BY: 
T. L. Gore
.
I am always personally attracted to armies that allow me to use tactics I feel comfortable with. The Norman army is a hard-hitting offensive force with enough missile fire to enable me to go to a defensive mode, if necessary. It is a well-balanced army, with all three essential troop types for successful battlefield tactics.
The Norman cavalry, or Milites, can charge in wedge formation with a potent initial impact, and if the enemy target has been sufficiently weakened by preparatory missile fire or close combat with the Norman spearmen, the cavalry can smash right through the enemy ranks on occasion. It is imperative that enemy troops defending higher ground or an obstacle are physically weakened into a state of disorder before throwing the cavalry at them. It is extremely difficult to do any serious harm to well prepared foot holding such positions unless they are already in the process of losing their order through losses and morale failure.
The Norman spearmen are a solid support group for the cavalry and archers. They provide an anchor around which the cavalry can charge and, if necessary, retreat. They also are tough fighters in their own right, able to go shield to shield with any other foot. They are not for use in delaying terrain; however, as they are close order foot (meaning they fight shoulder to shoulder in tightly ordered ranks).
The Norman archers are used to hammer away at an enemy line, weakening it by causing casualties and in turn lowering the enemy resolve to continue to stand and take unanswered punishment. The archers are usually marched up to effective, of if you feel brave, close range and they start firing into the enemy ranks. If the enemy charges them, they will have a shot at them before being contacted. It is possible to shoot the attackers into disorder, or even to cause them to lose heart and halt the charge short of the target. If contact is made, it is not wise to remain too long in combat with a better-armed and armored foe! Each time you lose a round of close combat, your men are pushed back, disordered. The disorders are cumulative, meaning each one makes things worse. Once your troops have three disorders, they break and rout.
How do you get away from the enemy? The easiest thing to do is to give your men a Retreat Action Order and let them try to outrun the enemy. This is risky for if the enemy catches your troops in the back while they are retreating, they will be immediately destroyed. This is not a good situation, as the loss of the unit will cause morale tests for all of the troops who see the slaughter. A better solution would be to bring up some support, either spearmen or cavalry to take on the enemy troops. Once the enemy attack has been stalled, you can retreat the archers with no fear of them being caught from behind as their enemies will have their hands full fighting their new opponents.
Players who simply want to charge in and smash their enemies often overlook skirmishers. Skirmishers are not only inexpensive, they also provide the necessary screen to shelter more valuable troops from devastating missile fire as they move into position to attack. If you make the mistake of pushing your expensive cavalry toward an enemy missile-armed unit, you may find that your cavalry has been destroyed before even closing with the intended targets of their charge! Use skirmish infantry or skirmish cavalry to protect your better quality troops from destructive enemy fire. Remember that skirmishers always have the option of retreating if they are charged or moved into, no matter what their orders. You can usually get them out of trouble by having them outrun their enemies.
The question of command control is of paramount importance in Medieval Warfare. I always try to opt for enough generals so as to leave most of my army with orders each turn. Even if my commanders are of mediocre quality, if I have enough of them, the army will be in good shape order-wise. My usual rule of thumb is one general for every five to seven units, i.e. if my army has fifteen units, I should have three generals, one of which will be the commander in chief.
Finally, it is extremely important to make certain that your units support each other as they engage the enemy. Common sense tells us that troops feel confident when they have friendly units nearby, capable of coming to their aid, if required. Conversely, troops left out alone, with enemy in close proximity are more apt to turn and run than stand and face the enemy alone. This, then, is what constitutes my Norman army.
My noble opponent, having a totally different mindset than myself, chose his Saxon army with strictly a defensive posture in mind. No skirmishers, no cavalry, other than the commander in chief's command stand, while the rest of the army were all close order foot, with two exceptions, the poor quality Saxon archers and a unit of Danish hird, hardy fighters in loose order. The terrain favored his defensive stance, with a large, low hill covering a major portion of his position. He had set up all along the top of the hill, with the Danes and the CiC in reserve. His archers he put on his extreme right, in order to get enfilade (flanking) fire on my men if they foolishly charged the hilltop defenders and left their flank exposed. They would also be able to fire upon any attempt on my part to force this flank.
