l4

Three Norman Battles, ll4l to 1143

1: LINCOLN
by StephenSimpson
INTRODUCTION €apturedby tbe king s forces(seeWargameslllustrated no.15).
prisonerswereexchanged
In Wargames lllustrated no.ls I described the siege of The two illustrious andthe conflict
Winchesterin 1141.In this seriesI am descibingthreemore began again. Matilda took her anny to OxIord andplundered
wargame the surrounding countryside. Stephen advanced to Oxfordand
scenariosofNorman battlesfought in Englandin King
foughta batrleto clossthe dver and enterthe €ity. This river
Stephen's reign.
The Normanperiodhasso muchmoreto offer thanjusr the crossing is the subjectofthe secondscenario. Aftersuccesstully
Battle of Hastings.In the 88 yearsof the four Noman kings ertering Oxford Stephen besieged Matilda in Oxford castle.
After a siegeof seveialmonthsshemanagedto escape.
therewerea numberofbattlesin thiscountryaswell ason rhe
continent.Some oI these are docurnentedwell erough in In June1143Stepbenwasat Wilton strengthening the casrle
when Earl Robert appeared outside the town with an arny.
chronicleswrilten ar rhe time ro providetrargames scendrios.
Thesechronicles are well worth readingsincethey areprimary Stephen advan€ed tomeet him with his amy, butwas defeated.
This batdeof Wilton is the subiectof the third scenario.The
sour€es andby readingthem you cange. directlyin touchwith
civil war continued-One chroniclepaintsa vivid pictureoI
the Normanperiod.I havelistedthe oneswhichI haveus€din
ny References andyou couldprobablyget themthroughyour
England at that time: 'At this tine England began to be
local library. I have produced rny wargamescenariosalmost trcubled in manydiffercnt vlzys;on the oneside to be very hard
pressedby the king and his stpporters, on tbe other to be most
straight{rom the chronicleswhich I haveread,ba€kedup by
violently afilicted by the Ea ot Gloucester; sometimes to
rcfercnceto secondarysources.In this way I have tried to
endurc the fuious attacks of one party. sometimes the
recrcatethe feelof the Normanperiod,ratherthangivernyself
ahistorylesson.Wherepossible,Ihavetriedto quotefrom the unbidled nge of the other; but alwaysznd everwhere to be in
chroniclesso that you can see what lhe medievalauthon a twmoil and to be teduced to a deseft.' (GS)
This low point ofEngland\ historyis,l'm sure,not aswidely
acluallywrote aboutthesebattles.
I hav€includedmyownrulesafterthescenarios appreciated as it could be. War devastatedthe country,
sincetheyare
part and parcel oI the way in which I have des€ribedthe panicularly in the south.Siegeswere common.All three of
wargames these scenarios are €entredaround castles.The scopefor
of thebattles.You will seethatmy armiesonlyhavea
*argamingis immense,borhfor campaigns andlargerbattles,
limitednumberof trooptypes.This is partlydueto the lackof
as well as for innumerableskirmishesof all sons.
hardfactin thechronicles andpartlybecause in rnakingmyown
rulesI wasmostconcemedwith the overallway in whi€hthe
battlesactuallyhappened. ratberthangettingtooboggeddown
LINCOLN 1141
with details.My aim basalwaysbeenlo achieveplayableand Lincolnh the mostinierestingofStephenhbatttesandit is the
enjoyables€enarios basedascloselyaspossibleon rheodginat onefor whichthe mostinforrnationis available.At the endof
chronicles.Feelfree lo adapl lhe scenano.to suil )our own 1140 Earl Ranulf of Chester and his brother William of
RoumarecapturedLincoln casrleby a lrick. When Stephen
heardof their treacheryhe hurriedno(hwardswilh an almy
THE BATTLES andbesieged the castle.Ranulfescaped andsetaboutraisinga
All threebattlesare from Stephen'sreign in the three yeals relief a.my, including troops ofhis own earldom anda bodyof
from 1141to 1143.Thesewereamongstthe toughestofhis 19 Welsh spearmer. He also applied toEarl Robert ofcloucester
yearsas king. I have a soft spot for Stephen- and not jusr for help. Robert was bis father-inlaw and since his daughter
b€cause he is my ramesake.He seemsto havebeena likeable was stilt in Lincoln castle he roo raised an army. This consisred
ofhis own followen and a force of 'Disinherited, - thosewhose
character,who despitebeingdealta bad handby fate,played
the gane for all he wasworth. His mainenernywashis Aunt landshadbeenforfeitedto the king because of their a egiance
Maiilda. As the only srviving child of Henry I she was ro the rebeh. The conbined rebel arrny was probabtynot aI
consideredby many peopleto be the naturalheiressto rhe lhat large because it was assembled in the dead of winterover
throne.Chiefamongthesewasher half-brotherRoben.Earl of Iong distances and was nill able to reach Lincotn readyto give
Gloucester. Throughoutmuchof hisreignSrephenhad battle on 2 February.
to battle
with the manyheadedhydraofrebellion,eirherfrom Noman Theexactsiteof the batrleisunknownbur it wasDrobablvro
lhe wesror rhecil) on g'ound,loprng downlo u *ut.'.ortr.
baronsactingon their own accountor by othersaclingfor
Matilda.No marterhowhardhe ried rherewasalmostalways called the Fosdyke. King Stephen'. . . had sentforuardavery
unrestsomewhere in the kingdom.His eldestsonEustacedied strong body of knights and footmen ro stop rhem as.they
in 1153andultirnatelyhe wasforcedtoacceptHenry,Matilda's emerged from a ford . . . (cS), bur tbey were swepi asideby
