Anglo-Irish vs. Early Saxon

A Headless Body Production

Venue:   Lancaster Host, Lancaster Pennsylvania.
Event:    HMGS's Cold Wars
Players: Don Carter and Phil Gardocki running Anglo Irish
                  Marc Cribbs and Jim Bisigani running Early Saxon
                 
Game System: Warrior Ancients Doubles Tournament with 2000 points per team, round 2

 
The Forces:
The Anglo-Irish, Late Period

Commander with + 5 Reg 'B', SHK,
Ally General with 2 Irreg'B' HK, 3 HC
Monty Python's Knights of the Round Table, 6 Reg 'B', SHK
2 units of Irish Lancers, 6 Irreg 'B', 1/2 HK, 1/2 HC
2 units of Irish Horse, 4 Irreg 'C', JLS, SH

4 units of Galloglaich, 2 with 16, and 2 with 24 Irreg 'B', 1/2 HI, 2HCW, JLS, D
           List rule, always fights a rank and half.  Can counter charge if willing, can            
           counter charge impetuously if eager.
2 units of Longbow, each of 24 Reg'D', half HI, 1/2 LB, Sh, half MI, 1/2 LB, unemplaced stakes.
2 units of Bonnachts, 27 Irreg'C' LMI, 1/3 2HCW, JLS, SH, 1/3 JLS, SH, 1/3 JLS
            Capable of skirmish, shield wall and barbarian rush rules.
2 units of Kerns Irreg 'C', 1/2 S, SH, 1/2 JLS
Bombards, 1 unit of 2, Reg'C', each with 4 crew.
18 units, 2 commands 1999 points, 21 scouting points 

Early Saxon.
OMG, more Dark Age Trash than I can count.

The Board:
Fields, vineyards, woods and a road dominate the board.

The Anglo-Saxon right flank has a lot of smaller units.  There is going to be more finesse going on here than the usual Dark Age army.

Facing all those lighter units is one unit of 4 Light Horse, and a unit of Heavy Knights.  And a hidden unit of Light Infantry in the field in the lower right.

The center is the usual line up.  Large masses of foot.  Contesting the road maybe?

The line goes on and on, and ends in some sort of Roman ruin.

On the Anglo-Irish right flank.  3 units of Knights backed by Longbow and supported by the Galloglaich Clan O'Lyre, and a unit of Kerns in the Roman ruins.  The Longbow is not really going to be useful here.

The view from Stonehenge.   The CIC is in reserve, along with another unit of Longbow.  As the Saxons form shield-wall, the missile fire of the Longbow is fairly useless.

The Light Horse is going to counter away here.  Their job is not to lose here. 

The Saxons have turned the Irish flank with a small Light Horse unit of their own.

Kern Ramsay can approach and slow the Saxon forces, but doesn't want to engage.

The Bombards turn for a diagonal shot.  If the Light Infantry is forced to recall, this could be unpleasant for the Saxons in shield wall, as they do not count shielded to all shooters.

A general advance on the right.

3 Knights charge the Saxon line.  The Saxons roll a down 1, and will rout.

The adjacent Saxon Fyrd shakes in response!  Looking good for the Anglo-Irish!

Turn 2:

So the game is split into two parts.  Mark's Saxons have a number of lose order foot and lights which are taking advantage of all the vineyards on their side of the board.  The Anglo-Irish left is coming unhinged before contact.  On the right, this is going to be a nothing subtle slugfest.

In the center, Clan Ramsay charge impetuously.  Rolling average, they to 72 casualties and take 30.  Normally a rout, but Mark and Jim have given their units an extra 4 figures, so 78 is the breakpoint of these Saxon units.  So instead, they recoil disordered instead.

The Galloglaich Clan Jordan makes a similar charge, and with similar numbers and only recoil their opponent disordered.

The Saxons show their resilience.  One Fyrd ignores their routing friends, flanking the Irish Nobles and destroy them.

Turn 3:

The Anglo Irish Left is being turned, but the Irish Light Horse is doing their job.  41 points is delaying 6 units.

After the Light Horse falls, then it is Kern Ramsay's turn to delay.

Two shield walls line up on each other.

On the right is a mixture of good and bad news.  A second Saxon Fyrd has routed, but the rest of them pass their waver.  The Anglo-Irish Ally General is caught and destroyed.  Leaving the Knights of the Round Table alone and behind enemy lines.

The Galloglaich Clan Jordan was worn down to exhaustion.

The Knights of the Round Table have been taken in the rear next.

Clan Ramsay has a great die roll, an up two.  But the Saxon Fyrd matches that die roll and 2 more!

Clan O'Lyre charges the tired Fyrd.  In the rear, the Knights of the Round Table turn, and rout the cavalry that attacked them earlier. 

Kerns in the ruins catch their opposing lights.  The Longbow are being brought up. 

Turn 4 seems to have been missed, I'll have to try to catch up.
Turn 5:

While the Irish Light Horse is destroyed, the Saxons haven't quite broken through.

Another unit of Irish Nobles go for a cheap shot on a unit of loose order Saxons.  They gamble and lose.

The Bonnachts have a rare win here, routing their opponents.

Clan Ramsay was exhausted and destroyed, but this gave an opportunity for the CIC to charge.  They have a decisive set of wins as well.  Note the missing Bombard.  It was shaken earlier and then destroyed by the Saxon Lights.

At this point the the game was called.  One command on each side was broken.  And the scoring gave a 4-3 win to the Saxons.