AOA first round games

    Things started with the rambunctious Irish of Seamus O'Flahrty raiding some of their neighbouring Romano British lands. They had all those cattle and valuables just lying around not secured so Seamus was just making them more secure. It seemed totally unreasonable that the Romano British belatedly decided to send what passed for their military to intervene.

    TheRomano British had some elite heavy cavalry and the rest was poorer quality levies.

    The cavalry charged Seamus' warband and several rounds of combat ensued before the Romans broke. Their pedyt levies fared even less well quickly broken by the Fianna. In the end some milites Roman cavalry managed to inflict a bit of damage back but Seamus had managed to get his ill gotten plunder off the table gathering maximum points from his first game.


    As the lawlessness and plundering continued it was the turn of Decurio Del Monte and Arfur, Prince of the Welsh to take down the villains.

    Del Monte mustered a lot of poor quality infantry, a few archers and some nobles in fancy armour on horses. Some Saxons had been looting villages and Del Monte had been tasked with bringing them to heel. As the Decurio caught up with the raiders they were leaving the scene of their latest crime. They seemed very angry to see the Decurio and were smelly to boot. As they rampaged towards Del Montes forces most of the Romans fled. For hid part Del Monte waved his sword around a bit and then left the field. The Saxons seemed to be trying to make off with root vegetables and dirty blankets and that certainly wasn't enough for the Decurio to risk dirtying his freshly polished armour.

    Prince Arfur had had a tip off about two bacaudae leaders holed up in an old villa and was ordered to capture them, or at least their heads. The rest of them didn't matter. Arfur was most displeased to learn that sneaking up on the bandits meant he actually had to get off his horse and walk to the villa that was how sneaking up worked.

    Arfur and his side kicks were well kitted out in mail armour and his combrogi had sout shields. It was however the peasants slingers who caused most of the wounds on the bandit leaders and prevented one of them getting away. Arfur and his boys stormed the bandit stronghold and all the bandits were dispatched. More to the point he had those heads to present back at court.

    A busy week saw those ravenous raiders the Irish, Picts and Saxons all in action against Welsh and Romano Brits.

    The Picts ambushed a small force of Romans holed up in a villa. Their aim was to kill the two Decurios leading the force. They managed to kill one and force the other to abandon his men and flee, giving them overall victory. The pedyts fought well using their table top shields to good effect and one unit was still fighting at the bitter end. The Pict nobles were unsure what to make of the wall and spent the entire game trying to work out how to cross it.

    The Irish were trying to get their loot off table. They were opposed by a motley force of Romans whose pedyts were not resolved to fight and fled the battle early handing the Irish full victory points.

    The Saxons were attempting to capture some local Welsh nobles. Unfortunately for them the Welsh had their running shoes on and the nobles managed to get off the table.

    I'll leave other game participants to comment on particular aspects to their games.

    Dunghail had an ambition, having fought against the Roman legions, his experience and qualities had gone un-noticed long enough.


    The great Dunghail had a nice ring to it, but for now his attention was on two failing Roman nobles who had decided not to support his ambitions.


    As dawn broke Dunghail's warband had tracked the roman nobles to an abandoned villa, Dunghail did not fear the soft roman nobles or their unskilled serfs, he had met them many times in open battle, however holed up behind their stone walls the coming battle would be the first major test of Dunghail's warband.


    The great Dunghail, breaker of walls....yes that had a nice ring to it.


    The battle started with dunghail splitting his warriors into four units surrounding the villa, to the north, south and east.


    The warriors readied themselves to charge through the gates whilst to the west a slightly larger unit readied themselves to climb the walls.


    Dunghail had spent the evening before advising his warriors on the correct technique to assail such defences, his years of experience assaulting Roman defences would surely pay benefit in the coming battle, although looking across the field he feared his wise words would be to no avail and it would be left to his retinue to win the day.


    To support the warriors Dunghails nobles split themselves into 2 smaller forces, to the south and north and readied themselves to scale the impressive roman defences.


