Age of Arthur WAB weekender - Double Trouble

After the first round of battles we revisited the map. Mighty victors got to take two territories off an opponent, close run victors just one, so the territory of the Yellow Angles began to diminish.

I never liked Kings Lynn anyway

Then it was on to a big old doubles game using our full 1500 point plus 300 reserve armies.
I was paired with Wayne against Big Jim and Steve, fighting over the river. Steve had chariots (as did Wayne) and had fought over the river in the previous game and felt the water rather got in the way, so the four of us had a quick conflab and agreed some amended rules that meant Steve could enjoy the game a bit more - that's what I like about these events, it's much more about ensuring everyone has a fun time with their soldiers than strict enforcement of The Rules.

Lined up, like a big long line of men with sharp sticks

With that Jim and I lined up opposite one another and left the two charioteers to fight over the ford. Jim was using his late Romans (jolly nice they are too) which I find a tough nut to crack with their Shieldwall and stuff, and with a river in the way too I wasn't terribly hopeful. Sure enough Jim raced his men to the waters edge, then dropped anchor in Shieldwall and waited for me to fail Warband tests.

On my command, hide behind your shields!

Splash, splash, splash

Soon enough my Geoguth and Wiglera obliged (they are, after all, Fierce!) and romped across the bridge into his waiting unit of Double Hard Roman types (I'm pretty sure that's what they're called in the book). Astonishingly they didn't just bounce off, but in fact hung around for a couple of turns before running off home to their mums.
 

Not yet lads...oh, bugger

Meanwhile to my right the chariot part of the battlefield was see-sawing like one of those plank based pieces of equipment you find in children’s play areas; as first Steve's chariots made mincemeat of some passing noble Irishmen before being involved in an Early Mediaeval fender bender with Wayne’s chariots and fleeing back towards the ford.

Rumble, squeak, neigh, splash

PRANG!

My reinforcement force finally turned up a few turns late on my left, but with crushing predictability appeared on my side of the river, rather than in Jim's rear area. Forgetting what I'd planned when picking 12 Geoguth in their pants as part of this force (SKIRMISHERS, you fool!) I formed them in to a spectacularly ineffective ranked unit. Then I ran away from Jim's scary Saxons with my cavalry.

Back at the river it was slow going against the shieldwalls, though at least I wasn't actually losing and eventually I gained a toehold on the far bank. By which time my ally had wiped out his opponent and was thundering along through enemy territory to show me how it should be done.

Double PRANG!

A brief conflab and we realised that we held one of the objectives and as long as I didn't fail any Warband tests I should be able to at east contest the other one, giving us the win. Astonishingly I was able to carry out this simple plan, in the face of some high class taunting from Jim, and the battle drew to a close with us gaining a Major Victory!

A great fun game played in good spirits by all concerned.