Phil on Ancients: The Aztecs of Asgard

A Headless Body Production
Venue: Regency at Providence Community Center, Phoenixville, Pa
Event: Providence Gamer's Game Knight

Players: Phil Gardocki, Bruce Potter, Frank running Vikings
Garth Parker, Steve Turn, Mark McConnaughhay running Aztec
Game System: L'Art de la Guerre, 15 mm, 300 points per side.
Theme: None

The Forces:
Vikings
Hagar the Horrible, Sven the Sventastic, both Competent. The other two commanders, not so much.
6 Huscarls, Heavy Swordsmen, 2 Handed Weapons, Armored, Elite
3 Mounted Huscarls, Heavy Cavalry, Elite
~18 Heavy Spearmen
Some lights

Breakpoint around 32

Aztec
More swordsmen then you can shake a stick at. We know, we tried.

Breakpoint of 32, then 44

Story Time:

Fleeing the Protestant tyranny, the last Viking fleet find refuge in a bay on hostile shores. When you are sailing in dragon ships, all shores are hostile. What natives they spot quickly disappear into the thick woods towards the highlands in the distance.

Weeks of labor have cleared a the area, and have provided much needed wood to repair their damaged ships. Then one morning is heralded by drums.

Hagar's camp is right up against the sea, his proud ship, Feræringr, is in the distance.

Off in the distance are the unexplored foothills of a yet unnamed mountain.

Knowing they would be there a while, Hagar ordered housing built for his men

Out of the morning mists, dark skinned warriors descend from the hills.

Men they must be, but men like have never been seen before

Most Aztecs are classified as Medium Swordsmen. Some Impact, some Elite some 2HW, some Mediocre, many with Atlatls, few with bows.

Their lines grow in the distance.

There is an inexplicable gap, then they continue to the shore.

A short command of spearmen cover the flanks. They breath a sigh of relief as none of the strange warriors seem to be facing them.

Sven's spearmen are worried, as the heaviest blow seems to be coming their way.

Hagar's axe men face the gap in the lines.

While the select spear finish the line ending in the newly built village Byrðingr.

Turn 1:

Strange horns sound in the distance, as from hidden valleys pour out more warriors.

And even more.

Steve is playing his Strategist to full effect. 12 units hiding in 3 ambush markers.

Emboldened by their engorged flank supports, Jaguar knights, with their attendant priests, race across the field.

The Aztec left advances a bit more cautiously.

The Viking left flank guard advances 1 UD and slides.

2nd Corps also advances a minimal distance and slides.

Hagar's Huscarls keep in line with the spearmen.

The right flank Vikings reveal their surprise. The Tarascan mercenaries (Bow, Mediocre) are suddenly facing mounted Huscarls.

Turn 2:

The shear mass of Aztecs pouring from the jungle is daunting, but they are facing organization problems.

They have too many battle groups, and not enough command points, and are having traffic jams.

The Aztec second command slows down to allow their supports to organize.

The best Aztec warriors are here. Mostly Elite, and with 2HW, they expect to make short work of the Viking Spearmen.

The Viking flank guards snuggle up tight with their 2nd Corps.

The 2nd and 3rd groups mass upon a single Aztec group.

Hagar parses off a group of Huscarls to support his right flank.

The Mounted Huscarls charge the Tarascan Mercenaries, and expect a quick win. The overconfidence proves their undoing, as the mercenaries stand their ground.

Turn 3:

The Aztec right flank is still mostly trying to organize itself.

The middle stays put.

With a great ululation, the Aztec Eagle Knights charge. Mowing down warriors with abandon.

The Mounted Huscarls find themselves flanked.

The Viking left continues to provide flank guard support.

There is a temptation here. The mass of Aztecs is achieved by most of the above troops being Mediocre.

Time to go to work. Huscarls charge!

Its a race against time, as the right flank spearmen are collapsing quickly.

The Mounted Huscarls finally destroy one bow unit, but the other is unscathed.

The Vikings have 9 points towards their breakpoint of 32
The Aztecs have 12 points towards their breakpoint of 44

Turn 4:

While the Aztecs have taken a lot of time to get organized, they have turned the flank of the Viking flank guards.

But have failed to support their Jaguar Knight command.

Those Knights are facing steel for the first time, but are still managing to give as well as they got.

Off in the distance, the Viking spear command is almost destroyed.

The Tarascan Mercenaries decide not to engage the Mounted Huscarls, but run into the town instead.

The race for the break point is on. The flank guard charges the Mediocre swordsmen.

The Viking 2nd command spear is disordered, but still fighting. The Jaguar Knights now have Huscarls on their flanks.

The Eagle Knights have destroyed most of the frontal opponents, but now have Huscarls on both flanks.

The Vikings have 17 points towards their breakpoint of 32
The Aztecs have 21 points towards their breakpoint of 44

Turn 5:
It has been a long hard fight, and this is the last turn.