The setting is thus a small battle between Normans and Saxons. If it looks a lot like Hastings, well....
The background to our battle is that the Normans are advancing on a Saxon hamlet in Northumbria, with orders to burn the village as well as the fields around it. They have had reports of a small Saxon rebellious army, led by Mereward, a nephew of Hereward the Wake, ambushing Norman patrols and killing any unlucky captives. The village has been pointed out as a supply base for the rebels. Thus, William the Conqueror's " harrying of the North" must be enforced.
Roger, leading the small Norman force (approximately 1,600 Normans are advancing against 2,300 Saxons) crests a hill when he sights the Saxons spread out across a low hill blocking the single road leading into the village. Small woods flank the Saxon left, while Mereward's army straddles the hill. The Normans will not burn the village without a fight! It should be noted that this is a very small battle in MW terms. We usually use 600 point armies. Also, we have both opted to purchase a 'Priest' figure. This allows each of us to 'call on the gods' once per turn and re-roll one bad die roll. This helps to negate the 'blaming the dice' for bad tactical decisions!
In Medieval Warfare, each general and the CiC must roll for his command ability, i.e. how many orders he may issue each turn. The higher you roll, the better, and more versatile will be your command organization. The Saxon commander rolled for his command quality and found out he wasn't very good! He had three orders to issue each turn and seven units to command. The Norman player rolled a little better, receiving four orders per turn for his seven units. Both sides would experience command control problems throughout the game. Once either army lost three of its units, the game would end. The Norman player opted to start the game with his cavalry in wedge formation (this gives them the ability to fight 2 ranks deep in the initial round of close combat). The players set up as on the map.
The first turn, neither side needed any order markers, as all units were well outside of Engagement Range of their nearest enemy, so used the faster Strategic Movement. There are two movement speeds in our rules. Strategic Movement (used when outside of Engagement Range) is faster than Tactical Movement (used when inside of Engagement Range). Both players move simultaneously during the Strategic Movement Phase. As the Norman general, I proceeded to shift the bulk of my army to my right, keeping my archers on my extreme left to deal with any Saxon counterstrokes. The skirmishers and the unit of fanatic cavalry (they must have had the most Norse blood in their veins) wheeled into position on the Saxon left flank, preparing to assault the heavy infantry thegn unit holding the extreme Saxon flank. The other Norman units began to make a slow, half-speed advance toward the hill. My intention was to angle around the edge of the Saxon thegn unit and charge it with the fanatics while shooting into it with the skirmishers. Then the rest of my cavalry would attack. It sure sounded like a good plan. Meanwhile, the Saxons sent their lone archer unit around the hill to try to get flanking fire on any Normans charging past their front. The Danish reserves also began to move to the Saxon right, anticipating a chance to take the initiative against the Norman archers. The rest of the Saxon army formed into Shieldwall (a better fighting formation which also helps bolster morale and combat ability but only moves at 1/2 speed). The first turn was over. In this initial turn, neither side needed any Action Orders, as all units were well outside of Engagement Range of their nearest enemy. They also got to use the faster Strategic Movement. Troops responded to orders much more readily when they did not feel threatened by the imminent close presence of enemy forces.
The second turn found virtually all of the Norman units moving up to Engagement Range (12" with Medium bases) of their enemies. I had actually issued Action Orders to two of my units, even though being out of Engagement Range, orders were not required. The skirmish infantry archers and fanatic cavalry had been given Action Orders to Move, which allowed them to move within Engagement Range of the enemy. Normally, without Action Orders, you must halt if the enemy or you move up to Engagement Range of each other. If you anticipate the need to get closer to the enemy to fire on him, prepare to charge him, etc., you can issue orders even though they are not required. This allows you to move during the Tactical Movement Phase even if the enemy 'pins' you by moving up to Engagement Range during the Strategic Movement Phase.
