A week or so before Historicon I told Terry that I was taking my Saxons down to Lancaster sans Norman Knights. I had brought my army up to test them against his Welsh. They hadn't any cavalry at that time because they simply weren't painted yet. After the Saxon's were bested, Terry explained the need for cavalry. That conversation fell on deaf ears as I thought about how many foot I could put afield for 48 points.

Down to Historicon we rode and I got to play Jevon Garrett and his Medieval Indians in Saturdays first round of tournament play. After the terrain was placed and the divider removed we both saw that the bulk of our armies were placed on my left flank/Jevon's right. Elephants versus Saxon Huscarls this should be juicy! On my far right I had my Danish commander and his units. Jevon had some unarmored infantry and skirmish troops plus some cavalry with a general in the unit. What difference did it make? After all the battle would be decided on my left. Boy did I get suckered!

Jevon moved his forces on the right to keep my attention over there as I patiently waited on the hills for his assault. He then dangled a unit in front of my Danish Huscarls who took off after them and then failed to make contact. Unbeknownst to me at that moment (although I had a sinking feeling in my stomach) the battle was lost.

Next move and Jevon's cavalry pounced on the disordered Huscarls and achieved a mounted breakthrough right into my supporting archers, then right through them to my "Danish general". In one move my whole wing discombobulated. My general was eliminated and the whole wing was leaderless. Danes will not take orders from Saxons. What happened on my left - nothing!

Nevertheless, a third of my army was gone when the Danes left the field. A sound thrashing for the Saxons on the banks of the Indus.

What went on in the second round against Paul and Noah Dobbins and Paul's Crusader army was a slug fest that witnessed another mounted breakthrough. Paul felt elated at his first ever mounted breakthrough and I had the same feeling glad that it hit into warband fanatics and stayed there. In the long run the Crusaders just caused more casualties. However, the Danish general was tucked happily away in the woods out of harms way.

Next time the Saxon's will bring Norman cavalry and have mounted generals and possibly the CIC learned a few more needed tactical lessons.