An Italicizing of Italians

A Headless Body Production

Venue: Museu de Marinha, Lisbon, Portugal
Event: Day 1, the Lusitania Challenge
Theme: Team Tournament, Feudal Period, Round 1

Players: Phil Gardocki, team Over the Hill Gang, running Kingdom of Sicily, list 188, circa 1300
              Steve Roper, team Ludius Lusitani, translated as "Portuguese player", running Communal Italian, list 189, circa 1200

Game System: L'Art de la Guerre, 15mm, 200 points per side.

I had the Kingdom of Sicily army commissioned back in February for this tourney. Since then I have played 12 or more games with it, winning 2, tying 1. So you cannot say I didn't have enough practice.

 

The Lusitania Challenge was by far, the most organized event I have ever attended. The teams were organized into quarters based on total of the team members ELO Score, then for the first round, countries will not play teams from their countries. First pairings were posted the day before.

 

And I drew, Steve Roper and his Communal Italians. Last seen in at Historicon about 6 weeks ago in A Citadel of Communal Italians. Steve didn't have a team, so the organizers placed him in one of the standby teams of Portuguese players. They had more than one standby team available to line up the matches. These guys were good.

 

On one side, we both flew 3,500 miles to play the same guy we played in Lancaster.

 

On the other side, I can just copy the header information from the Historicon battle report, and make a few adjustments, which I'll use as a template for the next 5 games, while including minorly entertaining story explaining, "how did that happen?" 

 

The Forces:
The Kingdom of Sicily are led by King Frederick II a Strategist, Darrel, who is Competent and Darrel (no relation), Ordinary and Unreliable
11 Medium Knights, 8 Impetuous, Elite, 3 Impact
2 Saracen Swordsmen, Medium Swordsmen
4 Saracen Bowmen, Light Infantry, Bow
2 Sicilian Crossbowmen, Light Infantry, Crossbow
2 Saracen, Light Cavalry, Javelin
2 Saracen, Light Cavalry, Bow
Breakpoint of 23
 

Communal Italian scouting report.
It is the year 1201, the Italian commander's names and qualities are lost to posterity.
8 Communal Medium Knights, Impact
1 Plaustrella, War Wagon with blades
2 Light Horse, Crossbow
4 Heavy Spearmen, half Crossbow
4 Heavy Spearmen
2 Levy
2 Light Infantry, various
Breakpoint...23

 

Display Conventions: When you see a word bubble like "Ouch!" or Ahi!, this implies a disorder from missiles. Letters in parenthesis represent some value change for the specific unit. For commanders it is s for strategist, b for Brilliant, c for Competent and o for Ordinary, u for unreliable. For troops it is e for Elite, and m for Mediocre. Other abbreviations, Hvy Heavy, XB Crossbow, LB, Longbow, Jav Javelin, 2HW 2 Handed Weapons, B Bow, Kn Knight, HKn Heavy Knight, HC Heavy Cavalry, Md Medium, Sgt Sergeants, LC Light Cavalry, Chr Chariot, Cat Cataphract, Pa Pavise, LI, Light Infantry, HG Hand Gun, FKn Foot Knight, Hvy Spr, Heavy Spearmen.

Inappropriately capitalized words are used to highlight terms that are specific to the game. For example Brilliant, Competent and Ordinary have specific game values for the commanders.

"XX" implies a unit killed in that location on that turn.

Any inaccuracies and vagueness as to specific units is to be regarded as fog of war and part of the fun.

The Venue

The Museu de Marinha has on display a number of ships from the days of sail. Most seem to have been owned by royalty and nobility. Which explains how they survived. Low usage and money available for upkeep.

We'll start with the eye-candy first. The Royal Brigantine.

Built for King Jaro VI in 1784. 40 oars, requiring 78 oarsmen, last sailed in 1957 for Queen Elizabeth II.

For better pictures and explanations, go to the actual web site.

Having suffered a number of defeats with the Sicilians, I decided to do a major revamp on how the army was to be played. Gone are the Almughavars. They look nice being spear/impact, option for elite, but the end result of almost all the losses was that 12 points of my demoralization total was from them. They died hard, but operative word there was died. The only way to avoid that is to not provide them as targets.

The Kingdom of Sicily list is broken up into 4 periods, and I selected the Saracen period. This gives me access to the Strategist, a number of light infantry, and a couple of cheap medium swordsmen. From them I created a micro command of 13 points. I also expanded the number of light horse to 4. Raising my initiative rating to 4.

