l4

Three Norman Battles, ll4l to 1143 1: LINCOLN

by StephenSimpson
apturedby tbe king s forces(seeWargames lllustrated no.15). prisoners The two illustrious wereexchanged the conflict and In Wargames lllustrated no.ls I described the siege of began again.Matilda took her anny to OxIordandplundered Winchester 1141.In this series am descibingthreemore in I the surrounding countryside. Stephen advanced Oxfordand to wargame scenariosofNorman battlesfought England King in in foughta batrleto clossthe dver and enterthe ity. This river Stephen's reign. is ofthe second scenario. Aftersuccesstully The Normanperiodhasso muchmoreto offer thanjusr the crossing the subject ertering Oxford Stephen besieged Matilda in Oxford castle. Battle of Hastings. the 88 yearsof the four Noman kings In After a siegeof seveialmonthsshemanaged escape. to therewerea numberofbattlesin thiscountryaswell ason rhe In June1143 Stepben at Wilton strengthening casrle was the continent.Some oI these are docurnented well erough in when Earl Robert appeared outsidethe town with an arny. wrilten ar rhe time ro providetrargames chronicles scendrios. Stephen advaned tomeethim with hisamy, butwasdefeated. These chronicles well worth reading are since they areprimary This batdeof Wilton is the subiectof the third scenario. The soures by reading and them you cange. directlyin touchwith civil war continuedOne chroniclepaintsa vivid pictureoI the Normanperiod.I havelistedthe oneswhichI haveusd in 'At this tine England began to be ny References you couldprobably themthroughyour England at that time: and get trcubled in manydiffercnt vlzys;on the oneside to be very hard local library. I have produced rny wargamescenariosalmost pressedby the king and his stpporters, on tbe other to be most straight {rom the chronicles which I haveread,baked by up violently afilicted by the Ea ot Gloucester; sometimes to rcfercnceto secondary In sources. this way I have tried to endurc the fuious attacks of one party. sometimes the recrcate feelof the Normanperiod,ratherthangivernyself the ahistorylesson. Wherepossible,Ihavetriedto quotefrom the unbidled nge of the other; but alwaysznd everwhere to be in chronicles that you can see what lhe medievalauthon a twmoil and to be teduced to a deseft.' (GS) so Thislow point ofEngland\ historyis,l'm sure, aswidely not acluallywrote aboutthesebattles. appreciated it could be. War devastated as the country, I hav included ownrulesafterthescenarios theyare my since panicularlyin the south.Sieges were common.All three of part and parcel oI the way in which I have desribed the these scenarios entredaround castles.The scopefor are wargames thebattles. of You will see thatmy armies onlyhave a *argamingis immense, borhfor campaigns largerbattles, and limitednumberof trooptypes.This is partlydueto the lackof aswell as for innumerable skirmishes all sons. of hardfactin thechronicles partlybecause rnakingmy and in own rulesI wasmostconcemed with the overallway in whihthe LINCOLN 1141 battles actually happened. ratberthangettingtoo bogged down ofStephenh batttes it is the and with details.My aim basalways beenlo achieve playable and Lincolnh the mostinieresting is At enjoyable senarios based closely possible rheodginat onefor whichthe mostinforrnation available. the endof as as on chronicles. Feelfree lo adapl lhe scenano. suil )our own 1140 Earl Ranulf of Chester and his brother William of to RoumarecapturedLincoln casrleby a lrick. When Stephen heardof their treachery hurriedno(hwardswilh an almy he andbesieged castle. the Ranulfescaped setaboutraising and a THE BATTLES relief a.my,including troopsofhis own earldom anda bodyof All threebattlesare from Stephen's reign in the three yeals Welshspearmer. alsoapplied He toEarl Robertofcloucester from 1141 1143. to Thesewereamongst toughest the ofhis 19 for help. Robertwasbis father-inlawand sincehis daughter yearsas king. I have a soft spot for Stephen and not jusr he an bcause is my ramesake. seems havebeena likeable wasstilt in Lincolncastle roo raised army.Thisconsisred he He to ofhis ownfollowen anda forceof 'Disinherited, those whose character, who despite beingdealta bad handby fate,played landshadbeenforfeitedto the king because their a egiance of the gane for all he wasworth. His mainenerny washis Aunt not Maiilda. As the only srviving child of Henry I she was ro the rebeh. The conbinedrebel arrnywasprobabty aI lhat largebecause wasassembled the deadof winterover it in considered many peopleto be the naturalheiress rhe by to Iongdistances wasnill ableto reachLincotnreadyto give and throne.Chiefamong these her half-brother was Roben.Earl of battleon 2 February. Gloucester. Throughout muchof hisreignSrephenhad battle to Theexactsiteof the batrleisunknown it wasDrobablv bur ro with the manyheaded hydraofrebellion,eirherfrom Noman lhe wesr rhecil) on g'ound,loprng or downlo u *ut.'.ortr. baronsactingon their own accountor by othersaclingfor called Fosdyke. the King Stephen'.. . hadsentforuardavery Matilda.No marterhowhardhe ried rherewasalmost always strong body of knights and footmen ro stop rhem as.they unrest somewhere the kingdom. eldest Eustace in His son died emerged from a ford . . . (cS), bur tbey wereswepiasideby in 1153 ultirnately wasforcedtoacceptHenry, and he Matilda's therebelarmyasit crossed over.Therebels formedup readyto son,ashisheir-HenrybecaneHenryII in 115.land wasrhe firsr advance the city andStephen's on armyformedup outside it, of of th Plantaganets, that, as they say,is anotherstory. but readyto meetthem. 'The armies rnetnearrhe city, andbeing The first batdeis Lincoln,foughton 2 Februar/ 1141. This up baitle wasjoined.The king was againstEarl Roben of cloucesier and Earl Ranutf of clrawn in order on both sides, dividedhis army into three bodies,and the sameorder was Chester. Stephen wasdefeated captured. and But laterin the onthe otherside.' (OV) yearthe rebelswere defeated Winchester Robertwas observed at and

