My first AAR for 2014 are a sequal to one of the last battles I and Jonas fought during 2013 using our Blatic Crusas minis and the Hail caesar rules.
We used the same army lists as last time but a quite different terrain set-up there the main feature was a frozen river.
Movin on the ice...
As we stated that the scenario occur during the early spring and the ice was not safe to move on I made some simple rules to decide if a unit did fall in...
At the end of a units activation that at some part was on the ice the unit would have to roll 1D6 to see if they did get wet.
Modifiers to the roll:
1 Move action on the ice +0
2 Move actions on the ice +1
3 Move actions on the ice +2
Skirmish unit -1
Infantry unit/Dissmounted horse +0
Mounted unit +1
Close Combat +1
Effect of the Ice-roll
1-5 No effect.
6 Some of the men in the unit falls in and are lost, Unit Stamina -2.
7+ The ice crach beneth the unit that falls in and are lost for the rest of the game. Make a hole in the ice that are as big as the unit, that area are from now impassible terrain, if you didn´t bring a boat to the battle...
13th Century, Somewhere in Karelia...Both the Swedes and the Novgorodians have been out harassed the poor locals and bump in to each other by a frozen river...but it is spring in the air so the ice arn´t that safe...
Both forces approacing the frozen river on their way back to home with the spoils of war...
Jarl Birger make a swift advance with the Knights to the river, eager to get in to the fray. Bishop Thomas seems to have stoped the ledung infantry to pray before the up-comming battle...
Also Chief Kaleva the Suomis leader order his warband out on the ice to engage their Karelian nemesis allied with the Novgorodians...
On the oposing side of the river the Novgorodian horse archers have already moved out on the ice without doupt... but Prince Alexander dosen´t dare to move his druzhina out on the fragile ice...
The Swedish Jarl Birger dosen´t hesitate to move the heavy Knights out on the ice that start to sound a bit odd as they move... In a swift move the Novgorodian horse archers are within shooting range and the Bishops Knights take the first hits...
To support his Horse archers Prince Alexander order his druzhina out on the ice... BUT they havent come far as the ice disappear beneathe their hooft, and both of Prince Alexanders druzhina units as well as the Prince are in the cold icy water and out of the battle...
Despite the loss of their beloved Prince the remaining parts of the Novgorodian force advance to the river to counter the crusaders...
At last Bishop Thomas was finished with his morning prayers and ordered the Ledung to advance to support the glorious knights... that didn´t hesitate to charge in to the karelian pagans on the riverbank...
Somehow the pagans manage to hold their ground...
...AND to force the Bishops Knights to retreat back out on the ice...
...the frenzied Pagans even made a follow-up charge...
...AND managed to finish off the poor Knights, that now are considered saints...
Bishop Thomas was devistated by the loss of his Knights and ordered the Ledung Infantry to form a shield wall and start shooting at the pagans...
...as the Ledung infantry moved forward the pagan, they opened for the Novgorod militia to start to shoot at the remaining Knights under command of Jarl Birger...they had to retreat due to all incomming missiles...
...and the ice broke under them and Jarl Birger was also out of the fight...
Bishop Thomas had to save the day, he ordered the Ledung to charge the pagans...
...it was indeed a costly victory for the crusaders as one of the Ledung units fell throught the ice as they destroyed the pagans...
...due to the loss of the Ledung soldiers the Crusaders broke and started to run, as the Novgorodians didn´t have any cavalry left most of the fleeing crusaders maed it back home...
Indeed a greate game, even as I lost it. The Ice was realy treacherous and it was a fun addition to the game. Jonas almost called it a day as he very early in the game lost his Prince Alexander and the druzhina, but he keept on fighting and won it all by the end...
