1st Game of Pillage: Pitched Battle

I was able to play my first game of Pillage this afternoon. Each army was made up of 700 points. I gave my Saxon chieftan the trait of relic bearer and then forgot to give the Saxons within six inches of him rerolls on their attacks. I won't make that mistake again! It probably would have changed several outcomes during the battle. Next time... The battlefield was a small village. The Saxons deployed along the right edge, the Vikings along the left. A road in the center would give both sides the option of coming to grips early on.

Turn 1- The Vikings won the initiative but deferred. The Saxon chieftan led a large contingent down the road. To his left, a huscarl rapidly advanced his men to the protection of a hedgerow along a field. On the right, two archers accompanied by four warriors sought out a postion to fire from. The Vikings also advanced up the road with their leader. One berserker to a group off to the right, accompanied by two archers and the hornblower. A second berserker took a group up the left flank.

Turn 2- The Saxons won the initiative and advanced all their units up slowly. The archers took up a position close to a cottage. The long cavalry man trotted into a location where he could support the warriors on the left. On the Viking turn, a lone unarmored warrior rashly charged at the Saxon archers but came up short. Despite four arrows being sent his way, he wasn't hit. On the Viking right, the berserker and his men surged forward to engage the huscarl and his men. They were aided by the extra 2 inches provided by the hornblower. The Viking archers fired at the Saxons across from them, but their missles were swallowed up by the hedgerow. The clanking of steel swords upon wooden shields shattered the morning stillness. Neither side, however, inflicted any damage.

Turn 3- Gaining the initiative would be very advantageous this turn. Fate favored the Vikings. On the left, the brave warrior was able to engage an archer, again dodging the incoming arrows. In turn, he was charged by a Saxon swordsman supported by a spearman. Another pair of Saxons werre charged by a pair of Vikings. The resulting meles saw the Saxons lose an archer and a swordsman. The Vikings lost the impulsive warrior who charged the archers. In the center, the Viking leader charged down the road into the main body of Saxons. A Saxon axeman chopped down a Viking swordsman. On the Viking right, the berserker and his men were locked in a stalemate from the last turn. Neither side gained an advantage. However, a Viking swordsman charged the Saxon horseman and unhorsed him. In a major setback to the Saxon cause, the huscarl was cut down by an arrow as he tried to attack some warriors to his front.

Turn 4- The fighting became very intense all along the line. On the Viking right, a berserker savagely attacked to remaining Saxon archer and cut him down despite the efforts of a Saxon comrade to support him. On the road, two Viking warriors fell under the swords of the Saxon chieftan and his retinue. On the other flank, another Viking was lost in the continued struggle at the edge of the field. The unhorsed cavalryman was cut down by his opponent.

Turn 5- The berserker on the left was able to kill his adversary. A warrior on each side also fell here leaving one Saxon to face two Vikings. On the road, a Saxon swordsman fell, but his comrades were able to inflict two wounds on the Viking chieftan. On the right, each side lost a man.

Turn 6- In this round, the Vikings lost two warriors and a berserker suffered a wound at the cost of an unarmored warrior. However, the Viking archers and a couple of warriors were able to make their way to the center in hopes of coming to the aid of their chieftan.

Turn 7- A lone Saxon spearman was fighting against a berserker and another warrior managed to fight off their attacks and land a blow against the berserker. On the road, the Viking leader suffered his third and final wound, but was able to cut down another Saxon before he breakthed his last. In the field, outnumbered three to one, another Saxon was eliminated.

Turn 8- On the final turn of the game, the Saxons lost two more men and the Vikings lost the berserker over on their right.

Conclusion- The final tally was the Vikings lost 11 men while the Saxons lost 15. Techically, it was a Viking victory but at the cost of their leader. Not rerolling the misses of those within 6 inches of the Saxon leader definitely affected the Saxons negatively. Overall, it was an enjoyable game and it moved quickly. It was a great learning experience.