of WAB either of us had played).
Lloyd used the studio's hoplite army and I used the scythian one.

Historically the battle was set in the Corinthian war. The Scythians were a mercenary army hired by the Corinthians for conducting night attacks, ambushes and scouting. The hoplites were from Sparta and had made camp for the night on the road to Corinth, with king Agesipolis I of Sparta camped in the centre. We used the night attack scenario from "Vlad the Impaler" to represent the conditions of the attack. The mercenary Scythians had been sent by the Corinthians to kill Agesipolis and as many of his hoplites as they could, as well as burning or stealing their supplies. a completly mounted army vs a completly non mounted one!

Spartans (1500pts)

King Agesipolis I     
Prince Cleombrotus 
10 Peltasts (persian immortal archers in skirmish)
14 spartan hoplites
16 spartan hoplites
16 spartan hoplites


Corinthians (1000pts)

King Madyes
Lord Paratua
7 Bodyguard (cataphracts)
14 horse archers
13 light horse

My horsemen thundered down on the camp! The light horse crashed into the peltasts taking two casualties from their bows but slaughtering eight of them, mean while my horse archers (i can see the rashness of this now) smashed into the rear of the smaller hoplite unit, failing to kill any of them. over in the south of the camp Madyes and his bodyguard charged into the flank of a hoplite unit, each side taking a casualty. It was not looking up for the men of Scythia when the hoplites on both sides reformed to face them!

In the Spartans turn the casualties came quickly! Madyes and his guard killed two of their opponents taking no casualties, their Kontos' proving their worth.

But on the north side what had started off as a mistake quickly became a disaster when the hoplites lead by the king's son dispatched seven of the horse archers taking just one casualty

In Scythian turn two the remaining horse archers fled, the rest of their comrades cut down by cleombrotus and his hoplites.

Madyes and his bodyguard killed off another two hoplites before they were flank charged by the remaining hoplite unit which inflicted no casualties, after this the remaining light horse charged the rear of the already engaged hoplites, leaving three riders to finish off the last peltast.

The two Scythian lords and their warriors made short work of the hoplites chopping up four of them, altough they did take a casualty from the hoplites on their flank. However the light horse didn't have as much luck against the peltasts taking one casualty and inflicting none!

The remaining seven hoplites were quickly dispatched and the horsemen turned on the hoplites on their flank and Agesipolis, killing three of the hoplites to only one casualty. This luck was not duplicated in the north though and the remaining Peltasts finished off her two mounted opponents.

The Hoplites fight on as the horsemen of Scythia quickly dispatch their men.

Lord Paratua again leaps into Madyes' combat killing two hoplites. Over in the north the remaining horse archers rally and start to pester the slow hoplites with their arrows, knowing they are perfectly safe! the other two horse archers begin taking shots at the remaining peltast, desperate to dispatch her.

The combat in the south quickly heightened when Cleombrotus joins the frey, slashing out aginst lord Paratua. the horsemen kill three hoplites, taking two casualties. Meanwhile the other hoplites loom ominously near!

With the charge of the last hoplites the combat comes to a sharp end! Partua and Madyes are both knocked to the ground and captured, the last guards are slain (but not before they kill two hoplites) and the last horseman flees, now only three horse archers remain and the spartans are certain of victory

The three remaining do all that they can knowing that if they kill Agesipolis they could still snatch victory from the Spartans, but their arrows are too week and they only wound him once.

The game end with Agesipolis rushing into battle with the horse archers, who flee.

The game ended in a Spartan victory

Game overview: its a great game and the rules really suit historical fighting, having seen my Bodyguard in action i'm always going to take kontos' where possible as they are game winning! Always strikes first and +1 strength, amazing! I believe that my loss was the fault of a failure to coordinate attacks and rash decision making by the men, my horse archers charge was certainly not a good move and I forgot that if i killed Agesipolis I would automatically win. I now think that i should have devoted more to killing him and maybe a more focused attack from just one direction would have worked better, i could have even kept out of combat and just peppered the king with arrows (29 strength three hits a turn is bound to do something)