Battle of Turlin

Posted on January 18, 2014 by SwordAndSorceryRPG

The men of North Gautria gathered outside the town of Turlin to meet the massed forces from the League of Nil-ith Horn.

For this battle, my husband did double duty as referee and bad guy. He joined the League’s side and played the Grunevaldians with their elite heavy cavalry, a unit of elite heavy infantry Gautrian Guardsmen, and a unit of orc heavy infantry. His compatriots kept their armies from their earlier encounters of the event; Graf Stukkin with his three units of heavy orc infantry, and Alarun with two units of heavy and one medium infantry. Each had two urog heroes as well.

Bleddyn and I shared command of the North Gautrian army. Bleddyn took the King’s elite cavalry and elite heavy infantry, a unit of light infantry, and a unit of light ulfhednar. I played 3 units of heavy cavalry, and one heavy and one light infantry.

The League of Nil-ith Horn carefully plotted their strategy, while Jarl Kvig provided a morale boost to the Gautrians.

On the hilltop against the forest wall, Jarl Skalla Grimmson’s light bondi eagerly closed with the League of Nil-ith Horn heavy infantry elite Gautrian Guardsmen.

The bondi took high casualties and routed in the first combat round, which allowed the Gautrian Guardsmen to rush forward and pin Skalla’s cavalry in the next round. Adjacent to them, the two heavy infantry units of blue and green clash.

Poor rolling prevented the cavalry from taking down many orcs, while the League of Nil-ith Horn forces were able to rout a second unit of Gautrian infantry, also in the first round.

Gautrians fell on the field at every combat roll. King Gorm himself was lost to an urog’s sword. It seemed the gods were not with the Gautrians this day.

Jarl Skalla’s heavy troops battled on, but the last orc units were closing on them.

With the odds overwhelmingly against him, Jarl Skalla took his cavalry and fled south to his keep in Jarlin. By days end the League of Nil-ith Horn army had won a decisive victory at Turlin and were later able to establish a winter camp and beachhead on the coast at Larbro.

Kingdom Under Siege

Skirmish on the Northern Plains

Posted on November 15, 2013 by SwordAndSorceryRPG

Some of the League of Nil-ith Horn troops crossed over the mouth of the Torgova river and marched overland in an attempt to link up with the landing parties. King Gorm’s outriders caught one such band as the orcs left the cover of the forest. Our second Fantasy Warriors battle of the day (now turned to evening) saw Bleddyn command the riders, supported by a unit of heavy infantry, and a unit of ulfhednar: light infantry with fast movement.

Graf Stukkin led the Nil-ith Horn orcs with their own heavy unit, 2 units of Vangen orc heavy infantry and 2 urog heroes. Bleddyn brought his ulfhednar across the field and through the trees, and engaged the League of Nil-ith Horn unit. The urogs attacked the horsemen, while the battle leader Graf Stukkin joined with the heavy infantry of valdgraf and continued to close with the humans. The fighting was fierce and bloody, as the valdgraf heavy infantry joined the 2 urogs in their slaughter of the cavalry.

Bleddyn’s ulfhednar routed the League orc unit and sprinted to attack the remaining orcs. Blows were dealt back and forth.

Only the orc leader and the human bannnerman remained. They each got a saving throw. The bloodbath came down to the last dice roll. Would anyone walk away from this battlefield? The lone bannerman would! Bleddyn made his save and assured the people of North Gautria would be safe from these wretched orcs.

Kingdom Under Siege

Raid on Larbro

Posted on November 14, 2013 by SwordAndSorceryRPG

The first scenario featured our daughter as battle leader of the human village Larbro defending her people against the raiding orcs. She had to get a unit of women and children away from the sod huts, across the coast and into the woods.

Alarun rowed his forces in to quickly close with the warriors and attempt to capture the women.

This battle was to resolve what happened here in North Gautria while main characters were elsewhere on the map, and answer the age-old gaming question, “If a village is sacked and no player-character is there to witness it, does it really burn?”

Our daughter was an extremely good sport, as this was not a “fair” fight. She had 3 units of light infantry for the defense of Larbro and needed to hold for about 10 rounds to allow her civilians to escape. The orcs’ 3 units wore heavy armor and were outfitted for raiding, but one unit had to remain with the boats.

The orcs also had 2 urog heroes to Meav’s one bondi leader, who seemed a bit overwhelmed with his command.

She sent 2 units to the beach and kept her best unit back to screen the women and children, unwittingly leaving her battle leader unprotected after he issued the orders. (Mom’s bad! It was our daughter’s first Fantasy Warriors battle.)

The orcs disembarked while the urogs sprinted ahead to attack the human’s leader.

Alarun told my daughter all the bad things that would happen to that leader if she lost initiative next round.

And our youngest rolled lucky!

Meav moved her second bondi unit to intercept the charging urogs.

Her first unit engaged with the Nil-ith Horn (green & black) orcs took heavy losses and was destroyed. The veteran bondi stepped forward to confront the Valdgraf (red & black) unit and their ugly two-handed weapons, but the unruly Great Northern (brown) berserk orcs crashed through their line from behind, eager to fight the humans.

The women continued their fearful trek as the Nil-ith Horn soldiers marched on them. The human bondi and their battle leader fought the urogs with valor.

The bondi veterans faced an onslaught.