The third game in my Petaudia game once again sees the Odhaernir Elves and Orelians coming to blows after the latter's defeat and flight of their woodcutters and protecting troops. The Orelians have retreated back into their own territory, but some of the fugitives have taken shelter in an old border fort. The elves have blockaded the fort and the Orelians have sent a relief force to drive off the elves and rescue the small garrison. Dragon Rampant rules as usual, plus home amendments, figures from various manufacturers, 25mm or 28mm, played solo, table 4 feet by 3 feet.
The battlefield set up, with the edge of the forest at the top, where the elves deploy, the border fort in the centre, and some hills along the lower part, where the Orelians deply their force.
The elven force ready for battle on my new-style unit bases, along with their command base.
The old border fort. The model is so old I have long forgotten its manufacturer, but I think it was bought back in the 1990s.
The Orelians brought some heavy firepower with them this time: Essex figures.
Part if the Orelian force, again on the new-style bases. They have a larger army than the elves as they have to do the attacking, elves the defending in this game.
More Orelians, with their mercenary humans and goblins in the background,
knights and a command base at the front.
The two sides deployed for battle. Orelians on the right and centre, mercenaries on the left; elves hidden at the edge of the forest.
Unsurprisingly, the elves stayed among the trees and used their longbows to pick off the
advancing Orelians.
The mercenary goblins rushing forward, with the heavier human mercenaries following behind.
The Orelian centre group of units proved very reluctant to move for most of the game!
The Orelian bombard on the hill fired into the forest making enough hits to annoy the elves until the latter moved into longbow range briefly enough to shoot down the crew. The advance across the open ground in the face of elven arrows proved too much for the Orelian troops.
Some of the goblin mercenaries, somewhat surprisingly, made it to the edge of the forest
to engage the elves.
The goblins were easily beaten off, but the human mercenaries plodded forward, while the Orelians were not really getting anywhere in the centre and on the right.
It gradually became clear that the Orelian right attack was becoming more of a feint to distract the elves, rather than a proper assault on the latter's positions in the woods.
The Orelian centre finally got moving as the human mercenaries reached the edge of the forest and prepared to swing right against the elves.
The elves have closed towards their centre, while the Orelian right wing still makes little progress. The blue counter shows that unit is "Battered".
The mercenaries pushing through the trees on the left, the Orelian cente stalling again!
Mercenaries and elves clashing in the forest.
The Orelian right wing has collapsed.
The mercenaries making headway as the Orelian centre gets moving once more.
The elves hold on as the attackers try to sort out a better assault into the forest.
The Orelian right wing has pretty much disappeared now.
The elves are still holding on, though attrition has worn them down.
A last push by the Orelian centre and left wing of mercenaries.
Orelian longbowmen and eleven spears clash in the forest.
The elven commander and the Orelian knights fight it out as well.
At this point, I called time. Neither side had lost enough units to be defeated, but the elves only had to lose one more unit to have been beaten. However, the Orelians did not have much left either. So I declared it a draw, but with the garrison of the border fort being rescued. I think I probably should have deployed the Orelians closer in to give them more chance of getting to the forest before they lost too many troops to eleven archery. I think the balance of units could be altered as well, fewer elves as they are very tough fighters in rough terrain/cover. However, it was still a good game, swinging back and forth as with so many Dragon Rampant games. And the unit activation is really good for solo play as it makes it much less predictable.
Here are the basic scenario rules:
Scenario No. 3: The Old
Border Tower.
Flushed by their success against
Bevorod’s men and the woodcutters, the elves pursue the Orelians through the
forest to its edge. Some of the woodcutters who fled the attack, along with a
handful of soldiers, took refuge in an old border tower. Geraynddrin set a
close watch on it, such that the men inside were too scared to emerge, and drew
the rest of the elves back into the forest to wait for the Orelians to
surrender. There he was joined by a few more units sent by the elven princess, Elendrin. However, Bevorod
knows his men are trapped and is determined to release them. He hastily
assembles a fresh force, aided by reinforcements from Kovenwulf II, Count of
Orelia, and marches to the relief of the border tower.
The old border tower is in the
centre of the table. The northern edge is covered by forest, in which the elves
are deployed. The Baron’s force enters the table from the southern edge, where
there are some hills and a few trees dotted about.
The elves must defeat the Baron’s army and
prevent him relieving the tower. The Baron and his force must defeat the elves
and relieve the tower. If, at the end of the battle, the elves have won, the
men in the tower surrender and become captives; if the Baron has won, then the
men in the tower are rescued and a garrison is placed inside.
A side is defeated if only three units remain or
its command unit has been lost at the end of a turn.
Cairbar Force
Baron RMU
[2] Elite Foot 6 Points x1
Captain RMU [2] Elite Foot 6 Points x1
Household Longbows 12 x
figures Light Missiles 6 Points x1
Knights RMU
[3] Elite Foot 6 Points x1
Levy Longbows 12
x figures Light Missiles 4 Points x2
Bills 12
x figures Heavy Foot 6 Points x1
Spears 12 x figures Heavy Foot 4
Points x1
Light Cannon SMU [1M/2] V.
Heavy Missiles 7 Points x1
Goblin Swords 12
x figures Light Foot (Merc.) 3+1 Points x1
Goblin Bows 12
x figures Light Missiles (Merc.) 4+1 Points x1
Bills 12 x figures Heavy Foot (Merc.) 6+1 Points x1
Spears 12 x figures Heavy Foot (Merc.) 4+1 Points x1
(Mercenaries cost an extra point)
Odhaernir Force
Ranger Lord SMU [1] Elite
Foot 9 Points x1
Ranger Longbows RMU
[8] Light Missiles 4 Points x1
Guard Longbows RMU
[8] Light Missiles 5 Points x1
Guard Swords 12
x figures Light Foot 4 Points x1
Longbows 12
x figures Light Missiles 5 Points x1
Band 12
x figures Light Foot 5 Points x1
Spears 12
x figures Light Spears 4
Points x1
