Parable of the Holy Turnip - part 2.

Some images of the battle with selected extracts from the Chronicles of Kermit the Hermit.

"......At first the attacks by the wild Saracen were beaten off, but maddened by the reverse they did attack again with renewed and bloody vigour. The turnip fields fell but were then retaken, the Holy Turnip held aloft in triumph........."

"....whilst the pilgrims battled for their very lives in the ditches of Blakadah, Lord Flashart did charge on those Saracens holding high ground above the enemy camp and there, heavy loss not withstanding, did great massacre....."

".........As the light of day waned there did arrive more Saracens above the valley. But their arrival availed him little........."

"..........As darkness fell, the Saracen retreated to his camp and the Christians back to Blakadah. In the morning the Saracen was gone........."

This game was a belter, with both sides fighting each other to a bloody standstill. The Christians were at zero morale for much of the latter part of the game but passed every army morale test they took - five from memory - and rolling D10 Vs D10 this was outstanding. A draw was decided at 11pm, though the Christians might with some justification claim a marginal victory.

I will revisit the scenario notes later this week and make some adjustments to it. The Christian's objectives and some Saracen deployments will be changed to make the scenario flow better - the original was written in an afternoon. I'll do this by edit so it will not appear as a new posting.

Parable of the Holy Turnip - battle report

A short pictorial battle report of last nights action.

From the Chronicles of Kermit the Hermit:

"Whilst the pilgrims and soldiers in Blakadah did suffer the attention of the Saracen archers......

......the two aforesaid Lords, arriving from the lines of Antioch, did push their men hard and came to the countryside around the Holy Turnip Fields before ever a Saracen had word of their coming. They skirmished with the heathen in running battles.......

......until the Lords, having sent many of the enemy scurrying back to their tents, arrayed their forces so as to come to handstrokes..........

.......It was now that the Saracen did emerge from his camp in force, wishing to overthrow the Christians in Blakadah...........

......sending wild Ghazis in furious charges against their hasty defences.......

To be continued next week.

Parable of the Holy Turnip Scenario

This scenario is based on the writings of Kermit the Hermit. Specifically, that section which has become known as the 'Parable of the Holy Turnip' (the lesson being - don't rub another mans turnip, it costs lives - apparently. The action took place sometime during the siege of Antioch but the exact date and location of the battle are unclear.

From the Chronicle of Kermit the Hermit:

"....with want coming upon the soldiers and pilgrims in the lines of Antioch, foraging parties were sent ever farther abroad into enemy country. One such party, led by a certain English captain named Baldrik, did raid the distant village of Blakadah, wherein the captain's men found fields in bounty of turnips. On the second day of the harvesting a piece of ground was dug, which since has been called Holy, where a large turnip, some say as big as a goose, in the shape of a Cross was discovered. It was thought to be a sign of God's Blessing.

News of the discovery reached the lines of Antioch and caused a great disturbance among the devout who dwelt there. Many hundreds deserted the place and did pilgrimage to Blakadah in the hope of feasting on Gods Holy Turnips rather than await the assured arrival of the Holy Vegetable. Soon the place was athrong and the Turnips all eaten. That night the multitude slept happy and sated. But on the morrow the Saracen was discovered encamped nearby and their heathen cavalry all about, cutting off their route back to Antioch.

Baldrik, immediately fortified Blakadah and deployed what forces, including the hapless pilgrims, as best he could. All prepared to defend themselves and many swore oaths to save the Holy Turnip from the clutches of the Hoards of Satan surrounding them.

News of the Saracen reached Antioch within hours. It was decided, at council, that so great a number could not be sacrificed. Succour was dispatched under the command of Lord Melchitte and Lord Flashart...................."

So much for the chronicle, but it gives just enough information to obtain an Ager Sanguinis scenario. The Map below shows my initial deployments.

The forces:

The Franks, army die D10.

Baldrik:

Baldrik command stand, leadership D10.

Holy Relic stand, applies only to the pilgrims under Baldrik (the rest of the Franks think it mad).
1 unit of mercenary English seamen.

1 unit of mercenary Italian seamen.

1 unit of fanatic levy (pilgrims) with simple bows.

1 unit of fanatic levy (pilgrims) with light spears.

2 units of fanatic civilians (pilgrims).

Lord Melchitte:

Melchitte command stand, leadership D10.

1 unit of knights.

1 unit of turcopoles.

3 small units of mercenary sergeants.

Lord Flashart:

Flashart command stand, leadership D12.

Otherwise as per Melchitte above.

The Saracens, Army die D10:

Three commands of Turcoman horse archers deployed around Blakadah (see map) each:

Command stand, leadership D10.

2 units of Turcoman horse archers.

Undeployed commands:

Command stand '1', leadership D10.

2 units of Turcoman horse archers.

2 units of Ghazis.

Command stand '2', leadership D10.

1 unit of Ghulams.

2 units of Seljuk horse archers.

4 units of Ghazis.

Special Rules:

The Saracen player adds a 'Special 1' and a 'Special 2' card to his sequence deck. On the appearance of the cards the player can elect to pass or deploy the command with the same number (command 1 or 2). If the card is passed on, the player can add or subtract 1 from the roll of a D10 the next time it is turned (passes are cumulative). If the player elects to deploy he rolls D10 adjusted by any 'passes'. The command must deploy on the command in the map square corresponding to the result (the relevant squares are numbered 1 - 10 on the deployment map above).

I'll post a report with pics ASAP. We play the 'Parable of the Holy Turnip Scenario' tonight.

The Fords of Tulac

Sorry - no report, just a very few shots and a result.

I've been moving rooms around in my house.