son,ashisheir-HenrybecaneHenryII in 115.landwasrhefirsr the rebel army as it crossed over.The rebels formed up readyto
of th€ Plantaganets, advance on the city and Stephen's army formed up outside of it,
but that, as they say,is anotherstory. 'The armiesrnetnearrhe
The first batdeis Lincoln,foughton 2 Februar/ 1141.This ready to meet them. city, and being
was againstEarl Roben of cloucesier and Earl Ranutf of clrawnup in order on both sides,baitle wasjoined.The king
Chester.Stephenwasdefeatedand captured.But laterin the dividedhis army into three bodies,and the sameorder was
yearthe rebelswere defeatedat Winchesterand Robertwas observedonthe otherside.' (OV)
 15
Thereis a wealthof informationin the chronicles, but not a although'. . . the king'sown anny wasvery large . . .(HH),
systematic blow by blow accountof the battle. However.by the'. . . forceofcavalryappeared belowstrength.'(HH) There
inlerlockingthe delails from each chronicle a reasonably is no statementof actualnumbers,but bearingin mind thal il
accuratepictureof the disposilions ofthe two amies andofthe waswinter and thal both sideswere assembled in a hurry, I
battlei.selfcanbe built up. suggest thatStephen hadanarmyofaround5,000nenwhile the
Srephentarmy:'He himselfrookup rhecenrreposirionin rebelswerenearer6,000. Thetwo wargameamieswhichl used
lhe midstof a hostofnailed knights,whoweredisnountedand for the battle are as follows(at a scaleof 1:40):
drawn up in closefomation.' (HH) In fronl of this infantry
werelwo bodiesofcavalry.onecomposedofamixtureofearh
and the other commanded by William of Ypres.
RanulfandRobert:'lnlike manner,Ranulf,Earl ofChester,
with his cavalry.also dismounted,and encouraged the bold
infantryofChestertothework of slaughter.(OV)This infantry
alsohad two bodiesof cavalryin front, one consisting of the
'Disinhented'andthe otherunderthe commandofRobert. ln
Iront oI his cavalrywerethe Welshmen.
The battle opered with a fierce charge by the rebels Not€s
'Disinherited'agaiflstthe king's'Earls'.The'Earls'werenot a 1. All troopsareB class(average)excepttheWelshwhoareC
cohesiveforce and the 'Disinhented'nea.t business.They class(belowaverage).Thereare no archels.
brokethroughlhebodyofthe Earls' . . . with suchforcethatit 2. The royal army is uphill.
wasscattered. asir were.in theiwinklingofanyeyeanddivided 3. The opening phase of the battle should be with the
'Disinherited'and'Earls'chargingeachother,whilewilliam of
into three.For someof thernwereslain,otherslakenprisoner
and yet otherslook lo flight. (HH) Ypres chargesthe Welsh.The Welshshouldreallybe beaten
On the oiher flank, the cavalryof'. . . Willian of Ypres quite quicklyso that Ypresploughson into Robeft'scavalry.
chargedthe Welshastheywereadvanc;ngon the flank andput 4. Bearingin mind that €ommandenand leaden hold vital
theln to flight.' (HH) They mustthen haveengagedRoberts placesin ny rules(seelater) I haveusedthem to balancethe
cavalry.but not Ior longbecause'.. . the forcesofthe Earl of battle in favour of the rebels.Only Robert of the two rebel
Chesterdrovebackthistroopofhorsernenandit wasscatlered commanders actuallycountsas a commanderat the beginning
of the game(Ranulfcountsas a leader).However,if Robe(
in a noment like the first line.' (HH)
becomesa casualtythen Ranulf can take over ascornnander
The wholerebelarmynow attackedStephen.And so King immediatelywithout
therebeinganyoveralllossof mntrol or
Stephenwas left alone wilh his infantry in the midsrof the morale.On Stephen\sidethe 'Earls'do not countashavinga
enemy.Thelatterencircled theroyalarmyandattackedir from commanderwithin rangeor any leaderfor moralepurposes,
all sides,as if they were assaultinga castle.Thenceforththe This reflectsthei poor cohesionasa unit. If you do not usemy
battle was seento rage horribly aroundthe royal defences, rulesyou shouldensurethat your rulestake into accountthe
helnetsandswordsgleamedasthey clashed,andthe dreadful rebelssreaterconrrolandmoralein thi\ batllE.
noisere echoedfrom the hills andtbe wallsof the city. (HH)
Stephenhimself'. . . foughtwith sreatcourage. . .'(OV) and
'. . . he neverceaseddealingheavyblowswilh hisswordanda
Nonvegian battle-axe- . .'(OV) Eventually.he'. . . felltothe
groundon beingsruck by a stone. . . (HN) He was taken \\'-
prisonerandthebatilewassoonover.Therebelssackedthe city @ , ^ ('
of Lincoln. \\ "o
Why did Stephenlose?This seemsbasicallyto havebeen (,-.r\
becausehis cavalryran awry beforehis infantrygot into the t\\.'
fight and lhis featureof the batlle must be reflectedin the
wargam€.The 'Earls' appearedto have had no real leader. :
Thereis flo obviousreasonfor the defeatof Williamof Ypres.
exceptthatheprobablywenttoo far intotherebelarmywithout
supporl.MaybeSrephen's infantrywerealreadypinneddown Whenrefighting Lincoln there is everychancethat Stephenwill
But thereis
by thevictoriousDisinherited'lhusallowingtherebelsto throw stilllosein exactlyth€samewayasheoriginallydid.
alsoa goodchanceof a twistin the tail ifhis cavalrycanholdon
their infantryagainstYpres'sforce.The rebelswereobviously
longenoughforthe inlantryto getstuckin andpreventhisarmy
very determinedandthereis a suggestion ;n rhechronicles that from beingdefeatedpiecemeal-
someofStephen's earlswerea bit lukewarnin theirenthusiasm
for the battle. Next monlh: Oxford, 1142,

