The Shrine of St James

SCENARIO 1.2: THE DISPUTED SHRINE

The church of St James the Prevaricator is located near Rabuse just over the city of Trientes border with Translavonia.  It has been held by the Slavs for the last twenty years.  Odo and his Normans intend to change that!

SET UP

• In the centre of the table, place a church. Around the building a defensive ditch.

SPECIAL RULES

The defender has been tipped off about the imminent attack and has gathered forces to repel it. The rest of the defender’s units can enter the table from any of its edges. 

ENDING THE SCENARIO

The scenario ends when the attacker has cleared the church or lost more than half of their points. The maqam is cleared when two turns in a row end with none of the defender’s units within the courtyard. 

VICTORY CONDITIONS

The player with the most units within 6” of the chirch at the end of the game receives 5 Glory. In the event of a tie, the defender receives 3 Glory and the attacker 2 Glory. Add or subtract boasts.

The Normans arrive.  Our local Slav Voivode has garrisoned the church with archers.

The Normans attack aggressively

But use cheesy tactics on the flank to avoid the Slav arrows

And attacking over rge ditch they still break into the church.

A bit of a massacre.

And the Dlav horse fairs no better.

Using Andalusian Cavalry, I need to get the proper guys painted up

And the Voivode is chased away!

Meanwhile back at the church the Slavs break.

And even the Slav foot draw back.  A huge win for Odo and his Normans.

SCENARIO 3

The River crossing 

Game Three

The route towards Saczow, the local Voivode's city, has been blocked, but the advancing Normans turn aside to strike at the Translavonian Prince who has mustered his forces, including Swabians mercenaries, to drive them back.   

The game is played corner to corner.  The Slavs defend the Ford and the woodland   

• the objective is the ford

SPECIAL RULES

• The hillsides and woods count as Cover. 

ENDING THE SCENARIO

• The scenario ends when one of the two leaders is out of action as a result of his unit being wiped out, because of lucky blows, or because of a duel. 

Or it end when the Normans hold the ford

VICTORY CONDITIONS

• Incapacitating a Leader is worth 5 Glory. 

• If no Leader is incapacitated at the end of the game, both players earn Glory for Boasts alone.

The ford over the Volos River, with a second upstream ford randomly generated.

The Slav Prince leads his men on from the flank.  Presumably he has used the hidden ford to cross.  The Swabians defend the Island, and the Slav Cavalry back them up.

And when I say Swabians I mean Saxon Huscarles.

The Normans advance from the opposite corner.

Two groups of Norman Horse, a group of light foot and some archers.

The Normans use archers to weaken the Swanians.  Very effective too.

The Normans lead with the light foot, hiding them away in the wood.  This prompts the Slavs to advance.

The Prince moves to draw off the archers, who have broken one Swabian unit already.  Those Slav Cavalry tried to get to the other ford but they only managed to pass one activation early on and stayed in that position for the rest of the game.

The remaining Swabians advance to attack the archers but...
Lose four men!

An embarrassed backwards shuffle.

The Norman Cavalry unleashes its charge.  The Slav Prince is in trouble.

Four nil.  The Normans carve through them.

Lucky blows. I roll another d6 and the Prince is captured.

And the crossing is also captured.  Its glory all round and a big win for Odo and his lads.

The Sons of Tancred de Faradólé

History makes much of the Norman conquest of the South of Italy by the sons of Tancred d'Hautville.  Less well known are the sons of Tancred de Faradólé, and their involvement on the Dalmatian coast during the same period...

I was always a fan of the setting for the TTG game Heroes, an Imagi-Nations RPG  Set in a fictional version of  11th Century Europe it mainly has a focus on the city of Trieste and the lands and coast to the South and east.  The setting involved half a dozen "nationalities" pitted against each other in a "miniaturization" of the continent.  

Into this I'm going to place a Norman warband, and run them through Lion Rampant scenarios.  If the Normans can win, or at least survive, they will gain reputation and reinforcements allowing them to build the warband and start conquering land.

The plan is to use Lion Rampant Second Edition, and paint up a few 20mm scale armies collected for this project.

The overlooked sons of Tancred de Farandole

Odo de Farandole second eldest of the sons of Tancred was  thoroughly disliked by his brothers who named him "the priest."  Knowing his father's land would go to the elder brother Odo set out for Italia to earn his fortune.

The first of the brothers to arrive in Triente, Odo has been recruited as a mercenary by the Doge.  He has decided that the coastal cities are better suited to his ambitions than joining the d'Hautville brothers in Italy.

The map is an Imagi-Nations view of the area south of Trieste. I had the original map printed as 4 x A3 sections and will use pictures Odo gains Norman reinforcements as his reputation grows.  

If he wins three battles for the Duke he is "given" a castle as a reward.

If he wins three further battles he is given a second holding.

Each point his reputation grows earns him an increase in his retinue, including character figures.

