12th February, Keresley Library, Coventry

Mercian DBA 2017 Sunday 12th February

Having missed Usk and Burton, my first outing of the year was to the Mercian DBA event in Coventry.  

This year's theme was Italian Wars - to explore the extension of the V3's take on anc-med into the early 16th Century (a slight period creep in the new edition, and armies not all od us have played much) ...

In that spirit, I took along a late Medieval German army full of Landsknechte.

This army was drawn from my FoG-R Italian Wars army and certainly looked the part.  I gave it a fantasy Gothic fairy-tale castle as an Edifice camp: originally bought for next to nothing as a semi-historical HOTT stonghold, this just looked the part.

Oh, and I borrowed an anachronistic gun from Northampton.

I played against Swiss, Tudor English, French, Spanish and Italian Condottieri (twice) ...

Sort of ... in Mercia you play the first three games with your army, the last three against.

I registered 3 wins, a defeat and 2 'time up' draws ... and that put me bottom of the top 10 in a field of 20.  I bagged a general but didn't take a camp (that seems less of an option in V3) ... Not so bad for a first go in ages but you'd have thought I'd have mastered this game by now.

I wasn't too sure about the 'period' but enjoyed it a lot - the games were close and challenging and everyone got some scores ...

Graham Fordham was narrowly pipped for top spot, on countback, by Tony Green ... and Tamara was the higher placed of the juniors.

(Mercia 2017 ... Graham and Tony on top)

(Mercia 2017 ... most of the rest of us: from Martin Smith's album - he's behind the camera)

Here's another glimpse of those Germans ... good enough to merit a feature I think - I'll do a photo set shortly.

More DBA to come - Alton Matched Pairs.  See you there!

28th February, Keresley Library, Coventry

MERCIA DBA/SOA UK DBA LEAGUE

I wasn't able to attend Patrick's new event in Market Harborough so this was only my second outing with the 2015/16 DBA League.

The theme was armies from the history of Mercia so I opted to dust down my Anglo-Saxons and take King Penda'a Dark Age Mercians, famous as you will all know for his battles at Maserfield and Winwaed.   A hundred years before his relative Offa built a dyke.

I took along the longship baggage element with its improbable lateen rig.   The Angles and Saxons were great sailors, of course, and first arrived in these islands which they made their own by boat.

The army's DBA terrain is arable, of course, and the boat must be presumed pulled up on an inlet from a river just off the board.

(Mercian supplies beached by a waterway - click on the pictures for a larger image)

I also refurbished an old earthwork to provide a fort ... Mercians seem to have been good a digging earthworks so I thought I'd throw one into a game.

With an aggression of 2, I didn't get that many chances (but it did get into play) ...

The interior is actually a 10mm Roman watchtower supplied for review a while back by The Baggage Train.  I've always been pleased with the look of this resin piece on the 15mm battlefield.

I suppose I should complete the round up by mentioning the ploughman figure I built to enhance DBA V3's iconic 'plough' terrain type.

This army adds a cavalryman, a skirmisher and a pair of 'hird' warbands (the general and his personal retainers) to an 8 element shieldwall.  It doesn't do much singing and dancing but it sure is good at fighting enemy infantry.  

I was hoping to hold the line while breaking through with commander's (supported general warband) deadly fighting power.   Toughing it out against knights would likely be less productive.

The games ...

Game One: vs Sub Roman British ... cavalry and auxilia with some vulnerable blades ...

Game Two: vs North Welsh ... and a clump of knights to fear (it turned out with good reason) ...

Game Three: vs Feudal English ... could the spearwall get stuck into the archers (before the knights prevail) ...

At this, the half way stage, the set up switched and all games were with your opponent's army against your own ...

Game Four: with Anglo-Normans ... Charge!

There was now an interval for displaying the various armies before a 'best in theme' vote:-

Excellent ... my vote went to the colourful Anglo-Danish army (3 up, above)

... and then the wargames resumed for the final two rounds ...

