Samurai vs Crusader

A Headless Body Production
Venue: On Military Matters Bookstore. Owner Operator: Dennis Shorthouse

Event: Prep for USTT 2020


Players: Phil Gardocki running Samurai
Dennis Shorthouse running Later Crusader
Game System: L'Art de la Guerre, 15 mm, 200 points per side.
Theme: None

The Forces:
A brand spanking new Samurai. Freshly delivered this week, I didn't expect them to see action for a while, as I am running a period 4. They were painted by Fernando in Sri Lanka. For information on this process, click on my article here.

Commanded by Larry-san, the Competent, his brother Darryl-san the Brilliant and his other brother Darryl-san , the Ordinary and unreliable.
7 Samurai, Medium Swordsmen, Bow, 5 of which are Elite
4 Yari, Medium Spearmen, Mediocre
6 Mounted Samurai, Heavy Cavalry, Bow, 2 of which are Elite
4 Bowmen, Pavise, Mediocre

Breakpoint of 21

Note to self, I have to find a way to mark the elites from the non elites.

Later Crusader (this is derived from the photos and may have no bearing on reality)

4 Medium Knights, some elite, some impetuous.
10 foot units, various Heavy Spear and Crossbow
3 Turcopoles, Bow, 2 Medium, 1 Light
2 Light Infantry, Bow

Breakpoint of 22

Dennis has a wonderful bookstore in Hopewell New Jersey, that he has been running for many decades. Imagine going through a library that is nothing but military history. If you don't think you knew him, he is a long time supporter of Historical Miniatures Gaming Society, and held the coveted #1 spot in the dealers area for over 20 years. So if you have been to any of HMGS's events at the Lancaster Host, you probably have met Dennis at some time.


The Board:
The Crusaders win the initiative and elect to attack in the plains. The Samurai take a coastal, a gully, a field and a fielded hill. The Crusaders take a road and a field.

The Mediterranean to the west, the Crusaders line up their knights.

Their foot troops a mix of Heavy Spearmen and Crossbowmen.

The left flank is another group of knights.

3 commands are shown, but only 16 units. Something is hiding in ambush behind the hill.

Introducing Larry-san, a competent general with 5 Elite Samurai, and 2 units of Yari

To his right is Darryl-san with 6 mounted Samurai.

Holding the right flank is their brother Darryl-san with 4 mediocre shooters with pavise, and a Yari.

The rubbish in the gully represents an ambush.
This army runs hot and cold, hardly any ordinaries at all.

From behind the hill in ambush are 3 Turcopoles, 1 light and 2 medium, and 2 Light Infantry bow.

The vast line if infantry advance

The command of knights hit the road to eventually assault the Samurai right flank

Seeing the hill abandoned, Larry-san orders his troops to take it

Darryl-san halts his cavalry just out of crossbow range.

Out of ambush in the gully is 2 more Samurai with bow. They retreat from the gully, then turn to hold the high ground and loose arrows.

This is interesting. My right most command, being mostly mediocre troops, can never hold the line against 4 knights plus supporting cavalry. But I have time, as the knights will take a while to get there. Meanwhile I am on a hill with a shooter and a spearmen. Holding higher ground and able to shoot into the flank of the advancing crusader foot soldiers.

Turn 2:

The Crusader General decided he didn't like the idea of Samurai on the hill as well. Back marches his cavalry and knights.

The Sergeants are content to advance to crossbow range and shoot and wait for the knights to deploy

Samurai shooters are mostly elite, and are willing to make the exchange of arrows. Especially against crossbows, which raise their protection level to 1.

Darryl-sans heavy horse advance to shoot as well.

With the threat of the knights suddenly gone, Darryl-san advances his troops up the left flank of the Crusaders.

This is beginning to look like Cannae.
The Samurai archery proves effective.
The Crusaders have 6 points towards their breakpoint of 22
The Samurai have 2 points towards their breakpoint of 21

Turn 3:

On the hill, the missile exchange goes against the Samurai.

The Crusader foot advance some of their sergeants, and provide cover for their more disordered units.

The Crusader Knights do another about face and race down the road at what they perceive as the greater threat.

First charge! Yari charge Light Infantry on the hill, which stands and rolls a lock

Arrows and bolts continue to be exchanged. Many Sergeants units now have double hits.

To be noted here, I was very lucky in this series of die rolls down the line.

A Yari crosses the gully, lining a charge on a disordered Heavy Spearmen in the rough.

Darryl-san is not going to even try to stand against the knights and retreats.

The Knights will not be able to double advance because of the Yari in the gully, so it would be turn 7 or 8 before they can contact the Samurai right flank's with it's juicy mediocre troops.

The Crusaders have 10 points towards their breakpoint of 22
The Samurai have 3 points towards their breakpoint of 21

Turn 4:

The Turcopoles are out of normal command, so their knight commander issues one last order to charge.

The Foot Sergeants took a step forward to charge as well, but then changed their mind and decided against it.

The mounted Samurai are doing very well in the missile exchange, they are weakening, with half of them now disordered.

The Crusader Knights begin the slow trot across the board to catch the retreating archers.

One Turcopole is down, but this gives breathing room for the Foot Sergeants to rally.

Which, they largely didn't.

The Lights on the hill are on their last gasp. But they accomplished their purpose, to tie up those troops on the hill for a number of turns.

There was a chance here to attack the crossbowmen and disorder the unit behind them, this would throw the entire Crusader line out of wack. But the dice favored the Crossbowmen and they stood.

The Samurai along the gully are no longer content to just shoot at push forward.

Darryl-san draws a line, "Here, and no further!"

The Crusaders have 16 points towards their breakpoint of 22
The Samurai have 8 points towards their breakpoint of 21

Turn 6:

Fortune favors fools and Light Infantry. They win another round.

Crusader foot push forward, flanking one Samurai, and hoping to take advantage of disorder in another.

The Crusaders seek to drive off the horse archers by charges. Darryl-san fears losing much honor if the sun would set before he could draw his sword and orders a counter charge. The dice speak and the Japanese win or tie 6 out of 6 exchanges

The knights line up 1 pace beyond bow range. Darryl-san is happy with that.

Over confident, the Samurai draw their Katanas and charge! One is destroyed on contact.

But that loss is of small note as several Crusader Foot Sergeants also flee the field.

Darryl could either rally or charge a flank, and goes for the successful rally. If he charged the flank of the Crusader line, his Samurai would be charged in turn.

For their first shot ever, the Samurai archers (mediocre) take one pace forward and loose! Two knights hit.

And at that the Crusaders hit their break point.

The Crusaders have 22 points towards their breakpoint of 22
The Samurai have 9 points towards their breakpoint of 21

A great victory for an army's first time out. The Japanese battle-groups kept their order to stay cohesive. They did well taking advantage of the terrain. And helped by their opponent vacillating before committing his best troops. The Crusader's knight command represents about 25% of his army, and it's hard to win when that much strength doesn't get into battle.