The battle on the river Glein.

My buddy made a river and wanted to use it, so we met for another WAB game. This time we played the scenario the battle on the river Glen from the the WAB supplement The Age of Arthur. We played at 1.500 points, me Romano-British, my friend Saxons.

I was the attacker so I reached the river first.

The saxons already at the ford.

My Dux with his Commanipulares crossing the river on the left flank.

On the second turn I crossed the river with all my troops but then the Saxons charged and stopped me in my tracks. Those Gedrihts are terrifying.

 

My unit of milites at the ford, with a Tribune and Army Standard, suffered four casualties and inflicted none, and then failed the morale test and fled, panicking two units more with them. The Sagitarii on the centre held and inflicted many casualties on the Saxons.

My cavalry on the left flank overrun a unit of Geoguth and another of slingers but suffered too many casualties to keep fighting and the right flank was lost, so we left the game here as a Saxon victory.

 

We love WAB but always playing the same opponent and with the same armies makes you want to play to something else, so next time we will probably play WWII.

Vikings versus Anglo-Saxons

Well, I finished these two boxes of Vikings from Zvezda and Anglo-Saxons from Eimhar so I had to have a game with them. What I really love about 1/72 scale is that I got these two armies for less than 20€ and also that they are easy to store.

So I picked Great Hall Burning rules from THW and had a solo battle. I rolled and got Anglo-Saxons on the left with "Penetrate Center" deployment and Vikings on the right with "Hammer and Anvil" deployment. This deployments are from another THW rules called Rally Round the King, but they work perfectly well for this little battle.

Anglo-Saxons have two units of Hirdsmen Rep 5 AC4 on the hill with a unit of Weak Fyrd Rep 3 AC2 behind them and a unit of archers Rep 4 AC2 in front of them. There also are two Fyrd units Rep 4 AC4 on both flanks. All units undisciplined.

Vikings have two units of Huscarls Rep 5 AC4 in the middle section, one with general and standard army. In the forest there are one unit of Berserkers (Fanatics) Rep 4 AC 3 and one unit of Freemen Rep 4 AC4. On their left flank there is another unit of Freemen. They have one unit less than the Anglo-Saxons.

All units have eight figures each except the archers that got only six. I'm playing Vikings against Anglo-Saxons.

First turn. Activation dice: Anglo-Saxons 4 - Vikings 3.

Archers move forward and shoot at the Huscarls without any effect. Fyrds on both flanks also move forward and do Shieldwall. The rest of the army decides to stay in the hill.

I charge with my Berserkers but a champion in the Fyrd challenges my leader and everybody stops to watch the combat. After three rounds of wild melee the Berserkers slays the Anglo-Saxon champion, and then both units clash.

The Vikings lose one warrior whereas the Anglo-Saxons lose their leader, three warriors in melee and another one after the Will Test in which another man is lost!

On the other flank the Vikings charge uphill with less luck and lose more men than the Anglo-Saxons but both hold their position and melee continues in the next turn.

The Huscarls charge the archers but they successfully evade.

Turn 2: Anglo-Saxons 6 - Vikings 5.

Anglo-Saxons do not activate this turn! Both flanks keep fighting whereas the Huscarls charge  the archers one more time. This time they shoot and kill two of them...

but then they are mauled in the ensuing melee.

Turn 3: Anglo-Saxons 6 - Vikings 2.

Anglo-Saxons seem to be shocked and unable to react! The Huscarls finish the rest of the archers, and the Berserkers exterminate the Fyrd on their right flank, but on the hill on the left all the Freemen are slain. Thanks to Loki that the Anglo-Saxons were somehow confused and rout off, leaving the battlefield!

Turn 4: Anglo-Saxons 3 - Vikings 2.

The Hirdmen from the hill finally charge and after much slaughtering they almost annhilate one of the Viking units which had to Fall Back with only two surviving men. The weak Fyrd didn't follow and halted in the top of the hill. Now the Berserkers charge the Hirdmen and they locked in combat while the other unit of Freemen flanks on the right, looking at the Fyrd on the hill.

A feast for the crows.

In the following turn the weak Fyrd in the hill is charged and they rout while all the Hirdmen die with honour. Victory for the Vikings!