Recently our group dusted off some old Tartars and set up a short campaign and battle. Cleaning up after the holidays, and we stumbled upon the large cleared-off table still covered with shiny gold foil cloth. Being wargamers, this was immediately commandeered as open steppe-land, we brought out Russians, and cleaning was (ahem) 'delayed' while the Ruz of Norworld and the Tartars of Denagoth fought it out on The Field of Gold.
We used one of our short campaign set-up models (seen in The Reiter and The Gauntlet), which allow gamers to make map decisions shortly prior to combat, with the results of those decisions effecting the scenario played. Tactical combat rules used were Piquet II, with the supplement Band of Brothers, which covers the period 1200-1600.
The unusual aspects of this battle were:
- 1.) no terrain
2.) simple troop types (no tercios/phalanxes/etc)
3.) Feudal armies (almost medieval, really), and
4.) my 5 1/2 year old son getting his first taste of what passes for recreation to daddy!
So, without further ado, and in keeping with the narrative tradition of PK reporting, I give you, "The Field of Gold".
Report to The Grand Master
Praise to our Holy Lady of War! Your servant in arms, Aberagin, begs to report for my lord the Grand Master of The Order, a battle shortly observed by me between the Tartars of Denagoth, and the Ruz, whom your lordship has sent me to secretly report upon.
As instructed, I had taken disguise as a neutral supplier and purveyor of cannon, and opened discussions with the Ruz lords here in the south of Norworld. My guise gained access to Prince Boris Tudethenuv, a powerful, wise warrior lord, much afflicted with Tartar raids. The Tartars he faced were verily like those which trouble our own Order back home - half to all the army on horseback, thrice or more as many light horse as mailed or padded lancers, all excellent riders and bowmen. What infantry they raise are slaves and villains, who often flee, dropping spear and bow unused. Our Order wisely has used castles, professional garrisons and gunpowder to limit such Tartar mischief. However, the Ruz have no such weapons in bulk among them.
The Ruz live in a vast wild country ruled by princes, and deem law as that which is enforceable. In most Ruz armies, only cavalry is of any note. A prince may have his Dvorani, or household cavalry, richly dressed, mail armed with bows and perhaps some light lances. The landholders under him are called Boyars, and supply bow armed cavalry with padded and leather armor only, though occasion brings some with mail and helmets. This cavalry force prefers shooting to charging, the Boyars especially being of wide quality and variance, and apt to depart as spirit dictates. These Boyars fight out of enfifed service and not pay, thus they find all methods of excuse and negligence in their duties, though they are titled landholders of the prince, and are arrogant of the prerogative. The infantry is provided by the villages and towns. Rude, unarmored and stupid, they consist of parts spearmen, archers and arquebusiers, the latter who are much prized as garrison troops and not apt to stray far from the town. This infatry can be resilient in defense, but is too ill-trained to best our Order's veteran mercenaries.
Another source of troops are the Freemen, who in their language are called Cossacks. These Freemen are hardy, undisciplined rogues, without true land of their own, independent, fierce, unreliable, tough and self-centered. They call no one lord, but will join in many a fight on many a side. They are capable with the arquebus, both in skirmishing and firepower, and make excellent scouts. Some are light cavalry with lances, others ply longboats on the interior lakes (near their claimed homeland) and the Norworld coastline as pirates. With these troop types, Prince Boris and other Ruz lords clash with Freemen, and with each other, while still attempting to stem the tide of Tartar incursions.
Mark you, Prince Boris is a fine experienced soldier, victorious as any Ruz before him. His principality in theory runs to the Denagoth border in the East, and he is loathe to simply surrender his town populations to slave raids, or see his goods taken at will by Tartars before they are shipped to the city. Lacking stout castles and hard, paid garrisons, he like other Ruz depend upon prayer, luck and Cherta fortifications. These Cherta are long defensive lines of pointed timbers, aimed outward and running for miles, with occasional wooden towers at intervals. Though pitiful by our standards, and no match for any cannon, these Cherta forts can hold back, delay or reroute roving bands of Tartar horsemen.
