Thank you very much to Josh Barton for hosting a game of DBMM 200 last night - my first game since before the COVID-19 lockdown. I used my early 16th Century Poles vs Josh’s Free Companies. I found creating a 240AP list much more challenging than I expected - I certainly couldn’t just half my regular 400AP list.
Eventually, I burgled a streaky win, having lost 40% of my armies morale equivalents (ME) far too quickly and then managed to hold on and lose no more ME. Josh can rightly feel that, last night, the dice gods were fickle and capricious.
My cunning plan was based on using my advantage in light horse to push the Lithuanian command around the right flank and the hussars from the CnC’s around the left, while the rest of that command fought Josh’s large force of French knights. The Polish sub-general’s command would support the CnC’s and keep the English and French infantry at bay.
My plan quickly came unstuck due to over aggression featuring that famous phrase “the PIPs can’t be that bad twice in a row”. We all know not to risk your CnC’s command on that kind of plan, don’t we? Well ...
Josh took full advantage of my rashness and in bound three (his second) I lost four ME from a 16ME command. It broke in Josh’s next bound. So, bound five and I had lost a 16ME command plus two ME from the sub-general’s command out of the 22ME that break my army.
In the centre I had massed numbers against the thin line of one deep longbows and crossbows. By bound five that had worked and the archers and crossbows were getting the worst of a messy fight. However, the dismounted men-at-arms, Breton javelinmen and the English general were not yet engaged.
Miraculously, the Lithuanians had been doing what light horse do best. They had galloped with wings on their hooves, first, away from the fight, then around a wood full of lurking Bretons and were now appearing behind the English and French infantry. Bound six they yet again had winged hooves: Two elements were able to march to attack the infantry command in the rear, while the rest of the column sped on to engage the victorious but now disorganised French knights. The Free Companies’ infantry command broke.
Next bound, elements from the Polish centre and the Lithuanian flying column were able to start picking on French knights who were struggling to reorganise after impetuous pursuit. Still, my army suffered no more casualties and there was the lucky comeback win.
Do it again next week? You bet! Not sure which armies we will use, yet.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/824840264342234/permalink/1509419392550981/ |
| Armies deployed, Free Companies on the left and Poles on the right. Josh is in a refurbished chair that was his granddad’s. |
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| French and Polish knights close. It didn’t go well for the Polish. |
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| A closer view of the clash of heavy metal. |
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| French knights |
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| Longbows |
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| French crossbows and English men-at-arms |
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