Last Weeks Dux Brit Game...Pics etc

Thought I'd post a few pics from last week and the first campaign game with the fabulous and most mighty Dux Britanniarum. (Especially seeing as Mike has posted the 'Saxon View' on his own blog here...)

It was an interesting encounter, as we rolled a decently light table of scenery, then filled the b*gger up with a bloomin' farm cos we rolled the 'raid the farm' scenario!! Actually, we only filled up the bit near where my blokes came on...great!!

Anyway, as ever, 'twas a great game. We were ably supported by fellow club member Andy (who has been bitten by the Dux B bug and is painting Saxons as we speak) and Dewi, whose Welsh ancestry means that anything involving attempting to tw*t Saxons has got to be worth being involved in...he's painting British as we speak!! So, Andy was in charge of cards and Dewi observed and moved a few of my chaps around while Mike and I got on with the game.

Mike had 3 whole turns of move before I even appeared, so actually reached the farm!! Luckily I rolled high for the number of units arriving (all bar the archers) but rolled a totally shite entry point, as a large wood was totally in my way. In typical fashion, I then made a c*ck up of deployment (only realising it in hindsight) and also forgot that the wood was not that much of a barrier unless I was in shieldwall, so avoided it, thereby fragmenting my line where I needed to maximise its strength. We also made a slight error with the Saxons coming over fences, not that it mattered in the end, but I have now duly noted it for future games.

What it boiled down to was simple: Mike got men into the farm buildings, but couldn't roll a six to loot them. Ever!!
While this was going on, I made the error of getting a unit of milites caught out - it tw*tted a unit of Saxon warriors, but was quite badly shocked and, when caught by a second unit, withdrew due to a lost amphora. Mistake 1...should have supported it with a unit of levy... Now I was down to only 4 on the force morale table...

Also, Mike's 2 Gedriht units advanced on my Commanipulares and Milites who were forming a shieldwall. By clever use of Goad cards, Mike prevented my elites from fighting and destroyed the milites. Dastardly and clever at the same time...hmm...most 'un-Saxon'...

However, in so doing, he got his elites separated. By this time, I had amassed a kick-ass card hand and whupped ass on the first unit, which lost its amphora and fled...

...leaving me to take on the second (noble-less) unit and deliver it the pasting it deserved, (helped, if memory serves, by a 'Step Forth' card...HA!! My turn to be dastardly...BWAAAHAAAHA!!!) reducing Mike to low morale as well.

At this point, with 2 units of Gedriht running, with one warrior unit down to 2 men and totally unable to loot anything, Mike withdrew and I let him go, as my elites were down to 4 men (although mercifully free from shock) and the levy under his Noble Tinyness, Maximus Minimus, miles away from doing anything useful!!

Overall, the game played much faster as we knew most of the key rules much better this time and we didn't make too many errors. We certainly both thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and the closeness of the British victory was a testament to how it might so easily have gone the other way...

Thanks to Mike, for, as is customary, giving me a very close-run and great fun game, to Andy for dealing cards and Dewi for insulting the Saxons fairly remorselessly all evening!!!

It'll be a couple of weeks before we reconvene, but rest assured that more Lardy Dux Brit goodness will be on its way soon!