Game Five: with Graham Fordham's Anglo-Norman ... Charge!... and ...

Game Six: with Martin Smith's Pre Feudal Scottish

This reverse phase went very well and I won all the games ... making 5 wins and a defeat (propelling me to a countback second place) ... and my cup oveflowed when the player vote picked my Mercians as the best of the bunch.

These were English style quick fire games and all mine were decisive (despite the preponderance of footsloggers) ... We had plenty of potential manoeuvre but everyone gamely got on with it.

Moments ...

(outflanked!  The Saxon commander leads from the centre of the line but the warrior on the right flank seems to be trying to draw attention to the enemy about to roll up the line !!) 

(from the rear - with the gear - a view of the shieldwall from the supply ships)

A great day out ... and a surprisingly elevated result.  Well done everyone!

Mercian DBA Results

SoA UK DBA League

WMMS next ... then more DBA at Triples

Why not join the Society of Ancients ... ? 

8th February, Coventry

The Mercian DBA V3 tournament ...

In which some of us got to see what we'd learned of the latest version of the rules and how well we could apply it under the stress test of 6 quick-fire tournament games. 

Pete had set a theme of armies that would have fought in historical Mercia (Mercia is, of course, an Anglo-Saxon kingdom in the true heart of England, and is famous for building a dyke along the Welsh border).

Consequently, I chose to give an overdue run to 'Arthur's' Sub-Roman British (though I took my new Vikings along just in case) ...

This is the army featured in what has become AoM's most popular ever post so please do click that link for a closer look ...

The snowy bases were a deliberate reference to that Clive Owen film, and although a bit of the glittery white flock has worn off, people still seem to get the idea.

The venue was a pleasant little Community Library which unfortunately I drove past a couple of times before locating (and after a number of other excursions I put down to navigating solo while driving head on into a low winter sun ...) ... 

(wargamers in the library ... )

Anyway, I got set up pictures from some of my games .. No logic to which - I think the first game came and went too quick, and the game against Arnaud's elephants was too compelling to remember to take pictures ...

But I fought against ... Norman, Roman, Ancient British, Norman, Hindu Indian and Feudal English. As you can see, the theme was not compulsory and there was an elephant theory to test out (and actually I very nearly defeated it) ...

(Game Two - won)

(Game Three - lost)

(Game Four - drawn)

(Game Six - drawn)

The draws were bloody affairs in which the play evened up to produce no winner within the time limit.  They were, however, close and entertaining games.

What did I learn?  Well, some might say I never learn ... in Game Three I suffered close on a 'fools mate' by getting my Knight General killed by doubled-up light horse conceding the overlaps which then allowed Warband to quick kill my Spears.  Game over in one inept round of die rolling.  Now, I do know that can happen if put the commander on offer.   I used to do the same with the Axumite elephant general.

But, spear-based, the army has a much better feel to it and all these Dark Age/Early Medieval battles create plausible game narratives.   And I quite like the mounted recoilers passing through (most types of) foot.   I hadn't really absorbed that option so it was nice to see it in play.

(photos courtesy of Martin Smith's endeavours)

I used an edifice in Game Four ... just to see what would happen ... interesting, and in one of my six games the plough turned rough (which is about right, of course).

I forgot to take my road ... but I did kill an enemy general ... and my peers generously voted my army best in theme (for which I was awarded a fridge magnet featuring Coventry's Lady Godiva ...) ...

SoA contributor Martin won, Arnaud came second and Martin M third.  I came next to last but my cup was running over with fulfilling games and a proud outing for my little men.

Very enjoyable even, smiled on by the weather and I hope it returns next year ...

And its goodbye from him ...

(organiser Pete does a convincing Al Jolson ... and Richard takes the biscuit)

The Mercia DBA was part of the current Society of Ancients UK DBA League ...

... and some games were counted towards The Championship ...

Full results are published on Fanaticus/Mercian DBA ...