More Medieval DBA

We played some more DBA last night. Caesar brought his late-medieval figures, Peter brought his mixed-bad medievals and I brought along any HOTT army I could find that had knights and similar in it. Between us we cobbled together two opposing double-sized armies; Caesar and Peter fielded a Free Company army, whist I used Italian Condotta.

The Free Company (across the table in this picture) attacked, as is its wont.

After failing to turn the Free Company flank with my mounted crossbows, I swung out my artillery to harass their archers.

They had a lot of archers and crossbowmen. Peter advanced his and took my right flank under fire.

My only option was to charge into contact. That ended just as you'd expect, in the death of a pile of knights.

I charged my left flank knights as well, with a little more success. Caesar' knights outnumbered me, but were stuck in a double rank.

Unfortunately French blades attacked my artillery and cut down the gunners.

In the centre men-at-arms clashed with my militia pikemen. It all went horribly wrong after that. I lots heaps of elements as my piecemeal attacks and hesitant advances left my flanks exposed, and I lost badly. Very badly.

Caesar and I then used the same armies, but in a standard 12-element game. I ended up with a hamlet in the centre of my deployment area.

I have no idea why I decided to advance my artillery though it, but I did.

Again my knights charged into the centre of the enemy line. I never learn. However they managed to drive the enemy back, despite their dangerously exposed flanks.

My right was was I had the most success. My archers and crossbowmen destroyed one element of knights, then another after they tried to charge into contact. A third fell a couple of bounds later.

The Free Company blades rushed into the hamlet to try and destroy the Italian artillery, but were met by some peasant hordes.

In the centre the opposing knights charged and counter-charged.

But victory was won in the hamlet, when the peasants mobbed and destroyed the French ribauds with the support of some flanking archers.

I find I much prefer the basic DBA game over the bigger battles, although I don't object to the latter. I find the managing of a limited number of troop types in a game where one or two combats can be decisive much more pleasurable than the longer-term management the larger games require.

And I'm becoming - or have become - a big fan of hordes in DBA.