Solden Hill without Grids

Coming up on nearly three weeks passed, I jog the memory on a battle Mark (Mud Blood and Steel) and I contested on the fields of Solden Hill.  Tony (Prometheus in Aspic) joined in as an observer and first-rate kibitzer.  In a change from the prior two battles of Solden Hill, the hexes were dispatched.  We played the battle out on an open table.  I have not seen a non-gridded game on my table in a very long time.  This might be fun change of pace or a challenge.

Mark chose to command the attacking Yorkists while I was tasked with leading the Lancastrians to victory.  My attempts to pull Tony into commanding the Lancastrians were unsuccessful.

Having seen my Lancastrians fall in the two previous games, will they see more success in this outing?  For a brief recap, please read on.

As in the other games, one Lancastrian Battle
 begins atop Solden Hill, alone.

Somerset ready for action!

Yorkist march on Solden Hill
as Lancastrian reinforcements arrive.

Suffolk closes in on Somerset on Solden Hill
while Edward veers off to the left to prevent
 enemy from reinforcing Somerset.

Suffolk attacks up the hill and into the awaiting Somerset.
  After letting loose their arrows,
both archers fall back behind the melee lines.
In melee, Suffolk suffers more and falls back.

With Northumberland advancing quickly down the main road,
Edward attacks! 
Not expecting an attack from that quarter,
Northumberland steps back to regroup.

Ignoring the threat from Edward, now on his flank,
 Northumberland pitches into Stanley.

Fighting is desperate.
Stanley is driven back with Northumberland in pursuit.
Casualties mount.

In the heavy fighting, Northumberland wavers.
Stanley counterattacks!
Pembroke is seen alongside Somerset on the high ground.

Exhausted from his efforts against Northumberland, Stanley pauses.
Seizing the opportunity, Edward hits the wavering Northumberland.
Northumberland's Battle breaks with Edward's main melee line in pursuit.
A gap opens in Edward's ward.

This is the opening Pembroke wanted!
Coming down from the heights,
 Edward's archers fall back while a body of Yorkist MAA rout.

In foreground, Yorkist MAA in flight.

While Suffolk and Somerset continue trading blows...

Stanley goes in against Pembroke.

Both Pembroke and Somerset fall back...

but Stanley keeps up the pressure.

Both combatants are being ground down in melee.
Finally, Pembroke, in an uneven exchange, breaks.
The Lancastrian Army breaks and withdraws.

Well! Another game and another loss for my Lancastrians!

Congratulations, Mark, on a game well-played.  I thought the Lancastrians had the upper hand at times, but it was not to be.

Reverting to an open table took some time for my brain to readjust.  I quickly adapted after a turn.  My initial impressions of the differences between gridded and non-gridded I save for a follow-up discussion on the merits of each.  For now, I reckon we see a return to hexes next time.

Good fun!  Thank you, Mark!