INTRODUCTION

15 Thereis a wealthof information the chronicles, not a although'. . . the king'sown anny wasvery large . . .(HH), in but systematic blow by blow account the battle. However.by the'. . . forceofcavalry (HH) There of appeared belowstrength.' inlerlockingthe delails from each chronicle a reasonably is no statement actualnumbers, bearing mind thal il of but in picture the disposilions accurate of ofthe two amies andofthe waswinter and thal both sideswere assembled a hurry, I in battlei.selfcanbe built up. suggest Stephen anarmyofaround that had 5,000 nenwhile the posirion rebels Srephent army:'He himself rookup rhecenrre in werenearer6,000. two wargame The amieswhichl used lhe midstof a hostofnailed knights, whoweredisnounted and for the battle are as follows(at a scale 1:40): of drawn up in closefomation.' (HH) In fronl of this infantry werelwo bodies ofcavalry.onecomposedofa mixtureofearh and the other commanded William of Ypres. by RanulfandRobert:'lnlike manner, Ranulf,Earl ofChester, with his cavalry.also dismounted, and encouraged bold the infantryofChestertothe work of slaughter. (OV)This infantry alsohad two bodies cavalryin front, one consisting the of of 'Disinhented' the otherunderthe command and ofRobert. ln Iront oI his cavalrywerethe Welshmen. The battle opered with a fierce charge by the rebels Nots 'Disinherited' (average) exceptthe WelshwhoareC agaiflst king's'Earls'.The'Earls'werenot a 1. All troopsareB class the (belowaverage). 'Disinhented'nea.t business. class Thereare no archels. cohesive force and the They brokethrough bodyofthe Earls' . . . with such lhe forcethatit 2. The royal army is uphill. wasscattered. ir were.in theiwinklingofanyeyeanddivided 3. The opening phase of the battle should be with the as 'Disinherited' 'Earls'charging and each other,whilewilliam of into three.For someof thernwereslain,otherslakenprisoner Yprescharges Welsh.The Welshshouldreallybe beaten the and yet otherslook lo flight. (HH) on On the oiher flank, the cavalryof'. . . Willian of Ypres quite quicklyso that Ypresploughs into Robeft'scavalry. and leaden hold vital charged Welshastheywereadvanc;ngon flank andput 4. Bearingin mind that ommanden the the in the theln to flight.' (HH) They mustthen haveengaged Roberts places ny rules(seelater) I haveusedthem to balance battle in favour of the rebels.Only Robert of the two rebel cavalry. not Ior longbecause'.. . the forces but ofthe Earl of actually counts a commander the beginning as at Chester drovebackthistroopofhorsernen it wasscatlered commanders and of the game(Ranulfcountsas a leader).However,if Robe( in a noment like the first line.' (HH) becomes casualty then Ranulf can take over ascornnander a The wholerebelarmynow attacked Stephen.And so King immediately withouttherebeinganyoveralllossof mntrol or Stephen was left alone wilh his infantry in the midsrof the morale.On Stephen\sidethe 'Earls'do not countashavinga enemy. Thelatterencircled royalarmyand the attacked from commander ir within rangeor any leaderfor moralepurposes, all sides,as if they were assaulting castle. a Thenceforth the This reflects thei poor cohesion a unit. If you do not usemy as battle was seento rage horribly aroundthe royal defences, rulesyou shouldensure that your rulestake into account the helnetsandswords gleamed they clashed, the dreadful rebels andmorale thi\ batllE. in as and sreater conrrol noisere echoed from the hills andtbe wallsof the city. (HH) Stephen himself'. . . foughtwith sreatcourage . .'(OV) and . '. . . he neverceased dealing heavy blowswilh hisswordanda Nonvegian battle-axe . .'(OV) Eventually. he'. . . felltothe \\'groundon beingsruck by a stone. . . (HN) He was taken @,^ (' prisonerand batilewassoonover.Therebels the sackedthe city "o of Lincoln. \\ Why did Stephen lose?This seems basically havebeen to because cavalryran awry beforehis infantrygot into the his t\\.' fight and lhis featureof the batlle must be reflectedin the wargam. The 'Earls' appeared have had no real leader. to : Thereis flo obvious reason the defeatof Williamof Ypres. for except heprobablywent far intotherebelarmy that without too supporl.MaybeSrephen's pinneddown Whenrefighting Lincoln there is everychancethat Stephenwill infantrywerealready But thereis th way in by thevictoriousDisinherited' allowing rebels throw stilllose exactly same asheoriginallydid. lhus the to can of alsoa goodchance a twistin the tail ifhis cavalry holdon their infantryagainst Ypres's force.The rebels wereobviously his longenough forthe inlantryto getstuckin andprevent army very determined thereis a suggestion rhechronicles and ;n that from beingdefeated piecemealsome ofStephen's earls werea bit lukewarnin theirenthusiasm for the battle. Next monlh: Oxford, 1142,