THE FORCES
As to thesizesofthe armies.that is difficultto determine.The
chroniclestonot seemtoag.eeoverlhelitlle informationwbich
they provide.The rebelswere saidto have - . . assembled
vastbodyofmen underarms . . . (OV) The bestknightsand
men-at-arms werein the king s armyi but 1beenemyoutnum-
beredthen in infantryand the welsh levies.'(OV) However,
lllicit ARMS
lLLlCff A.RMS: Point B ond oniMtoB al Notpn?t
a fiAw.t.nott t.al.s ahd p.dod! t th. tusnar shdaxrs,
Fd d.bits,Elephore Tr.ror, (08687) 228i6, o yd a
SA E or 2 I R C t Jor tun'p|. aid lil6, latins
i^t.r.es, to luicit Am,6 OauandAv. , Duzonnon,
Co.Trron N.L.BT70IAC,
l2

Three Norman Battles, ll4l to 1143

2: OXFORD
by StephenSimpson

oxFoRD ll42 theycouldnot be got aroverthe river.Theywereobviouslynol

ln June1142Earl Robertsailedio Normandyto askfor help preparedforbattle andI suggest thatthe rebelsaredividedwith
frorntbe Countof Anjou. In hisabsence most near the ver and the rest startingnearerthe city.
Stephenembarkedon
a brilliantcampaign.He capturedWarehamvillageandcastle The presence of the rebel archers seemsto havestimulated
and went on to demolishthe castleat Cirencester. Then he Stephen to rapid and effective action. I believethat archersare
not a panicularly important part of Normanarmies.Thereis no
stormedthe castleat Bamptonand receivedthe sunerder of
Radcotcastle.All thesecastleswere held by the rebels.This referenceto them in the detailedaccountsof the battle of
effectivelycut rebel communications with the continentand Lincolnandit is my beliefthattheywerenot ableto decisively
very quickly
isolatedMatildawhowasat Oxford.Oxfordseems to havebeen affectbattleswhi€hnormally cameto closecombat
'Now (perhaps partly as a resull ofa need to get out of archery fire!)
a toughnutto crack.lt wasdescribed asfollows: Oxfordis
For this reason I normally leave them out of my armies 'rntess
a city very securelyprotected.inaccessible because of the very
d€epwaterthat washesit allround. mostcarefullyencircledby their presenceis dictatedby the scenarioof the battle,since
the palisadeof an outworkon one side,andon anotherfinely otherwisethey often slow down the real actionl At Oxford
to ensurethat Stephen
andverystronglyfortifiedby an impregnable castl€anda tower archersare requiredon the rebel side
gets on with the action. Tbey may even havehad an adverse
of greatheight.'(GS)
The battlewason 26 Septemberand beganwhen'. . . the effect on the rebels by fixing their attention on the portionof
king approachedwilh a large and well-trainedarmy and Stephen's arrny directly over the river so that they did not see
the rest of his army on their flank until it was too late.
app€aredsuddenlyon the other side of the river.' (GS) The
rebelsadvdnced fromtheciryand'. . . weredoingveD grierous I do not know the commanden and leaders on either side
harmto his men from the other sideof the iver by vigorous apart from Stephen. Maybe the rebels were commanded by
archery. . .' (GS) when Stephenwas shown . . an old,'. Brien fitz Count of nearby wallingford who was a very firm
extremelydeepford. . .'(CS).Heplunsedinailheheadofhis suppo er ofMatilda. At a scaleof1:40thesearethe suggested
troopsand on crossing'.. . turiouslychargedtbe enemy,and
