The Crusading Era at Athens 2024
Richard The Lionheart Later Crusader vs Feudal English
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)
The theory seems to have worked! Yes, the ultra-back-foot defensive Crusader option with the rather flakey mixed spear/crossbow units has eked out a victory in the first round, and now sits near-ish the top of the table going into Round 2
More importantly I am now slowly starting to get a feel for how the army might work, and have managed to go an entire game without suddenly lurching onto the offensive and trying to rush my opponents and shove them off the back of the table!
With that self control achievement firmly ticked off it was time for the second round of the day, against a Feudal English army!
The Feudal English is notable for the arrival on the scene of some Longbowmen - effective against anything with reasonable levels of armour as it can just ping through it at will.
However, the army also suffers from some rather less exciting knights as the Norman influence wanes across the sceptred isles, and a bit of a lack of light horse too.
As such, it seemed to be a similar sort of army to a lot of the others in the Early Feudal period, but without too much to make it really different
The lists for the Richard The Lionheart Later Crusader and Feudal English 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.
Both myself and my opponent has seemingly sought to clutter the table with terrain and bring one another to battle in a real Souvlaki Spectacle stuffed with rough patches of ground and either plantations or perhaps forests.
From the Crusader standpoint this was just fine, as the enemy Longbowmen would not have uninterrupted fields of fire due to the large number of trees around, and all of the simply uneven ground had fallen on the enemy half of the table meaning they would need to leave it behind to attack the defensive stance of the Crusaders.
The only downside really was that neither the coast nor the village had manage it into the battle plan this round.
The Conquest of Cyprus
As the Crusaders stood resolute the English War Host flooded forward, Knights leading on their right and longbowmen on their right.
A globule of heavier infantry types, most likely spearmen, made up the rear as the unsubtle vanguard struggled to squeeze itself through the narrow defile beyond which Richard Cour de Lion stood and waited in patient silence, his men sharpening crossbow bolts and spear tips as they stood aloof.
Seeing a small opportunity to bottle the English Knights up even more, most of the Crusaders stepped forward at Richards command, drifting away in the main from the crosshairs of the mighty panoply of longbowmen in the process.
Waves of Crusader knights hitherto kept in reserve started to move out as well, ready to swing round the flanks of their spearmen or perhaps plug gaps should they appear in the line of pedestrian footmen.
The barrage of longbow fire opened up, starting the battle by pouring willow and ash onto the heads and upturned shields of the right hand end of the Crusader line
Having been left to fend for themselves for the second game in a row, the pair of mixed spear/crossbow units were not exactly delighted to be on the receiving end of such a fusillade of Ouzo Orgasmic martial legendariness, and promptly took some hits - but not without dishing out a few of their own in return first!
The dastardly English were finding it increasingly difficult to force their cacophony of Knights through the narrow defile - especially when they worked out the range of the Crusaders crossbows, and how close they were to the Knights current position.
Keen to exploit this reticence, the left hand end of the Crusader line starts to wheel inwards, creating a crossfire of death in which each bolt was a messenger of death, singing its mournful song as it sought out its prey amidst the chaos of battle, like a lone minstrel in a crowded tavern.. a plan which would be even more effective if only more than one of the three Crusader units on the left wheeling wing actually had crossbows.
Richards Uncomfortable Helmet
Dolma Delight! The Longbow battery continued to exchange fire with the Crusader crossbows, but neither side seemed keen to push their advantage or score any killer blows with long range fires.
But, for the Crusaders, this was a sideshow - the main aim was to keep the line of spearmen and mixed units in the centre fully intact so they could survive and repulse the almost inevitable Knightly Charge which was brewing like over stewed tea in the centre
With this priority in mind the Crusader's Religious Order Templar Commander reluctantly put his body and that of his horse on the line to collect some English arrows, making himself a more appealing target than the main body of infantry while also creating a potent charge threat should the desire of the longbowmen to rush the Crusader line suddenly reach critical mass
Moussaka Mania now swept the room as the exchange of crossbow fire for archery was now becoming protracted, with the Crusaders both content to sit this one out and also lacking in any troops able to rush up and force the issue.
The English meanwhile were slowly bringing the diverse elements of their army together, with spearmen trudging reluctantly through the terrain on the English right to try and arrive in a place to negate the death-trap catchers mitt formation Richard CDL had created to accept them
The Templar commander had by now been forced to retreat after becoming a little too good at catching arrows, allowing the wall of longbowmen to swing in and target the end of the line of proper Crusader spearmen.
But more importantly the exchange of archery and bolts was now starting to tip in the favour of the Middle Eastern Adventurers, with multiple markers sprouting like over-saturated American breakfast cereal chunks across the table
As crossbow bolts flew like arrows of vengeance, their tips gleaming in the sunlight as they sought out the hearts of their enemies with unrelenting purpose the English knights were in a quandary - advance and perhaps die, or stand and perhaps die..?
This game was now threatening to develop into a Spanakopita Spree of near-identical pictures of two lines of troops staring at one another, one side too scared to advance, the other quite happy to shoot at long range until the sheer weight of crossbow fire started to give them an edge over their Hermit Kingdom opponents
With a mighty heave, the crossbowmen unleashed their deadly payload, the bolts soaring through the air like heralds of doom, announcing the end of all who dared oppose them.