(,-.r\

THE FORCES
The As to thesizes ofthe armies. that is difficultto determine. wbich litlle information chroniclesto seemto not ag.eeoverlhe a they provide.The rebelswere saidto have - . . assembled vastbodyofmen underarms . . . (OV) The bestknightsand men-at-arms werein the king s armyi but 1beenemyoutnumberedthen in infantryand the welsh levies.'(OV) However,

lllicit ARMS
lLLlCff A.RMS: Point B ond oniMtoB al Notpn?t fiAw.t.nott t.al.s ahd p.dod! t th. tusnar shdaxrs, Fd d.bits,Elephore Tr.ror, (08687) 228i6, o yd a SA E or 2 I R C t Jor tun'p|. aid lil6, latins i^t.r.es, to luicit Am,6 OauandAv. , Duzonnon, Co.Trron N.L.BT70IAC,

l2

Three Norman Battles, ll4l to 1143 2: OXFORD

by Stephen Simpson
nol not theycould be got aroverthe river.Theywereobviously with preparedforbattle I suggest the rebels divided and that are ln June1142 Earl Robertsailedio Normandyto askfor help ver and the reststartingnearerthe city. frorntbe Countof Anjou. In hisabsence embarked Stephen on mostnearthe seems havestimulated to The presence the rebelarchers of a brilliantcampaign. captured He Wareham villageandcastle are to action.I believe that archers Stephen rapidandeffective and went on to demolish the castleat Cirencester. Then he part of Normanarmies. Thereis no important not a panicularly stormed castleat Bamptonand received sunerder of the the of to Radcotcastle. thesecastles All were held by the rebels.This reference them in the detailedaccounts the battle of Lincolnandit is my beliefthattheywerenot ableto decisively with the continentand effectively rebel communications cut very quickly isolated Matildawhowasat Oxford.Oxfordseems have to been affectbattleswhihnormally cameto closecombat partlyasa resullofa needto get out of archery fire!) 'NowOxfordis (perhaps a toughnutto crack.lt wasdescribed follows: as 'rntess For thisreason normallyleavethemout of my armies I protected. a city very securely inaccessible because the very of presence dictatedby the scenario the battle,since is of depwaterthat washes allround. mostcarefully it encircled by their otherwise they often slow down the real actionl At Oxford the palisade an outworkon one side,andon another of finely to ensure that Stephen are on fortifiedby an impregnable andverystrongly castl a tower archers required the rebel side and getson with the action.Tbey may evenhavehad an adverse of greatheight.'(GS) the portionof The battlewason 26 September beganwhen'. . . the effecton the rebelsby fixing their attentionon and arrnydirectlyoverthe river so that they did not see Stephen's wilh a large and well-trainedarmy and king approached wastoo late. appared suddenly the other side of the river.' (GS) The the restof his armyon their flank until it on and leaders either side on I do not know the commanden rebelsadvdnced theciryand'. . . were from doingveD grierous by apart from Stephen. Maybethe rebelswere commanded harmto his men from the other sideof the iver by vigorous '. . . an old, Brien fitz Count of nearbywallingford who was a very firm archery. . .' (GS) when Stephenwas shown suppo er ofMatilda. At a scale of1:40these the suggested are extremelydeepford. . .'