THE ADVANCE IS MUTUAL
As the midmorning sun burned the mist off the lower lying portions of the river, both sides moved forward. Being well beyond charge or missile range, each "brigade" could move without fear of contact or the sudden delivery of arrows. The Norman horsemen made very good progress while skirmishing troops from the "divisions" at opposite ends of the field looked to cross their respective fords in just a matter of minutes. The leaders of both sides survived this initial turn without incident. That is to report, the turn sequence of Vis Bellica provides a final segment of the Action Phase wherein officer casualties are determined. It is a matter of measuring the distance from a friendly leader stand to the nearest enemy base / unit and then rolling a predetermined number of 6-sided dice to see if the leader has suffered some sort of injury or even fatal wound.
Given the distance between opposing forces at this early stage in the wargame, three 6-sided dice were rolled for each leader stand. As no roll resulted in a "yahtzee" of all sixes, the leaders of each side breathed a collective sigh of relief. (Note: I could better understand this rule having weight when the forces were engaged. This is not to suggest that I was against the possibility of some commander falling off his horse and onto his sword, but to remark that the probability was rather low.)
Given again, the relative distance between forces and the immediate lack of any kind of command or control issue(s), the two phases of the game turn 2 were dispensed with in favor of getting to the movement segment of phase three. On the north end of the field, the right most unit of Norman horse negotiated the gentle hill. These men were able to keep some alignment with their brethren, however. The second "brigade" of horse followed the advance, keeping fairly close.
The cavalry in the center had moved close enough - actually beginning to turn or angle toward the bridge - so as to come under some long range archery fire from the Saxons. These light wooden shafts simply bounced off the mail shirts and shields of the horsemen, or struck the earth before and to the right of the troopers. Archery fire was exchanged on the south end of the field too, and with better if still minimal effect. The Norman archers splashed their way across and took the Saxon bowmen under fire. These disorganized volleys were answered in kind, leaving a small number of men from both units face down in the grass. Both units shrugged off these losses and looked forward to continuing the contest. (The morale rules establish that morale is tested only when a base/unit has taken 25% or more casualties from missile fire in a single turn.) On the Norman side of the river, the two units of spear-armed infantry were preparing to cross the ford in support of their archers. The crossbowmen of this same "brigade" deployed out to the right so as to be able to provide a kind of covering fire for the advance.
A similar development was taking place on the north end of the field. Here however, a unit of Saxon archers was looking at a veritable wall of armored horsemen. It appeared that their jaunt across the ford was a bit premature. Just as the crossbowmen did on the Norman side, the slingers with "contingent" C of the Saxon force deployed to the right of the infantry line. And due to the narrowness of the ford, one unit of infantry had to move to the rear in order to shorten the line. To be certain, both this ford and the one on the south end of the field would prove very problematic, for each was just wide enough to allow just one unit of fighting men across.
The problem was so proved when the leader of the aforementioned Saxon group had to do some shuffling of troops. First, the archers were ordered to withdraw back to friendly lines. This they did gladly (who would want to face the Norman horse in the open?) but at the cost of becoming disordered in the retreat. Just as they were finishing crossing the ford for the second time, two units of Saxon infantry "took the plunge." The command roll had been rather poor over on this side of the field and subsequently, the leader of this "division" could not hold on to all of his men. The ford soon filled with Fyrd: the Select taking the front and the Other Veteran class milling around in some disorder on the west bank.
In the center, the Normans were the first on and across the stone bridge. The move was not without risk however, as the Retainers were in disorder due to the left wheel and advance the move involved. In addition, they were alone. The other horsemen of this first group remained on the north side of the river, and they too were in disorder because of the redirection of their line of advance. More comfortable, in contrast, were the Normans following in support. The archers and crossbowmen gave the knights and retainers plenty of room. The spearmen marched forward in a solid block (one unit behind the other), guiding on the stone bridge. Like the archers at the ford, the Saxon skirmishers in this area of the field withdrew in the face of the mounted threat. The infantry was another matter altogether. Accompanied by the Sub-General, the leader of this "division" of Fyrd and Huscarls moved his men forward in a solid line. To the south of this action (or prelude to action), another block of Saxons moved forward to contest the advance of the Norman invader. While the mailed spearmen worked their way across the knee-deep water of the ford, the archers tried to secure the hill. The move was contested by the Saxon slingers, who moved up on to the same hill but to the south of the Norman position. And the Saxon archers allowed the Normans the "inside move" so that they could keep an open field of fire on the spearmen up to their knees in water and mud.