Anyways, this wasn't something my itchy fingers could countenance for too long, so on the left hand end of the Crusader line a careful, limited scope and measured mini-advance suddenly broke out
With the Crusaders now inching into being close to being in charge range, the cue for the English Impetuous knights to break into a bit of an advance of their own had finally arrived.
The mounted noblemen from the shires (as in real counties in England, nothing to do with hobbits and the like) lumbered forward right into the very teeth of a hailstorm of crossbow fire
And then they were in!
Yes, the Hermit Kingdomeers had launched their long-signalled charge at the carefully prepared and cunningly constructed Crusader battle formation of, erm, a couple of solid lines of spearmen arrayed at a jaunty angle
As the Knights rode into combat, the Crusader infantry braced their spears solidly against the ground to better receive the brunt of the pointed object force trauma heading their way - and in the initial reckoning that unimaginative plan appeared to have worked a real treat!
OK, perhaps not entirely successful once the pointed object trauma started to get replaced by the blunt force trauma of the Knight's maces, clubs and poorly maintained swords*, smashing any thoughts the Crusader foot may have harboured of a quick win after their decent first-round showing
(* - I'm not suggesting these knights had especially poorly maintained swords as a result perhaps of the challenges faced in importing well engineered German sword-sharpening tools into the Hermit Kingdom post-Brexit, it's more a case that I started the sentence about "blunt force trauma" without thinking it through and then needed to try and classify the swords as blunt too in order to generate a proper 3-part list for aesthetic and semantically pleasing purposes)
But in the near-final Pita Party the English Knights could not maintain their momentum in the face of countless numbers of Crusading Sergeants on foot, and the whittling-down effect of the fire they had taken on the way into combat.
The Crusaders overwhelmed the English centre, and with the Knights despatched started to flood forward to take advantage of the gaps that opened up.
Even the Templar commander was back and contributing to the fray with a breakthrough against the Longbowmen who had unwisely gotten too close.
The English army, gutted from the inside out, suddenly collapsed like a soggy chip paper in the rain in a back alleyway in Halifax in late October. The Crusaders raised a Greek Hummus Hooray - they had weathered the storm, and had yet again emerged triumphant with their defensive approach still intact.
The Result is a 90-20 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
Gather 'round, ye noble souls, and hear the tale of Richard the Lionheart, whose valorous crusaders hath once again emerged victorious upon the field of battle! As the sun doth rise upon the land, so doth my glory shine ever brighter with each triumph!
Picture, if thou wilt, the verdant fields of merry England, where my gallant army didst clash with the forces of our erstwhile brethren! With a flick of my wrist and a flourish of my cape, I didst array my spearmen in a phalanx of unyielding steel, their ranks gleaming like a feast for the eyes!
And lo, as the English knights didst charge, their hearts afire with misplaced pride, they found themselves ensnared in the web of my cunning! "Charge, ye fools!" I didst cry, my voice ringing out like a clarion call to destiny. "For the gates of Jerusalem await, and none shall bar our path!"
Oh, how the English didst fall like overripe apples from the boughs of arrogance, their valor wilted in the face of my brilliance! With each thundering hoofbeat, they didst hurl themselves upon my spear-wall, only to be repelled with the force of a thousand hurricanes!
But mark thee, my friends, for this victory is not merely a repetition of the past, but a symphony of innovation and daring! Though the tactics may seem familiar, 'tis the subtle nuances that set this triumph apart, like spices in a savoury stew, elevating it to heights unseen!
And mark my words, dear comrades, for upon my return to England, I shall be acclaimed not merely as king, but as the very embodiment of glory itself! For who can stand against the might of Richard the Lionheart, whose brilliance doth shine like the sun upon a summer's day?
So let us raise our cups in celebration, and toast to the indomitable spirit of Richard the Lionheart, whose Crusaders shall echo through the halls of eternity like the pealing of a thousand bells! And let all who hear this tale know that I, with my ingenuity and valor, have carved a path to immortality itself!
Hannibal's Post Match Analysis
Ah, Richard the Lionheart, the king of redundancy in battle tactics. Once again, we find ourselves witnessing the thrilling spectacle of spearmen standing like statues while the enemy charges headlong into their doom. It's like watching a bad rerun of a bad play performed by bad actors
Oh, bravo, Richard! Your ability to recycle tactics is truly awe-inspiring. I bet even the pigeons on the battlefield are yawning from boredom. 'Oh look, another charge into a wall of spears,' they coo. 'How original!'
And there they go, like moths to a flame, charging into certain death. It's like watching lemmings jump off a cliff, except with more armor and less intelligence. And all it took was a few measly crossbow bolts to goad them into their folly. Pathetic
Oh, Richard, you're a real visionary, aren't you? If only your vision extended beyond 'stab the guy in front of you.' But no, we're stuck with this sorry excuse for a battle plan.
Well, there you have it, folks! Another thrilling display of military incompetence brought to you by Sir Richard the Repetitive. Tune in next time when we will no doubt watch paint dry faster than a Viking funeral. Until then, I'll be here, dreaming of battles that don't put me to sleep faster than a lullaby sung by a tone-deaf minstrel.
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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