compelling themto retreatto the gatesof the cityjoinedbattle RoyalA.my
wirb themwith thegreatestspirit. (GS).Asrberestofhisarrny 1. 2 leaders Amoured Infartry 15
crossedthe river lhe rebelsfled into th€ city throughthe city UnarmouredInfantry 10
gales.Thegateswereleft openandStephen's almyenteredthe
city mingledwilh fleeing rebels and sackedit. He closely 2. King Stephen ArmouredCavalry 28
besieged the castlewith Matilda in il for sornetine, knowing (commander)plus
2 leaders
that if she was captured his kingdom would be secure.
Unfonunatelyshehad a luckyescape,beinglet downfrom the 3. 2 leaders ArmouredInfantry 15
castletowerbyropesandwearingwhitefordisguise in thesnow, Unarnouredlnfantry 15
she escapedto nearbyWallingford.Shortly after the castle
Total 83
ThisbattlemakesaDintriguingwargame.The king'. . . was x40 = 3320
saidto havea thousandknightsand more . . .' (HN) and so
RebelArmy
includingthe rest of his army on this victoious campaignhe
A. Brien fitz Count ArmouredCavalry 20
probablyhada totatofaround3300men.Matildacannothave (commander)plus
hadmanymenwilh her afterthe debacleofWinchesterbut she 2 leaders
is still saidto havehad'. . . a magnificentbodyof troops. . .' B. 2 leaders ArmouredInfantry 20
(GS),soaforceof2200seemsaboul ght.It is not possible to be Unamoured Infantry 5
sureofthe exactlocationofthe battleandthe ford sincethere UnannouredArchers 10
are severalwatercourses includingthe Thamesto the westof
Oxford in th€ directionof Stephen'sapproachGee OS map Total
164).Oneis rightagainstthe casilewhichis too close.soit must ,,tO = ZZOO
havebeenoveranotherslightly furtherawaythat rhebatrlewas
fought.In developing the scenanoI haveignoredall the other
tlatercourses for the sakeof playabilityand clarity.The map 1 All lroopsare B class.
showsmy suggested dispositions. Theford shouldonlybe 2 or3 2- The baltleopenswith part ofStephen'sarmy (1) underfire
movesfromStephens army.Obviouslytherebelsdidnotknow fromtherebelarchers (B). AsI havesaidthearchersseernto
thatthefordwasthere.Matilda'.. .feltexcessiveconfid€ncein pin the rebelsas much as the royal army. Thereforeonly
herselfand her rnen . . - (GS) and maybethis led to men Slephen\armyparts(2) and(3)canmoveuntil thevanguard
leavingthecitywith itsgatesopen.presurnably in thebeliefthat of his cavalryhasjust crossedthe ford. Theneveryonecan
 lrc ^t'g ! rrfl/',r)k ./' t
litll onttt. tt) leh) ]n tht lo\.r ca .r , l.r ,)t r/t ,,.lref\ .lr l. t.r tunnnl! bt.l th Di th, r,'... f;-',,... r' ,.,,,,.
nlxnutitttDrt t t ) all pittt
l.tiln.J ht lan irr.t/.1 rr./ rrr,/rl)1.' r'x\I tn urL1hn. lh)nl lltttleln\intl

m o \ . . T h c d i s r r n c eb c r \ \ . c n l h . n \ o t r s o t l h c r . b c t r n n \
r s l b o u l ! c o u p i eo 1 c . r \ x l r \ m o \ c ! . I h e r e b c l i n f a n t r \ ( B )
c l n r r \ r n d l a c c l h e k i n c s a r m t o r r e t r e x rl o l h c c i t \
l ' " ' . r . r . r ' r " r r . t . . rr l. . ' r ' . . r . 1 ' . . ' r ' , ' , , : . r : h
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t r . s ' n n r n gt r f t e r S t e t h c n! c a \ r l r \ h t N e c ( \ \ c d r h e n l d r
This hclps rc srimulrrc rhc surfrise efiect of rhe ri\er

