The Battle for the Bridge: Part 1

...being the next installment in our Dark Ages fun and our Age of Blood campaign!   This time the vikingr warbands of Ken, Steve and the Lad will fight a battle scenario against some very angry Saxons.

The Scenario

Saxons
Ealdorman Aelthelm of Northemberland has been informed of a raid on his lands.  He is not amused and orders the fyrd assembled to hunt them down.  However, he knows this will take time and the raiders will already be trying to make good their escape.

To buy the time he needs for the fyrd to assemble, Aelthelm orders one of his vassals, Lord Uhtred, to ride ahead with his retainers as an advance force and hold the bridge.  This bridge is the only way to cross the low-lying swamps in the area and the chokepoint will give an advantage to its defenders.

If all goes well and Uhtred holds the bridge against the raiders, the fjord will come up form behind and crush the raiders; recovering the pillaged loot and gaining Aelthelm great prestige.  And if it goes horribly wrong then he wont have to worry about Lord Uhtred looking sideways at his sister and trying to gain a foothold on his position as Ealdorman anymore...

Vikings
Crews from your three ships have raided a nearby village.  Laden with booty they are now making their way back to their ships and leave before the local Lord can rally a pursuit.  To get to the coast, the northmen must cross a bridge which is the only means of negotiating the coastal lowlands and swamps.

As you approach the bridge, you see that a small but well equipped guard has been dispatched to hold the bridge, while dust on the horizon behind you shows that some kind of force is approaching to trap you.  But how long until it arrives?  You could move faster if you dump the booty but then how will you pay your men and finance the next expedition? And what is that strange noise coming from the woods to the South?

Special Rule: After pillaging the village, your men needed a means to carry off their ill-gotten gains.  Unfortunately they got a bit excited with all the burning and  torched all the carts and waggons.  Thus, the men crafted a giant wooden rabbit!  The rabbit can be moved 1 inch for every 2 men pushing it, with a minimum of 2 men pushing.

...'and then you, Thorvill, Olaf and me leap out of it...'

Giant wooden rabbit inspired by this one from Monty Python's "The Holy Grail"

The Layout

The battlefield is a small Northumbrian valley with a road running East to West.  To the West (and offtable) is the pillaged village and the direction of the expected Saxon reinforcements.  The the East a large and swift running river blocks is surrounded by marshlands and the only exit is via the old wooden bridge. (click for bigger pics)

On the northern side of the valley is a small hamlet, with a few small hovels and a number of plowed fields with crops.  A number of villagers are celebrating a mid-season feast around the campfire.  Harold the Missionary has recently moved to the hamlet and is trying to convert its mostly pagan population.  He has his work cut out for him.

Foundry Vikings painted by Fran aka Angry Lurker - now settled in their new village!

Harold the Missionary, fig by Heroes of the Dark Age and painted by me

On the south side of the valley a large forest covers most of the table edge. This is where the villagers hunt game and have erected some sacred standing stones in a small grove.

The game commences with the Lord Uhtred's Saxon warband in position on the bridge, and with the vikings (and their giant wooden rabbit) in the centre of the table.


So what happened?
Stay tuned for Part 2 coming up shortly!

A potted History of Beer

The true invention of beer is probably lost in time as it certainly pre-dates written language.
Given the fact that almost any cereal can undergo spontaneous fermentation due to wild yeasts in the air, it is likely that early beers were developed all over the world as soon as farming crops established itself.
Whoever the brave soul who first decided to sip the foaming, fermenting concoction and discovered it's intoxicating effects should be applauded.

Tests of ancient Chinese archaeological findings show that they were brewing fermented alcoholic drinks as far back as 7000BC with a similar process being used across the globe in Egypt and Ancient Iraq.
Written accounts of beer date back to the 6th millennium BC, being recorded in the written history of Ancient Iraq. The earliest Sumerian writings contain references to beer. A prayer to the goddess Ninkasi known as "The Hymn to Ninkasi" serves as both a prayer as well as a method of remembering the recipe for beer in a culture with few literate people.

There is real debate is concerning exactly why humans began to shift from being hunter gathers to farmers.
Many think this has been due to the production of bread driving the rise of farming - personally I'm sure that the ability to also produce intoxicating liquor certainly helped.

