Beerstein Vs Bogavania Non-Campaign Battle

While I have yet to work out the details of the next medieval-fantasy campaign I decided to set up a game with the remnants of the previous campaign game. We used the same table set up but this time played long ways without the river being an obstacle. The artillery could already be placed in position. (In most of our games the artillery arrives from reserve. As the artillery can shoot only every second turn these two factors usually reduce its effectiveness, as one would expect from slow moving pieces of this period).

Mat's Bogavanian force was now only slightly larger than the Beersteiner force but he had more artillery and the Beersteiner peasants were in reserve with a penalty to arrive. As it happened the Beersteiners didn't need them.

The Beersteiner force had a narrower deployment zone and the Bogavanians were strung out so that Mat's right flank took a while to get into action - this prevented his archers and catapult getting to firing position. Unfortunately for Mat his cannon were blocked by his troops first move and he got to fire only a couple of ineffective shots. By contrast the two Beersteiner catapults virtually destroyed a Bogavanian cavalry unit at the start. The crossbowmen finished the job.

Mat's forces advanced while the Beersteiner left held its position and its mounted crusader knights made a sweeping right flank attack. The Beersteiner axe men were able to stop the Bogavanian heavy infantry and Hillman advance and then to push forwards themselves. One unit of Bogavanian Hillmen did manage to wipe out the Beersteiner crossbowmen before being attacked by beersteiner medium knights. The latter were getting the worst of it until the Beersteiner axe men turned from sending off enemy mounted knights and attacked the Hillmen, wiping them out.

The Beersteiner mounted crusaders wiped out the enemy artillery crew, although a small force f its allied Mongols were killed by a cannon crew's valiant defence of its gun. The crusaders then charged up the centre and decimated the enemy. Two Bogavanian heroes also lay among the dead.

The game went for eight moves and just over two hours.

Beersteiner Great Swords and axemen defeat the enemy mounted knights.

     Beersteiner medium knights attempt to rescue the crossbowmen from the Hillmen.

              Beersteiner axemen and Great Swords are more than a match for Bogavanian medium knights

                         Beersteiner crusaders plough into Bogavanian heavy infantry.

Bogavanian deployment

                                                         The Beersteiner host

                                   Bogavanian cavalry remnant after being hit by Beersteiner catapults.

      Bogavanian knights charge the beersteiner axe men and the Bogavanian Hillmen charge the Beersteiner cross bowmen.

                                 Having destroyed the artillery the crusaders charge up the centre.