The Crusading Era at Athens 2024
Richard The Lionheart Later Crusader vs Feudal Spanish
Game 1 Richard The Lionheart Later Crusader vs Feudal Spanish
Game 2 Richard The Lionheart Later Crusader vs Feudal English
Game 3 Richard The Lionheart Later Crusader vs Komnenan Byzantine
Game 4 Richard The Lionheart Later Crusader vs Teutonic
Game 5 Richard The Lionheart Later Crusader vs Feudal Anglo-Irish
Greek Museum Tourism (on YouTube)
In the chilly beginnings of 2024, a small but effective CLWC contingent (and Mark L-G) headed for the cradle of civilization, Athens, to take part in another round of kebab-munching nonsense at the foot of the Parthenon (and then a few metro stations of ride away into the more crusty anarchistic suburbs as well).
Soon it was time for beers with a view of ancient history, as I mildly considered the alternative of attending the Burton Doubles this same weekend back home.
As those beers stretched into the evening, a very civilized cake-appreciation moment also then occurred.
Of course, it would have been remins of us not to have tested all of the cakes on offer..
Waking up the next day it was enlightening to see just what an interesting part of Athens the wargames club was located in!
So... eventually, and almost in the big scruffy green shadow of the Pananthanikos stadium the armies gathered in time for morning coffee, as hordes of people rushed at full tilt to try and address their urgent shortages of pet-related consumables in a nearby quite literally-named retail store
Anyways, Pet Panic over for the time being, it was now the dawn of the competition itself, with its Crusading theme an opportunity to wheel out yet more little-used figures
In this tournament I'd taken Richard The Lionheart's Later Crusader list, which had very few options other than Knights, spearmen and the mixed spear/crossbow units which are very much the specialism of this army.
These were the reason for choosing it - I had refurbished and rebased an old DBM Communal Italian army from Mirliton during lockdown and this had left me with loads of spearmen, and loads of mixed units, very few of which had ever made it onto the table before this event.
The other thing I was conscious of was how effective Paul Dawson's Armoured Spearmen had been when I faced his army at Skiing Doh! the previous summer, and so I wanted to try and see if an army which majored on these two rather dour and defensive troop types would fare - and whether I could resist my usual desire to attack like a banshee at every opportunity while using it as well
The lists for the Richard The Lionheart Later Crusader and Feudal Spanish from this game, as well as all the other lists from the games at Athens can be seen here in the L'Art de la Guerre Wiki.
With an army which was almost entirely infantry my plan was always going to be to narrow down the battlefield as much as possible.
Against the Feudal Spanish, with their potent force of aggressive Knights this was even more important.
But fortunately the gods of terrain had smiled on me (a little) with rough terrain and fields and a small town falling on the flanks to create a narrow field of play which my Spearman and crossbowman sat at the end of, waiting to be assaulted by the eager Spanish Knights
The Battle of Jaffa
Gyro Glee! The Spanish started the game with a cautious advance across the line their light horse pushing up on their right to threaten the flimsy skirmish screen of Light Infantry crossbowmen protecting my line of Spears.
On the Spanish left a huge wall of Knights rumbled forward ominously
Here's a shot taken with my iPhone, which really shows just how nice these figures actually were
With the main thrust of the Spanish attack already clear this was the cue for my rather pedestrian army to spring into action.
The spearmen and crossbowmen inched carefully forward, not exactly demonstrating their enthusiasm for getting too close to the Knights just yet !
On my right the small but imperfectly formed command of two mixed crossbowmen and a couple of knights found itself with too little to do the crossbowmen pushed forward to start pouring bolts into the enemy light horse while the commander of the military orders move to reinforce the Crusader centre.
These crossbowmen were deadly in their accuracy! With a flourish of their crossbows, the stalwart archers let fly their deadly shafts, as if Apollo himself had lent them his arrows
(although to be fair the support they received from the Turcopole light horse and skirmishing crossbowman did help)
Suddenly the Spanish Jinetes found themselves taking crossbow bolt after crossbow bolt, their horses is faltering underneath them - these well drilled and near legendary light cavalrymen were now at risk of being eliminated very early in the game
The normally eager Spanish Knights had suddenly discovered the benefits of being cagey!
