Battles of the British Isles - Part 1

Using 36 Ancient Battles for Dominion of the Spear

Continuing with 36 Ancient Battles for Dominion of the Spear. However, I decided to play them in themes, rather than strictly chronological. Now we have the first three of five battles located in the British Isles.

Summary

Here are the most recent battles I played and the results (showing units remaining at game end). Brief accounts below.

• Badon Hill (517) - Saxons 3, Britons 1
• Nechtansmere (685) - Picts 4, Northumbria 1
• Brunanburh (937) - Anglo Saxons 4, Scots 1

Badon Hill

For these, I did not want to pull out my counters. Instead, I did them on paper and then transcribed them to the computer.

• Sword = elite, shield = armored, and skull = ferocious

After both slides lost a unit of spearmen, the cream of each army met. Arthur and his knights (red center) faced off against the Saxon leader and his hearth guard. The Saxons remained steady and drove off Arthur.

Later the hearth guard flanked and routed the British spears, ending the battle.

Nechtansmere (685)

The Northumbrians (red) face off against the Picts.

The Pict spears ambushed the enemy (treated as ferocious), wiping out 3 of their enemy counterparts, including the Royal Bodyguard. This left Northumbria with some archers and militia.

The Picts spears on the left charged through a hail of arrows and routed the archers for the victory.

Brunanburh (937)

This time Scots (red) vs. Aethelstan's Anglo Saxons.

In the initial attack, the Scots lost their archers and Norse-Irish allies.

Then, the flanks battled. On the right, the Highlanders and Saxon fyrd battle to the death. Then the fyrd on the left overruns the Scottish spears. Oops. The spears on the left should not be ferocious. I think I played it right but transcribed it incorrectly.

An easy victory for Aethelstan.