I now moved my fanatic heavy cavalry up to within their normal movement range of the thegns, so they would be required to charge next turn. Unfortunately for the Normans, the archers were still too far away to get any hits on the Saxons, so they were unable to fire. Skirmish fire was quite ineffective until they were fairly close to their target.
On the other flank, the two opposing archer units opened fire upon one another at extreme range (a basic to hit chance of 10%, each stand rolling a d10). Since both were unarmored and shieldless, and even though both units had moved, there was actually a 20% chance for each stand to hit. The Normans rolled well, inflicting two casualties on the Saxons while they in turn inflicted one on the Normans. That action ended the turn.
Turn three found both of us feverishly placing our allowed number of Action Order markers on the most critical units. The Saxon player opted to give Defend orders to the thegns on the flank facing the raging Norman fanatic cavalry (this order reflects the men locking shields, planting spear butts into the ground and in general getting physically and psychologically prepared to receive an attack). We then each rolled a die each to see which side would move first during the Tactical Movement Phase (those troops within Engagement Range). The Norman (me) won and chose to go first. Charges are simultaneous, so all charge orders were revealed and acted upon first.
The Norman fanatic heavy cavalry required no orders (upon moving up to within their normal movement range of the Saxons, fanatics immediately become frenzied and are required to attack the nearest enemy unit), and charged up the low hill into the waiting thegns.
The Norman cavalry and the spear unit continued to move toward the Saxons on the hill, while the left flank archer unit had been given Defend orders enabling them to get the steady fire bonus. The Saxon player had used his orders to bolster his troops on the hill and to move the reserve Danish foot unit to cover the vacated hill spot left by the Saxon archers. Once all movement was finished, we moved on to missile fire.
During the Missile Fire Phase, the opposing archer units exchanged fire with one another and the Normans outshot the Saxons, forcing them to take a morale test (once a unit loses a complete stand, it must take a morale test and the Saxons had now lost a stand of figures). The Saxon rolled poorly. Calling on the Gods of War, the Saxon player re-rolled (I allow one re-roll of a bad die roll per turn, as both of us purchased a priest figure) and rolled worse than before! The Gods were not with the Saxons this time. The archers were forced to Retreat in fragmented condition (the next state worse than disorder). The Norman skirmish infantry archers managed to get off a volley, incredibly inflicting two casualties on the thegns (the archers had received Defend orders, which allowed them a "steady fire" bonus). So far, things were going well for the Normans.
During the Close Combat Phase, the Norman fanatics frantically tried to break through the thegns. I figured that since they were in wedge, and thus counted both stands as fighting in the initial round of combat, that they had a real good chance of punching a hole through the heavy infantry, already hurt by archer fire. But due to the fact that the Saxons were uphill, in shieldwall, and had Defend orders, the Norman fanatics inflicted only one casualty on them, not enough, along with the archer hits, to remove a stand and force a morale test or allow a break through. The Saxons also inflicted one casualty on the Normans, so the close combat was a "lock", with each side doing the same number of hits. The Norman wedge flattened out, became disordered and things looked very bleak for the fanatics. They could not Retreat, as fanatics may never voluntarily quit a close combat, so were stuck in a poor situation against fatally superior numbers.
Feeling that I had to take advantage of the Saxon loss in firepower, due to the Saxon archers having to Retreat last turn, I gave Charge Action Orders for an attack straight up the hill for everyone within range. Two Norman cavalry units and the spear unit were committed to the attack. The Saxon player gave his front three units on the hill Defend orders and waited. Defend orders also prevent your unit from pursuing or following up an enemy which is pushed back, retreats or routs. It is the only way to avoid having to leave a good tactical position if your opponent runs away. The Normans had to literally outkill their opponents to have a chance at winning. The initiative dice were rolled, the Norman won again and opted to go first, declaring my charges for those units with Charge Action Orders.