    The battle started with the Picts advancing cautiously on all fronts, the warriors closed in on the ruined gates, whilst the pictish nobles advanced on the walled sections.


    The Roman forces scurried to man a defence, two large shield wielding units of pedyts stepped forward into the breaches. Dunghail could see amongst the Romans the banners of another foe, some skirmishing saxons had joined the softer Romans, perhaps today would offer a better fight than he thought.


    With the pedyts advancing on the gates the warriors continued their advance unleashing a volley of javelins into the pedyts, causing the first casualties amongst the Romans. To the east the pictish warriors sighted some roman archers who unleashed a volley of arrows killing several brave warriors in return.


    With the picts halting just short of the gates the pedyts in an unusual display of bravery charged the pictish warriors. To the north of the villa the picts held against the charge, however to the south the pedyts broke and ran down the pictish warband.


    At the Eastern gates the pict warriors charged the unit of archers causing heavy casualties and breaking and running them down. The utter destruction of the cream of the roman troops caused a unit of skirmishers and their saxon allies to break.


    Seeing the picts closing from the east and west and with the pedyts to the north struggling to hold, the roman nobles seeing their only chance of escape followed the pedyts to the south skirting along the villas southern wall.


    With all the warband following Dunghail's instruction, the saxon warband had come into striking range, a simple leap across the roman defences was all that was needed for him to show his worth.


    Dunghail leapt at the wall his foot hitting a mossy patch that had been made damp in the morning dew. Slipping back he backed up a few paces before leaping once more at the wall, this time he grasped at the jagged rocks, his fingers gaining a solid purchase, turning he grinned, perhaps a little too soon as the stone he grasped dislodged from the wall sending him tumbling to the ground.


    Getting up slightly muddier for his endeavour, and seeing the nobles to the south now engaging the pedyts that had defeated the warriors, Dunghail clambered up the wall, peering over the top, he could see the saxons still in disarray, perhaps there was still time for a great victory, readying his spear he prepared to leap from the wall into battle not noticing his trailing Cape had snagged upon the wall.


    As the battle between Dunghail and the wall continued, the unit of nobles to the south dispatched the pedyts pursuing them and catching the fleeing roman nobles, Dunghails banner stepped forward and dispatched one of the former roman lackies and gave the other a mark to remember the encounter, causing the second roman to flee the field.


    From his vantage point, now atop the wall, Dunghail could see his plan had been perfectly executed.


    Perhaps the Roman lackie would reconsider Dunghails offer to join him.


    For now the tale of Dunghail's battle of the wall will be talked about at court, if only he had found a Bard worthy to tell the masses of his legendary and inspiring leadership.

    Three more first round games ensued on Sunday with the Romans and Welsh trying to get some booty off the table through a gap in a defensive dyke faced by Saxons and Bacaudae respectively and the Picts trying to march loot off down a road having pillaged a Roman village.

    All the active forces enjoyed success. Dunghails Picts managed to get all their loot off the table and give the Romans a good spanking into the bargin. The Romans got two of their loot points off against the Saxons and maintained control of the third one as did the Welsh.

    I'm not sure how the other games played out but the Tiern were the stars of the Welsh holding the gap in the dyke long enough for two of the loot points to get through. The Welsh tactic of always packing a spare unit of skirmishers for just in case situations also proved prescient.

    We also had an interesting discussion about what constituted a dyke - and it wasn't a butch looking woman in comfortable shoes!

    Dunghail had spent a pleasurable day looting an abandoned village, those soft roman types where not likely to turn up after fleeing from him a week earlier. At least those where his thoughts until he was rudely interrupted by his banner informing him of a small force of roman types supported by some dirtier beardy types.


    So the roman types think hiring some saxon mercenaries would pay, looks like they need another lesson.


    Yes "Dunghail the great, demolisher of walls, scourge of the saxons", has a nice ring to it as he set off along the road at the head of a unit of nobles.


    Dunghail had discussed raiding tactics with other commanders at a recent pillaging convention and set out his forces based on the time tested tactics with a noble unit holding the end of the line and two warrior units holding the centre right.