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r c u i e dr e b r l st l e . l o \ r a r d sl h e c i t \ . T h e g a l e sc r n n o t b e s h u r 0 tr=l
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S t c p h . n - sr n o p s r e a c h t h c - s a t c s i.n c l u d i n gi n p L r r s u xo f otr<l
r c u l ' n ! r c h . ! st h e n h e $ i n s t h e g a m c .
i T h . . c i s n o d e l a c h i n s f r o m m ; l a e sa l b $ c d ( s e e r u l e s l f i e r )
PATRICIAN
MINIATURES
T h i - .i s r c k r s er r d p o l c n l i a l h m c s s yb a l t l e . S i n c eS i e p h e ns
l r c t r c sa r . i u r l \ s t r a i g h l f o r \ x r dt h c o u t c ( n n ed e p e n d so n h o $ CompleteWargamesServices.
q u i c k l \ o r i f t h e r e b e l sc a n s e r t h . i r a c r t o e e t h e rt o d e l e a th i s Q u a l i t ) P a i n t i n gS e h i . . & T o ' O r d o - I e r r r i n s r . r i . r .
I i i r I h . B . s I A \ r 1 1 . ' h lh. r c k . l h \ . , P i , \ j r i L L S . J r L! !c. .1 f u f
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s e n dr n S . \ h 1 o . I I R ( . 1 l L ! L \ ' r l ; R h h ( . L I r l . g u . .
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36

Three Norman Battles, ll4l to 1143

3: WILTON
by StephenSimpson

WILTON 1143
In 1143Stephenandhisarmywerefortifyinga casdeat Wilton.
When Earl Robel heard of this he assembled an army and
marchedtodo battle.The batrlewasdescribed asfollows:'And
whentheking.arrayinghisarrnyin squadrons on bothflanksfor
baltle at closequarters,advancedfrom the town to meethim
lhe earl, in soldierlyfashion,carefullydividedthosehe had
broughtwith him into three bodiesof men closelypacked
logetherand heavilycharginghis opponentswith the greaaest
resolutioncompelledthekingto giveground. . . (GS).Mostof
the royal army were routed and Stephenand the Bishopof
Winchesterwere forced to flee as well. However.William
w l/
l/ lfa
^o

Martel, the king's steward,and his knights offered strong

resistance. Eventually.hey were overwhelmedand he and a
greatmanyotherswerelakenprisoner.Wilton,aswithLincoln
andOxford,wassacked.I haveonly thisone chroniclefor the
battleso thereis nol too muchto go on, but thereis enoughto
developa reasonable wargamescenario. 1. All troopsare B classand the rebel arrnyis uphill.
I suggeslthat Robertwascomingfrom the directionof his 2. The naned leadersare thosementionedin the chronicleas
powerbase al Bistol. This meansthat he wouldprobablyhave beingpresent at the battle(GS).Theyarenot likely to be in
iheir correclplacesbecauseI haveno informationon this-
arrivedno hwestof the town where he would havehad the
The Bishopof Winchestermay not havebeena leaderas
advantage of highergroundas he advancedtowardsStephen suchat all.
GeeOS map 184).Both armiesappearto havehadtime to be 3. Thereare two riversaroundWilton but sincethey are not
properly organised.The reference1o squadronsprobably mentionedas affectingthe battle or the rout, I haveonly
meanscavalry,with by implication,infantryin thecentre.Since usedrhemro mark the edgesof the battlefield.
Robertwasalsoorganised in rhreebodiesit seemslikelythathe
hada sinilarformalion.In the absence of anyguideto numbers The rebelshavean advantage in that they are uphill andsince
lsuggest4400perside,alihoughifanythingI feelthatthisis an ihey wonthe original batde I havegiven them3 extraleadersio
over-estimate. In any casethereis nothingto suggestthat the help their cohesion and morale. Otheruise, thisis a fairly ev€n
sideswere particularlyunequal,soI decidedthatthetwoarmies battleand no lessexcitingthanthe other two scenarios for ihat.
shouldbe rherame.Ar a scdleol L:40rhe l$o armie\are as
INTRODUCTIONTO THE RULES
RoyalArmy Therearea numberof battlesbetweenNormanarmiesthatcan
1. Bishopof winchesterAmouredCavalry 20 be recreatedaswarganes.In thesethreeI havelried to givea
(leader) flavourofwhatthe Norrnanpeiod canoffer.The ruleswhi€hI
2. King Stephen Armouredlntantry l5 haveus€dto refighlthesebattlesaremy own andsotheamies
(commander)plus Unarmouredlnfantry 35 in pa icularlnayneedto be modifiedto suityourown rules.I
2 leaders feel thar it would be usetulto describemy rules here,parrly
3. William Manel 20 be€ause they werespeci{ically designedfor theserefights(and
(leader) othefs) and pa ly becausethey may have some interesling
featureswhich evolvedasI graduallycreatedthemovera senes
Total Il0 ofbaules. You naythinklhemabitcumbersome. andin places
*.to-T"..-
4400 indeedrheyare.But theydo helpto recreatetheebbandflow of
RebelArmy a confusedmcl6ewhich is what nany Normanbattlesboiled
A. Milesof Hereford ArmouredCavalry 20 downto,andwhichlwas tryingto recreare andinvestigate. The
(leaders)plus 1 leader mostinterestingfeaturesare:
B. Robei of GloucesterArmouredInfanlry 35 1 A mechanism thal allowsfor menon bothsidesto run away
(commander) UnarrnouredInianlry 35 from a melaeat lhe sametime in largeor smallnumbe$.I
Willian of Salisbury believethat both armiesin a battlewouldweardownin this
(leader) plus2 leaders way beforeone sidegainedthe upperhand.
Cavalry
C. Robertfitz HildebrandArmoured 20 2. Theuseofleadersandlhecommanderprovides a simpleway
(leader)plus I lead€r ofrefleclingthemoraleandcohesionofan amy. Bygivinga
Total It0 smallsidernoreleadersthana largersideI havemanagedto
achieveoneoftbe elusiveobjectives ofwargames, thatis the
"40 = 4400 wargamewherea smallarmy candefeala largearmy.
 31