They crept forward extremely mindful of the range of the now clearly deadly crusader crossbows - seemingly unsure how to attack this ludicrously one-dimensional and uninspiring army as all the while like thunderbolts hurled from the heavens, crossbow bolts streaked through the air with unerring precision, seeking their quarry with the hunger of wolves on the prowl.
The Crusaders in turn wondered why and how they might fashion event a faint skein of competence with which to cover themselves on this epic Athenian road trip
Despite having narrowed the field of play considerably it now seemed that the Crusader army had accidentally left a huge gap right down the middle of the table
Olive Ovations! This was either a very clever tactic to try and avoid fighting the Spanish Almughavars who were marching down the middle - or perhaps it was a sign of the near-complete lack of practice that the Crusaders had embarked upon prior to packing the army up to bring to Greece only a few days before?
Suddenly the Spanish decided this was their moment.
Banners flying, Old-school Veni Vidi Vici shield transfers to the fore, two of the Spanish religious order Knights steamed forward in an aggressive wild charge slamming into the Crusaders mixed crossbow and spear units.
And do you remember that gap in the centre?
That now gave space for yet more Spanish crossbowmen to gallop up and add their weight to the violent assault of the religious orders
Elsewhere on the other flank the Spanish attack was also gathering pace against the static linear defence of The Crusader Knights.
Even more frighteningly the Almughavars were now closing in on the Crusader lines at quite a pace.
With the Jinetes having already fled, the Spanish Knights were now the prime target for the Crusaders supposedly deadly crossbow bolts - unfortunately however these particular crossbow bolts were not proving particularly deadly at this precise moment in time!
In a real Greek Feta Frenzy, combat was now breaking out all along the line spreading from left to right like a wildfire on the somewhat anachronistic snowy step in which this battle was being fought
The Crusader crossbowman on the left had just about survived the assault of Spain's Religious Orders, but they had very much been rocked on their heels in the process. With a twang and a whirl, their bolts again danced through the air like dervishes in a tempest, finding their mark with the grace of a swan upon a tranquil lake.
The Crusaders own Knights had joined in further to the left and the Religious Order general in the pay of The Lord and also the Crusader forces was just about to join in too
Over on the right a line of Spearman almost entirely bereft of knightly support readied itself for the inevitable assault of Spain's finest exports since acorn-fed ham and cheap Roija
But as the Spanish have charged it appeared that they had got in somewhat of an Iberian traffic jam (or perhaps jamon-e-queso with quince Jelly would be more appropriate?), and now the sheer weight of numbers of Crusader infantry suddenly started to look like they knew what they were doing
Knights and Spearman combined to put pressure on the right flank of the Spanish army, and in a trice the Spaniards suddenly realised the this Crusader force was clearly bigger and wider than they had imagined possible
As Crusading Knights rushed up the only thing left the Spanish had to hand were some reluctant Jinetes, who were detailed to take the brunt, standing and fighting against Crusader Knights in what even someone who doesn't know anything about these rules can see is a far less than ideal scenario for any self respecting lightly armed horseman
As the combat ground on, many mixed crossbow units now faltered and fell under the galloping hooves of the Spanish Religious Orders.
Remember that gap in the middle of the line? Now suddenly it was much bigger, and The Crusaders own Military Order commander was faced with an unmissable opportunity for heroism which it now seemed he would need to execute very very efficiently - otherwise the entire centre of the Crusader army could collapse in moments at the first time of asking.
This could prove to be a very inauspicious start for very pedestrian and unusual army
Combat was now joined everywhere - Crusader Knights against Spanish Knights against Crusader Spearman, different flavours of rather fanatical Christian Religious Orders against other equally fanatical / heretical (delete as appropriate) Religious Orders, with the Red team and the White teams clashing in the centre of the table
Even the Almughavars had just about gotten in - and over on the far right the second tsunami of Spanish Knights crashed dangerously against the Crusader Spearman - this would be where combat would be decided!
