Saga, Battle of Heathend Hill - Anglo-Danes vs. Normans

Spencer and his host of Anglo-Danes and me with my troop of Normans (inaugural game for them, still smells like fresh Minwax).

Scenario was Sacred Ground - 6 point armies, score at the bottom of the round as per what figures you have on specific terrain features, 3 terrain features.

Spencer came up with the name and I will come up with the impetus of the battle. The location is a perfect place for a small outpost for both the Anglo-Danes and the invading Normans. A hill for a fort, a rock quarry on one side and woods on the other for raw materials for said fort. The Battle Of Heathend Hill.

Spencer's Anglo-Danes:
Warlord
Hearthguard
5 points of Warriors (40 of them)

My Normans:
Warlord
2 Hearthguard (knights) combined into 1 unit
3 Warrior (sergeants) units - mounted, crossbow, standard
Levy (peasants) archers

My strategy was straight forward enough - I had the advantage of mobility (horses) so I planned to use this to my advantage in 2 ways: Take terrain for points and attack Anglo-Danes before they had a chance to. This I did and it was working great for the first 3 (of 8) scoring rounds.

 Left to Right: Spearmen move to take the quarry while Norman Knight rush up to Anglo-Dane lines to harry them. Norman Count and a band of mounted soldiers go up the middle to take Heathend Hill. Archers and Crossbowmen move into the woods.

 Archers and crossbowmen

 Mounted warriors.

Count Maynard de Colvin (actually my mini I use for my Rise of the Runelords Pathfinder Game)... (I did not have time to finish painting my Norman Warlord)

All was working out perfectly until the first clash of the day. My knights plowed into an Anglo-Dane shield wall, 16 attack dice to roll and all I needed was a few 5s and 6s.

 Watching from the hill, brother knights give some to the Anglo-Danes!

All I needed was some 5s and 6s.

The one hit was avoided by the defensive Anglo-Danes. The Norman Knights lost 2 and retreated. Suddenly the game changed. Norman crossbowmen had entered the woods, though effective in melee the woods prevented them from getting clear shots with crossbows. Peasant archers did move forward providing a screen for them though.

 Forward archers!

Unlike Vikings, Normans do not have much ability to suck up exhaustion. Anglo-Danes were laying it on thick via special abilities. After moving into the screening flank between the woods and Heathend Hill the peasants were just too tired and afraid to do much else but occupy the spot.

The Anglo-Danes moved onto Heathend Hill in force and killed many Normans leaving Count Maynard alone. Not having enough forces to take it back and all archers and crossbowmen too exhausted to provide missile fire from the flanks, Count Maynard decided to leave the hill to the Anglo-Dane warlord and move to the woods.

The Anglo-Danes have Heathend Hill; Count Maynard and the last 3 of his retinue retreat to the woods on the right.

Meanwhile, at the rock quarry...

 The Knights chase off some Anglo-Dane ceorls.

Norman Heavy Infantry take the quarry. Knights use mobility to keep Anglo-Dane ceorls and huscarls away.

 The Norman Knights first decimate the huscarls then turn to finish the ceorls.

It just wasn't enough though. Via the point scoring system the Anglo-Danes won the day by 8 points. Only if I had parked my knights and kept them on the defense a few rounds earlier!