trt IRREGLILARMINIATURES
ARK R().\D. N()R I ()\. \IALI Otr_.\.l
LTD
ORliS YOlt !r!.A T[L. (06]3)6!t693
Ig

!-i$iat;;in1ni OUT NowrrThe lrreeular Miniaru.€sAncie.r Rule s.r t2 40.if yo! santto.omnand 10.10units.
rllsslrrnishers.nd say.a do.€n el.ph.nGands€td.ath or elory In t hours.th.nr€ad6n. The
*q!....rorea.h lurn rhc only oth€r htorb.don you ned ls ldated on !h€ A{ Intoductory pa€c.
lJ-!B(ll]1 . an.ienrs staner Pa.r. Ruresa

,1

:l
l$
;i

ti
li:

;ii
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38

I haveincludeda workedexampleto illustratethecrucialm€lee Removewholelost units,otherwisekeepa runningtotal of

part of the rules. figurelossesagainsteachtrooptypein eachmCl6euntil
a whole
unit canbe removed.

THE RULES Nots, on M6l6es

Fieure5 1. On secondandsubsequent tumsa mercecanbeextendedby
l unit on eachflank(a totalof2 for eachopposinggroup).A
I used5mm,but 15mmwould be fine. Figuresare nounted in
$oup must stay2 ranksdeep,so eventuallythe side with
unitsof 4 cavalryor 5 infantrywith the samefrontage(in one largernumberswill wraproundtheother.It alsomeansthal
separatemCl6es (andgroupt cane.d up merginginto one.
All lroop typesarea combinationof B orC class,armouredor After beingtully extendedcasualties cancauseonesideto
unarmoured,archeror not. becomelessthan2 ranksdeep.Thisis alrightandis catered
Cavalryare l7r points,so one cavalryunit is 6 points. forin the moralerules.Alternativelythe groupcancontract
Infantryare I point. so one infantryunit is 5 points. to a maximumof2 ranksdeep.Theenemystaysin contactof
Always remenber this becausethe points valueis usedfor
calculationsin severalplacesin lhe rules.
Armies are organisedin usually3 or 4 groupsof units. Each 2. After 2 full turnsofmCl6eonesidecantry andbreakawayor
group can be a mixtur€ of different iypes of units (seethe detachfrom the other(€xceptthatinfantrycanneverdetach
from cavalry).Throwoned10:Cavalryneed1to 9 to break
awayfrom infantry.
Orde. of GameTu.n InfantryagainstinfantryandcavalryagainsicavalryneedI
to 7 to breakaway.
2. Archery
3. Mel6es 3. Whenonesidedetaches from a m€l6ethe othersidethrows
4. Conmanders/leaders one d10 to seeif it hasto (or is allowedto) puFue:
5. Morale A 1 meansit doesfor 2 tums.
A 2 or 3 meansit doesfor I tum. OtheNise there is no
l. Movement
Armouredlnfantry 8cm Detachingfrorna mel6eis usuallytakenasa signofdefeat.
Unarmouredlnfantry 10cm
Cavalry 12cm 4. The chargebonus is allowedeven when troops join an
lnfantry + 2cm whencharging.cavalry+ 3cm. existingmCl6e.providingthevendthechargein contactwith
Archersmay movea maximumofa half moveand slill shoot.
Rivencannotbecrossed, but fordscanbecrossed al halfspeed.
4. Commanders/leaders
2. Arche.y Commanders or leaderswith unitsunder archeryor in mCl6e
Archerscanshootin up lo 2 ranks.For eachunir throw a d6. canbecomecasuahies:
At long range.12 to 24cm,subtract.lfrom eachdie.
Al short range,under 12cm,subtract3 hon eachdie_ M6l6e A.chery
The .emainderare potentialcasualries. Throw a dlo for eachleader 9 = Wounded Wounded
10 = Killed Wounded
SavingThrows Throw a d20for each commander 19 = Wounueu
For eachpotentiaicasualtyof archeryor rnel€ethrow one d6. 20 = Killed Wounded
Unarmouredtroopsneeda 5 or a 6 to be saved.
Armouredtroopsneeda .1.5 or 6 to be saved. Beingwoundedonly appliesfor the rnoralerest(if any)in the
Otherwisethey are casualries.