FIGHTING AT THE FORDS
This tactical plan was ruined when the Norman crossbowmen - biding their time and waiting for the range to close - let fly with a volley of well-aimed bolts. The Saxon skirmishers were more than decimated. Those that survived routed away. At the same time, missiles were exchanged on the hilltop: the Norman archers scoring a couple of hits against the slinger and receiving a few of their own in turn. The passage across the ford was now clear for the Norman spearmen. And though the contest continued on the hill between bow and sling, the body of Saxon foot seemed intent on advancing through this, in order that they might meet the Normans. At the opposite ford, things went better for the Saxons in that they did not lose a lot of men to crossbow bolts. Tempted by the mounted targets across the river, both the archers and slingers in support of "division" C let fly with missiles. The shooting by the archers, still recovering from a voluntary rout, was ineffective. The slingers did manage to bring down a few retainers and horses, however.
(There are three sub-phases within the Action segment of the game move turn when firing may occur. There is stationary shooting - prior to regular movement; stationary shooting after movement; and then, missile units that have moved may also fire. As might be expected, moving units that fire, suffer a negative modifier.)
The direction of rout took the few archers left on the Saxon right through a unit of Select Fyrd. The calculation of modifiers for the effect of this inter penetration resulted in there being no way the Fyrd could fail. However, the Vis Bellica rules allow that if a double six is rolled, then this is considered an automatic failure of the specific morale test or check. Fortunately for the Fyrd, they passed the roll easily. A few of the bearded warriors even shouted insults at the running bowmen. Others swore and vowed revenge for the death of their kinsmen. But before the crossbowmen could be reached, they would first have to deal with the Norman infantry. These same infantry were in the process of crossing the river and reordering their line on the west bank.
This reorganization proved slightly problematic given the nature of the ford and that the Norman archers had to withdraw in the face of a sudden rush by the enemy slingers. (Having a solid line of four units of Saxon infantry in support might have lent to this decision as well.) For the moment then, things remained quite around the south ford. The concentration by both sides was on getting into position for the expected clash between the heavy and medium infantry. The Norman leader saw the he was outnumbered but hoped that his men would stand against what appeared to be no more than a rabble. He also hoped that the crossbowmen would prove as effective as before, in meting out punishment against the main Saxon formation.
BATTLE FOR THE BRIDGE
Things were not at all quiet in the center of the field. Two units of Norman horse (Retainers and Caballarii) charged into and were charged by two units of Saxon foot (Select and Other Fyrd). being disordered and "stacked" - the Retainers forming the front of the Norman line and so facing two units of infantry alone - the initial impact did not go well for the Normans. The Retainers were not able to get up enough speed to have any real effect, and were rather discomforted by the long spears and axes of the Fyrd. Reeling in some disorder - their leader was wounded, too - the Retainers were routed. Flushed with success, the Saxons followed on but were met and meleed by the knights in the second line. It was the Saxons who routed now: the Other Fyrd unit leaving quite a number of men on the ground. The combat was continued though, by the Select Fyrd. These men proved - at least for the present time - to be a match for the knights. (The rout path for the Retainers was back to the river edge and not back over the bridge, as this seemed a little far fetched given the dynamics and direction of the contest.) It seemed more logical that the retreating horsemen would seek to put as much distance between themselves and the nearest threat. The "flight" path took them east along the Saxon side of the river, as if making for the safety of the east wood.
Both sides pushed additional units up into this area of conflict: the Saxons edging the remaining bases of Huscarls and Fyrd nearer to the ongoing melee, and the Normans pushing the second unit of Retainers across the bridge. In addition, the Saxon command revised the orders for the skirmishers accompanying this center group. He relayed that these men should "hold in place" until the melee had been resolved. On the other side of the river, the infantry in "brigade" D were also moved up in support.
