Saturday, July 10, 2021

Battle of Lubeck 1396 AD

As promised here is a FOG 300 AAR from the Battle of Lubeck.  This was the first time I have tried a remote game so there are few pictures (and no action shots).

The Irish mercenary Earl Thomas Worden has descended upon the hinterlands of the Hansa with Queen Margaret of Denmark's Swedish levies to try and take the titular capital of the Hansa League, Lubeck.  In true monied fashion, the merchants of the League have secured the services of the wandering Flemish mercenary, Anders Notger and his Flemish spearmen to defend Lubeck.  Just south of the city on the banks of the River Trave, the two armies meet...

The Later Low Country Army of Anders Notger

Med. Scandinavian Swedes of Thomas Worden

The battlefield south of Lubeck from two angles.



The Swedes won the initiative and opted to fight in Developed.  The Flemish took the enclosed field compulsory and the Swedes took the village.  The Swedes also took a river.  The Flemish took a gully and an open field.  The river ended up being uneven (must be a dry summer).  Both camps were unfortified and the Swedes placed the 4 stands of field fortifications in front of their camp which was placed beside the river.    

The Swedes moved first.  The two Levy battlegroups together moved straight forward stopping just outside of 5" of the Flemish spear line.  The lone Levy BG behind the enclosed field moved to just short of the enclosed field.  The knights moved forward 4" with a slight wheel. There was no shooting as the only Swedish BGs in range had double moved.  The Flemish leader moved to the lone 8 BG of spear and the Swedish leader moved to the lone Levy BG in the Joint Action Phase.

In the Flemish 1st turn, the two spear BGs together did not move.  The lone spear BG moved forward 4" and the knights wheeled forward 4" angling towards the gap between the enclosed field and the river.  The range was long for shooting and the Swedish crossbows were ineffective.  The Swedish leader moved into the enclosed field so that he could join his knights in the following turn.  The Flemish leader moved to his own knights.

In the Swedish 2nd turn, the two Levy BGs moved as a group to 4" of the Flemish spear line.  The Swedish knights moved up 4" placing them at the corner of the enclosed field.  The Swedish crossbow fire against the 10 stand BG of spear was ineffective and not enough shots were available against the other spear BG.  In the joint action phase, the Swedish leader moved to the Swedish knights.

In the Flemish 2nd turn, the Flemish knights passed a CMT not to charge. The Flemish spear line held position but the 8 stand BG of spear between the 10 stand BG and the village expanded two stands.  The Flemish knights passed a CMT and expanded 2 files.  In the shooting phase, the Swedish missile fire continued to be ineffective.

In the Swedish 3rd turn, the Swedish knights charged.  In impact, the Flemish leader decided to fight in the line and the Swedish leader did so as well.  The Flemish knights scored 2 hits to 6, lost a base to the death roll and then disrupted.  Both leaders survived their rolls.  The two Swedish Levy BGs moved foward to 3" of the Flemish spear line. In the shooting phase, more futile crossbow fire ensued.  In the melee phase, The Flemish knights again rolled poorly and lost.  They last a stand to the death roll and broke.  The spear BG disrupted for seeing friends break.  The Flemish knights were caught in the pursuit and lost another base.  The Flemish leader survived the pursuit.  In joint action, the Flemish leader moved to the spear BG by the field.  The Flemish knights routed off the table.  The Swedish knights pursued to the table edge.

In the Flemish 3rd turn, the Flemish held steady along the line.  The Swedish crossbow fire was for naught and in the Joint Action Phase, the disrupted Flemish Spear BG by the enclosed field rallied to steady.

In the Swedish 4th turn, no charges were made.  The lone Swedish Levy BG by the enclosed field moved 2" into the enclosed field.  The Swedish knights wheeled 4" towards the Flemish camp.  Shooting continued to be ineffective.  The Flemish general moved to the 8 stand BG of spear by the village in the Joint Action Phase.

In the Flemish 4th turn, the 10 stand spear BG charged.  The 8 stand spear BG opted not to charge but failed the CMT even with the general attached and charged anyway.  The two right hand stands trundled into the village severely disordering.  In impact, the 10 stand BG of Flemish spear took 11 hits and lost.  The 8 stand BG won (the general was fighting again).  The Flemish 10 stand BG lost 2 stands but passed cohesion.  The two Swedish Levy BGs suffered no ill effects.   As there was no shooting, the turn moved into melee.   This is where things started getting blurry.  This melee continued back and forth with the Swedes losing 1 stand of Pole Arm troops facing the 10 stand BG of Flemish Spear but never losing cohesion.  The other 6 stand BG of Swedish Levy lost combat multiple times but never lost a stand to hits or failed a cohesion test.  The 10 stand BG of Flemish eventually lost a base to hits and dropped to fragmented.   The Swedish knights, eventually overran the Flemish camp breaking the Flemish army.  

All told the game took less than 1.5 hours (closer 1.25).  

I made several questionable decisions in tactics that had a significant effect, one being expanding the average knights.  

I also made a glaring rule error where the village is concerned.  The Flemish spear BG should not have charged without orders as the village is severely disordering terrain to heavy foot.  It is what you get for never playing with villages.

Otherwise, it was fun to get to try out FOG 300 against someone new.  Thanks to Tommy Worden of Ireland for trying out FOG 300.  Maybe next time I will be able to get pictures of the game in progress.


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