The Blida deployed in battle...

Today we had a club game revolving around the aftermath of Nyköpings gästabud (Nykoping banquet) in 1317. The Swedish king Birger Magnusson had for the past 15 years been in conflict with his brothers Erik and Valdemar. The two brothers had imprissoned their elder brother the King in 1306, an event known as the Håtunaleken (Håtunagames), they forced the King to grant them fifedomes for them self to release him, wich they did as soon as they got what they wanted.

For about 10 years the 3 brothers lived more or less in peace, in December 1317 the king invited his two brothers to the Nyköping castle for a celebration, as the brothers got drunk and fell asleep the kingBirger let his soldiers arest Erik and Valdemar throwoing them in to the castle dungeons, there they after a couple of month died of the cold temperature and starvation.

When Erik and Valdemars allied got the word of their shamefull death they gathered their forced and a rebellion started to set aside King Birger. The King fled with his wife and son Prince Magnus to the well defended Stegeborg castle.

In april 1318 the rebells started a siege of the Stegeborg castle, King Birger sent his son Prince Magnus to Denmark to ask for troops from the Kings wifes brother, the king of Denmark.Prince magnus returned from Denamrk with Danish troops during the summer of 1318 to relife his father and mother that was besiged in the castle...

700-years later I set up a game depicting the battle when the Danish reinforcement arrives...

We was usin the Lion Rampant rules with 4 players on each side commanding a 12 point force (2-3 units)

Below you will find a bunch of pictures from the game.I wont give you a full AAR, sorry, but a short recap after the pictures... 

 

The rebells attacked the Castle with their Blida (Trebuchet) and also foot troops that tried to cross the river with boars and to re-build the broken bridge.

As the rebell started their attack Prince magnus arrived with the danish troops from behind catcing the rebells in between him and his father at the castle. The rebells divided their forces to protect the Blida as well as engage the new threat and also try to capture the castle.

It turned out to become an intense game that a long time looked to favour the King, but as so often playing Lion Rampant, it ain´t over untill the fat lady sings...

King Birger managed to hold the castle but the Danish reinforcement force was utterly defeated as Prince Magnus was slain in a Chalange leaving the Danes without a propper leader.

The outcome was as the real History, King Birger and his wife fled from the castle to the Island Gotland and further to Denmark, never to return to Sweden. Prince Magnus continued to defent the Stegeborg Castle untill August 1318 when the castle was captured. Prince Magnus was taken and imprissoned in  Stockholm untill his execution in October 1320.

In 1319 Magnus Eriksson (son to Erik one of the two brother murdered at Nyköping banquet) was elected King at the age of 3. King Magnus ruled Sweden untill 1364, almost 45 years, the longest time a King ruled Sweden untill just some month ago when our present day Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf broke his record of reign.

Building a ”Blida” aka Trebuchet

We will restart and run at least one more game in our ”Håtunaleken” club campaign using the Lion Rampant rules.

As the scenario will including a castle attack I decided we needed a Trebuchet or Blida as they was named here in Sweden. I also built me 6 crew minis from Fire Forge and Gripping beast plastic minis. So here are some more WIP pictures of my scratchbuildrd blida.

Håtunaleken, Lion Rampant, AAR #11

We have one more round of our Lion Rampant club campaign "Håtunaleken" Håtuna-Games, a Swedish Games of Throne from our 14th century Swedish history.

This time we run the control the bridges and ford scenario again, we really like that. For each turn your side have a unit in the middle of a bridge or the ford you get one glory, the side to accumulater 15 Glory win the game. Both the winner and looser earn Glory, 1/3 (rounded down) of the one you accumulated during the game to each player on your side.

OOB´s 

The Rebell Brothers: 

House of Bjälbo (Duke Valdemar), Left top
1x6 Mounted Knights @ 6pts
1x12 Foot Serjants with Mixed weapons @ 6pts

House of Roos (Knight Haftor), Left Bottom
1x6 Foot Knights @ 6pts
1x12 Foot Serjants @ 4pts
1x6 Bidowers @ 2pts

The Kings men: 

House of Ulvåsa (Knight Gudmar) Right, bottom
2x12 Foot Serjants with Mixed weapons @ 6pts each

House of Banér (Knight Isak) Bottom, left
1x6 Foot Knights @ 6pts
1x12 Fierce foot @ 4pts
1x6 Bidowers @ 2pts

House of Banér brought some real offensive and mean serjants...

The troops of House Ulvåsa...

Knight Hafto from the House of Roos decide that it was a good idee to let his Knight was throug the marches to reach the ford...

As always Duke Valdemar was very eager to get in to the fighting, riding headlong before his supporting tropps, crossing the brigde that was the objective and charged Knight Gudmar that was well defended hehind a hedge...

Duke Valdemar tood 50% losses and Knight Gudmar much less but still he thought it was a good ideea to make a hasty withdraval...

The foot serjants from the House of Roos advance in the center to seize the bridge...

By the fort the Roos bidowers claim the ford as the Roos Knighs still wade throught the march...

As always Duke valdemar want to showof in single combat and as his old teacher Knight Gudmar accept to show him what it is all about...

...the duell end in a draw...

By the ford the Roos Bidowers are under thret of the Banér Bidowers and Fierce Foot...

The wooden bridge was early on claimed by Duke Valdemars Foot Serjants....

Victorious Duke valdemar was lured in to the forest by Knight Isak from Houre of Banér...

Duke Valdemar was was quickly over thrown and captured by Banérs foot Knights... Resque mission next time or maybe a they have to pay a ransom in Glory points to get him free;)

By the ford the rest of House Banérs soldiers was engaged with the men of House Roos.

As Duke Valdemar made way and was holding upp the advance of the Kings men a group of House Roos foot serjants had claimed the bridge...but by some strange reason the didn´t form a schiltorn...there mistake of the day...

By the ford the House Banérs fierce foot made a headless charge on the House Roos knights that at last had reached the ford to guard it...

...it was a fearsome brawl that ended in lots of casulties on both sides and the retreat of boath units...

By the central bridge the sharpshooting from Knight Gudmars troops made the Foot Serjants of House Roos to retreat...

...and the Knight of House Banér followed up and secured the bridge...

Knight Gudmars second unit also made good use of their bows and crossbows force Duke valdemars Foot Serjants to retreat away from the woode bridge...

But by the fort House of Roos one again had secured the location, just some Bidowers trying to harass them in no vain...

Althought the Kings men had now secured two of the river crossings they didn´t win the day as the Rebell Brother´s side had gain lots of glory in the begining of the battle...

Once more a victory for the Rebell Brother´s that gain 5 glory, the Kings men gain just 4 glory for their efforts... 

A really nice game as alway when playing the Lion rampant rules, the Håtuna campaign will continue and i´ll be sure to tell you all about it, will the King manage to resist his rebell Brothers of will they prevail...