Rather fortunately this seems to be the point at which The Crusaders remembered what they were here to do! The Religious Order Commander quickly gained the upper hand as the central command's Spearman also stood resolute, repulsing the violent charge of the Almughavars.
It was not however a picture of unadulterated Baklava Bliss - on the right were things going badly, with another second Knightly charge crashing over the thin line of spearmen like cruise missiles through spam, making a mockery of the idea that mixed spear/crossbow units could withstand enemy horsemen and provide a safe shooting platform for the supposedly quick firing Crusader crossbows
Richard The Lionheart
Both sides were now feeding more units into the maw of combat as fast as they could in a desperate attempt to add weight and width as they tried vainly to gain the upper hand
This was the moment the Crusader Spearman started to find their range. Pointy sticks pointing furiously, the densely packed armoured infantrymen shrugged off their initial reverses against the charge of the Knights and started poking even more stabbily than ever before.
Even the brittle crossbow units had started to learn how to hang on grimly, aided by the support of their smattering of Light Infantry who now rushed back to join the fray.
The more vanilla spearmen were also showing flashes of rare fragrant Madagascan pod-levels of vanilla, surprisingly gaining the upper hand against the Almughavars.
As the spears pushed relentlessly forward, hit markers started to blossom behind the Spanish cavalry like castles along the back country highways of Navarre and Aragon.
On the Crusader left the potent combination of Knights, Spears and most importantly extra width was starting to pay dividends for Richard's men
With some of the Spanish spearmen occupied or routed, Crusader Knights were free to rush through and slam into packets of Almughavaahahahrs carelessly left behind in the eager rush to try and find softer targets.
Crusader skirmisher were running hither and thither too, adding benefit far beyond their points cost, harassing the flanks and hamstringing the embattled Spanish Knights with their sharp and evil little knives.
With things starting to tip in The Crusaders favour on the left, the right flank was a much more mixed bag
The mixed crossbow units on the extreme right of the Crusader army had collapsed like a Second Division Spanish team at the Bernabau, much as those on the left had already done too - under the initial assault of the Spanish Galactico Knights.
The armoured spearmen, replete in rather grubby gunmetal armour were however doing a much better job of holding up the enemy - particularly when supported by the by-now-should-be exhausted Religious Orders Commander.
The Spanish had by now realised they had failed to break the Crusader centre, and instead their path to victory would be to finish off the Crusader right wing (and quickly) , and then take advantage of the tactical position then victories here had given them
If Greece had been famed for the manufacture of grandfather clocks the the local TV commentary team would have taken one look at the left flank of this battle and no doubt have wheeled out some choice and cheesy metaphors about a fast swinging pendulum.
The sheer ignominy of crossbowmen, mud still on their boots having trampled through the fields, sweeping into the flanks of a units of Crusader Knights to break them would also have attracted a professional onlookers attention.
With the Crusader centre increasingly jubilant in anticipation of victory, but with both wings rather threadbare, everyone was now wondering if either army could get over the line without itself also falling to destruction
Hey, who needs wings when you can smash through the centre anyway? Armoured Spearman and included Commander with the Religious Order Knights of the highest quality was still proving to be a heroic combination that the Spanish seemingly could not withstand.
Suddenly a huge gaping space opened up right in the heart of the Spanish army as their military entrails were cast to the four winds.
Scattered remnants of Jinetes and mounted crossbowmen now found themselves in the firing line, and the Crusaders were wasting no time at all identifying where else they could take advantage of this sudden local superiority. The crossbowmen's aim was true, their bolts flying straight and swift, piercing the air with the deadly elegance of a falcon in flight.
Having eliminated the Spanish centre, the situation on the Crusader left now looked much better with plastic Knights spying an opportunity to sweep Spanish spearmen from the field in support of their own stick-waving infantry.
