II/72 Anglo-Danes v III/45 Pre-feudal Scots

1. What is the game?

After last week's entertaining but non-standard game I'm looking for a solo game as close to RAW as solo can be. And, I have a new Anglo-Dane army.  So 3.0 armies, a nice cosy 3'x3' board, terrain random but from the approved terrain, and so on.

2. The board

I want a standard DBA board, of the 15 base width variety. I use a card draw of Arable types on each of the 9 squares, placing the compulsory BUA where seems most appropriate. 

The battlemat is Tundra 1 from FLG. Other than BUA and plough across 2/9 of thee board, the only tricky terrain is scrub, right in the middle. A road offers fast transit across the board. 

3. Armies

Anglo-Danes are really simple. BdGen, 2x4Bd huscarls, 1xPs, 4x7Hd fyrd, and 4x4Sp select fyrd. They automatically take the BUA under normal solo rules. One Hd will guard the burh. 

Scots have a couple of interesting options. A 4WbGen, a 4Wb thegns, 6x3Pk, a Ps and a LH, and 2x3Wb Galwegians. (I seem to have one too many Pk and only one 3Wb of Viking extraction?) I borrow a 3Wb from my Caledones.

4. Deployment 

The Anglo-Danes intend to at least possibly use the roadway. Their main battle is raked so the huscarls can road-move. They have a strong left of select fyrd, but keep that double-ranked. That leaves a good deal of empty real estate left.

The Scots are more interested in exploiting the scrub and using Wb for a quick victory. They throw their lights out right to use that open enemy flank, mark fyrd with doubled Sp, and line the Wb up facing the huscarls and fyrd, and that soft Ps.

5. Terrain reminders

Plough is good going unless the Anglo-Danes roll a 1 on turn 1. Then it is rough going.

Scrub is rough going, not bad going.

THE BATTLE

TURN 1

Anglo Danes roll 6 PIP. The left wheels, and the centre strongly advance. 

Scots roll 4 PIP. No need to switch up. A general advance at 4Wb pace followed by 2 extra moves by LH/Ps in column.

TURN 2

Anglo Danes roll 4 PIP. 

Moderately happy and in command range the BdGen orders his left select to cut the space down on that flying column, while expanding his fighting line.

Scots roll 4 PIP. One more would have been nice but a steady advance plus zipping the Ps across to ZOC the Sp column.

TURN 3

Anglo Danes roll 1 PIP and the BdGen shifts left to get closer to command range of left column Sp.
Scots roll 1 PIP and take an aggressive wheel at the Anglo Danes right. It fails! 

Melee: the WbGen is recoiled and on a double overlap the 3Wb is destroyed.

TURN 4

Anglo-Danes roll 4 PIP. 

As his left is still a mess, the BdGen uses 2 PIPs having his right fyrd wheel, and his huscarls echelon.

Melee: 10:7, Scots 4Wb recoils.

Scots roll 6 PIP. 

The right lights spring into action, flanking the fyrd column. And the Pk columns right wheel around the scrub, but not at full pace. Meanwhile the remaining 3Wb charges through the scrub to strike the Anglo-Danes Ps.

Melee

LH 3:8 on Sp, flee and Ps recoil.

3Wb 9:6 on Ps, which recoils through their general and Wb pursue.

TURN 5

Anglo-Danes roll 1 PIP. 

BdGen slides into melee with 3Wb.

Melee 9:7, Wb recoils.

Scots roll 5 PIP. 

With 3 PIP the assault on huscarls redoubles, and with 2 PIP the Ps zip between spear elements to be behind the lines!

Melee

WbGen on huscarl overlap, 11:8, huscarl destroyed. 

3Pk on huscarl double overlap, 8:6, Bd recoils.

TURN 6

Anglo-Danes roll 5 PIP. 

The line reforms, with one Sp element chasing down the enemy Ps.

Melee: Sp 9:3 on Ps, who flee.

Scots roll  1 PIP. 

3Pk form line.

TURN 7

Anglo Danes roll 1 PIP. 

The Sp immediately left of BdGen advances a base depth.

Scots roll 3 PIP. 

The nearest 3Pk column charges through the rough scrub at that cheeky Sp and their 3Wb allies overlap.

Melee: lacking rear support it's a 5:8, recoil.

TURN 8

Anglo-Danes roll 4 PIP. 

The fractured left is pulled back in.

Scots roll 3 PIP. 

Another aggressive move, only melee with the enemy general is refused.

Melee 

WbGen v Hd: 8:9! Hd pursues.

3Pk v Bd, each overlapped: 3:10, Pk destroyed.

4Wb double overlapped v Ps: 7:3, Ps flee.

TURN 9

Anglo Danes roll 2 PIP. 

The right huscarl charges at the remaining 3Pk on that flank. The Ps are rallied but merely ZOC the 4Wb.

Melee

huscarl v Pk 11:6. 

Sp on Pk both overlapped 8:5

Hd overlapped on WbGen 6:5, pursue.

Scots roll 5 PIP. 

The WbGen calls his thegns back in support, and aggressively attacks the Sp column.

Melee: WbGen on Hd overlapped, 10:8, Hd destroyed.

6Pk on Sp: 9:5, Sp forced back into the opposite-facing Sp, destroyed. 

LH on Sp: 4:5, recoil.

TURN 10

Anglo-Danes roll 6 PIP. 

Using 3 to get his right fyrd into line, 2 to push his left fyrd out, and the final one to send select fyrd to contact the Pk flank edge.

This latter requires some rule-checking. The contact is not legal owing to insufficient move allowance, and all the Sp can do is ZOC. So, no melee.

Scots roll 1 PIP. 

The rear Pk in rough scrub expand right.

TURN 11

Anglo-Danes roll 5 PIP. 

Everything that is in command range and can attack does so. The left Sp, which is poised behind the Scots, charges the rear of the 3Pk in scrub!

Melee

4Bd v 3Pk overlapped: 9:5, Pk recoils.

4BdGen v 3Wb overlapped: 9:3, Wb destroyed.

Ps v 4Wb overlapped: 4:8, Ps flee, Wb pursues and crosses the BdGen's rear line.

After rereading overlap rules, both melees in scrub overlap despite fighting in opposite directions. So both are 3:2 before rolls.

Select fyrd nearest general: 5:4, Pk recoil. 

Select fyrd remaining is now 4:2 and result is 9:3, Pk destroyed.

So by a narrow margin Anglo-Danes win 4:3!