(CS).Heplunsedinailheheadofhis troopsand on crossing'.. . turiouslycharged enemy, tbe and compelling themto retreatto the gates the cityjoinedbattle RoyalA.my of Amoured Infartry wirb themwith thegreatest spirit. (GS).Asrberestofhisarrny 1. 2 leaders 15 Infantry 10 Unarmoured crossed river lhe rebelsfled into th city throughthe city the gales. Thegateswere openandStephen's left almyentered the ArmouredCavalry 28 city mingledwilh fleeing rebels and sackedit. He closely 2. King Stephen (commander) plus besieged castle the with Matilda in il for sorne tine, knowing 2 leaders that if she was captured his kingdom would be secure. Unfonunately had a luckyescape, she beinglet downfrom the 3. 2 leaders ArmouredInfantry 15 castle towerbyropes wearingwhitefordisguisethesnow, and in Unarnouredlnfantry 15 she escaped nearbyWallingford.Shortly after the castle to Total 83 x40 = 3320 Thisbattlemakes intriguing wargame. king'. . . was aD The saidto havea thousand knightsand more . . .' (HN) and so RebelArmy including rest of his army on this victoious campaign the he A. Brien fitz Count ArmouredCavalry 20 probably a totatofaround3300 had men.Matildacannot have (commander) plus hadmanymenwilh her afterthe debacle ofWinchester she but 2 leaders is still saidto havehad'. . . a magnificent bodyof troops. . .' B. 2 leaders ArmouredInfantry 20 (GS),soaforce to of2200 seems aboul ght.It is not possible be Unamoured Infantry 5 sureofthe exactlocation ofthe battleandthe ford since there Archers 10 Unannoured are several watercourses including Thames the westof the to Total Oxford in th directionof Stephen's approach Gee OS map 164). Oneis rightagainst casile the whichis too close. it must so ,,tO = ZZOO havebeen overanotherslightly furtheraway that rhebatrlewas fought.In developing scenano haveignoredall the other the I tlatercourses the sakeof playability for and clarity.The map 1 All lroopsare B class. shows suggested my dispositions. ford should The onlybe 2 or3 2- The baltleopens with part ofStephen's army (1) underfire movesfrom Stephen army.Obviouslythe s rebelsdidnot know fromtherebelarchers AsI have (B). saidthe archers seern to thatthefordwasthere.Matilda'. .feltexcessiveconfidncein pin the rebelsas much as the royal army. Therefore . only herselfand her rnen . . - (GS) and maybethis led to men (2) Slephen\armyparts and(3)canmoveuntil thevanguard of his cavalryhasjust crossed ford. Theneveryone the leaving citywith itsgates the open.presurnably thebeliefthat in can

oxFoRD ll42

lrc ^t'g litll onttt. nlxnutitttDrt l.tiln.J ht

! rrfl/',r)k ./' t tt) leh) ]n tht lo\.r ca .r , l.r ,)t r/t ,,.lref\ .lr l. t.r tunnnl! bt.l t t ) all pittt lan irr.t/.1 rr./ rrr,/rl)1.' r'x\I tn urL1hn. lh)nl lltttleln\intl

th Di th, r,'...

f;-',,... r' ,.,,,,.