Prince Boris knew that short Tartar raids were difficult to catch. However, large slave raids were always slowed by the need to transport the slaves on foot back to Denagoth. If warned early enough, and able to muster his Boyars, a prince could catch a large Tartar raid retreating, and either force a battle, or retrieve the prisoners.
The Chase
Prince Boris placed messengers at all the key points of potential Tartar raids in his lands. His Cherta were kept up well (many a prince, from sloth, lets them fall into uselessness). Tartar pinpricks were reported in three areas, almost at once. Prince Boris called out his Boyars, making the town of Gutbustaad his mobilization point - this town was on internal lines, central to the three incursions. His boyars showed their usual petulance, however, and though a small company was organized in the north, the main body did not assemble until three weeks after his summons.
Prince Boris then guessed wrong. Moving South, he found that Tartar raid a mere diversion, and without second thought abandoned part of the infantry (too slow) and raced North again. His chief boyar in the North, Lord Vasily Oninov, is an arrogant liar devoid of martial skill. Oninov had allowed a pitifully small Tartar force to bundle him in, while a large slave raid had succeeded through the central gap. Oninov was indignant, But Prince Boris (through oaths and fisticuffs) combined their forces and headed for the gap.
Reaching the Cherta, Prince Boris wisely double-marched around the far side of the defense, slipping by a Tartar delaying force placed to trap him there. That Tartar force had considerable infantry, which would now never reach the battle line. Prince Boris also called up scores of peasant militia near the Cherta border, hoping these could swell his ranks a bit. Leaving a single unit of Boyars to pin the Tartar infantry, Boris rushed East to catch the departing raiders. His troops grumbled at entering Denagoth lands, but Prince Boris had wisely concluded the Denagoth forces were too stretched from their diversions to immediately concentrate here. Time, however, was working against him.
Then two days later, his advanced horsemen traded arrows with some Tartar scouts. Mounting a gentle rise, Prince Boris looked out across the vast, flat golden plains of the Denagoth Steppe. The dark huddled mass in the distance indicated his poor subjects under yoke. Spreading out in the golden grass before him was a Tartar army. He had forced them to make a stand!
The Deployment
Before they died, prisoners had indicated the Tartar opponent was the Aga Shukup, assisted by his Bey Akak-Uuk. At this moment, some Freemen horse and a unit of their arquebus skirmishers decided the cause was lost, and promptly headed back to their home in the Lakes. Prince Boris fumed, and managed to stem further defections. However, one of the Boyar units remained of questionable resolve entering the coming struggle.
Across the field, it was clear some division was also occurring. The Tartars seemed to split their force, some continuing the escort while others deployed for battle. This then was a delaying force, the Prince reasoned. Either Aga Shukup expected the return of the other raiders on the Ruz flanks or rear (thus he was playing for time), or he intended to allow for a sufficient delay to get the captives deeper into Denagoth. Perhaps it was a bluff. Perhaps Aga Shukup just wanted to test the Ruz determination. Trusting his scouts that no troops could be seen behind him, Prince Boris committed to battle.
If Aga Shukup had been intending to test resolve, it was a brilliant move. Sizing up the morale of his army, Prince Boris realized they lacked enough spirit to engage the Tartars. Boris had planned to instill the troops with added Heroic Action, and address them to boost the cavalry's morale as well. Asking for both now would be too much. Now, having to sacrifice one of these plans to gain higher morale, Prince Boris decided not to call upon Heroic actions. Instead, he settled for a lift to his cavalry's morale in general. Even with this, his army had barely mustered sufficient courage for the day to come.
Allowing his troops some sleep, Boris grimly eyed the silent Tartar horde - no lack of spirit could be noted among them, he commented dryly.
At dawn, the Tartars were surprised to see the odd - and clever - disposition of the Ruz forces. The land before them being flat steppe, Aga Shukup had expected no terrain of consequence. Yet Prince Boris' eye for detail had selected a slight rise on his right flank, and a patch of rocky stubble on his left. Though not significant obstacles, these might prove sufficient to frame the course of the battle within the open golden fields, taking away any wide flanking movement.
