Battle of Ucles 1108

Today's battle report is long overdue.  Fought in the middle of July, I am only just now getting around to chronicling this great battle.  Besides fighting other battles, I have been at work on developing a scenario for the Battle of Cheriton and wrangling survey data for the next Great Wargaming Survey analysis.  Toss in a little painting, some steady yard work, a minor injury or two, and a lot of cycling (logged a tad under 600 miles for July) and time slips by faster than I realize.  Perhaps the hot weather takes its toll as well in making everything take a little bit longer.  Either that or age is catching up with me.  I lobby for the former.  Anyway, back to today's battle report.

On 18th July, the Battle of Ucles was on the docket with four players lined up to participate.  At the last minute one player bowed out leaving a planned four-player game with three players.  Being the Acceptor of All Challenges, Doug volunteered to command the Almoravid Army alone.  Stephen and Colin split the Spanish command with Stephen taking both wings while Colin commanded the heavy cavalry and reserve infantry in the center.

Initial dispositions

After three weeks, let's see how much of this battle I recall.

With the Almoravid Army besieging Ucles, word arrives that a Spanish relief force under Sancho Alfonsez is on its way to break the siege.  Calling his army to the colors, Ibn Yusef deploys his army to face the enemy in front of the gates of Ucles.  Yusef places his medium cavalry in the center of his battle line.  Sancho deploys his Spanish Army with his heavy knights in the center

Ibn Yusef draws up his army at the gates of Ucles.

As the battle begins, both armies advance their wings while the center cavalry remain still.  Almost still.  Yusef turns his two horse units about to face the rear.  The camels remain in place facing the enemy.

The wings probe forward while the centers holds.

Skirmishing on the flanks.

Almoravid cavalry about face.

Sancho can restrain his knights no longer.  In they all go into the awaiting enemy hordes!  Sancho leads a charge up the hill and into the Muslim mixed foot unit.  The Muslims are driven back in retreat.  Sancho pursues but his pursuit crashes into a veteran body of spearmen.  The spearmen stand their ground and Sancho falls back.  A second body of knights to the right of Sancho charge into another body of spearmen.  Yusef's heavy infantry fall back from the weight of the charge.  

A third body of Christian knights charges into the Almoravid camelry.  They too are drive away in disorder!  These knights refuse to pursue but Sancho has cut a wide swath through the Almoravid line!  The Christians cheer!  Yusef brings up a body of mixed infantry in an attempt to drive off the knights isolated in the center.  The Almoravid infantry is driven off.        

Charge!

Where is the Almoravid Center?

Seeing a gaping hole where his center was moments before, Yusef, advances against both wings to relieve pressure on the center.  These advances on the flanks see success in that the Spanish Right is turned and Yusef's light cavalry is able to swing around the enemy flank and threaten the Spanish rear.  Sancho sends his red knights in again against the Almoravid Center.  Repulsed!  

Yusef attacks against the Spanish Right...

and against the Spanish Left.

The isolated Spanish knights are attacked again.

Yusef working to turn the Spanish Right.

Driven off a second time,
Almoravid infantry is in full retreat!

At this point in the battle, the Spanish cavalry have driven all before them.  Yusef was not done for yet!  

With his medium horsemen returning to the battle, Yusef begins to execute his plan.  First, the isolated Spanish knights in the center are driven back with heavy casualties.  The attacking Muslim horsemen follow up in pursuit.  The Spanish are caught and dispatched.  The Almoravid horsemen continue to pursue.  The Muslim cavalry reach the red knights and cut them down.  Sancho is lucky to escape!  

Counterattack...

and pursuit...

and pursuit.
Sancho barely escapes with his life.

Against the Spanish Left, Yusef orders his heavy infantry down from the heights to engage the enemy.  In supported attacks, the Almoravids strike with a vengeance.  Spanish infantry and Spanish cavalry are driven off in retreat.  Although Muslim casualties are heavy in these clashes, the Spanish Left collapses.  

Almoravids on the attack!

Spanish Left is shredded!

Almoravids control the battlefield.

With the Spanish center gone, his right turned, and his left now in flight, Sancho puts an end to his attempt to relieve the siege at Ucles.  The occupants must fend for themselves.

After watching Colin rip apart the Almoravid Center, I figured this battle might be a short one.  Once these massive Spanish cavalry charges ran their course, exhausted, they were vulnerable.  Doug did not allow this opportunity to slip away.  He counterattacked vigorously everywhere.  Where moments before, it looked like a Spanish steamroller crushing everything in its path, Doug struck back and turned the tables.  Impressive comeback and another very exciting game.

Thank you all for another, most entertaining session.  Great fun!

Yeah, I think this is how the battle unfolded…

It Is That Time Again!

If it is 01 August, it must be time for Wargames, Soldiers, & Strategy Magazine's annual The Great Wargaming Survey.  Now in its 11th year, the 2024 edition is up and awaiting your wargaming insights and feedback.

