ADLG - Game Report 269

Low Countries (243) vs Medieval Scots (232)

For round 2 of a morning at Entoyment Harry brought along his hairy arsed Scots, while I brought along my Flems. Unusually, I won the initiative and decided to defend in the plains. The Knights were deployed on the left with the two pike commands centre and right. I decided to dismount the Knights to become foot knights; which on balance I think was the right decision for the wrong reason and in the wrong place.

I decided that the best option was to move to the left and therefore the order went out "The Army will turn to the left in threes, wait for it, LEFT TURN, by the right QUICK MARCH….."

Fortunately, the Scottish Knights became hesitant, however, I was not clever enough or aggressive enough to exploit it. However at this stage I was relatively comfortable, and the line had turned to the right to face off against the enemy.

I was reluctant to take the foot knights into the field to fight the bowmen, and decided to leave them as arrow-catchers – another of one of not the wisest moves I could have made looking at the factors after the battle. However, before they could play catch-me-an-arrow the Scottish bow fire started to attrit my own longbowmen.

The opposing lines slid ever closer to the engagement. 

On the right the grey blank area is where Harry had removed the two front ranks of pikes as their pikes were unfortunately levelled at the enemy. On the right the remaining mounted knight, and included competent general, was lured into being an arrow-catcher on the right flank.

Contact! The Scottish foot knights have destroyed a pike unit on contact. Meanwhile along the res of the line the mediocre pikes of each side start the push-and-shove game, and by the colour count isn't going the Flemish way!

On the left of the Flemish line we have achieved a breakthrough and trying to work along the enemy right flank. However, the centre and right of the Flemish line is slowly changing colour for the worse. And on the far right the included general is catching more arrows than he should and is looking a little sick.

And now it's even sicker as amber fades to red along the line. Of greater harm to the Flemish cause is the loss of the included general as a mounted heavy knight as he catches one too many arrows, and dies of his wounds.

Outcome

A Scottish victory losing 19 of 25, to the Flemish 23. On balance despite the ineptitude of the Flemish commander a close attritional game.

Lessons Learnt

A cursory examination of the terrain shows that the Flemish position is compromised by the two fields on its flank which offer cover for the Scottish medium and loose medium infantry, and which cannot be contested by the Flemish.

On closer examination the foot knights would have been at evens (zero factor vs zero factor) against the bowmen in the field, which given their heavy armour and two-handed cutting weapons is not that bad odds.

Alternatively reducing the Flemish frontage to restrict the flanking fire form the fields to the left and right might also have been a positive option.