ADLG - Game Report 294

Feudal French (182) vs Ghaznavids (201)

With time on our hands the usual suspects gathered at Entoyment for another round of ADLG games with the purported intention of trialling armies for Attack 2026. While we waited for Paul and Kev to arrive Harry and I started the experiment with my Feudal French against his Ghaznavids. I had already beat this army previously with my Taifa Kingdom. However I wanted to experiment more with these Frenchies as I am sure there must be a viable army in there somewhere.

I won the initiative and decided to attack in the plains. I deployed the smaller infantry command on the left against the coastline protecting the camp (not the best place to set up camp in hindsight.) with two Knightly commands in the centre and right.

We advanced in good order, but as usual we came under heavy bow fire from foot and mounted bowmen. For their part the enemy have adopted a defensive posture to exploit their bow armed troops.

We had no option than to take the fight to the enemy, or rather they brought the fight to us so we couldn't avoid it! Although we have strength of numbers on the left with the combined foot and knights, the enemy bow fire is punishing us and degrading the Knights before they can come into contact.

The Knights, impetuously charge and pursue into the depth of the enemy, in doing so they present flanks for the enemy to attack or to outnumber them with their supports.

Once the dust settles from the ensuing fights there are a significantly fewer Knights for the generals to command.

And at the close it is up to the infantry to try and at least attempt, but fail, to damage the enemy.

Outcome

A Ghaznavid victory in which we only inflicted 11 losses on them.

On the plus side Harry didn't spike himself too often on his minaret!

Lessons Learnt

And that seems to be another French Feudal army design consigned to the ash heap of history.

On balance the year 1106 doesn't seem to be very good for any Western European Feudal army as they do not have the better troops that might be available later in the feudal period.