A Fleecing of French

A Headless Body Production

Venue: Real figures, across 3000 miles of fiber optics
Players: Phil Gardocki running Anglo Irish (pre 1300)
               Tommy Worden running 100 Years War French
Game System: L'Art de la Guerre, 15mm 200 points per side.
Theme: Just passing time.
 

The Forces:

The gleeking rump-fed mildewed-eared Anglo Irish, circa 1299 AD

Larry (Competent), his brother Darryl (Competent) and his other brother Darryl (also Competent)

4 Longbowmen, stakes

2 Javelinmen

4 Galloglaich, Heavy Swordsmen, 2HW, Elite

2 Irish Lords, Heavy Swordsmen, Armor, Elite

5 Kerns, Light Infantry, Javelins

4 Irish Nobles, Heavy Cavalry

2 Irish Cavalry, Light Cavalry, Javelins

Breakpoint of 23

100 Years War French, led by Larry d'Arc (Brilliant), Darrel Bretangne (Competent) and Darrel Berri (Ordinary)

2 Mercinaries, Heavy Knights, Impact
4 Nobles Heavy Knights, Impetuous
6 Light Infantry, Crossbow
2 Genoese Crossbowmen, Pavise, Elite
1 Brigands, Heavy Swordsmen, 2HW, Mediocre
2 Pavisiers, Heavy Spearmen, Pavise
2 Heavy Spearmen
2 Foot Knights, Elite
Breakpoint of 22

Deployment:

The French are at the top.  They win the initiative and elect to attack in the plains.  The Anglo-Irish terrain picks are Field, Gully, Plantation and Fielded hill.  The French pick a small Plantation and a road.  The small plantation was removed during adjustments.  All the other pieces of terrain are on the Anglo-Irish side of the board.

Way off in the corner of the board, away from everything else on the board, is the French Camp (f)

The French right is the point of honor, and the Chevalier's dominate the position.  Knights on foot to their left are preparing for the climb up the hill, their flanks covered by Genoese Crossbowmen.

Larry's command is mostly skirmishers, and is prepared to play games with the flower of French Knighthood.  In the Gully, his longbowmen await.

Darryl commands the center.  Elite heavy foot all.  But against mounted heavy knights this is a losing game.  On impact, the knights are 2-1 and have furious charge.  Their superior armor canceling the Galloglaich 2 handed weapons.

So what are the odds of Knights vs Heavy Swordsmen?

With no specials, Heavy Knight Impact vs Heavy Swords will win the engagement 73% of the time in 3.6 combat rounds.

But these swordsmen are all elite, and some have 2HW

Against Heavy Swordsmen 2hw elite, the knights win 42% of the fights in an average of 3.3 rounds.  Upgrade the knights to elite, and the odds reverse, knights winning 58% in 4.2 rounds.

Against the Heavy Swordsmen Armor elite, the knights win 58% of the fight in an average of 4.2 rounds.  Elite knights win 83% in 4 rounds.  

Knights arriving disordered or if the foot units have support, and the odds get far worse. Knights win in 14.5% of the battles.

Darryl's troops form up mostly on the fielded hill.

Turn 1:

The French Knights double march forward.  But their middle command, with all their heavy foot holds back.

The Commander was placed with the heavy spearmen, and used his command point to join the foot knights.  The other point was spent pushing the LI Crossbow forward to screen the knights.

Larry reveals his ambush.  Two files of Longbowmen emerge from the gully, bows strung, they approach and loose arrows.

An ungarrisoned camp is just way too much temptation.  Larry goes for it.  This is not totally without a cost, as his other troops will eventually get out of command range.  But for now, that is OK.

Darryl's forces break the crest of the hill.  Exchanging yard shafts against bolts.

Unpictured here is the main line of Galloglaich and Irish Lords, which double march backwards;

Turn 2:

French LI race to try to screen their right flank knights.

For the flower of French chivalry is in full charge.

Longbows to the left of them, longbows to the right of them

Volleyed and thundered;

Stormed at with shot and shell,

Boldly they rode and well,

Into the jaws of Death,

Into the mouth of hell

 Rode the six hundred.

Irish light horse chase off French light foot.

The same on the right.  A knight troop is dispersed by yard long shafts of the Welsh yeomanry.

Genoese crossbowmen receive Irish Nobles, and destroy one.

At the tree of woe, the score is 4-2

Turn 3:

The view from the Fujifilm blimp.  You can tell by how green the image is.

A really dated  pair of references there. 

Ignoring sheaf's of arrows, the French thunder on.

Their foot knights show their endurance by uninterrupted marching towards the hill.

The camp calls for aid, and the foot spearmen answer.

Horns sound warning of a monster on the loose.

Cat to 1/100 scale.

Darryl utters comforting words.

Larry is almost at the camp

Mounted Irish Nobles conform on the Genoese, an additional command point brings the Light Horse in for support as well.  Then a 5-1 die roll takes the Genoese out.

Turn 4:

The final charge.  A Kern is caught and dispersed, the only victory for the Chevalier's this day

The Kerns position was that it couldn't interpenetrate the Galloglaich, as the Camp behind it is impassable, and couldn't divert, as it would take more than a UD to do so.

The foot knights set up for their charge.  Watching one of their Lights skedaddle before the Irish Horse.

At the top of the bottom of the 4th, the score is 12-4

As if it was not bad enough, the  ill-nurtured horse-drench's Irish charge the brave Chevalier's on the right, while the farting like a sheep dog Welsh charge off the hill into the  Chevalier's left.  Reducing Larry d'Arc's command to 1.

Adding insult to injury, the French left the door open to their camp.

The French Foot Knights are the last major force in the field, and are threatened by Darryl's victorious noblemen.

Turn 5:

I offered a mercy kill the game at this point, but blood has been spilt, and blood must answer for it!

Irish Light Horse, watching the spectacle instead of what they were doing, are shot away by French Crossbows.

Welsh Longbow seeing their end is near, flee the field before the French Foot Knights.

Honor has been recovered, the French retreat from their losses.

*The Fuji blimp last flew in 1985