FORD FIGHTING, CONTINUED
While their mounted arm might have been roughly handled across the bridge, the Norman horse at the north ford were the ones in control. Spurred on by the leader of "brigade" A, the elite knights charged into the mass of Fyrd who were trying to get across the ford. In the attempt to match the charge and at least meet the armored cavalry on dry ground, a unit of Select Fyrd were routed. The knights scored no fewer than six "hits" against the infantry, and then scored another four against the Other Fyrd unit in the follow up. The successive victories were not without cost, however. In the sharp combat, the leader of the Norman cavalry fell with a spear wound in his right side. The first unit of Saxons routed away, and in the hasty withdrawal, "inflicted" a poor morale result on the unit next in line, or turn. In brief: the Norman knights pushed all the Saxons out of the ford and had started to secure a better footing in Saxon "territory" than three units of cavalry had in the center of the field.
TRUMPED AT THE BRIDGE
In an attempt to swing the balance back in their favor, a new and fresh unit of Retainers charged into (and was met with same enthusiasm) by two units of Saxon infantry. In the short, sharp engagement which followed, just about 15% of the Norman cavalry made it back to the other side of the bridge. In the advance after this thumping of the Retainers, the Huscarls took some fire and losses from the crossbowmen but proceeded as if the bolts were as bothersome as insects. The other unit of foot pressed in on the melee already in progress, falling in on the flank of the engaged Norman horse. This unit was winning its first melee, but the additional pressure proved too much. After several score men and horses were left on the Saxon side of the bridge, this unit routed away, too. The stream of survivors impacted the unit of crossbowmen and one of the spear-armed infantry bases, producing shaken results for both. However, the first unit of spearmen ignored the fugitives and quickly moved up onto the stone bridge itself, as if to deny any more progress to the Saxons. The Huscarls and Fyrd were in no hurry. Having just routed three bodies of Norman horse, they needed some time to reorganize and redress their line. Indeed, one unit of Select Fyrd had taken a large number of casualties in the combat and would not - could not - serve well as a front line force.
Though there was no attempt to swing the balance back in their favor on the left (first blows not having been dealt), the Normans found themselves on the wrong end of the long spear and axe in and about the south ford. In retrospect, it appeared to be a simple case of numbers. The fact that the Retainers - still routing from that loss in the center - galloped into the ranks of the formed spearmen before these men could charge, probably did not help matters any.
Shouting a battle cry, two units of spearmen charged up the gentle slope into the face of twice their number. These Saxons did not stand and wait for the mailed spearmen to arrive; they met them in the middle, bellowing their own battle cry. In the subsequent clash of arms, the Huscarls bowled over the unit of Norman spearmen facing them. The surviving half of this unit turned and fled back into the ford, there to mix again with the still routing retainers and adding to the discomfort of the "supporting" archers. The other base of spear-armed infantry fared a little better in that they were able to stand without routing against the Select Fyrd. Due to losses however, these men were pushed back.
On the left and in the center then, the battle was not going well for the Normans under Sir Guy. True, the center was not as pressed as the left flank appeared to be, but the center was something of a "mess." It was only on the right flank that fortune seemed to favor the Normans. The Saxons were in a "bad way" about the ford and there was a completely intact and fresh "division" (B) of mailed horsemen waiting behind the involved "division." If the engaged knights (Elite Caballarii) could break through the three units in their way, then the planned envelopment of the Saxon left could proceed. These knights were having some trouble however, moving through the mass of Fyrd and Huscarls.
The depth of the enemy appeared too great (the one unit of Fyrd had been pushed back onto the waiting Huscarls and other Fyrd, and so disordering both) and what is more, the command element of this single unit was suffering additional casualties. Accordingly, the second unit of knights from this group was called forward. Crossing the narrows of the ford and given the confused combat waging on the west bank, the only real support they could provide was moral. While all this was taking place, the Retainers of this same "division" were forced to endure a withering fire from the Saxon slingers. These skirmishers were at close range even if across the river, and again, due to the nature of the terrain as well as the attention of the commander, these Norman troopers were holding in place.
THE ONLY THING THAT IS LEFT IS THE RIGHT
Sir Guy rallied most of his cavalry in the center and restored some order among the ranks of his foot soldiers. The Retainers however, did not heed the command and continued to run. And his command options (not enough pips on the command roll) were not enough to change the orders of the unit of infantry on the bridge These men completed their crossing and charged into three units of Saxons. Though the Saxons were a little worse for wear due to the cavalry combats, there were more than enough for these impetuous/foolish Normans. After a brief melee, roughly one-third of those who charged into the fight ran back across the bridge. It would be some time before Sir Guy could arrange a fresh assault in this sector of the battlefield.
