The Warlord: Game 3

 The Marsh of Broken Reeds

Bors has his
moment!

Ambush in the Wetlands

Local fighters vanish into the marshes, striking patrols and melting away. Crispinus orders a hunt.

Primary Objective:
Force the enemy to Rout or destroy one enemy unit.

Secondary Twist:

At the start of each turn, one random unit must test Courage or become Disordered (lost footing).

Terrain:
Marsh creeks, reed beds, soft ground, narrow paths.

Campaign Impact:
Victory reduces ambush risks later; defeat emboldens resistance.

Frankish forces

Bors of the Cross, Senior Man-at-Arms, Brutal Lieutenant to Crispinus.

Unit: Foot Serjeants (Aggressive)
Profile Notes: Reliable but prone to rash charges.  Bors is Crispinus’ hardest man — a veteran of sieges and punitive raids. He enforces discipline with his fists and expects obedience. Villagers fear him more than they fear Crispinus.

Campaign Hooks:

• Gains bonuses in assaults, penalties in diplomacy scenarios
• May provoke unrest or reprisals

Bors force has 18 points

6 dismounted Milites. @6

12 Light Foot. @4

12 Light Foot. @4

12 Archers @4.

Bors has chosen his lighter options but may come to regret the lack of skirmishers as he wanders around this bog.

Late addition Fléchier, Master Archer, Sergeant of my archer unit @1 ( brings the points to 25 to equal the enemy)

The Enemy (Randomised Ambush roll.  4d6 for points)

6.  Viking knaar(s), and crew(s) hiding in a wide stream inlet. 2d6 force

5.  Viking Raiders with the remains of the Frisian rebel alliance. 

4.  Bandit group, local outcasts. 2d6 force.

3.  A rival Frankish Noble's band 

2.  Angered Village exiles in camp. 2d6 force

1.  A gathering fyrd of the Frisians, aimed at Crispinus.

I roll a 5!

The Game

Random event:

4 – Ill Omens, Bad signs spread unease through the camp.

• All units suffer −1 to their first activation attempt next game
• A Priest/Chaplain (if present) negates this effect

NB: brother Anslem is not present in this game.

The Game

Hróðgeirr Black-Oar
finally appears

The campaign 's nemesis, Hróðgeirr Black-Oar of Wädden finally shows himself.

It's a bit boggy!  The whole table counts as rough for this game.

It turns out to be Hróðgeirr and his Huscarles, tenuously allied to the remaining Frisian rebels 

6 Huscarles Elite Inf @ 6

6 Huscarles Elite Inf @ 6

Oarsmen Light Inf     @3

6 Skirmishers (sling) @2

6 skirmishers (Javelins) @2

Hróðgeirr's force is 25 points. To balance this I've added a Master Archer figure to Bors force, as Fléchier, and he rolls a magnificent 14 revealing he is a "Lionheart," who can reroll two hit dice.  There is a mail wearing archer on the Bayeux tapestry, possibly a commander, so I've added a named figure who, unlike most of my other archers wears a helmet.

For this game I'm enforcing the 3" distance rule.  I'm also going to give skirmishers the full 12 dice (although given their cost I still think it unbalances the game.  Let's see)

Hróðgeirr's force wins initiative.  The skirmishers refuse.

But it's a fair old advance.

Canny old Bors advances and discovers a stream bed.  He's out on the Flank though.

Testing the ground it turns out to be a linear obstacle.

After turn one the lines are closing.  

The Frankish Light Foot go into shieldwall

Looks like Bors is preparing a defence.  Not a bad strategy for Light Foot.

Bors keeps just far enough away from the Warrior foot to prevent their Wild Charge 

The Vikings close in.  The Warrior foot get close, and the Huscarles get onto the bridge over the stream.  Even the javelins skirmishers close in.

Fléchier orders his men to loose.  Two Huscarles killed.

The Huscarles try to close, but fail.  They even fail Hróðgeirr's re-roll.

Those damn skirmishers kill two of Fléchier's archers.

But they pass the Courage test.

Fléchier swaps aimed to the skirmishers and releases a mighty volley.  Four are killed and they Rout.

Bors charges the Warrior Foot.  They counter charge.  

Two of Bors Milites are killed.  Four Warriors fall and they fail the courage test at -4.  The Warriors fall back battered.

They fail to Rally next turn and fall back again.

The skirmisher/slingers are shooting at the shieldwall, which increases the armour of the light foot to 3.  They get a single casualty.

Hróðgeirr Heads into the woods to hunt down Bors.

The Huscarles charge from the bridge.  They bounce against the shieldwall.  

Those damn slingers do it again.

The Warriors rally.

Fléchier's lads cut down the Huscarles routing them

The Light spears advance onto the bridge flanking those singers.

But in a moment of madness my guys behind the stream break the shieldwall, in a charge.  The singers need a 7 to evade, and fail.  They go to Armour class one.  It's a wipe out.

Bors pulls back, looking at Hróðgeirr's attempt to Flank him and the rallied Warrior foot.

But Hróðgeirr's warband is less than 25% now.  They fail the courage test.  Hróðgeirr sneaks away.

The hero shot.  Fléchier looks a nice mail coat and voif from the fallen Viking. (I'm using a medieval Scandinavian figure for this)  Bors also upgrades his mail from the loot. 
Both Bors and Fléchier gain +1 to their loyalty score.

Hróðgeirr meanwhile withdraws to his ships on the river and makes for the estuary, only to see the sails of two supply ships, sent to Crispianus from the Duke.  The Vikings gave three longships.  Things are looking up for the Scandi' Pirates in the next game. “Wolves on the Water.”