I decided that I would try to get my heavy cavalry worked up into a state of frenzy, in order to get the close combat bonus that went with crazed attackers. This is not a given. For each of my desired units, I had to roll a d10, attempting to roll the unit's unmodified morale To Pass number or higher in order to get them frenzied. The veteran heavy cavalry each had an 80% to succeed. Both rolls were horrible. Neither unit made it to the enemy lines, instead halting 1" away in a milling, disordered state (they had both rolled '2', meaning they had failed their morale by one. Charging troops, which fail, by one halt, disordered 1" from the enemy!). Pleading with the Gods, I fervently grasped the ten-sided die and re-rolled the left-hand cavalry unit. This time I rolled a "7", so they passed and rode into the Saxon huscarls...frenzied.
If that wasn't bad enough, the spearmen did not even get up enough steam to make it to the enemy lines. Their charge halted just short of the fyrd position (charges, retreats and routs are all unknowns, you roll a die and add the appropriate additional allowance to an established movement amount). They also stood in impotent uselessness, disordered (chargers which fail to contact are disordered) and at the mercy of the Saxons if they chose to come off the hill next turn. The Saxon fyrd units, both seeing chargers of better armor class thundering towards them, were required to take a morale test. Even though the attacks fell short, the fyrd still had to test as for all they knew, they were soon to be ridden down. The Saxon player begged for and got his required To Pass rolls.
The Norman archers, the only other unit able to move (limited by four orders per turn, the Norman had seven units, so some were left orderless each turn), marched up to close range of the fyrd and prepared to fire at point blank range. During the Missile Fire Phase, they inflicted three hits on the fyrd, not enough to remove a stand. The skirmisher archers on the other flank again fired ineffectually at the thegns (again, they did not receive Action Orders so could not get the benefit of a Defend order). Cursing, I could only watch in pain as the close combat phase occurred.
Having won the initiative, I began the Close Combat Phase on my left, where I thought had a chance, as the right-most melee, where my disordered fanatics were fighting many, many thegns, would be a total disaster. The thegns, overlapping the Normans on both sides, now counted all the stands as eligible to fight, where the Norman unit could now only could fight with the front rank stand.
The successfully charging, frenzied heavy cavalry wedge crashed into the huscarls. We each rolled a die 6 for our random factors and the Saxons were up by 1. My Normans managed to inflict two casualties on the Saxons, who only did one to the cavalry. The Saxons fell back, disordered, and the Normans followed, falling out of wedge in disorder as well. This was as good as it got. The Norman heavy cavalry fanatics, outnumbered 6-1 and overlapped on both sides, broke and ran as they lost a stand and their morale failed (they had minuses for being fragmented with two disorder markers, a stand lost and unsupported). The skirmishers, seeing their best troops fly by in panic, followed suit. The Norman spearmen, already in bad shape (being disordered for failing to charge home as well as unsupported) had little hope for survival when the exuberant thegns, seeing their enemies running away, pursued right into them. The spearmen failed their morale test for being charged by heavier armoured opponents and joined the rest of the flank swarming from the field. The game was over.
Afterwards, the Saxon player questioned the wisdom of charging at extreme range. I had to agree. It is always better to move up to as close as possible to be certain the attack will go in instead of taking chances. Also, I would have been smarter to have directed my main assault initially against the weakest part of the Saxon line, the center--and why were these poor quality fyrd in the center of the army? Because the general was right next to them and both flanks were secure. Add the uphill factor and the poor morale fyrd were as effective as veterans.
This was a simple, one-command game. Usually, we play three or four commands and upwards of 18-24 units per side in 2 1/2 to 3 hours to a decisive conclusion. It does, however, give you an idea of how the game flows and allows you to see the importance of supporting and preparing your attacks. My army was technologically superior in every way, yet lost because of poorly timed attacks and lack of foresight. Learn from my experience as I did. Play a game and see how rewarding MEDIEVAL WARFARE can be. <
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Armerclad Services by Morcar...9/4/99