To the right of Sir Guy, there was temporary success at the north ford: the knights had destroyed one unit of Fyrd! The success was temporary, in that the follow up brought the now tired horsemen into contact with two units of Saxons. The resulting melee was bloody and indecisive; both sides inflicting three hits against each other
A similar combat was being waged on the Norman left. At the south ford, just one unit of spearmen faced a veritable horde of Saxons. Engaged to the front by Select Fyrd, these men inflicted as much punishment as was doled to them. However, they were not directly in front of the ford - their sister unit having taken that place and then routed when hit by the Huscarls - and were effectively cut off from any simple exit if the battle turned. This seemed just to be a matter of time, for the same Huscarls and supporting Fyrd were swinging right with the purpose of securing the ford and taking the Normans in the flank.
Back on the Norman right, things were going better for Sir Guy. A second unit of knights (veteran classed, not elite) had joined the fray; their mounts still wet from the crossing. These troopers charged into the Select Fyrd and pushed them back. This left the Huscarls standing alone against the elite horsemen. The melee being made even, the Normans pressed on and were able to reach the commander of the Saxon "division." Three Norman lances found the mark, and this Saxon leader was no more.
One angle of review of proceedings might allow for a connection to be made between Norman success at the north ford (north starts with letter "N" and so does Norman) and the corresponding Saxon victory at the south ford (south starts with letter "S"). A more studied review would point to the number and type of troops committed to each location. This is perhaps most evident at the south ford, where things went very wrong for the Normans. Being outnumbered 2:1, a better tactic would have been to "force" the Saxons to make the crossing, all the while being bothered by crossbow bolts and arrows. But orders are or were orders, and Sir Guy was mistaken on this flank. The remaining unit of spearmen were hard-pressed in melee when another unit of Saxons arrived on their flank. It was no contest. They could not withdraw across the ford for that route was blocked by Fyrd. They could not escape north in the direction of the bridge, for that direction was also blocked by Saxons. Accepting the situation and not wishing to see any more of his men (those that did remain and it was not many) cut down, the leader of "brigade" E surrendered. The Norman left ceased to exist. The crossbowmen, safely across the river, could only watch.
Unaware of this development, Sir Guy continued to direct his efforts on the bridge and at the Saxon formation on the other side of it. He posted one unit of spearmen at the north edge of the bridge while he tried to rally the routing unit (from last turn) and at the same time, reorganize the what was left of the cavalry from "division" C. Perhaps too late, he issued orders for the men of "division" B to wheel right and proceed towards the bridge.
This also, was perhaps too late if not a mistake, for these cavalry might have been better suited to press the advantage at the north ford. Here, the unit of knights that had crossed in support of its elite-classed brothers, had finally broken the Fyrd deployed against them. Tired of taking fire from the slingers, the Retainers moved across the ford and against these skirmishers, thereby dispersing them. In the center of all this, the Huscarls still put up a fight against the elite Caballarii. As with the Norman "effort" at the south ford, it seemed to be a hopeless situation for the Saxons at this end of the field. But only seemed ...
On the next turn, a final, desperate push by the Huscarls broke the will of this elite Norman unit and sent it packing. The replacement leader spent all his energy on trying to rally this unit instead of changing orders of the other knights, so that these un-engaged horse could lend some support. The Norman right was now in disarray. In the center and on the left of the field, the Normans continued to rally and reorganize their forces. The crossbowmen - the only unit on the left remaining - peppered a unit of Select Fyrd, causing some loss.
The exchange of missiles between archers, slingers and crossbowmen in the center was ineffective. Ineffective against targeted enemy units, that is. In one of those odd circumstances of battle, an errant sling stone found its mark. The leader of the Norman cavalry "division" B was knocked from his horse. Quickly dismounting, his subordinates ran to the still form laying on the field. They looked on the bloodied face of their commander. For him, a veteran of more than several engagements, this fight, this life was over. His lieutenants looked to each other ... and the unspoken agreement was made. They would live to fight another day. For today however, this battle was over.
In the scenario parameters set forth by Mr. Monaghan, each wargame is limited to just 100 minutes of playing time from deployment and first move. As this was a solo contest and one waged with a new set of rules, no set time limit was imposed. The wargame was "fought," again, in order to become familiar with the procedures and processes of Vis Bellica. Given the state of the Norman force and taking into account the demise of yet another officer on the right flank, this seemed as prudent a point as any at which to call a halt to the proceedings.
