Nothing like a camp that tells a story. This one is about some poor sod being burned alive for some inane reason. However, while looking up facts on being burned alive (then getting a call from HR, should really stop doing this stuff on work time, asking if I was "okay"?) I discovered that they were still burning people less than 200 years ago. A Jew was burned (by the Spanish Inquisition) in Spain in 1826.
On that happy thought, onto todays battle of ADLG where no one got burned, but my pride certainly got singed.
Heavy cavalry impact/bow. There is nothing they can't do, and nothing they fear. The ability to have impact AND the choice to evade is so good, so very good, I cannot explain how good. They can also shower you with arrows while they wait for their moment. Being cavalry they also get to be highly manoeuvrable. Two commands of this awesome sauce, and a third command of... less good stuff. The single heavy swordsmen polearm is an interesting choice in an otherwise highly manoeuvrable army.
Oh yes, my choice. Peoples crusade with a WHOOPING 39 units! 18 of them being impetuous levy, another nine being light foot, but still that is a break point that needs to be respected! Command of medium foot to take any terrain on the table and the four knights to give the force a little hitting power. 30 units of impetuous troops and a massive +2 command points total. What could go wrong? The army is not really clever. Knights hit whatever they can, the rest of the army is hoping to drown the opponent in bodies. Lap round flanks, or even get lucky and win the occasional combat round.
18 Stands of angry levy ready to take on the world! Or at least small parts of it they disagree with on a religious level.
So this is not what the Levy want to see. The knights have a fighting chance, if they can catch the evading too cowardly to fight head on nasty cavalry.
More joy for our levy as the table seems to have all the fun terrain on the baddies side. Leaving a small marsh in the West for the crusaders. I looked for a coast and a village... nothing to be seen. Just clear plains.
The Jurchen begin their advance. Not keen on playing with the knights they are pushing harder in the East.
This really is not a good fight, I need to convince the cavalry to charge in, then not disengage while the levy lap round the flanks. Not sure how to do this... maybe if I offer coupons?
The light horse in the East are looking like they are going to shoot straight past the levy line. So I decide to turn a group of levy around. The plan is to wheel them and form a wall moving East. This is no way will stop the light horse from being able to skitter past if they so choose and stretches the command of the already pressed General with some 19 units, to the limit. Each time I look at this picture I try to recall what was going through my head when I made this decision. What makes me feel even dumber, I was talking to a mate pre-game and explaining that the trick to this list is to NOT try to be clever. So what if the light horse gets into the back line? Or even sacks the camp! I am 39 strong! Sack away, save the poor wrench being burnt alive!
Generally I would mark arrows scoring hits.... the Jurchen have one unit that doesn't shoot, so not doing that. Suffice to say that the opening round of fire scored four hits and I am sad.
I need to get these knights into combat with his cavalry, at the same time I need to be wary of the impetuous knights being dragged off in weird directions. That's why they have a light screen.
Things are looking up. In the West the medium foot command has hit the hill, there are just too many of them for two medium impact cavalry to deal with and the crossbowmen are just tasty treats to the impetuous foot. A knight has been diverted to take on the heavy swordsman, the other three are pushing on the Jurchen cavalry. In the far east the impetuous levy have crossed the flank of the cavalry. This will be over shortly.
The bad guys will get the uphill bonus, but the medium sword has impact, there are more of them, and possibly an overlap. There are eight break points just waiting to be taken off the Jurchen here, over a third of what I need.
Wait, what?! What just happened? Where is my line? Why didn't the Jurchen withdraw? Who put all those red markers down? ....mother...
So the Jurchen charged, obviously. I added up the factors and announced that they were +1 or +2 where the levy was damaged. Cause cav is +0 vs heavy foot, they just get their impact.... Sooooo, turns out that my inability to read a very clear QRS that states cavalry are +1 vs levy is going to cost me. Let's break it down.
The Jurchen are +2 up (+1 inherent, +1 impact), +3 where the levy is damaged. Of the six combats, four of the Jurchen are elite, all of the are armoured. Funnily enough the damaged levy are fighting elite Jurchin. So the worst result the Jurchen can roll is a four and any win causes a rout (furious charge). The Jurchin probably got a smidgeon lucky to kill both undamaged levy outright. However, can't blame the dice for having my second rank either a million miles away doing nothing, or so close that their mates routed through them!
Further to the East a Jurchen crossbowmen moved up to protect the cavalry flank. Either further to the East a light horse flanked charge a damaged levy. I actually think this was a mistake. The Light horse is only +1 up (flank +1) and lights are fragile!
Gawd this is depressing to look at. Where is the second rank of levy to slow the break through?
I suppose I should be happy. I probably wouldn't have dropped up the second rank early enough and the Jurchen would have gotten a series of free hits from all the routing violent pilgrams.
Right, all is not lost. Our army is massive and a stabby we will go. In the West we charge the hill! I need to make magic happen so include the general in the fight on the end. Crossbow is +1 hill, Medium foot is +1 inherent, +1 impact, +1 support, +1 General. +3 up with furious charge. He loses, and the General gets killed in the fighting. I now have an eight strong impetuous command with no general.... I am... unhappy with this result. Knight charges heavy swordsmen, doesn't have the pips to bring up light foot in support. Oh, here is a fun fact, that heavy swordsman is heavy swordsman POLEARM. Which I had forgotten. Get lucky on the dice and its all okay. In the far East, the impetuous levy charge the crossbow, +3 up with furious charge and the crossbow does not die and with that any hope of turning the Jurchen flank. Some more levy die, they rout through their mates, more free hits for the Jurchen due to idiocy of commander.
This is.... bad. Like really bad.
I'll be honest here, at this point my moral (not just my armies) took a massive hit. Not only had I played badly (not the dices fault), but my few chances seemed to be all going the shape of a pear (so much the dices fault!).
Hmm, can I blame the dice for my inability to read a QRS?
Everywhere I look things are going poorly. Knight general is flanked charged and killed in one hit, when the Jurchen are +3 up stuff just explodes in front of them (grumble). Levy die in the centre. Learn a new rule, light infantry can withdraw from any infantry, not just stuff they are faster than. I can't believe that I have never encountered this rule before. Just realised that this means light infantry can disengage from fighting other light infantry. At least today hasn't been a total waste.
With only one General my turns are really short. Don't have the pips to move two commands. Last command turns a levy in the East to face its impending doom. IF it can hold I will get a flank charge off and maybe be able to salvage something.
The levy gets blown straight through. Elsewhere knights are getting flanked charged, the world is a cold dark place, and I concede the game. (I am about five off breaking)
Some bad dice, maybe, some terrible generalship definitely add in a sprinkling of not knowing the rules and you have the perfect recipe for a disaster.
My first mistake started in turn one and I just kept compounding them.
I think the list also needs to change. Including the General with the Knights is to high risk. He is only ordinary and can't be trusted to control himself.
I am also wondering if the knights would be better mixed in with other commands. So they are harder to avoid, just concerned on the Command and Control strain of impetuous foot with impetuous mounted!
Generally I would go through everything I did wrong, but in this case the list is too long. Even the medium foot command in the West which technically "won" was over committed and should have been sliding more to the East to support the knights.
The Jurchen player also selfishly played excellently. The only criticism was the light horse attack. An army with so low a break point can't take semi-risky attacks with lights. Otherwise, well done.
So I did the only thing in the situation. Drowned my sorrows with a couple of mates while I waited for my next game.
Maybe after a refreshing ale I would play better... not sure I could play wurst....
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