m o \ . . T h c d i s r r n c e c r \ \ . c nl h . n \ o t r s o t l h c r . b c t r n n \ b r s l b o u l ! c o u p i eo 1 c . r \ x l r \ m o \ c ! . I h e r e b c l i n f a n t r \ ( B ) c l n r r \ r n d l a c c l h e k i n c s a r m t o r r e t r e x rl o l h c c i t \ l ' " ' . r . r . r ' r " r r . t . . rr l. . ' r ' . . r . 1 ' . . ' r ' , ' , , : . r : h u p $ r t h t h e ' e b e l i f r n t r \ b c i o r et h e \ c r n . \ c a p c I[ Thc r.bclcr\alr\ ( )crn onl\ no\ e on x d6rhnN ol5 or 6. t r . s ' n n r n gt r f t e r S t e t h c n! c a \ r l r \ h t N e c ( \ \ c d r h e n l d r This hclps rc srimulrrc rhc surfrise efiect of rhe ri\er L l h . r . h e l . i m r \ r o g e t b r c k i n t o O \ l ( t r d i n g o { ) d r d e rr n d o sbulth.sllcs. Slephen .rimisiogettroopsintothccin. 1l s A r c u i e dr e b r l st l e . l o \ r a r d s h e c i t \ . T h e g a l e s r n n o t b e s h u r l c u n t i l d 1 lr h e r e b e l s r . i n r h c c i n i n N h r t e \ e r s t a r e . f a n \ o f a l S t c p h . n - sr n o p s r e a c h t h c - s a t c s i.n c l u d i n gi n p L r r s u x f o r c u l ' n ! r c h . ! st h e n h e $ i n s t h e g a m c . i Th..cisno delachinsfromm;laes lb$cd(seeruleslfier) a T h i - .i s r c k r s er r d p o l c n l i a l h m c s s yb a l t l e . S i n c eS i e p h e n s l r c t r c sa r . i u r l \ s t r a i g h l f o r \ x r dt h c o u t c ( n n e e p e n d s n h o $ d o q u i c k l \ o r i f t h e r e b e l s a n s e r t h . i r a c r t o e e t h e r o d e l e a th i s c t \ . F f r t c d f ( n c e s n d e s c l p eb . f o r c h c c r n b r i n gh i s f r l l w e i g h r r

@ E
->-- =]'-=::f==:=.--.:.]-= -

0 tr=l OZ otr<l

1.=:

i:-:=

PATRICIAN MINIATURES
Complete Wargames Services.
Q u a l i t ) P a i n t i n gS e h i . . & T o ' O r d o - I e r r r i n s r . r i . r . I i i r I h . B . s I A \ r 1 1 . ' h lh r c k . l h \ . , P i , \ j r i L L S . J r L !c. .1 f u f . ! . r l h l . r ' : r ' s e n dr n S . \ h 1 o . I I R ( . 1 l L ! L \ ' r l ; R h h ( . L I r l . g u . . 7 '9e l :l h e r i n s l o n o a d .I t u l l . I I t 6 7 . 1 R . R I E
l l l l l l i l r 8 5 1 2 . 1 1) r v o r l r e

\c\1 nonth: $ilton. ll.l3.

36

Three Norman Battles, ll4l to 1143 3: WILTON

by Stephen Simpson
WILTON 1143
In 1143Stephen hisarmywerefortifyinga casde Wilton. and at When Earl Robel heard of this he assembled army and an marchedto battle.The batrlewas do described follows:'And as whentheking.arraying arrny squadrons bothflanks his in on for baltle at closequarters, advanced from the town to meethim lhe earl, in soldierlyfashion,carefullydividedthosehe had broughtwith him into three bodiesof men closelypacked ^o with the greaaest logetherand heavilycharging opponents his resolution compelled kingto giveground. . . (GS).Mostof the the royal army were routed and Stephen and the Bishopof Winchester were forced to flee as well. However.William Martel, the king's steward,and his knights offered strong resistance. Eventually.hey were overwhelmed he and a and greatmanyotherswere lakenprisoner. Wilton,aswithLincoln andOxford,wassacked. haveonly thisone chronicle the I for battleso thereis nol too muchto go on, but thereis enough to and the rebel arrnyis uphill. 1. All troopsare B class developa reasonable wargame scenario. in as are 2. The naned leaders thosementioned the chronicle I suggesl that Robertwascomingfrom the directionof his at beingpresent the battle(GS).Theyarenot likely to be in powerbase Bistol. This means al that he wouldprobably have on because haveno information thisI iheir correclplaces arrivedno hwestof the town where he would havehad the may not havebeena leaderas The Bishopof Winchester advantage highergroundas he advanced of towardsStephen suchat all. appear havehadtime to be 3. Thereare two riversaroundWilton but sincethey are not to GeeOS map 184).Both armies properly organised. The reference1o squadrons probably as the battle or the rout, I haveonly mentioned affecting means cavalry, with by implication, infantryin thecentre. Since of usedrhemro mark the edges the battlefield. Robertwasalso organised rhreebodies seems in it likelythathe in hada sinilarformalion.In the absence anyguideto numbers The rebelshavean advantage that they are uphill andsince of them3 extraleadersio lsuggest 4400perside, alihough ifanythingI feelthatthisis an ihey wontheoriginalbatdeI havegiven this help theircohesion morale.Otheruise, is a fairly evn and over-estimate. any casethereis nothingto suggest the In that for battleandno lessexciting thantheothertwo scenarios ihat. sideswere particularly unequal, I decided thetwoarmies so that should rherame.Ar a scdle L:40 l$o armie\are as be ol rhe

l/

l/ lfa

TO INTRODUCTION THE RULES

RoyalArmy 1. Bishopof winchesterAmouredCavalry (leader) 2. King Stephen Armouredlntantry (commander) plus Unarmoured lnfantry 2 leaders 3. William Manel (leader) Total RebelArmy A. Milesof Hereford ArmouredCavalry (leaders) plus 1 leader Infanlry B. Robei of GloucesterArmoured (commander) Inianlry Unarrnoured Willian of Salisbury (leader) plus2 leaders Cavalry fitz C. Robert HildebrandArmoured (leader)plus I leadr
Total