COMMENTARY
On first review, it is tempting to fault both Norman and Saxon commands for spreading their resources too thin. This is especially true in respect to the Saxon army: three separate "divisions" allocated to three specific terrain objectives, with none in supporting distance and absolutely no reserve. The Normans, in contrast, had more "divisions" and so, were not without reserves or concentration at two key points on the battlefield. However, their left flank was isolated and under the wrong orders. Additionally, the cavalry arm may have proved its value by being able to reach one or two objectives first, but this arm could not truly "occupy" or hold the ground. This was a task for the foot soldier. In his review of the tournament results, Mr. Monaghan points to these same conclusions:
The position of the fords makes the appear deceptively easy to hold: several players were cruelly mistaken on this point! A moot tactical point for the team leaders was should they elect to play a cavalry army which could rapidly seize the objectives, or an infantry force with a better chance of holding onto their gains? (15)
Then again, given the nature of the terrain, each side was restricted in its ability to get at the other side. It has been referenced that the fords were only so wide, and that the bridge would only "hold" or allow so many to cross at one time. One could only guess at the course of events if, for example, Sir Guy had concentrated his entire army at the bridge. Could he have pushed enough horse and men across to push back the Saxon center? Could he have ignored the potential threat of encirclement by Saxons pressing on his right and left flanks? A similar question might be put to the Saxon command, though from the start of this wargame experiment, they had decided on a defensive posture. What if one of the fords have been "given up" from the start of hostilities? Could the bridge have been taken, held or defended with the threat of Norman knights and retainers sweeping across the rear and into an exposed flank?
As Mr. Mongahn correctly points out, the question(s) I raise are perhaps moot. The wargame did not unfold this way. Each command weighed the risk of spreading out their force and deemed that risk acceptable. Unfortunately, the gamble did not payoff for Sir Guy. Was the loss simply a result of poor planning, then? Or was the defeat due to poor die rolls? Or, was the defeat the product of a set of poorly written wargame rules? Was Sir Guy a "victim" of all three of these factors?
To a degree, the merits of battle plans have been examined. It has been suggested that Sir Guy should have refused his left flank or perhaps even ignore it entirely, and allow onethird of the Saxons to take themselves out of the contest. With respect to the die rolls, well ... I think it might be said that the "quality" of combat and morale rolls were evenly distributed. Towards the end of the day however, the Normans did suffer from poor officer casualty checks. The Vis Bellica rules are not poorly written. I think the lay out is rather good (personally, I would have liked to have seen better use of margins and perhaps a few diagrams explaining the process of combat) and any "problems" with play have to rest on my shoulders alone.
For example, there was the one instance of the Saxon slingers charging the Norman archers over at the south ford. I had forgot about the "restrictions" of missile units under A - attack orders - and so, technically, this combat should never have happened. In the grand scheme of the wargame however, I don't think this rules mistake carried any real weight. In addition, one may well argue that I took on too "large" a project for my first trial with these rules. As noted in the orders of battle, both sides total approximately 500 points. Mr. Avery suggests that 300 points per side is ideal for a small affair and for learning the "mechanics" of the rules. One might also remark that I am somewhat "biased" by my experience with ARMATI and Advanced ARMATI. Perhaps. But the reader should recall that one of the reasons for wanting to try out this new set of rules was to get "away" from ARMATI.
My impression overall, however, is that the rules do "work well" and provide for an interesting and entertaining time. To be certain, it did help tremendously to have access to the Yahoo discussion group (to the author himself on most occasions) in order to gain better understanding of a process or procedure that I could not quite grasp, or to questions that were raised as a result of situations and the desire to "get it right."
Let me now contradict myself, and remark that it is premature to judge a set of rules definitively based on the experience of just one wargame. I would think one needs to "fight" at least three before an informed opinion could be made. Hmmmm ... there are orders of battle for Indians and Macedonians in Mr. Avery's rule book, and I have been wanting to try something along the lines of a Roman Civil War project. Pompey Strabo against Picentes ... yes, that will do nicely.
Trumped at the Bridge: Normans vs. Saxons 1066AD
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© Copyright 2004 Hal Thinglum
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