Ghazzan - Which one girl with beard?

We Finished the battle of Ghazzan last night. A crushing victory for Gudrupee the Malik of Fob. The more regular Frankish troops where routed or slaughtered defending the hill whilst their less martial element looked on from the gardens, vineyards and orchards below. After the battle, every harem slave merchant within 200 miles licked his lips - "Which one girl with beard?".

Here are some shots of the battles conclusion.

Isle of Fob Campaign

The Battle of Ghazzan.

Though roughly equal in numbers, the forces of Islam are qualitatively superior. The Franks are also suffering from being half starved through lack of supply. The Battle of Ghazzan will be settled by who holds the key piece of terrain - the hill. During the first night's play the Turks envelop the  hill slaughtering everything in their path with devastating quantities of archery. It is looking like being a Turkish crushing victory - but, like all Piquet games,  it isn't over until the fat lady sings. To be continued...................

Roman Consular Army - Finished!

I have now completed the first of my Punic armies - the Romans. The other three (Gallic, Spanish and 'African') are all over half finished.

The Army comprises:
8 units velites (each 12 figs)
8 units of hastati (24 figs each)
8 units of principes (24 figs each)
8 units of triarii (12 figs each)
8 units of cavalry (8 figs each)
7 command stands (15 figs)

Total: 655 figures - roughly a consular army at 1:33. The army's frontage is about 10 feet.

The velites are represented at half strength due to battlefield durability and foot print - they should, historically, be 24 figure units.

Crusades campaign update

What follows are the bare bones of progress in our Isle of Fob Crusades campaign. This is due to various reasons including holidays and being absolutely snowed under with work - for some reason the summer is always a very busy time for me - with little time to think let alone write.

The Battle of Kinana: Marginal victory to the Seljuks.

Campaign moves following the Battle of Kinana:

The Battle of Qaqun: Although greatly outnumbered the Seljuks actually managed to scrape a marginal victory in one of the most bloody battles that I've played for years. It was such a heated affair that I forgot to take photos during the second half of the battle. The Seljuks managed to hold their hill, took the hill on the far side of the river, but lost the village - it was a blood bath for both sides.

A Campaign for the Summer - Isle of Fob

Peter J and I have decided to fight a Crusades campaign this summer. It is The Isle of Fob campaign as published in Miniature Wargames as part of the Ager Sanguinis series. I do not intend to give a blow by blow account of campaign moves. Instead of this, campaign moves will be recorded with a photo of the campaign map after each player's phase if a significant move has been made.

Initial deployment:

Campaign Background:

….In the summer, in the year of our Lord 1110, sore pressed by incursions on his northern borders by Asiatic hordes, the Emperor [Byzantine] withdrew armies and garrisons from quieter parts of the Empire to meet the threat. This was folly for, in leaving the Isle of Fob unprotected, he invited the attention of divers Seljuk princes.



The Isle of Fob is not, in truth, an isle. It is a large tract of land connected to the mainland by an isthmus that borders the lands of the Hashishmendid Seljuks. No sooner had the garrisons left the Isle the Seljuks, led by a certain Emir called Gudrupee, crossed the isthmus and occupied Chiosus. It was late in the year and here Gudrupee encamped for the winter and declared himself Malik of Fob. On promises of land, wealth and the Glory of Allah his army was swollen by reinforcements in readiness for the campaigning season.



Fearing for his cherished Isle the Emperor was at a loss, for in sending troops there he must give up another cherished part. Then fortuitous help came to him. A Crusade, led by Louis of Chernobil, was on its way to Jerusalem and was at that very moment passing through the western borders of his lands.



It has long been known that the Isle of Fob is a blessed place; for it was to here that our Lord’s Cup was taken and hid in one of the many monasteries. The Emperor, being both wise and cunning, let it be known throughout Christendom that this Blessed Relic would surely fall into the hands of the heathen if left unchecked.
 
At once, the Patriarch of Jerusalem hurried to intercept the Crusade and, with the aid of the Emperor’s fleet, diverted Chernobil and his followers to the Isle of Fob. Chernobil and his followers landed at Lampron and, on Christmas Day, entered the town.
 
But now the Emperor’s plans became untied. Betraying the Emperor, the Crusaders crowned Chernobil King of Fob and set to plan conquest of the Isle for themselves.
 
Thus the scene was set for the bloody War of Fob………
 
Campaign moves leading to the Battle of Kinana
 

The Battle of Kinana

Franks - Army B: 3 SP, plus castle, plus tactical advantage cards = 5 SP. Draw 4 unit number cards for 14 units. This was a low unit draw - 14 off maximum. The Franks have invested a lot of trust into this small army; SP reflects more than numbers, it also reflects an investment of 'national will'.

Turks - Army C: 2 SP, plus 2 tactical advantage cards = 4 SP. Draw 3 unit number cards for 19 units. A very high unit draw - 2 off maximum.

The Battlefield
The Franks are defending and terrain is randomly determined using Army B's sequence deck. They also have two more posture cards in their hand than the Turks, so they will be able to deploy into both flank deployment zones. They win the 'side of table roll' and choose to deploy on the hilly side of the table.