Anton and I have continued our afternoon WRG sessions here is our latest "messcapade" for your amusement. As a general note these games are seen as opportunities to try out army idea and just generally "getting in a game". We randomly assign each other and army book to work from and run on a standard 1,250 points for each army. Anton had book II for this game and I had Book I.
Anton almost always opts for the bluntest tool in the shed and in this case followed type choosing the Anglo-Danish Army. This army provides a multitude of options that all center around large units of irregular troops mostly armed with light spears, but with a sold core of Axemen (2HCW).
His forces consisted of
CinC (HI, 2HCW, Sh) with a PA standard and two bodyguards (Irg B, HI, 2HCW, Sh)
Next he had a unit of 30 Scots Exiles (Irg C, LMI, 1/2 2HCW, 1/2 JLS, all with shield).
As a core his army consisted of four mixed warbands each of 15 Huscarls (Irg B. HI, 2HCW, Sh), 15 Select Fyrd (Irg C, HI, JLS, Sh) and 20 Dregs (Irg D, MI JLS, Sh). Due to points constraints one of the warbands only had 18 Dregs in it,
Rounding out his Army Anton had 2 units, each of 15 Archers (Irg C, LI, B)
To Confront this Horde of rabble I had chosen the Libyan Egyptians. This army represents the Egyptians after 1000 B.C. when under the rule of their Libyan rulers. It contains some of the old Egyptian forces, although down graded as they are under foreign occupation and a collection of mercenaries (Libyans and Sea Peoples).
My forces consisted of
CinC with a B and JLS, in a 2 Horse Light Chariot including an unarmed Reg A driver
Next consisted of the minimum 3 two horse Light Chariots (Reg A unarmed driver and one crew with B and JLS). I have not used Light Chariots before so I am interested in seeing how they hold up. These are Libyan troops and would generally be the general's body guard but I list them here anyway.
The core of the army is a collection of Egyptians including the following:
12 Egyptian Cavalry (Reg C, LC, JLS, Sh)
14 Egyptian Cavalry (Reg C, LC, B)
30 "Guard" This is a polyglot group I am attempting to get up to a respectable fighting size. It includes 12 Guard (Reg C, HI, JLS, Sh), which represents the remains of the old Egyptian Guard Units. And 18 Chariot Runners 1/2 of whom are spearmen (Reg C, LMI, JLS, Sh) and the other half are bowmen (Reg C, LMI, B, Sh). The army requires buying 6 of the Guard figures and they have a maximum of 12 figures possible so the runners are tagged in to bulk up the numbers. This unit is one of my tests to see how it functions.
60 Egyptian Foot. This is a mixed unit consisting of the following: 24 Spearmen (Reg D, MI, JLS, Sh), 12 Axemen (Reg D, MI, 2HCW, Sh), 12 Armored Archers (Reg D, HI, B) and 12 Archers (Reg D, MI, B). This unit is intended as a road block to clog up an area. I am well used to such units from my Chinese armies.
Next up are 22 Nubians. Technically they are mercenaries, but they were also used by the Egyptians in the same capacity so I will list them here at the bridge from Egyptian Contingent to the Libyan portion (Irg C, LI, B)
The first real foreign element of the army is the Shardana Guard, which were the Sea People who had been serving in the old army for centuries and were only too happy to continue serving with their cousins in charge of Egypt. 24 Figures (Reg B, HI, JLS, Sh)
Then come the required 20 Libyans (Irg C, LI, JLS)
And finally the 48 Sea People (Irg B, LMI, JLS, Sh)
The actual Battle will follow later.
Awesome idea. Reminds me of the book series the Lost Legion (I think that’s the name), they get time warped and fight different opponents, but it doesn’t matter, their Legionaries after all!
ReplyDeleteI seem to remember that title and the idea. There was a Legion of Romans that effectively lived that reality. They were captured and enslaved by the Parthians when Crasus' army was destroyed. Then captured and their slavery extended by a potentate in Central Asia when he stole the province they were guarding. Each time a new leader took them over they moved the Legion further east to reduce the chance of them "running for home". They ended up serving A Han Chinese Emperor. Apparently along the way new slaves were added from local populations to keep the numbers up. There is another series of books also based on the idea called "The Black Company", but that one also borrows heavily from the Medieval Free Companies as well. I will look into the Lost Legion series.
ReplyDelete"Bluntest tool"? Most effective would be my choice of words. I try to find an army that suits my fighting style, nothing fast, nothing flashy, just take up enough of the battlefield to control the space and then put the beat-down on the troops in front of you. Sure you will take a flurry of hits on the way in. It is like a fight between a Welterweight and a Heavyweight boxer; the little guy is winning on points until he gets knocked out. Sometimes I let myself get flanked or I run into a enemy with a bigger hammer but such are the fortunes of war.
ReplyDeleteBut this in no way means that I have forsaken my life-long love of cavalry, I will continue to collect and paint them and every once in a while I will game with them to remind me that I don't know jack about how to run cavalry!
ReplyDelete