Scottorum Malleus Playtest #4

Here are one more AAR from playtest game of Dan Mersey, authour of the upcoming Dux Bellorum, latest (under development) wargaming rules "Scottorum Malleus".

The rules are a set of medieval wargaming rules. The size of armies/number of bases is similar to Dux Bellorum and the rules are of similar simplicity, but most of the mechanisms are different.

Dan just recently started a blogg in support for he´s books and wargaming rules, please make him a visit; merseybooks.

Back to the AAR... In this game I and my friend Molgan decided to try out the condensed format i.e. DBA size of tha gaming table and 40mm front for the units i.e. 1 ordinary DBx base.

The minis we used was from my friend Oskars collection of lovely painted Balcan armys, unfortunally they are not used that often...

OOB 
In the OOB I uses the common DBx classification for the troop types...

Wallachians
1x Cv (Vlad Tepes, General)
3x Cv
4x LH
1x Archers
3x Ps

Not the entire Wallachian army but a close-up of their camp an 3 units oc Cavalry.

Ottomans
1x Cv (Qapu Khalqis, General)
2x Cv
2x LH
2x Bw (Janissaries)
2x Ps
1x Art (Heavy)

The Ottoman camp with Sultan Mehmed II and entourage, infront you can see the Ottoman fortifications defended by Heavy artillery and Janissaries.

Set-up...

Due to better and more expencive units (Janissaries and Qapu Khalqis) and field fortifications the Ottoman army was a little smaller 10 bases vs 12 for the Wallachians. 

But with the wather line on one flank and the field fortifications in the middle the Ottoman managed to comver most of the front. 

They were concentrating their cavalry forces on thirs right flank and just having some skirmishing Azab archer to protect the left flank.

The Wallachian was aiming for a flank move around the vineyard on the Ottoman left and attack the Ottoman camp and fortification from the side...

To screen of the Ottoman Cavalry they sent some Archers and Skirmishers under harsh command of Vlad himself.

In "Scottorum Malleus" Skirmishers and Light Horses may deploy further in on the table then ordinary fighting troops.

Opening stages of the battle...

The Wallachian Light Horses made a ruch to get around the Vineyard but was ofcourse engaged in a skirmish fight with the Ottoman Azabs protecting the Ottoman left flank. 

One unit of the Wallashian Light Horses got close to the Camp but was shoot to pieces by a unit of Janissaries that had left the field fortification to protect the Ottoman left.

The rest of the Wallachian army just waited... exccept for the poor Archers that was driven forward by Vlad, that wanted them within shooting distance to the Ottoman cavalry...

The Ottomans just waited...exccept for their 2 units of Light Horses that quite fast was were down by the Ottoman Skirmishers just in front of the Ottoman Fieldfortifications but also giving the Artillery a chanse to shoot everything that got a little to close...

I looked as the Ottomans had the uperhand at the moment, well protected by their field fortifications...

Losses:

Wallachian: 2x LH, 1x Ps

Ottoman: 2x LH

Middle stages of the battle...

The Wallachians press forward with the poor archers, that starts to shoot volly after volly at the Ottoman Cavalry without any success...

The Wallachian light horses ride away from the pointless skirmish with the Ottoman Azabs aiming to raid the Ottoman camp...

The Wallachian Cavalry breakes their fine formation and the 3 units ride of in 3 different direction...

The Ottoman still await their time...just letting the Janissarie archery and the Heawu artillery work on the enemys...

Losses:

Wallachian: 2x LH, 1x Ps, 2x Ps

Ottoman: 2x LH, 

The end of the battle...

To attack the Ottomans in prepered field fortifications is not a good ideea... But the Wallachians Light Horses made it arround the flank and started to were down the defenders, a unit of Janissarie was unbelievable taken out by them as was the Ottoman Artillery.

Meanwhile the remaning Janissarie unit managed to eliminate the wallachian Archers and the Ottomans Cavalry took advantage of the opportunety to charge Vlad himself... After a fierce battle the Ottomans was on top...The remaning Wallachians retreated of the battlefield...Ottoman Victory!

Losses:

Wallachian: 2x LH, 1x Ps, 2x Ps, 1x Bw, 1x CV(Gen)

Ottoman: 2x LH, 1x Bw, 1x Art, 1x Cv

Debriefing...

One again a very intense and entertaining game of "Scottorum Malleus". The rules work very smoth and give good gaming results. As the losses shows it was a very close call for the Ottomans only having to loose one more unit to loose the day...

The rules worked fine in this condenced/DBA size to giving a totaly different game compared to DBA, more fluid and fast paced, totaly in my taste.

As with DBA this size of game dosen´t realy look like a battle to me...to few minis on each base, probably look better with 10mm or 6mm minis so you get the feel for the armys moving around. But as a "learn the rules" or "I dosen´t have the space" game it work well...rather a small game but no game att all;)