TTS AAR: Vikings Win!
/Those of you who play To The Strongest will know that although the points system is supposed to make all armies equal, some armies are less equal than others.
One such are the Vikings: large numbers of unmanouverable shieldwall units lacking any cavalry and with only a smattering of lights in support. Head on it can pack a punch, but its opponents generally dance around its flanks leaving its brave warriors to be surrounded and cut down one by one.
I recently acquired a rather nicely painted Viking army in 15mm purely on the basis that I liked the idea of a Viking army. Ever in support of the underdog, however, I was under no illusions that I would have any great success with them!
Odin, hear our call: can we just win one battle please!
I was discussing the problem with friend Bevan, another proud but disappointed owner of a Viking army, when we both had a light-bulb moment of inspiration: let’s get our Viking armies on the tabletop together, to fight each other. That way one of us is bound to win and give their brave Scandinavian heroes the victory they so deserve!
With this genius idea decided upon, the next couple of weeks were spent in the customary ritual taunting - my Vikings are harder than your Vikings etc - until at last the big day arrived.
The Armies
The armies we had put together were significantly different.
My Vikings consisted of four commands: each comprising two deep, shieldwall units and one light infantry unit. One command consisted of Huscarls with mighty axes, the other were Bondi. I also had four heroes and an army standard.
Bevan’s mob also consisted of four commands, but was less pleasingly symmetrical than mine. One command comprised a couple of Huscarl units; one command was one Huscarl and two Bondi units; one command was three Bondi units; and finally he had a command consisting of some Irish javelinmen and light infantry. He also had five heroes and an army standard.
Somewhere in Scandinavia
Bevan’s Mob
My Glorious Vikings
The Battle
Both sides tried to outflank on the right. Bevan’s outflanking manoeuvre got off to a terrible start when he drew a couple of Aces for movement, but mine was more successful: a Huscarl unit led by the CinC got past the woods in front of them and were in a great position to chew into the enemy’s Irish allies.
Unfortunately, the Irish proved a lot more resilient than planned (is it not ever so!) and one of my best units spent the rest of the game blocked from doing anything useful!
Blocked!
Meanwhile, in the centre, the two main battle lines had closed and, for a time, things swayed backwards and forwards as a mighty shoving match took place. My lights proved useless in this sort of game: they shot off their arrows with little effect, then spent the rest of the time hanging around behind my line, unable to get around an enemy flank and unwilling to mix it with the big boys.
On my left, Bevan’s Vikings finally got moving, and a separate battle developed between various Bondi units from each side. This I won fairly decisively and for a time it looked as if I had the advantage.
Unfortunately, back in the centre, the left hand side of my main line eventually gave way, and two enemy units burst through. This allowed them to turn and charge into the rear of the rest of my Bondi, who spectacularly survived one turn being hit twice from behind, and then almost did the same thing next turn as well.
By this time, Bevan was down to four coins, I was down to one, so when my Bondi hit-from-the-rear gave way, the rest of my men lost heart and fled the field. If I had survived that impact (and I almost did: drawing a Ten and a Six when a Ten and a Seven would have done it) then I would almost certainly have won the game…it was that close!
Two enemy units, top right, have burst through my line. One is about to charge my rear!
But it was not to be: my Vikings had lost…but at least Bevan’s Vikings had won!
Despite my defeat, it was a glorious game, and one that we will definitely be repeating, although this time let’s hope the correct set of Vikings come out on top!