The Ruz deployment also confused Aga Shukup. On the Ruz right, a single light cannon had been brought to bear, supported by peasant archers on foot. Behind them massed some peasant infantry. A long line of Boyars then stretched across the plain, with the Ruz Dvorani cavalry and some peasant arquebusiers the sole units in support. On the left, a unit of Freemen arquebusiers anchored themselves on the barely troubling rocky ground. Unprotected infantry on both flanks? Weak support? Was this Ruz prince mad? Aga Shukup spit into the wind for luck ordered his men forward.
Prince Boris was not surprised at his opponent's deployment. A long, unbroken band of light cavalry stretched across the entire front. One unit of Uhlan lancers lay in support behind each flank. In the center, two units of levy bowmen cowered in tight formations. It was a classic scene - a wave of horse archers, two enveloping wings, and a fallback center. All told, both forces numbered about six or seven thousand, though the Tartar horse outnumbered the Ruz over five to three.
Prince Boris had done his best. One gun had been transported on horseback to bring it to bear here, but it was a very light piece. His peasant arquebusiers were discomfited, his sub commander ready to quit the field, a third of his Boyars were either tired or unsteady, and he was forced to stretch them all across the plain to cover his flanks, leaving little support. He knew as well how little fight he could expect of them. If he could crack the Tartars quickly, they might yet abandon their captives, settling for the wagons loaded with loot instead. But the Prince had only a few hours to work this miracle. As he fingered the icon attached to his breastplate, the entire Tartar line, as one, lunged forward with a ferocious cry!
The Battle
The speed and distance of the advancing horse archers caught the Ruz line by surprise. Riding up to where one could see the flecks of spittle from their horses' mouths, the sky filled with a massive wave of arrows into the entire Ruz line. Yet with the exception of a single central Boyar unit, and some injured mounts throughout, the Ruz stood only mildly shaken. The Boyars fired off a volley in exchange, doing seemingly no real hurt. One would have thought a sparrow could not live in the sky from that mutual flurry of death, yet both sides stood as before.
Aga Shukup sent his fringe light horsemen directly at the infantry on both Ruz flanks, attempting to scare them away and begin to envelope the ends. Your lordship will note Tartar tactics here are the same as those used against our Order. The Ruz cannon had fired at foolish range to no effect, and indeed would do no injury during the whole of the fight. However, the Freemen arquebusiers on our left, under a lively captain named Gufov, blasted the advancing Tartars to pieces with a telling roar. On our right, the town bowmen held firm against the Tartar demonstrations, perhaps due to the bulk of peasants to their rear for support. The Tartars' assault had done little.
Thereafter began a dulsitory and sporadic exchange of archery, Boyar versus lightly armed Tartar, whirling in undisciplined chaotic firing, that continued along the line almost throughout the course of the battle.
Having failed to turn the flanks, Aga Shukup was now greeted with arquebus volleys from the advancing Freemen, coupled with intensified fire from supporting Boyar units on our left. Soon many hundreds of Tartars were seen leaving the battle, exposing their comrades to assault from front and flank. The Tartars' Uhlans, mailed lancers, were yet to the rear, having been outdistanced in the initial rush. Prince Boris could begin to roll up the Tartar line from our left. A Boyar unit swung inward and the Tartars fell back.
It is worth noting at this point a facet of the Ruz army. The Boyar, having only padded or sparse armor, and adept at the bow, is able to close with his Tartar foe, trade shot for shot, and have the better in any rare melee. Our own experience with our heavy Knights has been we cannot close with such a wiry adversary. However, when given a flank, our glorious knights can smash any force in the world by the weight of their charge. By contrast, these Boyars have less weight, and less spirit for contact; thus their advantages, and disadvantages, seen this day.