3. M€l€es Conmandersare ahraJsavailablefor moralepurposes.but

Mel€esoccur when opposingtroops advanceor chargeinto theycanelectro beactivein a mel6eor not. If theyareno1active
contact.In the first turn only 1 rank canIight. For subsequent thenthe +1 mCI6efactoris not allowed(seemCt€es). But, they
tums, count 2 ranks.Add up the rotat pointsfor rhe figures can only becomecalualtiesif they are acrive.This tules will
eligibleto fighi (infantryI point. cavatrylyr poinrt for-each rellectthe temperament of the wargarner-An acti\'ecomman,
side. der in an evenrnCldecan tip the balancein favourof his own
Then.for eachunit eligibleto fightaddorsubtractrhefollowing side,aslong as he doesnot becomea casualtyin the proces!.
pointsto or from the total: Leadersdo not havethis option.
Charging -t Ifa comnanderorleaderiskilled.thenasanoptionhecanbe
Uphill +1 Artackinsovera ford -l capturedinstead (which for rhe purposesof the wargame
Commander in melee +l Cctasq I amountsto lhe samething).Any comnanderor leaderwith a
Gee Commandersileaders below) forcewhichis wipedout is killedor caplured.Any commander
orleaderNitha forcewhichroutsmal,escapeorbe captured.I
Dividethetotalfigureby 5 androunddown.Throwthisnunber usea d6 with evenchancesro decideanyofrhesepossibililies.
ot averagediceand add up the total. Divide this by 2 and the They help the \rargamerro take a vened interest in his
rnswerls the numberof pointsof potentialenemycasuatties. personalityfiguresand help to reflectthe fortunesof the real
Apportion thesepotentialcasualiiesas eventyas Dossible personalities in ihe scenarios.
umongirhedrlferenr lrooprype.of rheenemyunirsrnd rhen
applysomesavingthrows.Bear in mind thar while I poinl is I 5. Morale
infantryfigure.a cavalryfigureis wonh 17rpoints.Thoseihat
are not savedare casualties_ 1. Whenthereis no uns,oundedleadero. commanderin rhe
 39
nel6e or group underarchery. dividedby lyr). The savingthrowsare 6, 4, 5, I so
2. When 10%of pointsvalueof a group is lost in one tum. only onefigureis actuallylost.Afrer dicethrowsfor
3 Whena groupin a m€l6eis outnumberedby a pointsvalueof cornnander/leader casualties whicharenegativeand
2:1or more. since1t, pointsout of24 is lessthanl0%, thecavalry
do not baveto test morale.
Add up the followingfactorsfor eachside which hasto test
moralein eachmeleeor Broupunde'!rchery: lnfantry- ylofthe unitsarearmoured,sorheytakeyi ofthe 12
Killed more pointsthan lost in mel6erhis tum +1 pointscasualties whichis 3. Savingthrowsare5,3,4
In at least2 ranks +1 so they have I figure losr. 7a of the units are
Commandernot killed or captured(evenif wounded) +2 unarmoured,so they rake 7a of the 12 points
For eachleaderin mCl€eor with group(evenifwounded) +1 casualtieswhichis9. Savingthrows are6,5,5,3,4,1,
Comnandernot kill€d. woundedor capruredthis rurn 2 2,5,6 so they have4 figureslost- Neitherrype of
For each leaderin mCl6eor wirh group killed. wo'rndedor infantry have any casualtiescanied forward frorn
capturedthis tum -1 prevroustumssono unitsareremoved.But5 figures
No comnander,and no leaderin n€l6e or with group -3 lost(4 + 1) is still5 out of25 whichis 25%, whichis
Over half B classin mCl€eor group +1 enoughfor a morale test. The die throw for the
Enemywilhin 10cm.includingin m€l6e -l cornnandercasualtyis nega.ive.
No enemyin contaci +2
At leastbalf poinlsvaluein mCl6eor group ar€ cavalry +1 Infantry In two ranks+1, Commanderpresent+2, Over
