A 1066 & All That game

Phil had chosen a 1066 & All That game for last Tuesday's meeting here in GHQ. To make it a little less predictable we settled on an encounter game, played using Hail Caesar Mk2 with a few local adjustments, mainly ignoring failed Command Rolls ending turn activity. A photomontage now of course, hopefully giving a feel of the action ~

Unsuspecting Saxon villagers going about their daily lives...

Hordes of Norman Heavy and Light Cavalry are about to put a stop to that!

Assisted by the ranks of Heavy and Medium Infantry armed with spears and bows.

Somewhat outnumbered? The mounted Saxon Thegns with their Dane allies ready themselves to receive the wild Norman charges!

They will be supported in their efforts by the Saxon Huscarls, once they sort themselves out into Shieldwall that is!

Norman Light Cavalry clash with the Saxon-Dane mounted troops on the Saxon right. If this combat goes against the Saxons their flank will be open...

...to the Norman Heavy Cavalry who are moving to support the Lights and take advantage of any success!

Meanwhile, the Saxon foot are slow to sort themselves out into Shieldwall. Their Light Troops will be dreadfully exposed if the Normans can take advantage. 

The Norman Light Cavalry falls back Disordered after an indecisive melee with their opponents...

...who in turn flee themselves after a further unsuccessful melee with supporting Norman Heavy Cavalry.

More Norman Heavy Cavalry is surging forward, defeating the Saxon Medium Archers in a brisk melee!

The Saxon losses are not in vain, the Huscarls have finally formed Shieldwall just in time to receive the Norman charge!

In the centre of the lines the infantry clash! Dane allies lead by their beserkers crash into the Norman Medium Archers. This should be short and bloody!

As expected the Danes make short work of the Medium Archers, though it takes them three turns of combat!

While on their flank the Saxons find themselves facing a Norman Heavy Infantry charge, forcing them back in Disorder!

Luckily, more Saxon infantry are on hand to lend their weight in support of the melee. It was about now though that the 'dice gods' made themselves known...

The Saxon right flank sees the first Norman Heavy Cavalry defeat as they break Shaken under flanking fire.

While the Dane allies make short work of another unit of Norman Medium Archers, making a break on the Norman centre!

On the Saxon left flank their allied Welsh Medium Infantry are easily seen off by the Breton Medium Cavalry!

Who in turn crash into the flank of a melee and destroy a further Welsh foot unit who were holding off the Breton Medium Infantry!

The remaining Huscarls form a depleted Shieldwall as their Norman foe gather for the coup de grace!

While the rival clergy vigorously debate the correct date of Easter! Nine Turns of Hail Ceasar Mk2 goodness, plus a fine lunch served up by Sue. Not many better ways to pass a day with friends!

A Desirable Residential Property!

A home-from-home for Bicca Biccasson,  or any other Viking if you like. This is an addition spanning three generations of our family: Matt picked the Renedra Viking House at Salute earlier this year and gifted it to me; William made and painted it for me; and I did the basing of the finished article. A few pictures now ~

I'm really pleased with how it turned out as a group effort. I might look for another next year, when finances permit - we've just bought a new car you see. It's a good job the Lead Pimple is pretty rammed already in readiness for the winter...

Only just in the 'Nick of Time'...

 ...the Norman unarmoured medium cavalry were handed to me by Phil on Tuesday, so there was just time for me to get them based in order that they might muster into GHQ in time for Thursday's prearranged photoshoot with Dan, the owner/editor of Wargames Illustrated. The resulting photos will appear in support of a piece I've submitted discussing my long drawn out 1066 &All That project.  Given magazine lead in times that should appear probably be at the end of August or September, all things being equal that is. In the meantime I thought that you might like a sneak preview ~

They are Crusader Miniatures figures I bought from Colonel Bill’s, before he made the ridiculous decision to stop attending wargames shows and become a web only business! Just my opinion you understand.

The figures make a nice group I think.

They found their place in the line of battle on the tabletop battlefield in GHQ...

...just in time for Dan to start the hard work involved in photographing the collection, leaving yours truly holding up the sky, a role I thought had become obsolete ~

Shows what I know about it!

Philippé-Jean d'Eddner's Ford

Some of you may recognise the figure below as a 'freebie' from one of the recent Partizan shows, '23 or '24, I can't recall just now? Phil has painted it for me alongside the Norman unarmoured cavalry I had passed on to him ~

I've based him up as a Leader or Champion for my 1066 & All That collection just in time for Dan's visit for a photo session which will be utilised in illustrating a piece I've submitted in a forthcoming issue of Wargames Illustrated. I believe the mounted unarmoured Norman cavalry are not too far behind him now, so keep an eye out later... Meanwhile, back in GHQ I have to lay out the tabletop battlefield and the 1066 & All That collection for Dan's visit! One of life's quiet pleasures.

Harald Dubhghaill

The recent spell of hot weather had really not been conducive to spending time laying out complex games here in GHQ,  so our most recent offering from last week is a run out for some of my 1066 & All That collection. The game sees Phillipe de Rawnslie's Anglo-Normans travelling to seize lands in the Emerald Isle. Needless to say, the local Hiberno-Norse ruler, Harald Dubhghaill, is far from pleased...

A view of the battlefield from behind the Great Hall of Harald Dubhghaill: Hiberno-Norse in the centre, Irish levy on either flank ~ Welsh/Saxons pretending of course!

Norman mounted knights waste no time getting stuck in to the local peasants!

As do the Anglo-Norman infantry!

Waves of Norman knights sweep forward across the battlefield, their thundering hooves shaking the resolve of Harald Dubhghaill's host!

As can clearly be seen in this shot of the oh, so typical combat dice...

...resulting in mounting losses for the home side despite the encouraging presence of the minor nobility!

Time for Harald Dubhghaill to lead his Household forward in support of the local sword fodder, some of whom have had enough for one day...

...finding an urgent need to beat a hasty retreat,  perhaps farming is not so dull after all?

Not that there's much chance of imminent agricultural diversion, nor of a decent crop this summer, as both sides clash on the rich farmland!

De Rawnslie is having his own problems though,  with his centre apparently disorganised or at least lacking in resolve to close up on the enemy!

Not that his opponent has manages his affairs much more successfully, with his lightly armed skirmishers already forced to flee!

What combat there is on his left of centre sees his knights forced to meet the threat from two directions. Neither side here gives ground though losses are steadily mounting!

Irish peasants levy fight bravely against heavy Norman knights,  though the outcome seems obvious to onlookers!

Perhaps no-one told the knights though...

Despite the unexpected success, the unexpected turn of events only serves to delay the inevitable as more Norman knights crash into the victors!

Some of whom, despite the heroic presence of minor nobility, have clearly more important things to attend to in the rear!

With the Anglo-Normans in the ascendancy across the battlefield Harald Dubhghaill's forces are finally shattered, peasants levy being no match for Norman knights in the final analysis!

The Hiberno-Norse army broke in Turn 9 as losses reached crisis point. Despite some successes on the left and dour defence on the right their centre never really got to grips with the heavy Norman knights! A grand game though played out in the best of spirits! No game here though this week, Phil being AWOL in Inis Mon! More time then for painting my Wars of the Roses figures!