DUX BELLORUM... TRYING OUT THE SYSTEM!

 What do you do when you need sixes to score a hit but your dice just wont cooperate?

With just a unit of Romano-British Mounted Companions to complete, I thought I'd better get a few troops on the table and have a go at the Dux Bellorum combat system. I have to confess that I hadn't expected what followed to turn out the way it did...

On the left is a Group of two Units of Romano-British Ordinary Shieldwall and on the right, a Group of three Units of Irish Raider Ordinary Warriors. My expectation was that the Irish would rapidly scythe through the Shieldwall and then I would try a couple of different troop types to see what would happen. What actually occurred was something far more involved and, thanks to the Irish dice rolls consistently failing to land sixes, proved that the shieldwall could stand up to the ferocity of the warrior onslaught!

The Irish Raiders advanced into Uncontrolled Charge range and then hurled themselves forward into contact with the shieldwall...

at first contact, the Warrior Group split, with two Units contacting one Shieldwall Unit and the third the other.

Dark Age warfare, up close and personal!

The Shieldwall choose to use their Leadership Points to reduce Cohesion hits, while the Raiders add to their number of Aggression dice.

In the top combat in the picture, with an Aggression rating of 5, a +1 for moving into contact and an LP, the Raiders roll 7 dice but still can't score a hit on the Shieldwall.

Fortunately for the Irish, the Shieldwall's roll is equally rubbish!

In the lower combat, the Irish have 5 Aggression dice, +1 for moving into contact, an LP and a supporting unit, giving them no less than 8 dice to roll. This time, they get two sixes only to have them wiped out by the two LPs the Shieldwall have used to cancel hits!

Against the odds, with just three dice to roll, the Shieldwall get a hit on their attackers and push them back, leaving them with a dent in their Cohesion level.

In the Shieldwall's move, they elect to continue the fight and, in spite of one of their Units loosing a Cohesion Point, they inflict hits on both the other Irish Units. Being so close to the Shieldwall, the Irish will have to charge in again unless they can 'fail' a Bravery test.

Things go from bad to worse for the right flank Irish Unit as they charge in for a second time, their Cohesion score is reduced to 2, leaving them perilously close to breaking point.

The Shieldwall get a temporary advantage, out numbering the centre Irish Unit, but the right flank Shieldwall Unit manages to get itself pushed back.

The combat has now completely broken up...

and the Shieldwall Units continue to chip away at the Irish Cohesion scores, pushing the two flank Units further back.

At the end of this turn, the two sides are totally broken up into separate Units and they have been forced apart, giving them a chance to take a quick breather before the onslaught is renewed in the next turn.

Leadership Points have been distributed and the Raiders gird their loins for last effort. Their Cohesion levels have dropped to a point where any further hits will see them break and run, leaving this part of the battlefield in the hands of the Romano-British.

Catastrophe strikes for the Irish, as their left flank Unit receives the two hits that reduce their Cohesion to zero. Their lack of protection has been their undoing, they can stand no more and they turn and flee the field of blood.

The struggle reaches its dramatic conclusion as the undamaged left flank Shieldwall Unit finds itself assailed by two desperate Units of Irishmen on the very brink of collapse. This was the last forlorn effort for the Irish and their right flank Unit was forced back, leaving their centre to stand alone against both remaining Units of Shieldwall.

Once again the Gods of the Dice favoured the Shieldwall and they rolled the two hits they needed to reduce the Warriors' Cohesion to zero...

With a second Unit routed and the remaining Warriors having a Cohesion level of "1", this small encounter has come to its conclusion. The fearless Irish Warriors gave their all but were defeated by a dauntless enemy who refused to yield an inch of the sacred ground they call home.

This little clash was intended just to give me a feel for what Dux Bellorum would play like; it certainly wasn't what I was expecting at all. I've not been able to find any video reports of Dux Bellorum on the internet, so I've had nothing to build my expectation other the reading of the rules. I think bigger battles are going to be a lot more intense than I had imagined they would be, with a lot more ebb and flow of battle and clashes between Shieldwall and Warrior breaking down into some real nitty gritty grinding matches. So, the next step is to choose a scenario and let slip the dogs of war...