Guiscard Scenarios
Scenario 1: The evening of Civitate Scenario 2 : Stairway to Heaven 
Scenario 3: Only the river left to cross! 
Scenario 4: The sheep of the Catepan 
Scenario 5: The pike forest Scenario 6: BBQ in Durazzo 
Scenario 7: Looted while away hunting 
Scenario 8: The pious Norman 
Scenario 9: The Outpost 
Scenario 10: Bohemond's booty 
Scenario 11: Don't trust a dead Norman 
Scenario 12: The favors of the emperor 
Scenario 13: The Hornets' Nest 
Scenario 14: Family affair 

Additional Scenarios
Scenario 1: George Maniakes Expedition 
Scenario 2: The  Mercenaries Scenario 3: Enough with the Greeks
Scenario 4: Cerami  
Scenario 5: Finishing the Job
Scenario 6: Salerno must fall  table 

The world of 1000 AS (After the Saviour)

On the Map

Triente.            Communal City States

Magyary             Hungary

Bulgari                Bulgars     

Translavonia       The Balkans

Russland             Russia,

Frankian Empire         France/Germany/Italy

Tyrantian Empire         The Byzantine Empire

Herzlavakia       Czechoslovakia/Bohemia

Poldavia              Poland

Off the map

Asgard                The Viking Lands

Ispania                Spain

Angonia              England

Cyraan                Wales/Scotland/ Ireland

Orentia                The Arab Lands

Triente

The base city for the campaign Triente is to all intents and purposes independent. It hedges between the suzerainty of the Frankian and Tyrantian Emperors. The Doge, the Count the Bishop and the ten Justices wage war against the Translavonian King and his local Voivodes.  

SCENARIO 1.1: AMBUSH! 

The Doge has hired the Norman Mercenary band of Odo de Farandole, to support his cause, and sent him to escort a Church envoy, turns out its the Bishop himself, with a peace offer from the City fathers of Triente to the Translavonians.  Isperich, the local Voivode,  plans an ambush to capture the Churchman.

The map

Game one

The Game

The Bishop is escorted on table.

The Voivode's forces appear in Ambush.

The Normans swing out onto the right flank.

The Trientian Captain leads his skirmishing javelinmen through the woods.

The Captain routs both Slav bow groups in succession.

Good fight this one!

Odo and his Norman Milites charge.  Its devastating.

The Voivode is killed, with five casualties on the Slav Cavalry.

And the Normans continue into the Slav Infantry.   It's a second carve up.  I'm using Goth 20mm foot for the Slavs here.  They really look the part.

The Normans are Tumbling Dice with a few HaT plastics.  I'm happy with them too.

And on the left the Trientian Captain charges again.

The Captain breaks the second Slav bow group.  The game is won.

Last positions.  The slingers actually did well to keep up with the Normans but with all of that running didn't get to shoot! 

Lion Rampant Force Lists

Norman Warband

1 Elite Cavalry (Leader) @6 points

1 Heavy Cavalry @ 4 points

1 Light Cavalry with Javelins @ 3 points

1 Light Infantry with mixed weapons @ 5 points

1 Light Infantry with Javelins (@ 4 points

1 Foot Skirmishers @ 2 points

The Communal City States

The Popolo spear, Crossbowmen, Commune Heavy Cavalry, Mercenary Cavalry, Carroccio, Skirmishes foot.

The Empire

• 2 Mounted Companions * @ 12 points * If Swabians use dismounted knights with two handed swords or axes.

• 1 Lower Class Spearmen @ 3 points

• 1 Skirmishers @ 2 points

• 1 Ottonian character figure.

Magyary            

Noble Cavalry, Light Cavalry, light spear foot, skirmishing foot

Bulgari     

Noble Cavalry, Light Cavalry, Light spear foot, Skirmisher  foot

     

Translavonia    

Slavic - One Heavy Cavalry command unit, Light Infantry spearmen, Foot Skirmishers

Tyrantian Empire

Kataphractoi, Clibanari, Skutatoi, Trapezetoi, Archers, Psiloi.

Russland   

Asgard river pirates

Herzlavakia  

Milites, light horse , Foot Spear, Foot bow, Skirmishers

Poldavia          

Noble Cavalry, Spearmen, Archers, Skirmishers

Orentian Pirates

Light Spearmen.  Bowmen, skirmishers.

Take the bridge, Shako to Coal Scuttle.

  I'm up for a Nordic Weasel game, love the use of 6 and 1.  

The scenario is take the bridge.  Well I needed to build the bridge and some 2mm scale towns first!

Neu Schwanz, being erected.

And the fast flowing River Meise as 3rd battalion come onto the table.

And after I've painted it 24 hours later

Neu Schwanz, and I need to draw the windows in as well as colour the roofing tiles.  Near the bridge we can see the village of Gröpe, and my first attempt at the Gröpe Bridge.

Red come on with battalions in depth

Blue have garrison the (now painted) towns but no sign of their main forces.

Red advsnce.

Blue are revealed in firing lines.

A close view of my "Blue" forces, essentially early WW1 French.

Red assault the town, some disorder and losses.

More Blue appear screening the bridge.

Red are thrown back.

Blue hold the field and bridge at the end of them six