There are a few new questions added into the mix this year as well as tried and true questions that we all expect. 

Survey is found at The Great Wargaming Survey 2024 Edition. 

One of the gifts for completing the survey is a neat 3D stl file from Wargames Atlantic of a French Herald.  I could use one of these!  Now, if I only had a 3D printer.

The survey only takes a few minutes to complete so I encourage all to take a few minutes out of your day and fill in the survey.  Survey runs through the end of August.

Thank you!

A New Project and a Game

Given that June saw good production at the painting desk with nearly 150 figures crossing over to the "Painted" side of the ledger, July has been a letdown.  With games, planning for games, research, scenario development and summertime activities, painting production took a precipice drop in July.  I did manage to complete one, three battalion regiment of Prussian infantry, though, and I started a new project.

Well, "New" in the sense that I have finally overcome the inertia of expanding my 1859 project to bring in Prussians for the 1870 conflict.  These 48 figures represent the first of hopefully a serious attempt at fielding a small Prussian Army for the FPW.  The figures have been in The Lead Pile for years.  Time to do something productive with them.  The problem is that I have not felt much like painting of late.  I keep getting distracted by other calls for attention. 

Anyway, these figures are 15mm Lancashire Games.  Great figures that paint up quickly when I sit down at the painting desk for a meaningful painting session.  The regiment still needs to collect its flags.  Perhaps I can find some suitable flags on the internet?  In July, those meaningful painting sessions were few and far between.  With luck, August will see a pick-up in productivity.  At least this is a start to a Prussian Army!

Cheriton Battlefield
Photo courtesy Gridbased Wargaming

On the gaming front, I joined Matt on Sunday to resurrect our AWI campaign.  A nail biting and unexpected finish.  I am sure Matt will provide an accurate chronicle of the action at Fort Anne.  The first game in Peter and my home-and-away series of Battle of Cheriton replays is on deck for later this week.  Peter is hosting (see Remote Game Preparation) the first round and then I will host the second.  Both games will be played remotely using different scenarios and different rules.  We completed a similar exercise before with Lake Trasimene.  It was great fun and we both learned a lot about the battle in these refights.  I wonder what insights might come out of our Cheriton refights?  Research for my game is still in progress.  Battle layout nears completion.  I am sure I will pick up some useful tips after having played Peter’s interpretation of Cheriton.

Battle of Ucles 1108

Thursday saw Mark and Tony face off in a large, two-player game refighting the 1108 Battle of Ucles in Spain.  Mark took command of the Almoravid Army while Tony took command of the Christian Spanish Army.  First player activation saw a modification in this contest where the initiative winner no longer received automatic first activation.  Instead, initiative winner added one extra activation die into the activation pool.    

Initial deployments

Almoravids form up in front of Ucles.

Let's get straight into battle!

As the two battle lines begin a cautious advance toward one another to close the distance, Tony's Christian heavy cavalry can contain themselves no longer.  Striking off in a long charge, one body of knights slams into one of the Almoravid large, mixed infantry units comprised of both long spear and archers.  Failing to slow the Christian horsemen with an effective volley of arrows, the impact sends the Muslims reeling back.  The horsemen continue on in pursuit and scatter the enemy as they cut them down from behind.  Tony is quite pleased with this first result, as he should be!

Having dispatched the enemy to its front the cavalry continues on in pursuit.  Next target offers a large body of veteran spearmen.  Here, Tony's cavalry is stopped cold suffering heavy casualties.  The horsemen recoil deep behind enemy lines but not before a large hole opens between the Almoravid Left and Center.

First cavalry charge of the day...

sees the enemy dispatched...

but pursuit is stopped short.

Cutting a hole in the Almoravid line!

Seeing this early success, Sancho Alfonsez, himself, leads two bodies of heavy cavalry forward into the enemy line.  Hitting enemy cavalry with great force, Sancho sees a similar result.  The unfortunate Muslim cavalry to Sancho's front turns and flees.  Even with Sancho leading the charge, his horsemen refuse to pursue.  The second body of Christian heavy cavalry attacks the enemy cavalry to Sancho's left.  In this second attack, the enemy stands firm and the Christians recoil.  To Sancho's right, yet another body of Christian cavalry plunges into the Muslims in front of Ucles.  The Almoravid infantry are driven back to the gates of Ucles!  Neither player can believe the success.  Great start for Tony!  

Sancho leads a cavalry charge...

driving the enemy back...

but the Muslim Center holds.

Almoravid Left in tatters.

While much of the Almoravid Left is gone and the Center is under pressure, these earlier Christian successes leave the Spanish heavy cavalry vulnerable since they are no longer supporting one another and their ranks have been depleted.  Time for a counterattack!

Beginning on the Muslim right, heavy infantry advances down from the high ground to drive away enemy light cavalry.  

Heavy infantry on the move!

Overview as the Muslim counterattack begins.

