Sax and Violets*

*Damn auto correct.  Saxons and Vikings!**

**The title being a nod to Otto Schmidt's gaming magazine of the same name. See here... 

A Headless Body Production
Venue: An Undisclosed Basement
Event: Wednesday Game Knight
Players: Phil Gardocki, Steve Turn running Saxons, or Frisians, or Jutes, who knows? List 100
               Bruce Potter running Vikings
Game System: L'Art de la Guerre, 15mm, 300 points per side.

The Forces:

The Vikings are led by Hagar the Horrible, With his buddy, Leif, the Honda.  Along the way they picked up their Breton Allies, Chevalier, and Francois. All are reported as Competent.
4 Huscarls, Heavy swordsmen, armor, 2HW, elite
12 Heavy Swordsmen, some look very motivated with very big axes
8 Light Infantry, bow and sling
6 Breton Horsemen, Medium Cavalry, Javelin
6 Breton Militia, Javelinmen
A brace of Light Cavalry
Ulfheðnar, unhinged and Elite
Breakpoint 39.  So far down a Warband, a brace of light foot, the Ulfheðnar, and scouts from Bretange.

The Eddic of Hagar was found on the bottom of a medium sized menhir that was sent out for cleaning.

ᛏᚺᛖ ᛖᛞᛞᛁᚲ ᛟᚠ ᚺᚨᚷᚨᚱ

“ᚨᚹᚨᚲᛖ, ᚨᚱᛁᛊᛖ, ᚱᚨᛚᛚᛁ, ᚠᚱᛁᛖᚾᛞᛊ! ᚨᛚᛚ ᛁᛖ ᚠᛟᚱᛖᛗᛟᛊᛏ 

ᚨᚦᛖᛚᛁᛜᛊ ᛟᚠ ᚺᚨᚷᚨᚱ! ᚨᚹᚨᚲᛖ ᚾᛟᛏ ᛏᛟ ᚹᛁᚾᛖ 

ᚾᛟᚱ ᛏᛟ ᛁᛟᚢᚱ ᚹᛁᚢᛖᛊ’ ᚲᛟᚾᚢᛖᚱᛊᛖ, 

ᛒᚢᛏ ᚱᚨᚦᛖᚱ ᛏᛟ ᚷᛟᚾᛞᚢᛚ’ᛊ ᚷᚨᛗᛖ ᛟᚠ ᚹᚨᚱ.”*****

The Saxons.  Not to be confused with the Anglo-Saxons.  Which is a whole different list...
Led by Akrylyk***, the Competent, with Pliawode*** and Vynil***, also Competent.  And as their +4, Neopreme*, the Allied, Included and Ordinary leader from the south of the Danube. 
21 Heavy Swordsmen, all Impetuous, some are elite.
6 groups of small boys with sticks.
3 units of hastily raised Levy.
3 troops of Heavy Cavalry, Bow, Elite
7 hordes of Light Cavalry, Bow
Breakpoint is 40.  So far down 4 lights and a warband.

*** I was researching basing materials to be ordered for my newly arrived Martian Front figures before creating the list.  The names were funny then.****

**** OK they were not funny then either, but it is what it is...  

Display Conventions: When you see a jagged word bubble like "Ouch!", "ᛟᚢᚲᚺ!", "Smerza!" or "Lûtê!",  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 Spear, 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.

This is part two.  Part one can be found here... 

Pictures from the last turn:

Breton(Viking) Javelinmen retreat before the Saxon warbands.

Avar scouts are trapped at the world's edge.

One of the main battles of Vikings have charged into combat.

While the other battle looks on.

The Bretons have turned the Saxon flank and have engaged.

It is the top of the 5th and the Saxons have the ball.

 

Akrylyk (Saxon CIC) has an excess of command points and tries to line up his left most forces, in case the Breton Javelinmen turn around.

Neopreme (Avar commander) is in combat and has no command points to spare for his wide ranging scouts.

For he has a sizable number of Viking Fyrd engaged, while Akrylik advances on their flank.

A brace of Pliawode's Saxon warbands are routed, trading for a single Viking Fyrd.

The Bretans also rout a warband, trading a troop of horse in exchange.

A single Avar scout exits the field. 

The battle in the center continues.

Leaf (the Honda) commits his battle to battle.

Bretons rout two more warbands and follow up.

 

At the bottom of the 5th, we have a virtual tie!

24 (of 40) for the Saxons.

To 24 of 39 for the Vikings. 

Turn 6:

Akrylik turns his best men to face down the Bretons

Leaving his other warbands on autopilot rolling up the Viking flank.

 

The Avars Disengage and prepare for another charge.

Ignore the arrows.  Pliawoods command advance to support their engaged warband.

Vinyl charges off the Breton horse.

A Wotan's eye (nod, wink) view, of the battlefield.

Having a 3-1 advantage, the Breton Javelinmen try their luck

 

At the top of the frame, the last of the Breton scouts flee the field.

 

Hagar has a shortage of command points and has to make a decision of which flanker to turn.  He cannot face both.  And it doesn't matter much as they will have Avars charging in on their flanks.

The main body of Lief's (the Honda!) command engages the Saxon horde.

After a quick breather, the Breton horse charges Pliawoods command.

With one troop eyeing up the Saxon camp.

 

This is a 300 point game, so that camp is worth 6 points!
 

But will sacking the camp be soon enough?  The Vikings have 28 of 39 towards their demoralization level

To the Saxon's 26

Turn 7:

Akrylik charges the Breton Javelinmen, and is rebuffed.

While his forces team up with the Avar's and Pliawood's warbands to surround the last of Hagar's Fyrd.

On the Saxon center, Pliawood's warbands cut through Leaf's line.  On the far right, the Breton horse stand before the charging warbands and are routed.

At the bottom of the 7th, the Saxon camp is looted.

Akrylik's best men are destroyed.  The Breton Javelinmen are emboldened to try again.

Hagar's remaining Huscarls are going down fighting.

Leaf's Fyrd surround and destroy a Saxon warband, then pile into the rear of another.

The Breton horse continues their whirling melee!

Raising the score for the Saxons to 38 of 40

to the Vikings 36 of 39

Turn 8:

Akrylik throws in another warband into the fray, and nearly routs a Breton.  Taking the Viking score to 37

The last of Hagar's Huscarls falls, Taking the Viking score to 38!

A Saxon warband is destroyed (upper left) A Breton horse is routed, Taking the Viking score to 39!  

That was the game, with the Vikings reaching their break point of 39.

To the Saxon score of 39 of 40.

But wait.  It was noted that there were to missed rally attempts.  Light infantry in the Viking rear.  Both were beyond 4 UD's from nearest foe, so not requiring command points and at a 3+.  One rally was successful.  

So GAME ON!

The Breton Javelinmen score the final point to demoralize the Saxons.

But the Pliawood's guards also disorder their foe's for a mutual destruction.

 

 

 This will be the last battle report for a while.  The queue is empty.

 

I'm going to focus on my new set of Martians v Humans in "Return of the Tripods."  For a preview, I played a bare bones game with a minimum number painted here...

 

 

***** The Eddic of Hagar translated:

Awake, arise, rally, friends!
All ye foremost athelings of Hagar!
Awake not to wine nor to your wives’ converse,
but rather to Gondul’s game of war.