There is also the nutritional aspect of beer to consider.
Sprouting barley contains enzymes that help break down starch into sugars making them more digestible. The addition of yeast introduces essential amino acids as well as increasing B vitamins. The health benefit of consuming a mildly alcoholic drink was no doubt a factor. Besides the nutritional value imparted by the yeast; the slightly acidic condition caused by such an elixir, is most beneficial in the reduction of harmful bacteria in the intestines. It has further been postulated, that early man would not likely have gone to such trouble to obtain the relatively small amount of food value provided by bread alone.

Beer was an integral part of ancient civilisations. Hammurabi, the ruler of Babylon from 1795-1750 BC is credited with giving the world its first written laws, and you guessed it - beer got a special mention.

Law 108 states; that the owner of a tavern must give proper measure of beer for corn. Should she take instead, money, then it must be in an amount equal to said measure of corn and not less. If it was less then she should be convicted and thrown into the water. One can only presume to drown. 

Law 111 states that; "If an innkeeper furnish sixty ka of uskani-drink to… she shall receive fifty ka of corn at harvest." 

That beer played a major role in everyday life can also be seen in that Hammurabi allowed for a daily ration of brew. It is notable that the laws regarding beer, are much higher on the list than those relating to looking after a family.

The role of beer in Egyptian society was far greater than just a drink. Beer's medicinal qualities meant that it was often prescribed to treat various illnesses. It was also a suitable gift for the Pharaoh and often offered as a sacrifice to the gods.

As the Egyptians loved writing stuff down there is plenty of evidence of the process and recipes used to make beer:-

A dough was made using a considerable amount of yeast; this was then formed into loaves and lightly baked. The bread was crumbled and water added at which point it would be strained to produce a wort.  Herbs were then added to improve flavour and dates to increase sweetness. The resulting liquid was fermented in large vats and eventually placed in sealed jars to be stored and transported. 

This process was, in time, taught to the Greeks with the Greek writer Sophocles (450 BC) probably being the first to write about the concept of moderation when it came to beer. He believed that the best diet for Greeks consisted of bread, meats, various types of vegetables, and beer or zythos as they called it.

Brewing grew leaps and bounds with the rise of Christianity. Monasteries in their efforts to provide food, shelter and drink for travellers and pilgrims organising brewing, making it into a trade.
This led to a large number of Christian saints being patrons of brewing:
- Saint Augustine of Hippo
- Saint Arnulf of Metz
- Saint Luke the Evangelist
- and Saint Nicholas (maybe thats why we alwast leave beer out for him)

So there you have a very quick history of beer.

Saxon and Viking Names

Handy for naming the characters of your Warband!
http://www.regia.org/members/names.htm

Saxon Warband

To give the Saxons more backbone, we've created a Saxon Warband to oppose the rampaging Nordmen.  I went for an local Lord with a tight knit core of personal retainers who would be the first response to any local incursion:

1. Lord Uhtred.  Level 1 Hero. Traits: Lightning Reflexes, Chainmail, Shield, Helmet, Sword, Saxe (Birthright: Godsborn) Renown: 5
2. Thurferth, Champion, Level 1 Hero. Trait: Selfless. Chainmail, Shield, Helmet, Sword.
3. Wulfric, Champion. Level 1 Hero. Trait: Frenzy. Chainmail, Shield, Helmet, Broadaxe, Axe.
4. Bealdric, Huscarl. Leather Armour, Shield, Axe
5. Garwulf, Huscarl. Leather Armour, Shield, Axe, Spear
6. Leofing, Huscarl. Leather Armour, Shield, Axe, Spear
7. Godloef, Huscarl. Leather Armour, Shield, Axe, Spear
8. Daeglaf, Huscarl. Leather Armour, Shield, Axe, Spear

To create a Saxon faction, we used stats as follows: Hersir = Lesser Hero (with 1 trait), Champion = Minor Hero, Huscarl = Noble Warrior.  This gives the Saxons different stats to the Vikings.  Saxons cannot field Berzerks, and instead get an extra Champion.

I will be running a scenario on Friday and these guys are going to be in the thick of the action. 
Will Lord Uhtred achieve glory in battle? Or will the crows feast on his flesh?

Anyone looking for the free Age of Blood rules can find them here:
http://www.rebelpublishing.net/resources/Age_of_Blood_2nd_Edition.pdf