In front of Ucles, Muslim heavy infantry attacks the now exhausted Spanish cavalry with Ibn Yusef leading the way.  Even with support from Sancho and his knights, the Spanish are scattered.  Sancho falls back.  Ibn Yusef follows up to confront Sancho.  In very heavy fighting, the Spanish horsemen finally succumb.  Sancho is forced to seek shelter within the ranks of Spanish infantry to the rear. 

Ibn Yusef attacks!

Ibn Yusef's heavy infantry destroys two Spanish cavalry
 and sends Sancho searching for safety. 

Seeing two bodies of enemy cavalry dispatched, Arab camelry sets off from the center to engage a body of weakened Spanish cavalry in the center.  The Spanish are driven back with heavy loss.  The camels pursue, catch the Spanish horsemen, and dispatch them.  The Spanish bring up another body of heavy cavalry to intercede but they are driven back!  The camels keep on coming.

Caught from behind, the Spanish horsemen are scattered even though a nearby body of spearmen offers support.  The spearmen fall back in sympathy.  As the Spanish infantry falls back, the camels pursue.  The retreat turns into rout as the camels destroy the routing infantry as well as capture the Spanish baggage.  Oh, the humanity! 

Camels trot forward.

Spanish knights are driven back and then destroyed.

Pursuit and disaster!

Spanish baggage captured!

In only a short time, the battle has been turned on its head.  In the Almoravid counterattack, the Spanish have seen four heavy cavalry and one heavy infantry units destroyed.  Oh my, but Mark is not finished yet!

With the Spanish Center hollowed out, Mark shifts his attention to his Right.  Harassing the enemy with his two bodies of horse archers, the Almoravid heavy infantry move forward.  First body of Spanish encountered is heavy spear.  The Spanish are driven back and then finished off in pursuit as the supporting infantry falls back.  Working around the Spanish Left, a second body of Spanish infantry is contacted.  The Spanish hold!

The Muslim heavy infantry regroups and attacks again.  This time, the enemy is driven off and the Spanish Left has collapsed.  With the Spanish Left turned, the Almoravid Center conducts a sweep to pick off any wavering Spanish still clinging to the field.  The Spanish Army has broken! 

Almoravid attack against Spanish Left.

One Spanish destroyed and the other driven back.

Pursuit!

Repulse!

Success on a second attack.

Mopping up.

Wow!

What an exciting game to watch develop and unfold.  Congratulations to both Tony and Mark for making this contest such a riveting game.  Mark comes away with victory but in the early going, it looked like Tony might run away with it.  In Tony's early cavalry charges, the Spanish laid waste to the Almoravid Left and part of the Center.  Amazing how Mark picked himself off the floor after the first two turns to come roaring back to secure an impressive victory.  The historical outcome was not overturned.

The game was really a tale of two halves.  In the first half, Tony controlled the narrative.  After a brief intermission, Mark came back in a most impressive manner.  Unbelievable turn around in only a couple of turns.

In total, five turns were played and the game lasted just under three hours.

What great fun!  Thanks guys!

Spinning the Wheels of Progress

Last Thursday saw a doubleheader at the gaming table.  Two games in one day is a rarity even for me.  The first game of the day saw the 1108 Battle of Ucles fought out on my gaming table in a remote game with three UK players.  The battle saw another hotly contested clash on the fields in front of Ucles.  The battle ended in a close decision and, as always, great fun. 

Emerging out from the other side of an exhausting weekend, I have yet to muster the energy to piece together a battle report.  My wheels of progress are spinning but I am getting little traction.  For a teaser, Colin (Battle of Ucles Remote Reconquista), has published a series of screenshots of the game on his blog.  Thank you, Colin!

Battle of Ucles

The second game of the day saw me joining into a Zoom session with Peter (Grid based Wargaming) in Australia.  Peter hosted a Samurai battle as we test drove the latest amendments to his OHW variant.  Peter's battle report can be found at the link above.  Again, another fun game with the introduction of messengers adding to the decision matrix.  I may have come out on top but only just.

What is up next on the gaming front?

Well, the Battle of Ucles takes to the field once again this week with a game seeing a different group testing their mettle on the field of battle.  Ucles may see action in other contests too before I pack the Reconquista armies away and move onto something else.  Matt and I may see action at the remote table after a very, very long hiatus as we ponder returning to the AWI campaign.  I have forgotten exactly where we are in the campaign!

Finally, Peter and I are discussing a possible return to our Home-and-Away game series first seen in our battles of Lake Trasimene.  Since we both enjoyed the format, we are entertaining a return to this series.  Peter's report from his hosted Trasimene game is here.  The report of my hosted Trasimene game is here.  In that battle, we each took our interpretation of Lake Trasimene using our favored rules and presented the battle.  I enjoyed seeing the battle from different perspectives using different rules and different scenarios.

What is the battle for this next series?  Well, we are considering a dip into the ECW with a look at the Battle of Cheriton.

Thoughts on a variety of topics are percolating away in the background including a few more units to parade out from the painting desk.  Now, I simply need to gain some traction to bring some of the topics to print.