Boyars in the center and right moved forward into contact, yet refrained from coming to blows. On our left, despite being outflanked, the Tartars stood up to the Boyars luke-warm assault! Finally, Uhlans charged across the field, and a swirl of archery ensued between them and the Boyars on our left (commanded in person by the vile Lord Oninov). Our boyars lost courage and fell back from this exchange. The battle began to break into discordant fragments at this point. I beg your Lordship's indulgence in my telling of it. Efforts by both armies toward each other were short and relatively ineffective. Because of the jumbled back and forth method in which the Boyars moved, a gap opened up in the center of our lines. A unit of Tartar horsemen quickly rode through the gap with wild cries of carnage. Before they could turn on either the peasants or the rear of the Boyars, however, Prince Boris brilliantly led his Dvorani in a charge and personally shattered the intruding Tartars in rout.
For the Tartars, little of their plan seemed to be working. Their lighter horse had not frightened, enveloped, or run through the Ruz positions anywhere. Their Uhlans on our left had driven back Oninov's Boyars with archery. But before they could mount a charge, the Uhlans were themselves caught in the salient of firepower between Boyar bows and Freemen shot. Taking heavy losses, these fell back and gradually slipped away from the battle.
In the center, the single breakthrough by Tartar horse had been brutally crushed by the Prince himself. On the Ruz right, the Uhlans advanced and traded arrows with the forward Boyar units. Most units here were locked in stalemate. For the Ruz, however, this stalemate in the battle was grim news. For as water from a cathedral drainspout erodes the street mud beneath it, so the endless exchanges, retreats and wounds began to wear away at the fragile elan of the Ruz army. Prince Boris had perhaps but one push of fight left in them, and then all might be lost.
Before Prince Boris could act, the Ruz spirit cracked. Two bodies of Boyars along the line, locked in missile exchanges, lost heart and retired back. Half the peasants on our right drifted back in disorder. Suddenly, at the moment he would drink the victory of a decisive charge, Prince Boris found the tankards dry. Uhlans threatened the stout bowmen holding the Ruz right, and these archers finally despaired and retreated, their retreat turned to quickly to rout. Rushing through the gap on the right, past the ineffective cannon and chasing the bowmen, came a horde of Tartar light troopers. The Ruz were crumbling.
Valiantly, the Prince ordered a disheartened Boyar unit into a charge in the center, flanking some over-eager Tartars. He ripped the sacred icon from his chest, handing it to a messenger and sending it along to embolden these Boyars to heroic deeds. Alas, though they charged, it was without spirit, and the Tartars repulsed them. The Prince himself then turned his Dvorani on the Tartars who broke through on the right, and the lighter horse retreated at the armored threat.
For half an hour, the good Prince strove in vain to mount a successful attack, and win back by his sword what his boyars had lost in their hearts. But none could give him response, and he tore at his beard in anguish.
The Tartars had no effective troops on our left, and the center had remained a standoff. The Tartar success on our right had been checked by the Prince and his household troops in person, but no others of spirit remained to us. Using his Boyars as a screen and keeping his Dvorani in front of the cautious uhlans, the weeping Prince Boris drew back from the field of gold, praying for those distant shadows he could no longer save. Here endeth the battle.
The Aftermath
The weary remnants of the Ruz army returned gloomily to the Prince's lands. The Tartars did little but prick at our retreat. They had what they wanted and were quite content.
Prince Boris had Lord Oninov thrown into prison, but was eventually forced to release him to keep the local peace. Prayers were offered throughout his lands for those captives lost - I never received an accurate count which I could report to you. The Prince was sullen and morbid these last weeks, so I did little further business with him to date.
In review of the battle I witnessed, my lord, I would say our Order should proceed with the planned invasion of Norworld proper. Even when given a fine leader, these Ruz are not strong. The methods and mettle of the Boyars, their difficulty in mobilization, the scarcity of Dvorani, the quality of town militia, and the uncertainty of Freemen support (despite the grand performance of Captain Gufov), make them scarcely credible troops to halt out invincible forces. They will have numbers; but we have Holy Guidance - and a head, and heart, for war.
I stand ready to receive your further instructions. Your servant in Our Grand Order, Aberagin.
Tartar Raid Campaign Rules version 1.1, 1/99
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