20 l5 35
20 Il0

*.to-T"..4400
20 35 35

Normanarmies thatcan Therearea numberof battles between be recreated warganes. thesethreeI havelried to givea as In peiod canoffer.The ruleswhihI flavourofwhatthe Norrnan to battles my own andsotheamies are haveusd refighlthese in pa icularlnayneedto be modifiedto suityourown rules.I my feel thar it would be usetulto describe rules here,parrly for (and beause werespeci{ically they designed theserefights they may have some interesling othefs) and pa ly because as created themovera senes featureswhich evolved I gradually You abitcumbersome. in places and ofbaules. naythinklhem rheyare.But theydo helpto recreate ebbandflow of the indeed a confused mcl6ewhich is what nany Normanbattlesboiled and The downto,andwhichlwas tryingto recreare investigate. features are: mostinteresting thal to 1 A mechanism allowsfor menon bothsides run away from a melaeat lhe sametime in largeor smallnumbe$.I believe that both armies a battlewouldweardownin this in way beforeone sidegainedthe upperhand. way andlhecommanderprovides a simple 2. Theuseofleaders the ofan amy. Bygivinga ofreflecling moraleandcohesion rnoreleadersthan largerside have a I managed to smallside objectives ofwargames, is the that achieve oftbe elusive one wargame wherea smallarmy candefeala largearmy.

20 It0 "40 = 4400

31

trt
!-i$iat;;in1ni
lJ-!B(ll]1

ARK R().\D. N()R I ()\. \IALI Otr_. \.l

IRREGLILARMINIATURES

ORliS YOlt !r!.A T[L. (06]3)6!t693

LTD

Ig

OUT NowrrThe lrreeular Miniaru.sAncie.r Rule s.r t2 40.if yo! santto.omnand 10.10units. rllsslrrnishers.nd say.a do.n el.ph.nGandstd.ath or elory In t hours.th.nrad6n. The *q!....rorea.h lurn rhc only othr htorb.don you ned ls ldated on !h A{ Intoductory pac. . an.ienrs staner Pa.r. Ruresa

,1

:l

l$
;i

ti
li:

,l

;ii

.B&,

38 I haveincluded workedexample illustrate a to thecrucial mlee Remove wholelost units,otherwise keepa runningtotal of part of the rules. figurelosses against each trooptypein eachmCl6euntilwhole a unit canbe removed. Nots, on M6l6es 1. On second subsequent and tumsa merce beextended can by Fieure5 l unit on eachflank(a totalof2 for eachopposing group).A I used5mm,but 15mmwould be fine. Figures nounted in are the $oup must stay2 ranksdeep,so eventually side with (in unitsof 4 cavalryor 5 infantrywith the samefrontage one larger numbers wraproundtheother.It alsomeansthal will (andgroupt cane.d up merging separate mCl6es into one. All lroop typesarea combination B orC class, of armoured or After beingtully extended casualties cause can onesideto unarmoured, archeror not. become than2 ranksdeep.Thisis alrightandis catered less Cavalryare l7r points,so one cavalryunit is 6 points. forin the moralerules.Alternatively groupcancontract the Infantryare I point. so one infantryunit is 5 points. to a maximum ranksdeep.Theenemy of2 stays contact in of Always remenber this because points valueis usedfor the places lhe rules. calculations several in in Armies are organised usually3 or 4 groupsof units. Each 2. After 2 full turnsofmCl6e sidecantry andbreakaway in one or group can be a mixtur of different iypes of units (seethe detach from the other(xceptthat infantrycanneverdetach from cavalry). Throwoned10:Cavalry need1to 9 to break awayfrom infantry. Orde. of GameTu.n Infantryagainst infantryandcavalryagainsi cavalryneedI to 7 to breakaway. 2. Archery 3. Mel6es 3. Whenonesidedetaches from a ml6ethe othersidethrows 4. Conmanders/leaders one d10 to seeif it hasto (or is allowedto) puFue: 5. Morale A 1 means doesfor 2 tums. it A 2 or 3 meansit doesfor I tum. OtheNise there is no l. Movement Armouredlnfantry 8cm Detaching frorna mel6eis usually takenasa signofdefeat. Unarmouredlnfantry 10cm Cavalry 12cm 4. The chargebonus is allowedeven when troops join an lnfantry + 2cm whencharging. cavalry+ 3cm. providing existing mCl6e. thevendthecharge contactwith in Archersmay movea maximum ofa half moveand slill shoot. Rivencannot crossed, fordscanbecrossed halfspeed. be but al 4. Commanders/leaders 2. Arche.y Commanders leaders or with unitsunder archeryor in mCl6e Archerscanshootin up lo 2 ranks.For eachunir throw a d6. canbecome casuahies: At long range.12 to 24cm,subtract.lfrom eachdie. Al short range,under 12cm,subtract hon eachdie_ M6l6e A.chery 3 Throw a dlo for eachleader The .emainder potentialcasualries. 9 = Wounded Wounded are 10 = Killed Wounded Throwa d20for eachcommander = Wounueu 19 Saving Throws For eachpotentiai 20 = Killed Wounded casualty archery rnele of or throw one d6. Unarmoured troopsneeda 5 or a 6 to be saved. Beingwounded only applies the rnoralerest(if any)in the Armouredtroopsneeda .1.5 or 6 to be saved. for Otherwise they are casualries. Conmanders are ahraJsavailable moralepurposes. 3. Mles for but in or Melesoccur when opposingtroops advance chargeinto theycanelectro beactive a mel6e not. If theyareno1 active or factoris not allowed (see contact. the first turn only 1 rank canIight. For subsequent thenthe +1 mCI6e mCtes). they But, In if tums, count 2 ranks.Add up the rotat pointsfor rhe figures can only becomecalualties they are acrive.This tules will of eligibleto fighi (infantryI point. cavatrylyr poinrt for-each rellectthe temperament the wargarner- acti\'e An comman, der in an evenrnClde tip the balance favourof his own can side. in Then.for each a in unit eligible fightaddorsubtract following side,aslong as he doesnot become casualty the proces!. to rhe Leaders not havethis option. do pointsto or from the total: Ifa comnanderorleaderis killed.thenasanoptionhecanbe Charging -t capturedinstead (which for rhe purposes the wargame Uphill -l of +1 Artackinsover ford a to thing).Any comnanderor leaderwith a Commandermelee +l in Cctasq I amounts lhe same forcewhichis wipedout is killedor caplured. Any commander below) GeeCommandersileaders orleaderNitha forcewhichroutsmal,escape orbe captured. I Dividethetotalfigureby 5 androunddown.Throwthisnunber usea d6 with evenchances decide ro anyofrhesepossibililies. ot average diceand add up the total. Divide this by 2 and the They help the \rargamerro take a vened interest in his figuresand help to reflectthe fortunes the real rnswerls the numberof pointsof potentialenemycasuatties. personality of in Apportion thesepotentialcasualiies eventyas Dossible personalities ihe scenarios. as umongirhedrlferenr lrooprype.of rheenemy unirs rnd rhen applysomesaving throws.Bear in mind thar while I poinl is I 5. Morale infantryfigure.a cavalryfigureis wonh 17rpoints.Thoseihat 1. Whenthereis no uns,ounded leadero. commander rhe are not saved casualties_ in are

THE RULES

39 nel6e or group underarchery. 2. When 10%of pointsvalueof a group is lost in one tum. 3 Whena groupin a ml6eis outnumbered a points by valueof 2:1or more. dividedby lyr). The saving throwsare 6, 4, 5, I so only onefigureis actually lost.Afrer dicethrowsfor cornnander/leader casualties whicharenegative and since pointsout of24 is less 1t, thanl0%, thecavalry do not baveto test morale.

