Camp Cromwell 01/12/09

Joe's Scotts v. Jim English
Medieval battle using Camp Cromwell Rules

Joe put his horse on his right, highlanders in the centre, billmen with bow skirmishers in the big gap between, then spearmen & men at arms on his left.  He generally deployed his troops in double rank in 8 stand units.

Jim deployed archers on the ridge on his left, knights on their right, men at arms behind the knights, bills behind the men at arms & 2 small knight units behind the archers left flank.  All the English units were in a single rank of stands.

Both sides had only one 3 dice general to reflect poor Medieval command.  It didn't affect Joe though, all his units activated on the first turn.  The English in contrast threw 3 scorpions in the first turn & 2 in the second.  Thus the Scots took the battle to the English.  The pic is taken behind the English right as the armies clash.

On the left the English did well from the start.  The bowmen blew the skirmishers away in 2 volleys leaving the bills outnumbered, exposed & doomed.  The front unit of the Scott's cavalry was beaten by a one-two punch from the English knights and routed back through the second unit which immediately joined it in flight.

In the centre, the highlanders did well to hold the knights for a long time.  Their second line shuffled sideways then charged the bows that came off the hill to meet them.  Hot shooting weakened the highlanders & they lost the ensuing combat.  The unit fighting the knights then broke as well.

On their left the Scotts did better.  Late activation prevented the English knights choosing their target & they hit both the spears & men at arms at once.  Fighting 2 big units at once was too much & they broke.  The Scott's pusuit took out some men at arms & bills, but it wasn't enough to make up for the losses elsewhere.

Joe put up a brave fight, charging forward in true Scottish fashion, but the English general had too much experience & exploited his mistakes ruthlessly despite bad activation dice.