This action turned out to be the final knockings of what had been a messy, unsubtle and brutal game which in the end saw the Spanish army falling to defeat and the Crusaders also taking a huge amount of punishment, themselves teetering on the edge of total collapse.
This was a first Tzatziki Triumph for the stoic defensive Crusader army - and perhaps the first inklings that there may be a viable plan with which to use it to avoid a long and painful weekend of static defence followed by embarrassing defeat!
The Result is an 84-26 victory for the Crusaders!
Click here for the report of the next game in this competition, or read on for the post match summaries from the Generals involved, as well as another episode of legendary expert analysis from Hannibal
Post Match Summary from the Richard The Lionheart Later Crusader Commander
Hark, good people, and lend thine ears to the grandeur of my triumph! Gather round as I regale thee with the tale of how Richard the Lionheart, with his mighty army of crusaders, didst vanquish the Spanish horde upon the fields of medieval glory!
Behold, as I, in my infinite wisdom, didst employ tactics so cunning and ingenious that even the great tacticians of antiquity wouldst kneel in awe! Picture, if thou wilt, a line of stout spearmen, standing firm and resolute like the very pillars of Olympus, with crossbowmen perched high, their bolts singing like seraphs from the heavens!
'Twas a spectacle to behold, I tell thee! For as the rash Spanish knights did charge, their hearts filled with foolish bravado, they met naught but the impenetrable wall of spears! Oh, how they didst shatter upon it like waves against a cliff, their valour dashed upon the rocks of my brilliant stratagem!
And lo, as the battle raged, I didst stand upon the field, my cloak billowing in the wind like the very banners of destiny! "Onward, my brave crusaders!" I cried, "For victory awaits us at the gates of Jerusalem!"
Oh, how the bards shall sing of this day! How they shall weave my deeds into the tapestry of legend, alongside the likes of Caesar and Alexander! For I, Richard the Lionheart, have carved my Crusaders into the annals of history with the sharp quill of destiny!
So raise thy goblets high, my friends, and toast to the indomitable spirit of Richard the Lionheart, whose brilliance shines like a beacon in the darkest night! And let all who hear this tale know that I, with my daring and wit, have secured a place amongst the pantheon of great generals!
Hannibal's Post Match Analysis
Ah, good ol' Richard the Lionheart, the pinnacle of mediocrity in military strategy. Here we have a man whose idea of innovation is wearing a fancier crown. I mean, really, is this the best the Crusaders could come up with? Just sticking spearmen in a line and praying for the enemy to impale themselves? It's like watching a snail race in slow motion
Oh, bravo, Richard! Truly, your strategic prowess knows no bounds. I'm sure your ancestors are rolling in their graves, wondering what happened to the Lion's roar. Instead, we get this... this fiasco of a plan. It's like he raided the clearance bin at the Tactics Emporium and just grabbed whatever was left.
And look at that! The Spanish nobles charging in like they've never seen a pointy stick before. It's like watching sheep being led to the slaughter. But hey, if it works, why fix it, right?
Oh, Richard, you're a real trailblazer, aren't you? If only you had the imagination to match your arrogance. But alas, we're left with this sorry excuse for a battle. The only thing more disappointing than your tactics is the fact that they actually seem to be working!
Well, there you have it, folks! Another thrilling display of medieval mayhem brought to you by Sir Richard the Sleep-Inducing. Tune in next time, when we watch grass grow faster than a Byzantine bureaucracy. Until the next game I'll be here, drowning my sorrows in ancient battle plans that don't make me want to gouge my eyes out with a rusty sword.
Click here for the report of the next game in this competition
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Game 1 Richard The Lionheart Later Crusader vs Feudal Spanish
Game 2 Richard The Lionheart Later Crusader vs Feudal English
Game 3 Richard The Lionheart Later Crusader vs Komnenan Byzantine
Game 4 Richard The Lionheart Later Crusader vs Teutonic
Game 5 Richard The Lionheart Later Crusader vs Feudal Anglo-Irish
Greek Museum Tourism (on YouTube)
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