Many thanks to Alastair Duncan for a great game at the Hutt Valley Wargaming Club on Saturday, my medieval Polish vs his Golden Horde Tatars. It ended with something of a loss for me (23-2 to Alastair!) but it was a good opportunity to learn - when I win I don't look to change anything.
I think my plan for the game was okay but my execution of it wasn't good. To be fair to myself, my PIP dice were not kind. However, as we know, when the dice are kind we can do most things and it is when the dice are not kind that comes the test of how I play the game. In some bounds I pushed and took risks that I did not need to - there would, of course, have been next bound. Meanwhile, Alastair held back sensibly and counterpunched well when the opportunities came.
This was the first time I had played a mounted steppe army with my Polish - previously I had always had the advantage in light horse and cavalry. I decided to close down the table as best I could with terrain and was able to limit space in the flanks by placing difficult hills and woods - you can see that in the pic.
My plan was to push forward on my right and centre with my knights with their cavalry in a second rank, and on my left with archers (Bw(X). The hussars in the CnC's command on my right would protect that flank, and on my left handgunners (Ps(S)), an element each of cavalry and knights, and the sub-general would protect that flank. The small Lithuanian command was in reserve as sort of a fire-brigade.
On my left Alastair moved a block of 16 archers (Irr Bw(I)) along the difficult hill in two columns. The columns of archers could not expand and I should have been able to counter them with my handgunners but I had not positioned them well. Alastair moved his two elements of irregular superior light horse (the Tatars themselves are regular) and irregular ordinary cavalry around that flank. I planned to block the gap between the wood and difficult hill with cavalry, knight, and general. I lost all five elements and that command broke. My archers had been doing well disrupting Alastair's mounted line and causing come casualties. I had just needed to be more careful about how I manoeuvred and fought on their flank.
Meanwhile, on my right I could not manoeuvre all of the CnC's command's knights, cavalry and hussars (more frustrating because they are all regular) and the hussars were left behind. Because I had pushed forward, Alastair was able to fight several combats with his Tatar light horse against overlapped knights and cavalry: 2 vs 2 but his troops were superior and mine were ordinary. Over a few bounds I lost a knight and two cavalry (later this would prove to be decisive) but I was able to commit the Lithuanians to plug the gap left by the immobile hussars. Numbers told and Tatar casualties grew steadily.
The crunch came when I just could not get enough PIPS with the CnC and the Lithuanian sub-general's commands to plug a gap. An element of Tatar light horse was able to squeeze through and attack the CnC in the rear: 2 vs 2 again and the same result. With the CnC killed his command had lost 8ME and broke, and that was the game.
Worth noting, by then the Tatar sub-general on that flank was isolated and next bound would have had the Lithuanian sub-general in his front, one edge overlapped and the other hard flanked. If I could roll three PIPs and then win the combat that Tatar command would have broken. But as we know, ifs buts and maybes don't count!
A thoroughly enjoyable game that has given me good food for thought. Thank you again, Alastair 
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