This wargame is the first action of the Ancestors' Wars—a struggle between a High Medieval army and an undead warlord and his minions. It is the second strand of my Fantastic Battle campaign world. I wanted to try a battle between two uneven armies in this scenario and based it on Charles Grant’s Programmed Scenarios, the 'Hasty Blocking Position'. The medieval army’s objective was to hold and occupy a pass until news arrived that the main army had assembled. The former had 750 points, and the attacking undead horde 1250 points.
Scenario Rules
The rules were kept the same, but I gave both armies three turns to deploy. After that, a further six rounds would be played, plus a random element. This was achieved by a simple roll of d6 with odds, improving one pip each turn. This represented a messenger arriving with the news that the main army had assembled and was on the march.
Background
What do you do when the pretender to the throne is your long-dead great, great uncle, Roboant the Damned? This was the problem that faced Tancred III Montduras when he heard of the uprising. His response was to call the kingdom to arms. However, this would take time. Therefore, on a windy spring morning, a messenger was dispatched to Gontier, Lord of Aire and Marshal of the Foremark. The king's instructions were simple, delay Roboant’s host by holding the Landdon Gate as long as possible.
The Strategies
Roboant strategy was to send the third of his army to harry Gontier's army as it tried to deploy in the Gate. The bulk of his host would push down the southern road and break through the pass as quickly as possible.
Gontier's approach was to secure the pass, using Ulf's mercenary Kerradian light horse (Zebra Riders) as a defensive shield to protect his deployment of the vulnerable infantry. Once the defensive lines had been established around Signal Hill, he would make intermittent forays to disrupt the advance.
The Forces Arrival
Dawn brought the howling of wolves with it, and as the morning mists lifted in the east, shadowy figures could be seen in the distance. A pack of fast-moving dire wolves sped down the valley. Meanwhile, Gontier had sent the mercenary Ulf and his Kerradian light horse to cover the deployment at the Landon Gate.
Deployment Issues
Both commanders needed help moving their armies whilst changing from column to line. Although frustrating, this was an exciting part of the battle. The commanders were forced to move up a down the marching columns to keep units in command. A halted unit quickly caused a roadblock bringing chaos. This was a significant disadvantage to the undead army because it was more extensive, and the mindless trait slowed it. Roboant would spend the whole battle flying up and down the line trying to get his zombies and skeletons into the action.
The Advance
The problems with deployment led to the advance guards fighting largely unsupported (turn 3). The wolves had moved quickly through the woods and down the road and charged Ulf's screening force (turn 4). The developed melees saw the wolves slaughtered, thanks to some appalling dice rolls that led to a surrounding victory for Ulf and his riders.
Roboant's Dilemma
Roboant's slow-moving reanimated horde took too long to march to the pass. Haste spells helped, but there was a need for more necromancers. It was a mistake only to include one additional magic user—a note to other potential undead commanders. Summons spells may look attractive, but haste is vital to get your undead army into battle. The impact was that Roboant human allies, the Doomed Ones and the Outcast, separated from the main command structures. For a few vital turns, the attack depended on the role of the Impetuous Actions table because the Undead commanders were too busy throwing haste spells at the slow-moving column.
Main Attack
Finally, Roboant was able to launch his main assault. The Doomed Ones and the Disinherited (Undead Knights), supported by the remnants of the dire wolves, attacked Gontier's main body of knights. West of the Gate, in the centre of the battlefield, Ulf attempted to rally his riders. Meanwhile, Gontier's knightly rear-guard tried to prevent Skeleton horsemen from attacking the rear of the infantry column.
The Gods
Nine turns had now been played, and the game moved on to its random element. Throughout the game, the dice favoured Gontier. However, now the gods' will seem to move against him, and the die roll allowing him to withdraw never occurred. The knights faltered despite the freshly rallied sergeants (light horse) support. The zombie hordes and the Outcast brigands had entered the neck of the Gate. Gontier joined the lines of the militia spearmen as the zombie hordes stumbled into charge range. Now it seemed time was against the living, and the undead would push into the heartlands of the kingdom before the army was assembled.
The Miracle of St Emidius
As the zombies moved in for the kill, the men started to shout, and on the southern hilltop, witnesses claimed they could see a ghostly white figure mounted on a white horse. At this moment, the earth began to rumble and shake (a random event- Earth-shaker), and standing became an effort. The two lines froze in position, unable to move forward due to the moving ground. A few arrows were let loose, but with an unstable footing, they had little effect. No one can say how long the battle halted, but it created vital minutes for the living.
The Battle Ends
The fighting continued after the earth shook, but on the next turn, a messenger arrived, and Gontier started to full-back along the pass. Roboant halted his advance, unwilling to be lured into a potential ambush. Also, the sun was now high in the sky, which was not a particularly good time for an army that liked the shadows.