    A unit of mounted warriors where held in reserve and a unit of hunters remained in the village.


    The enemy placed a unit of commanipulares facing the nobles supported by two skirmishing units. The centre and left was made up of three saxon warbands, with a unit of lighter roman cavalry on the far left.


    Seizing the initiative the pict forces moved forward as they did Dunghail ordered the wagons they had seized to head along the road. The Pict cavalry ran along the back of the line to re-position in support of the nobles and the hunters left the safety of the village to harass the roman cavalry on the left.


    For there part the Romans edged forward, not commiting to the fight with the cavalry just short of the pictish nobles. The skirmishers moved forward unleashing a volley killing a few picts, bringing a grin to the roman general, one that would not last long.


    The picts mostly held the line however seeing the saxons advance the centre pict waeband charged into battle, both sides clashed and fought each other to a standstill, and seeing his chance the roman general charged the pict nobles.


    It was then the roman general realised his error, the Romans failed to cause any damage to the tough picts whilst the nobles killed several Romans in return. Deciding that retreat was the better part of valour the Romans fled, whilst the picts held their ground.


    Seeing the roman leader fleeing caused both supporting skirmish units to flee and more importantly caused the saxons engaged with the pict warriors also to flee.


    With the roman right flank in tatters, the remaing saxon units and roman cavalry advanced on the outnumbered pict warriors who fell back.


    As the battle continued the baggage maintained steady pace along the road.


    Having seen off the roman general the pict nobles reformed to face the saxons in the centre, while the pict warriors having seen off the saxons chased the fleeing roman general.


    The saxons on the left finally caught the picts causing them to break and flee whilst in the centre the pict nobles with the help of the pict warriors on horse back engaged a second saxon warband destroying them.


    It wad at this point the Roman general finally rallied just in time to be charged by the pict warriors who by now had pursued the fleeing Romans, once again the elite roman cavalry was defeated by the pict warband once again fleeing beyond sight, dunghail glanced across to see his me disappear out of sight but was sure that they would have caught the fleeing Romans.


    With night falling and the baggage now off in the distance the remaining saxons and Romans thought better of tangling with the Pict nobles who had seen off half of the opposing force.


    Now to get the loot back, Dunghail knew a short cut through a dyke that had been a family secret for generations, that should be the safest road home he thought.

    Turning to the Wigan Games Club official source for conflict resolution, Wikipedia, we find this for Dyke:


    Etymology 1

    A variant of dike, from Northern Middle English dik and dike (“ditch”), from Old Norse díki (“ditch”). Influenced by Middle Dutch dijc (“ditch; dam”) and Middle Low German dīk (“dam”).[1] See also ditch.


    dyke (plural dykes)(British spelling)

    1. (historical) A long, narrow hollow dug from the ground to serve as a boundary marker.
    2. A long, narrow hollow dug from the ground to conduct water.
    3. (dialect) Any navigable watercourse.
    4. (dialect) Any watercourse.
    5. (dialect) Any small body of water.
    6. (obsolete) Any hollow dug into the ground.
    7. (now chiefly Australia, slang) A place to urinate and defecate: an outhouse or lavatory.
    8. An embankment formed by the spoil from the creation of a ditch.
    9. A wall, especially (obsolete outside heraldry) a masoned city or castle wall.
    10. (now chiefly Scotland) A low embankment or stone wall serving as an enclosure and boundary marker.
    11. (dialect) Any fence or hedge.
    12. An earthwork raised to prevent inundation of low land by the sea or flooding rivers.
    13. (figuratively) Any impediment, barrier, or difficulty.
    14. A beaver's dam.
    15. (dialect) A jetty; a pier.
    16. A raised causeway.
    17. (dialect, mining) A fissure in a rock stratum filled with intrusive rock; a fault.
    18. (geology) A body of rock (usually igneous) originally filling a fissure but now often rising above the older stratum as it is eroded away.