Outnurnbered by at least2:1 pointsor grerter in mCl6e -1 moraletest halfB class+1. Enemywirhin10cm-1,20% lost
or Ouhunbered by at leas13:1pointsor grearerin mCl6e -2 thisturn-2. Thisgivesatotalof +1. Theaverage
For each10% poinlslost by group rhislurn -1 dicethrowfor +/-l givesa +1 whichgivesa final
total of +2. This meansthat the 3 unarmoured
Throw 2 averagedice (onecountingplusandthe otherIninus) unitsof infantryrour_
for a potenlialmodifierof + 1or I depending on rhedifference
in Ihe dicescores(or nothingif borhdiceare the same).Then This srnallexamplesgivesa ratherdrasticresult,but if rhere
comparetbe resultwith the fouowingrable: w€resay20 unitsper sidethe resulrwould still havebeenth€
+5 or over OK same(or nearlythesame)sothat the20unirson onesidewould
+4 havereducedto 17.In thisway one or both sideswouldwear
+3 2 unitsrout downgraduallyuntiladecisivemCl6etumwasreachedandone
+2 3 units .out
+1
0 Half unitsrout (or at least5 units,whichever
is the most) REFERENCES
All unitsin group roul The main referencesare these:
1. (CS) GestaStephani (The Deeds of Stephen) tanslaredby K.
Noteson Morale R. Pot.er (published by Thornas Nelson and Sons Ltd,
1 All rouled unils are permanentl)lost. 19ss).
2. The lessertrooptypesalwaysrout firsr,thatisCclassbefore 2. (HN) H istoria N ove a b) w i iam of M almesbury, rr anst^ted
B class, then unarmouredbefore amoured and then by K. R. Porter(publishedbyThomasNelson andSonsLtd,
inlantry beforecavalry. l9s5).
3. I{ in a mCl6eall the opposingunits run away. rhen the 3. (HH) Henry of Huntingdon:someevenrsof rhe reign of
winninggroupstillhaveto restto seeifthey haveto pursue Stephendescribed in "The Historyof theEnglish"(C. 1154)
the dispersedfugitives(seeNoteson M€l€eno3) translatedby T. For€srer (London, 1853), in t,1grnft
4. lf lroopsare surroundedwhenrhe!'areforcedto rout then HistotialDocumentsVolumeII 1042-1189 editedby D. C.
they surrenderinstead. Douglasand G. W- creenaway(Eyrc Merhuen,1981).
5. Thereareno 'ulesco!eringdi\o'ganr,ation. 4- (ov) Ecclesiastiul History of Ensland and Normandy by
Oderic8 Vitalis, tdlanslated by ThomasForester (Henry c_
M6ldeExampl€ Bohn,l-ondon, 1853).
On the secondround of a mCl€e,there are foul units of 5. Warfarcin England 1066-1189 by John Beeler (Comell
armouredcavalryin 2 ranksagainstI unit ofarmouredinfanrry UniversityPress.1966).
and3unitsofunarmoured infantry(ahoin 2 rankt. Thecavalry 6. Ordnance Srney Landmnger Maps nos. 164 Oxford and
have I commanderand I leader. The infantry have 1 sunoundingareaand 184SalisburyandThe Plain,both 17a
conrnander.All troops are B class.Both sideshave their inchesto 1 mile.
commanderactivein the mel6eaDdlhe cavalryare upbill.
Other usefulreferences whichI usedare:
Cavalry 4 units@6 poinrs: 24points,+ 4forcommanderin 7- TheAnglo-SaxonChrorrclerranslatedby c. N. carmons-
mCl6eand + 4 for being uphill = 32. 32 dividedby 5 and way (J. M. Dent andSonsLtd. Everyman'sLibmry, 1984).
roundeddown = 6 averagedice. a. Nornan Costlesin Britain by Derek Renn (John Baker
Inlantry-4units@5points = 20points. + 4forcommander= Publishe's Lld. lqTJ).
24. 24 dividedby 5 and roundeddown : 4 averagedice. 9. The Saxon and Norman (irar by Christopher Brooke
(Fonlan,/collins,1984).
Cavalry throw5.2..1.4,5,4which givesa totalof24.24divid€d
b) 2 givesl2 poinlspotenrial ca.uatties
on lhe intanrry.
Infantrythrow4.3,3,2which giv€salotalof 12.t2dividedby2
gives6 pointspotentialcasualties on rhe cavatry.

Cavalry- 6 pointscasualties
is 4 potentialfigurecasuathes
(6