Medieval Skirmishing with Knyghte, Pyke and Sworde

 Blood Red are the Shields Bearing the Hallowed Cross.

The year is 1173 and King Henry II of England is beset by war and rebellion. The King’s sons, Henry, Geoffrey and Richard and his wife, Eleanor are in open revolt, supported by the Kings of France and Scotland.

In the north of England, the Bishop of Durham, Hugh de Puiset, an avaricious and acquisitive prelate and nephew of King Stephen, while not openly supporting the rebels, is shrewdly exploiting the situation to extend his influence in the region. He is believed by many to be in negotiations with William the Lion, King of Scots, to turn a blind eye to Scottish raiding of the border region, in return for exemption from attacks on ecclesiastical lands.

The Arms of de Puiset

The Bishop’s quest for power knows no bounds and he will enlist the support of anyone who might assist his malevolent schemes. His nephew, another Hugh de Puiset, the Count of Bar-sur-Seine, has promised to send forces from France to support his uncle and, finally, Bishop Hugh is known to have sent envoys to Ireland seeking to enlist the support of the High King, Ruaidri Ua Conchobair, who is currently engaged in a desperate struggle with the English forces led by the Earl of Pembroke.

Currently, De Puiset’s forces are at large throughout the area to the west of Durham, including Weardale and Teesdale; taking every opportunity to plunder and persecute the local population and add to the bulging coffers of the Bishop.

The Bishop’s forces don’t have everything their own way, however. At large, in the wild dales of the northern Pennines, is Sir Hugo Flambard, a natural grandson of the former Bishop of Durham, Ranulf Flambard, who had held the office during the reign of William Rufus. Most of the descendants of Ranulf live in various degrees of ecclesiastical obscurity across the length and breadth of northern England, but Sir Hugo, a loyal supporter of King Henry and a veteran of his Welsh campaigns, is determined to bring to an end the ravaging of the Bishop and his despicable retinue.

The Arms of Flambard

Sir Hugo has gathered together a noble band of brothers, bearing the sable and golden shields of his fellowship and has the support of many of the local population who, although they may not posses the martial abilities of Hugo’s men, are prepared to sell their lives dearly in defence of their homes and families.

The leader of Hugo’s retinue is the sergeant, Jerrard Sibton, a veteran warrior who fought alongside Hugo in King Henry’s Welsh campaign against Owain Gwynedd in the year of Our Lord, 1165. At the Battle of Crogen, Hugo had been wounded by the arrow of a Welsh archer and it was Jerrard who had plucked him from certain death, at the hands of a band of Welsh skirmishers who were about to descend upon him. Over the following months, Jerrard and his Welsh wife, Aelwen, nursed Hugo back to health and the two warriors have remained inseparable ever since.

Jerrard Sibton... Captain of Sir Hugo Flambard's forces.

A group of archers, loyal to the cause of Sir Hugo.

Next time, we will meet more of the forces arrayed against each other in this fight for survival in the rugged wilderness of northern England.

Hiero the Hero? A Clash of Spears Learning Game.

 A Small Clash of Spears in the Heart of Sicily!

A couple of weeks after my last learning game, I set up another dry run at a small scale encounter using Clash of Spears. This time, the forces of Syracuse were arrayed against the might of Carthage, after my last inconclusive engagement, where the Carthaginians faced a raiding warband of Celts. In that game, the Balearic slingers proved to be much too influential, because I forgot to apply the +1 Save Modifier for slings firing at ranges over 4 inches... this time, the Syracusans will benefit from a better knowledge of the rules!

The Syracusans, commanded by Hiero, weighed in at 505 points, including a Level 4 Leader, 6 Veteran Hoplites, 6 Citizen Hoplites, 8 Peltasts and 6 Archers.

The Carthaginians fielded 503 points, including a Level 4 Leader, 6 Javelinmen with shield, 8 Iberian Scutarii, 6 Punic Citizen Levy and a first run out for a unit of 6 Numidian Cavalry.

I ought to have increased the rating of the leaders, but decided it would force me into making more of those tricky decisions about where and when to expend the Command Points!

The archers line up on the right, the peltasts in the middle, citizen hoplites on the left, with the veteran hoplites in reserve.

The Carthaginians lined up with javelinmen on the left, citizen levy in the middle and Iberians on the right. The Numidians were sort of hanging about at the back because I hadn't really decided how to use them at this point. I should point out that I didn't start the game with the Engagement Phase, as I wanted to get straight into the action.

The Carthaginians began by pushing the Punic Citizen Levy quickly forward. The javelinmen, on their left, also advanced, drawing fire from the Syracusan archers. The archers fire was pretty abysmal, causing no casualties, although they did eventually force the javelinmen to move back and increase the range.

The archers, safe behind the swamp, but having little effect on the battle!

With the rest of the Carthaginians moving forward, the Numidians finally come up with a cunning plan and start an advance to get around the Syracusan left flank.

The archers finally manage to roll a 6...

The Citizen spearmen approach the Syracusan centre, 

but, the Peltasts let fly with javelins and cut down 3 of the invaders!

With the Carthaginian levy reduced to half strength and stalled, the peltasts seize the moment and charge into the enemy, wiping them out. Things are looking good for the Hiero and his Syracusans.

Meanwhile, the Numidian horse employ hit and run tactics against the unarmoured Citizen hoplites. They move towards the enemy, shoot and then withdraw. The Hoplites have to break ranks to fight back or retain their formation and take what the Numidians have to throw at them. Things might not have been too bad for the Hoplites if I'd remembered that the Numidians should have been gaining fatigue from all this whirling around hurling javelins!

Back in the centre, the Iberian Scutarii had arrived to face the previously victorious Peltasts and unleashed a devastating volley of throwing spears. 

This time, it was the Peltasts who stalled and the Iberians threw caution to the winds and charged in to wipe out the lighter troops.

With their centre broken by the Iberians and their hoplites being slowly ground down by the Numidians, Hiero, the Syracusan commander prudently withdrew the remnants of his forces, giving the victory to the dreaded invader... for the time being!

All in all, this was a really useful learning game; I'd been reluctant to field cavalry, not really knowing how best to use them, but I think I have stumbled on a strategy that will make them a useful addition to a Clash force, notwithstanding the fact that my mistake in not giving them fatigue for shooting gave them a bit too much influence on the game. The two key points in the game, were both decided by troops hurling missiles and stalling their opponents before charging into melee to finish the job. Clearly, there is a lesson to learn there!