On the positive side I've managed to gain a wall for my book cases in the room next to my wargame room, allowing me to add another two big display cases (room for about 5000 more figures - HUZZAH!!) in the vacant slot.

On the negative side, my son's room has moved down a floor evicting the computer to the floor below, evicting other stuff to the floor below that (my house is one of those Tardis like four storey Victorian jobs). Moving of the computer has meant I've been off line for a while. Consequently the Battle of the Fords of Tulac is now a distant memory and I can only relay a result: Marginal victory to the Franks.

Isle of Fob continues

Kermit the Hermit on his trusty steed 'Miss Piggy'.

From the Chronicles of Kermit the Hermit....

....Following his uncle's death at the Battle of Ghazzan, Baldwin de Chernobyl was duly, and with right ceremony, crowned King of Fob on the 8th day of August the Year of Our Lord 1111......

........the Hashishmendids were sorely vexed by their unwarranted defeat at Ghazzan. Seeing the Franks in some turmoil after the battle the firey and unpredictable Mohamed Emir of Ali sought to gain capital from it. Rather than march south to besiege the capital of the Franks [Lampron] he about faced his army and went northwards to the county of Ghazzan......

.....In Ghazzan, Montisgarde de Troimilland collected together every man capable of bearing arms, myself included, and took the field. The army marched some miles from the town in order to block Mohamed [Emir of Ali] at the Fords of Tulac. It was here, to great rejoicing, that the army was joined and greatly increased in number by Prince Omar Sharif and his Armenian followers.......

THE BATTLE OF THE FORDS OF TULAC - The set up.

The Forces of the Franks: (SP3, 21 units, 1 battlefield posture card.)
Montisgard de Troimilland: 1 small unit of knights, 2 units of Frankish sailors.
Laurance d'Olivier: 2 units of foot sergeants, 1 unit of levy spearmen, 1 armed mob, 2 civilian bands.
Gerrard d'Edpardieu: 1 small unit of Hospitaller knights, 1 small unit of secular knights, 1 small unit of Hospitaller brother sergeants, 1 unit of secular sergeants.
Omar Sharrif's Armenians: 1 unit of knights, 2 units of light cavalry, 2 units of spearmen, 1 unit of foot bows.

The Forces of the Hashishmendid Seljuks: (SP2, 16 units, 2 battlefield posture cards.)
Mohamed [Emir of Ali]: 1 unit of Ghulams, 1 small unit of Ghulams, 2 units of Seljuk horse archers, 1 unit of Arab askari.
Abu Hamsah: 2 units of ghazis, 1 unit of mutattawia, 2 units of arab foot bows, 1 camel caravan.
Yassah Arrafat: 2 units of Turcoman horse archers, 2 units of Bedouin.



......The Franks, in four divisions, deployed themselves above the Fords of Tulac on two spurs and in the valley between. The right hand spur was smaller than the other but was steep and rocky. This position of honour was given over to Omar Sharrif and his bands of dour and sturdy Armenians.......


......The left hand spur was low and undulating and it was here that Laurance d'Olivier with foot sergeants and the rabble of Ghazzan [Kermit was here] had command. In the valley Montisgarde deployed his main strength, the Hospitallers [commanded by Gerrard d'Epardieu] in the van and Montisgarde in a rearward that formed a reserve..........



.....On the following day arrived the Hashishmendids. Mohammed [Emir of Ali] sought with his smaller force to bring what might he had against the right hand wing of the Franks. Here he posted himself at the head of his Seljuks whilst Abu Hamsah, a man sworn to the Jihad, fell in beside him with may of his wilder followers.........


On his own right Mohammed [Emir of Ali] posted his trusty lieutenant Yassah Arrafat with the bulk of his tribal auxiliary cavalry........

........the fight would chiefly fall on our [Franks] right and the forces of Omar Shariff. I led many in prayer to God that this heretic would today have Our Lord's Blessing.........

The Battle of Ghazzan - the conclusion

The Chronicles of Kermit the Hermit continue.....



.....the Emir, gallantly rousing what remained of his host, launched a most vigorous attack against the centre of the Franks. They came on with such speed that there was nought the Franks could do (note the 18" move of the Seljuk infantry - they rolled a triple move on their march card)........

Only the Hospitallers could match their audacity; and it was they who stemmed the flow by carving a way into the maddened throng until, surrounded and outmatched in numbers, they were killed to the last.......

.....Now the King [Chernobyl] was far from what remained of his army. He sought, with his sword in hand, to cut a way through. At first the impetus of his charge carried him onward, but then, woe worth the day, he fell, and his knights were scattered........

........As the sun dimmed and nightfall began to fall, only the Frankish pedites, which had been posted to the Mount of Pines, and until now had viewed the battle from its safety, watched the plain before them fill with soldiers of the Seljuks. Stubbornly, they elected to stay to see what the morrow would bring.........

This battle was, when the victory points had been worked out a very, very, close run thing. Using the campaign post battle victory system:

Franks starting morale: 19.

Seljuk starting morale: 31.

Sub total: Franks +12.

Franks finishing morale: 0.

Seljuk finishing morale: 2 (2 morale points, the Franks having none, were ceded to the Seljuks at the very end of the game).

Sub total: Seljuks +2

Final morale sub total: Franks +10

Franks objective points: 2

Seljuk objective points: 10.

Sub total: Seljuks +8.

Final total: Franks +2.

A very marginal win for the Franks!!!!

The Franks and Seljuks lost 2 army strength points each (army die Vs 4 rolls), both were vexed and the Seljuks fell back to their arsenal at Eschiva.

.........and in the morrow, Praise be to God, the Seljuks were gone...........

Next week it is back to the map campaign. The Seljuks, with their National Will Point total at a very low level, are in deep doo-doo.