Add up the followingfactorsfor eachside which hasto test morale eachmelee Broup in or unde'!rchery: lnfantry- ylofthe unitsarearmoured, rheytakeyi ofthe 12 so Killed more pointsthan lost in mel6erhis tum +1 pointscasualties whichis 3. Saving throwsare5,3,4 In at least2 ranks +1 so they have I figure losr. 7a of the units are Commander killed or captured not (evenif wounded) +2 unarmoured,so they rake 7a of the 12 points For eachleader mCle with group(evenifwounded) +1 in or casualties is9. Savingthrows 6,5,5,3,4,1, which are Comnandernot killd. wounded caprured rurn or this 2,5,6 so they have4 figureslost- Neitherrype of 2 For each leaderin mCl6eor wirh group killed. wo'rndedor infantry have any casualties canied forward frorn captured this tum -1 prevrous tumssono unitsareremoved. But5 figures No comnander,and no leaderin nl6e or with group -3 lost(4 + 1) is still5 out of25 whichis 25%, whichis Over half B class mCle group +1 in or enoughfor a morale test. The die throw for the Enemywilhin 10cm.including ml6e -l in cornnander casualty nega.ive. is No enemyin contaci +2 At leastbalf poinlsvaluein mCl6e group ar cavalry +1 Infantry or In two ranks+1, Commander present +2, Over -1,20% lost Outnurnbered at least2:1 pointsor grerter in mCl6e -1 moraletest halfB class Enemywirhin by +1. 10cm or Ouhunbered by at leas13:1 pointsor grearer mCl6e -2 in thisturn-2. Thisgives atotalof +1. Theaverage For each10% poinlslost by group rhislurn -1 dicethrowfor +/-l gives +1 whichgives final a a total of +2. This means that the 3 unarmoured Throw 2 average dice (onecounting plusandthe otherIninus) unitsof infantryrour_ for a potenlial modifierof + 1or I depending rhedifference on in Ihe dicescores nothingif borhdiceare the same). (or givesa ratherdrasticresult,but if rhere Then This srnallexamples compare resultwith the fouowingrable: tbe wresay20 unitsper sidethe resulrwould still havebeenth +5 or over OK (or same nearlythesame) that the20unirson onesidewould so +4 havereduced 17.In thisway one or both sides to wouldwear +3 2 unitsrout graduallyuntiladecisivemCl6etumwasreachedandone down +2 3 units .out

+1 0

Half unitsrout (or at least5 units,whichever is the most) REFERENCES All unitsin group roul The main referencesare these:
1. (CS) GestaStephani (The Deeds of Stephen) tanslaredby K. R. Pot.er (published by Thornas Nelson and Sons Ltd,

(HN) H istoria N ove a b) w i iam of M almes ury, rr anst^ted b by K. R. Porter(published byThomasNelson andSons Ltd, l9s5). (HH) Henry of Huntingdon:someevenrs rhe reign of of Stephen described "The Historyof theEnglish"(C. 1154) in translatedby T. Forsrer (London, 1853), in t,1grnft HistotialDocuments VolumeII 1042-1189 editedby D. C. Douglas and G. W- creenaway(Eyrc Merhuen,1981). (ov) Ecclesiastiul History of Ensland and Normandy by Oderic8 Vitalis, tdlanslated ThomasForester (Henry c_ by M6ldeExampl Bohn,l-ondon, 1853). On the secondround of a mCle,there are foul units of 5. Warfarcin England 1066-1189 by John Beeler (Comell armoured cavalry 2 ranksagainst unit ofarmoured in I infanrry University Press. 1966). and3unitsofunarmoured infantry(ahoin 2 rankt. Thecavalry 6. Ordnance Srney Landmnger Maps nos. 164 Oxford and have I commanderand I leader. The infantry have 1 sunounding areaand 184Salisbury The Plain,both 17a and conrnander.All troops are B class.Both sideshave their inches 1 mile. to commander activein the mel6eaDdlhe cavalryare upbill. Other usefulreferences whichI usedare: Cavalry 4 units@6 poinrs: 24points,+ 4forcommander in 7- TheAnglo-Saxon Chrorrclerranslated c. N. carmonsby mCl6eand + 4 for being uphill = 32. 32 dividedby 5 and way (J. M. Dent andSons Ltd. Everyman's Libmry, 1984). roundeddown = 6 average dice. a. Nornan Costlesin Britain by Derek Renn (John Baker = Inlantry-4units@5points20points. 4forcommander= + Publishe's lqTJ). Lld. 24. 24 dividedby 5 and roundeddown : 4 average dice. 9. The Saxon and Norman (irar by Christopher Brooke (Fonlan,/collins,1984). Cavalry throw 5.2..1.4,5,4which a total gives of24.24 dividd b) 2 givesl2 poinls potenrial ca.uatties lhe intanrry. on Infantrythrow4.3,3,2which givsalotalof t2dividedby2 12. gives6 pointspotentialcasualties rhe cavatry. on Cavalry 6 pointscasualties 4 potentialfigurecasuathes is (6

Notes Morale on 1 All rouled unils are permanentl)lost. 2. The lessertroop typesalways rout firsr,thatisCclassbefore 2. B class, then unarmouredbefore amoured and then inlantry beforecavalry. 3. I{ in a mCl6eall the opposingunits run away. rhen the 3. winninggroupstillhaveto restto seeifthey haveto pursue the dispersed (seeNoteson Mleno3) fugitives 4. lf lroopsare surrounded whenrhe!'areforcedto rout then they surrender instead. 5. Thereareno 'ulesco!eringdi\o'ganr,ation. 4-

19ss).