DUX BELLORUM - A NEW STAGE FOR MY ROMANO-BRITISH AND IRISH RAIDERS TO PERFORM ON!

After painting up my Romano-British and Irish Raiders to use with Dux Britanniarum two years ago, they have been through quite an array of projects ever since. Once I had fallen in love with Clash of Spears, with games set in Sicily in the First Punic War, I thought that I could re-purpose my Dark Age figures and use them with "Clash". This was one of the few ideas I've had which worked really well, but I was always a bit uncertain about the way I had classified the troops within the "Clash" system.

Recently, I'd been thinking about using a truly fit for purpose system for what is, after all, one of my favourite historical periods. I initially found "Song of Arthur and Merlin", which has been updated and given a more "historical" feel. I liked some of what was included in the rules but decided that they were just a bit too small scale for what I wanted, being really designed for a dozen figures or so per side. I'd looked at Daniel Mersey's Dux Bellorum a few years ago but put it to one side because I couldn't see how the basing system would work with my individually based figures... cavalry seemed the most difficult to reconcile, being on 25mm pill bases and three of them had to fit on a base with 60mm frontage!

When I read the rules again a few weeks ago, I spotted a bit I'd missed first time around about fielding troops in "rough clumps"! My individually based figures could certainly move around in "rough clumps", but it would mean spending a lot of time shifting them around the battlefield. It was at this point that I almost put Dux Bellorum back on the shelf, until I came across some of the laser cut bases for sale on the Charlie Foxtrot Models web site. Charlie Foxtrot have movement trays which come in all sorts of odd configurations, but the more I looked at them, the more I thought they would fit perfectly (almost!) with the basing requirements of Dux Bellorum. They have 60mm frontage trays with four slots in two rows... ideal for the four figure Shieldwall types... they have three slot triangular trays with 60mm sides... ideal for three figure Warrior types... they have double slot trays with 60mm frontage... ideal for Skirmisher types and, they have some three slot cavalry trays which are wider than 60mm! O.K., so they don't quite fit with the rest, but we are all consenting adults, and you don't throw the baby out with the bath water, do you?

Charlie Foxtrot always get your goodies to you in double quick time and so here I am with a box full of Romano-British and a box full of Irish Raiders all based up and ready for action with Dux Bellorum. There's not a lot of stuff around on the Internet about Dux Bellorum, so I assume there aren't too many players out there but I'm ready to set up the dining room table for some learning games throughout December and really looking forward to it.

A Group of Two Units of Romano-British Noble Shieldwall.

Irish Raider Mounted Companions with their Leader.

Irish Raider Ordinary Foot Warriors - the Charlie Foxtrot Movement Trays give these guys that multiple wedge look which suits their irregular charge into contact.

Romano-British Ordinary Shieldwall. These Movement Trays have a more regular look, ideal for stolid groups of Shieldwall Spearmen.

Irish Raider Javelin armed Skirmishers. Skirmisher Units can't be Grouped, so must scurry around the battlefield independently, doing what Skirmishers do best... hit and run!

Irish Raider Noble Warriors - mixed in with the Ordinary Warriors, these guys can have a positive influence on the outcome of Bravery Tests.

Romano-British Bows... three figures to a Unit, so I've put them on the same Movement Tray I used for the Warrior infantry.

Lion Rampant... The Battle of Saint Winifred's Day.

It is the third day of November, in the year of Our Lord, 1173, the holy day of Saint Winifred, the patron saint of unwanted advances! With the onset of the Winter season, Donnchad, Earl of Fife, is leading his retinue towards the village of Stokley, intent on destroying all supplies which may be used by his English adversaries during the harsh and desolate season to come. 

Earl Donnchad stood upon the back of his lowly page and addressed his troops thusly, with words spoken from his very own mouth, "My true and loyal retinue, wars are not only won by sword and spear. Upon this day of Saint Winifred, we will strike a brutal blow against our foes by denying them the sustenance they require over the coming season of dearth. Let us march boldly to yonder village and burn and plunder all that we find therein and leave the despicable English not one sausage nor the mustard to spread upon it!"*

* Some historical sources have attributed this reference to a later personage, but this is utter rot and Donnchad is most definitely the originator of the quote.

