The Battle for the Bridge: Part 2

The Lad calls his viking warriors to battle with his War Horn!

As the game commenced, Lord Uhtred's Saxon warband had taken up a blocking position on the bridge, and the vikings were in the centre of the table with their giant wooden rabbit. (If you missed the scenario setup and table layout, look here)  Click pics for bigger versions.

Saxons on the Bridge: Lord Uhtred carries the Dragon Banner!

 The first few turns saw the Lord Uthred's Saxons win initiative most of the time, only to stoutly remain in their shieldwall and taunt the vikings without mercy (and an uncounted number of Monty Python quotes involving mothers, hamsters and elderberries).  In reply the vikings dragged their rabbit toward the bridge, though a small foraging party of 3 huscarls from Steve's warband was dispatched to the hamlet to see what loot there was...

'Tell me how this plan works again Thurford...'

...and thus began an amusing side-story for this battle.  The 3 huscarls lept the stone fence and stormed through the crop field toward the hamlet.  Eager to demonstrate the power of his faith (Well, that plus he was the only sober male present), Harold the Missionary trusted in his +3 Cross of Holy Faith and stepped forth to challenge the vikings... 

"Thou Shall not Pass!"

Predictably, the the huscarls were not impressed and duly attacked him.  Unfortunately (and again predictably), Harold's +3 Cross of Holy Faith did not stand up well to 3 sharp broad axes wielded by pagans and down he went.  One of the Huscarls then went to dash past the carousing men to search the A-framed house.  As he ran past though, one of the chaps took a swipe at him with a full tankard of ale.  Quite amusingly, the drunk rolled a critical hit and being without helm the viking interloper was duly knocked out!  And that's how the hamlet's inhabitants welcomed their gate crashers!

'Did you see how awesome I was darlin'?' - KOing a viking huscarl was a momentary distraction for this chap, who had more important things on his mind. Meanwhile, Harold the Missionary isn't doing so well...

Meanwhile, the rabbit was moved closer to the bridge, a small party went off to explore the stone circle and the strange noises coming from it and the Lad dispatched his warband to the bridge to clear it of Saxons and make way for the rabbit.  The dust to the West was thickening and time was running short before the large Saxon reinforcements arrived (at this point I had lined them up to show how menacing they would be and add a measure of 'time is running out' - this worked well actually).

The Lad's warband, supported by his newly acquired Sorceror, advance upon the bridge.

After forming into a line, the lad's viking charged the Saxon shieldwall.  The Saxon spearmen behind lent good support, but the impetus of a charge was hard to resist.  The Lad's leader, Gizar the Ironic, cut down a Saxon champion and kicked him into the river to drown under the weight of his armour (rough play!).  Meanwhile, Lord Uhtred was in a standoff with the banner bearing viking champion and the shieldwall became somewhat ragged.

Ferocious battle on the bridge!

The next turn found the Saxon shieldwall reformed, while the vikings had lost the benefit of the charge and things began to turn against them, stalemating their attempts to clear the bridge.  The ferocious melee continued this way for a few turns without decisive result, but the Saxons were being pushed slowly backwards...

In the meantime, Ken's small warband arrived at the mysterious Stone Circle.
What was making that howling noise?

...and back in the hamlet, the huscarls (keeping a wary distance from the other dangerous drunks!) were busy looting the A-framed house of goodies.  The KOed guy made the necessary roll to recover, summarily dispatching his attacker and stealing his nice shiny armour.

The 3 huscarls gathered up their booty and ran for it, just as the horde of Saxon reinforcements (10 bowmen and a dozen thegns led by personally by Ealdorman Althelm) stormed into the valley intent on revenge!

Lord Aelthelm leads a force of angry Saxons onto the field

At this point with the battle at the bridge in full swing, some lads investigating the stone circle, some huscarls running for their lives from the hamlet and a mass of rampaging Saxons charging down the valley, I unleashed my secret weapon: my new drinking horn brimming with home-brewed Ale!

Will the Lad's vikings clear the bridge or will the Saxon Lord Uhtred triumph?
Will the Saxon reinforcements catch the vikings and slaughter them?
Will Steve's greedy huscarls make it back in time with their ill-gotten loot?
What IS making that noise at the stone circle?

All this and more coming soon in Part 3!