Zallaqah, Again

Following up on the Zallaqah battle with Postie's Rejects (see Zallaqah 1086), I reset the table and invited four more players to try their hands at this scenario on 14 NOV.  These players included three old hands and a new face.  Dave G. was the new addition to this trio and with three Dave's in the game, Chris suggested he ought to be a "Dave" too!  Funny guy!

Players for this iteration of the battle are:

Christian Army under King Alfonso VI

Dave B (DB) The Ragged Soldier - Alfonso VI (blue dice)

Dave G (DG) Small and Perfectly Formed - al-var Fanez (green dice but switched to white in BatRep)

Christian Army

Muslim Army under Yusuf ibn Tashfin

Chris Horse and Musket Gaming - Yusuf ibn Tashfin (black dice)

Dave C (DC) Serener Skies - al-Mu'ta-mid (red dice), Abi Bakr (green dice)

Muslim Army

With commands sorted, on to battle!

As the battle opens, Christian heavy cavalry peel off to both flanks in an attempt to bypass the massed Muslim heavy infantry tercios in the center.  Two bodies of knights remain in the center facing the enemy.  Advancing forward to close the range, Taifa infantry in the first line let loose missile volleys into the Christian horse.  Many of the Christian horsemen are disordered from Muslim shooting.  The Taifa tercios form up into a formidable wall as Muslim cavalry draw up on both flanks.  Something is going to give soon but where?

The battle begins!

Christian heavy horsemen move to the flanks...

while the Taifa tercios form a solid line.

With Muslim camelry moving up on the flanks to counter Christian cavalry in those sectors of the battlefield, Alfonso strikes on the left.  Having brought up light cavalry to harass the enemy camels, Christian cavalry charges in.  Facing camels, the horsemen have difficulty charging with their full weight.  In the ensuing class, the Christian cavalrymen are repulsed with heavy loses to both combatants.  Not wasting an opportunity, a body of knights following up in a second wave plows into the camelry driving them off in great disarray.  The knights take the ground but fail to pursue any farther. 

Attack and repulse!

A second attack...

and the enemy is driven away.

On the other flank, Muslim medium cavalry charges in to try to break the Christian line.  Slipping by the rightmost Christian cavalry, the Muslim horsemen drive back a body of Christian heavy cavalry.  Pursuing into the gap left vacant by the retiring horsemen, Muslim horsemen follow up and re-engage enemy cavalry.  This time, however, these horsemen are supported by massed crossbowmen.  The crossbow fire their bolts into the charging Muslims, disordering their formation.  In the clash, the Muslims are repulsed.   These troopers turn tail and head back to their own lines as the Christian cavalry moves up to takes its place back in the battle line.

Cavalry charges on the Christian Right are not quite finished yet.  Yusuf brings forward another body of camelry to crack the enemy line.  The Christian cavalry's luck has run out.  The camelry scatters what remains of the exhausted troopers to the winds.  Not wanting to face a solid body of crossbow at the ready, the camel riders choose not to pursue.    

Muslim cavalry charge in and pursue...

but are countercharged and driven off!

Exhausted from their efforts,
 Christian cavalry scatter when attacked again.

Battlefield overview after action on the flanks.

Seeing the red knights isolated in front of the Christian battle line, the Badajoz tercio moves forward to engage.  The fight in the center witnesses a titanic struggle with heavy losses on both sides.  Exhausted and badly damaged, the knights just manage to hold the ground as the enemy is compelled to retire.  Back on the Christian Left, Muslim cavalry comes on again.  Again, the Christian cavalry drives the enemy away!

Badajoz tercio attacks...

and is repulsed.

Muslim cavalry driven off after a failed attack.

Battle lines face off in the center.

Returning to the cavalry action on the right, Christian cavalry charge into enemy camelry.  Despite the reluctance to charge head long against camels, the Christians prefer in the clash and scatter the camels.  The Christian cavalry pursues and sees enemy horse archers fall back before them.  Blocking the way is an enemy tercio with long spearpoints gleaming in the sun.  Rather than risk it all in a frontal attack, the horsemen pull up and end their pursuit.  Their hesitation allows the tercio to step forward plugging the gap to the Muslim rear while threatening the cavalry.  In a brief exchange, the Chistian cavalry are forced back.  

Camels destroyed...

and horse archers evade.

After a brief clash, the Christian horsemen fall back.

Now is the time for the infantry battle to begin.

King Alfonso moves his infantry up on the attack. First to go in is his large, heavy infantry block on the left.  They are disordered by crossbow fire on the way in but press on.  The heavy spearmen are too much for the crossbow and it collapses.  Muslim skirmishers fall back in sympathy.  With enemy now immediately on the victorious unit's right, Alfonso, himself, leads more heavy infantry forward in support.  With similar determination, the King drives off the enemy.  In this sector, the Muslim line has been pushed back!  Both armies are approaching their breakpoints at which time they will be compelled to withdraw from battle.

The King offers up a one...

two punch!

The Muslim line is pushed back!

Yusuf does not give up!  Back into the fray he sends his Black Guard under the command of Abi Bakr.  Abi Bakr leads a charge into the enemy spear block.  Suffering tremendous losses, the Christian spearmen turn and run toward the rear.  Abi Bakr pursues crashing into Alfonso and his spearmen.  Abi Bakr's attack is repulsed!  In a series of attacks and counterattacks, the fight continues.  The King leads his men forward in pursuit.  The Muslim spearmen stand firm and the King's men are repulsed!  With heavy losses, the King recoils.  Abi Bakr resumes the pursuit.

Abi Bakr goes in and drives off the enemy!

Pursuit carries Bakr into the King but his attack is repulsed.

Alfonso counterattacks...

and is repulsed.

Abi Bakr follows up in counterattack.

Last attack of the day.

With both Breakpoint Clocks nearing zero, Abi Bakr senses that one last push and a Great Army with be destroyed.  He is right!  While the King must flee to prevent capture or worse, this last attack of the day destroys one of his own units.  This loss is enough to push Yusuf's Army across the threshold.  The Great Army destroyed was Yusuf's!  

A Great Army is destroyed.

My!  What a game!

King Alfonso manages to push Yusuf's Army over the breaking point first but as the blue Breakpoint Clock shows, only a single pip prevents the Christian Army from a similar fate as well.  Had King Alfonso become a casualty in that last melee, both armies would have crossed their breakpoints at the same time.  Such a close contest!

Butcher's Bill

Great game, fellas!  There was a lot of punch and counterpunch throughout and nearly non-stop fighting from the first sounds of battle.  Dave B. and Dave G., congratulations on coming out on top.  Dave C. and Chris, this was too close to call.  With only a '1' point differential on the Breakpoint Clocks, I call this battle a draw.  A hard-fought draw too!

Thank you all, and Dave G. glad you could join into this action.  Hopefully, you will return for more.

Game duration was about four hours.  Oh, the newly installed dice frames worked well too!