Unbeknownst to Donnchad, Ranulf de Glanville, commander of King Henry's forces in the North is also advancing on Stokley, having been informed, by miserable peasants fleeing the village, of the approach of the Scottishmen. And low, by the cruel and malign workings of the Gods of War, is the Battle of Saint Winifred's Day about to begin!

The Sacrificial Lambs! A unit of English heavy infantry spearmen deployed to fend off the Scots, hopefully, until the rest of Sir Ranulf's retinue arrives.

Brother Stultus and Eadwig the Parsnip Pickler, left to guard the Bishop of Durham's supply of freshly imported Bordeaux and garlic. If the Scots manage to get their hands on the cart, they will have to test to determine whether they follow orders and destroy the Bishop's goodies or find another use for that fine vintage red wine.

No time for the defenders to contemplate their fate... the fearsome Galwegians hurl themselves against the spearmen, fortunately, the Englishmen have had the good sense to organise themselves into a wall of spears formation and the "naked" Scots come off second best!

Brother Stultus breathes a sigh of relief, as Sir Ranulf and his brave and fearless knights arrive to support the spearmen.

It takes more than a few hideous spear wounds to deflect the Galwegians from their onslaught and they renew their attack upon the spearmen. However, their lack of armour proves to be their downfall and four more of their number bite the dust.

Even as the Galwegians fall back, battered by the shock of the conflict, their fearsome assault is enough to force the spearmen to fall back, leaving Brother Stultus and his parsnip pickling companion somewhat exposed!

With better targets to aim for, Sir Ranulf and his trusty band just cannot resist the temptation of charging into the Scottish bidowers, who have begun to contaminate the village well in their own unique way. The outcome is a forgone conclusion, and the Scots are trampled under the hooves of the English knights.

The Scottish knights charge headlong towards Sir Ranulf, but the English somehow manage to organise themselves to make a counter charge and gain the upper hand in this first clash of mounted chivalry.

Seeing his mounted brethren pushed back, the Earl and his household men take the opportunity to launch an assault upon the English knights and compel Sir Ranulf to fall back.

The knightly melee continues with the Earl inflicting yet more casualties upon the flower of English chivalry.

Over by the pigsty, the Scottish Yeomen charge into the English spearmen, hoping to use their superior numbers to force them back, however, the sturdy Englishmen continue to defend the Bishop's wine supply with matchless bravery.

Then, against all the odds, having seen off the dreaded Galwegians, the English spearmen's courage falters and they break and flee the field of battle.

On this day of frightful slaughter, the Scots have no time to recover before Sir William de Stuteville and his foot knights launch an attack upon them, causing many more casualties.

Having pushed the Scottish spearmen back, Sir William and his valiant band find themselves struck by the mounted Scottish knights and yet more noble blood is shed in defence of the Bishop's wine.

Sir William and his battered knights fall back alongside Sir Ranulf and things are beginning to look bleak for the English.

With fresh English spearmen advancing to protect the grain store, Donnchad and his knights take the decision to risk all and charge into the mass of English spears and both sides suffer casualties.

In spite of their heroic attempt to drive off the Scottish knights, the luck of the Gods turns against them; their courage falters and the English spearmen fall back battered and bruised.

Unable to resist, Sir Ranulf and his trusty banner bearer make a wild charge into the remaining Scottish mounted knights. The outcome is inevitable, outnumbered, the courageous English knights are driven from the field and the morale of the retinue is tested but not broken.

In the final act of this slaughter on Saint Winifred's day, the courage of the mounted Scottish knights is finally broken by the doughty resilience of Sir William and his remaining men-at-arms and, with so little left with which to continue the fight, Earl Donnchad orders the remnants of his retinue to quit the field, leaving the village and its bounty in the hands of the English.

Brother Stultus and Eadwig have survived to tell the tale and who knows what rewards will be heaped upon them by a grateful Bishop!