Almost like Hastings

The group's first game for the year was a 28mm Dark Age Hail Caesar game.

In this game the Vikings have joined forces with the Saxons in an attempt to repel the Norman invaders.

At the start. Vikings and then Saxons on the ridge. Normans on the flat.

Part of the Saxon line.

The masses of Norman cavalry charge up the hill into the waiting Saxons.

The Saxon line is pushed back.

Norman Command.

The Viking Command.

The Norman foot wait for the Vikings to come off the ridge.

The Norman cavalry was concentrated on the Saxon right flank.

The Vikings and the unengaged Saxons move off the ridge and take the battle to Normans below.

The fight continues right along the line.

Slowly the Norman foot units are forced back but at the other end of the battle the Saxons are being pushed off the ridge by all that Norman cavalry.

In the end the Norman cavalry were too strong for the Saxons and Vikings and so this "Hastings like" battle also went the way of the Normans.

Time to catch up.

It has been a long time since my last post so I thought it was about time I added some photos of our games from the last month or so.

First up is a 15mm Napoleonic game. Rules were Volley and Bayonet.

 This involved a Bavarian Corp trying to link up with the Prussians at the other end of the table.

 The French, not happy about the Bavarians changing sides, were trying to prevent this.

 The Bavarians made it in the end.

Next up is a Hail Caesar game in 28mm.

 Normans on the attack against Saxons, Vikings and some Irish on a ridge.

 Archers on the flanks trying to upset the Normans.

 On the whole it was one way traffic for the Normans who rode up and over the ridge and anyone that stood in their way!.

The Irish did charge down the ridge and managed to destroy a Norman unit  but that was the only highlight for the allies on the ridge.

The moment of victory.

Then last week we had a game of Pike and Shotte, ECW in 28mm.

 An encounter game, where two relatively even forces meet with a point to prove.

 These Parliament dragoons raced away to set themselves up in a field in the Parliament centre. Unfortunately for them the rest of the Parliament centre didn't move forward for most of the game.

 Cavalry on the Parliament left did advance and they charged the Royalists foot.

 Royalist artillery positioned on a hill in the centre.

 The Royalist horse came around the town to charge into the Parliament horse.

Wayne's church and headstones looked really cool. Had to add a photo of them.

Parliamentary Bluecoats, or should that be turncoats? These figures used to fight for the Royalists before a flag change took them to the other side.

 Action over on the Royalist left was pretty even but with the help of the Royalist guns the Parliamentary troops were forced to withdraw.

 At the other end of the battlefield things were fairly even and the two sides were gradually reducing each others numbers.

 Finally the Parliamentary centre moved forward but it was too little too late.

 The Royalists were in control of the flanks, it was only a matter of time.

Dark Age Bash.

The boys last get together was a Dark Age game using the Hail Caesar rules.

 

 

 Both sides lined up opposite each other. The largely Norman army behind the river.

 The mainly Saxon army had a few units in a rather advanced position near the bridge. The rest of the Saxon army began back at the base line.

 The Norman army moved off over the river to attack the exposed Saxons along with some of their cavalry.

 The Saxon cavalry charged towards the Normans. With neither cavalry commander wanting to fight in the river itself along with a number of "blunders" the largely cavalry wing of the battle did not come to blows until almost the end of the battle.

 Slowly the rest of the Saxon foot advanced up in support of their friends near the bridge.

 A couple of cavalry units from each side did meet in the centre of the table with the Saxons getting the upper hand.

 When the lines of foot troops finally clashed it was the Saxons that were to come out on top. The Normans were now in a rather poor state and were forced to quit the field,

Thanks to Chris for supplying all the troops and running the game.