    Having made off with a several carts of loot from his last raid Dunghail decided to head back north.


    Whilst the Romans and their saxon allies had taken a good beating at the village, it wouldn't be long before they where in pursuit.


    Dunghail had a good knowledge of the local dykes gained in his youth, yes Dunghail "destroyer of walls, scourge of the saxons, Lord of the dykes", that had a nice ring to it.


    He would need to make sure that the loot was well guarded, and so split up a unit of his warriors to guide the carts.


    That left Dunghails main force made up of his nobles, a unit of warriors and a small unit of hunters.


    The nobles took the lead in the centre with the pict warriors taking up position on the left and the unit of hunters taking up a position behind a small coppice of trees.


    The three skirmishing warrior units guaring the loot deployed to the left of the road.


    Dunghail could see the outline of the familiar dyke silhouetted against the morning sky, he could also see the figures of a small Roman force and yet more allies this time in the form of Irish horsemen. It would seem the southerners had plenty of gold to hire others to do their dirty work.


    The battle started with the Romans standing their ground allowing the picts to advance in the centre and left, the hunters marched forward to take cover in the trees, and seeing the enemy cavalry in column the waggons guarded by the warriors headed around the pict left flank to avoid the fast moving horsemen.


    The Romans for their part had deployed a unit of pedyts on their right which held their ground, they where supported by some rustici and sagittari which held their ground shooting into the advancing picts killing three of them. In the centre two pedyt units moved cautiously forward whilst on the Roman left a unit of skirmishers advanced into the woods and the irish cavalry marched around the left flank threatening the picts rear.


    Seeing the danger Dunghail ordered his nobles to about face and march towards the pictish right to cut off the flanking cavalry, throwing a few javelins at the roman skirmishers as they passed. On the pict left the warriors charged the pedyts who had formed a shield wall whilst the pict hunters fell back out of the woods avoiding being charged by the sagittari.


    The pict warriors beat the pedyts in combat causing the rusticci unit near by also to take flight. The warriors reformed and headed toward the sagittari in the centre allowing the warriors with the baggage to advance behind them along the left flank.


    With the nobles now cutting them off, the Irish cavalry formed up facing the nobles, and seizing the opportunity Dunghail charged them. The cavalry proved no match for the nobles who quickly dispatched several of the mercenary cavalry causing them to flee and running them down.


    The sight of the cavalry being destroyed caused the rusticci on the roman left to flee the woods, whilst the pict hunters continued to harass the sagittari supported by the pict warriors.


    The nobles about faced ready to charge a pedyt unit which had attempted to chase after them in the centre. The sagittari where dispatched by combined javelins from the warriors and hunters.


    All across the battlefield the Roman forces had scattered and with a single pedyt unit now holding the centre of the dyke, the pict warriors closed in for the kill charging the pedyts in the flank.


    Dunghail surveyed the battlefield, it would seem that his father's concerns of the wasted hours he had spent on the local dykes was not warranted.


    Now time to deal with some of those upstart mercenaries......

    Thanks, but I have the book already

    I must have misunderstood Pete, I thought he meant he was going to put up a list of Frank units he had

    I could create a Frank army from the list, but it's just in case I choose units that aren't available

    What is the normal point size for a game ?

    Initially build a 1200 point force.


    There are restrictions on characters, as we are starting in the service of our respective kings.


    So max 3 characters, max 20% of force and no character higher than Antrustio.


    Your leader can have one character advantage of your choice, regardless of whether this is normally allowed (paid for as normal). Character advantages are fixed for the duration of the campaign, so choose wisely.


    Campaign Rules here show the guidance given to the other forces, so you'll see your restrictions are in line with everyone elses. It also shows the battles, force strengths, and bonuses you acquire as you level up.


    We're going to bring you in as if you'd played the first two battles, with the average of points scored from everyone's first two missions, so you're ready to fight your third battle. I don't know exactly what the points will be, but it'll be at least 8, so you get the additional 10pts of character advantage (can be applied to any character) plus your leader can be promoted to Dux.