Normans and Flemish and Bretons — Oh My! A HAIL CAESAR Hastings . . . Of a Sort
Inspired by the recent coverage of Hastings in the wargaming press (March issue of WI), I thought that it was about time that I try to stage something similar, though not entirley historically accurate on my smallish tabletop. And so, over the first weekend of March, I drafted and then revised orders of battle, I assembled units and prepared labels, and I landscaped the 6 by 4-foot playing surface.
Three divisions of Saxons (amounting to 669 points) occupied three gentle hills on one long side of the miniature battlefield. A smattering of skirmishers screened the various units of Greater Fryd, Select Fryd, and Huscarls. The left and right divisions contained five units (not including the skirmishers); the center division contained seven "line" units.
The Normans and their allies were arranged approximately 32 Litko inches across the table. (I was using two-thirds scale rulers from my Armati days.) These four divisions added up to 668 points. In addition to a couple of small skirmish units armed with javelins, there were archers, medium and heavy infantry, and an assortment of cavalry present under the Papal banner.
The objective for the Normans was simple. They needed to break the Saxon army holding the three hills. The objective for the Saxons was as simple. They needed to prevent the Normans from gaining their objective.
Granted, the set up did not provide either side with a lot of room to maneuver or many options.
It was going to be a straight-up engagement, a case of the Norman (and Flemish and Breton) wave trying to smash through the Saxon wall. The following is a summary of the tabletop action. It is followed by a brief evaluation of the "miniature" wargame.
Advancing to within arrow range of the waiting Saxon line, the Norman archers were the first to draw blood for the day. The Bretons and Flemish soon joined in, raining arrows – albeit indirectly – on the Saxon host. The Saxon skirmishers made their presence known, however, as they hurled javelins, launched slingstones, and shot arrows at the nearest enemy formations. A unit of Flemish foot was the focus of a small but annoying group of slingers.
The predetermined number of turns of missile fire completed, the Normans and their allies ordered their infantry forward against the Saxon line. This general attack met with limited success. The Bretons were hard pressed to gain a foothold against the Saxon right. On turn seven of the game, half of their attacking formations were broken by horrible saving dice and even worse rolls for the required break tests. The Breton division commander pulled his remaining men back to rally and reform. In the center, the Normans were able to push through the first line of defenders. (The large unit of Saxon Fryd had been weakened by archery.) The Saxon king rushed in his second line to prevent a complete rupture. The Huscarls were thrown in as additional supports. Many from both sides fell on the hill. The Norman heavy infantry could not keep up the pressure. Just like the Bretons, these reduced formations had to pull back and rally.
A similar narrative developed on the Flemish front. An initial advantage was secured (a unit of Flemish cavalry came up in support of the infantry), but quickly turned back. While no units were broken, a few units took significant casualties and were forced to retire.
A survey of the field was completed after seven turns of marching, shooting, and fighting. The foot divisions of the Normans and their allies were in a sorry state. There were 49 casualty markers spread across 14 units. With the exception of the one Flemish unit, none of the Norman cavalry had been engaged. On the Saxon side of the field, all three hills still in their strong, grubby hands. Thrity-five casualty markers were shared between 11 units.
An internal debate took place. The Normans could spend a few turns rallying and reordering their troops and try again. The Saxons would probably use the same time for a similar purpose. Attacking with the cavalry was briefly considered, but this would have entailed moving through friendly formations and risking disorder, as well as charging uphill into the Saxon line. I did not wish to spend my cavalry capital in such a manner. So it was decided to call the game prior to beginning the eighth turn.
As I started to clean up the tabletop, I recalled a couple of quotes from my reading. The first was "Fortune favors the bold." The second was from Napoleon, I think. It went something like this: "Morale is to physical as three is to one." Perhaps a second infantry attack or even a bold cavalry charge would have won the field? I certainly did not expect to have an easy time of it leading the Normans against an enemy on a hill, but the rough treatment of the first advance left me wondering about the efficacy of launching a second or even third assault.
Compared to other historical or quasi-historical wargames, this battle (or exercise) was not all that exciting or even fun. I did gain more of an appreciation – as opposed to just reading about it for example – for the nature of the contest on that day in 1066. The terrain and troops were functional. They were definitely not fantastic-looking. Overall, the HC rules worked fairly well. At times, I do find the rolling of multiple handfuls of dice to be a bit much. I also found it strange that units an inch or two to the rear of friendly units who are routed in melee suffer no penalty. There's room for a house rule here, I think.
Have I satisfied my hunger for Hastings? Yes, I believe I have. This is not to remark that I'm completely done with the battle, however. I am quite certain there are tweaks and other scenario-related fixes that I could engineer to make the experience more exciting and enjoyable. This will have to wait, as I'm already drafting orders of battle for another project so that I can teach myself a new set of rules.
gets medieval.