My plan is to deploy as follows. In one ambush, hide the Saracen command. In another ambush, hide a pair of light horse. This gives my opponent the uncertainty that there is a flank march running. The intention is to never reveal the Saracens until necessary, so the flank march will look real.

The hidden light horse would be revealed almost immediately. The thought there is that most armies in my period range will have only 2 or less light horse, and give me an advantage to overwhelm them and get around the enemy lines.

The Sicilians win the initiative and elect to attack in the plains.

Turn 1:

This game is in progress...

Darrel is facing 4 knights supported by crossbow spearmen. He advances cautiously. Using the gully as an anchor.

Frederick is facing a foot command and a force of 4 knights as well.

The Saracen rolls a 6 for it's command points, and so it is revealed as not a flank march. So much for that plan.

The Italians advance on the double.

Their 2nd and 3rd command link up on the advance.

We both have 23 units, why do I feel so out numbered?

Turn 2:

Darrel holds his knights and advances his skirmishers

Frederick double moves his knights to the right. Something he should have done on turn 1.

His light horse moves far afield to gain the flank.

The Italian light horse charges. The Sicilian rolls short and is slaughtered just before it could have reached safely.

Other Sicilian lights put on their Keds and flee faster

The Italian light horse heads flank-ward to cover his knights.

Eye Candy Break

The Small Barge, 18th Century 52 oarsmen and 2 crew

 Turn 3:

Darrel releases his knights. And roll long, engaging the Italian knights, winning 3 of 4 impacts

Frederick moves as far to the right as he could. Not far enough.

His lights have gotten around the flank of his opposing knights.

The Sicilians and the Italians each rout a knight.

The Italians hold their line.

In the far rear, Italian Levy march to protect a camp looting.

Saracen archers score a lucky disorder on the Italian knights. Another communal knight is routed.

Why did I charge the crossbow/spearmen? I don't recall. Maybe relying on their being mediocre and armor to live for a while.

Frederick's knights get in the face of the Italians. Darrel's (no relation) Saracens advance to support.

Turn 4:

What looked promising on charge has fallen apart. Saracen lights roll short on their evade again and are (again) slaughtered. Italian spear have turned the flank of Darrel's knights and destroy 2 of them.

The Italians advance up Frederick's flank.

One Italian knight takes a cheap shot on the Saracen Medium foot.

And pays for it's impetuousness.

Turn 5:

At the top of the 5th, the Kingdom of Sicily is at 18 of 23. The Italians are at 8.

One Sicilian knight chases off the Italian light horse. Another knight has a favorable roll against a half spear/CB foot.

Frederick's knights finally get their charge in. But winning only 1 of 3 contacts

The Italian light horse proves well skilled in combat. Winning through while their opponents had both flank supports.

A Saracen light foot is pinned, its supporting knight is cut down by the Plaustrella for two more points towards the Sicilians demoralization level.

Frederick's charge has been stalled, and now it's flanked.

King Frederick takes to the front, routing is opposing Italian knight, a second is heavily disordered, bringing the Italian demoralization level to 12. But the Sicilians have hit their number of 23 and sue for terms.

So what went wrong?

First was a mistake in the position of the gully.  I put it too far forward, and so it was not usable as an ambush site. I would have put the micro command in there.  

Second was rolling a 6 for command points of the micro command, forcing it's reveal.  So setting the imaginary flank march as an anxiety in Steve's head was a bust.

Then I deployed too wide.  Giving Steve the opportunity to set up flank shots for when the knights charge.

 

This is a new segment called, "Have you seen me?"

These are photos in my photo roll, of people I do not know and, that I did not take.

It turns out that if someone sends a number of pictures via the "WhatsApp" app, the iPhone will download them to your photo roll.  There was a community group in WhatsApp for this tournament that I was on, but not paying any attention to.  So these pictures only appeared when I was downloading the pics for these battle reports.

I think these are the judges

An excellent looking camp

Top table players

Duncan Richards +3

Who are all these party goers?

I don't know, because I don't get invited to these parties:(

I can put a name to 4 of these jokers. Team "Over the Hill Gang" in white shirts from back to front, Al, "el Capitano" Kaplan, Phil "the Reporter" Gardocki, Walt "Easy Rider" Leach, and Don "Kozcon" Manser.

I'm guessing 100 Years War English camp

These look like the winning team

The calm before the storm.