VIK09 Farnham 892

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
The Battle of Farnham...

VIK09 Farnham 892

Clarification question about the scenario Saxon Medium Cavalry special rule "end any turn adjacent to a Viking unit" - is that any turn of either side or just a Saxon turn ?

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Clarification question about the scenario Saxon Medium Cavalry special rule "end any turn adjacent to a Viking unit" - is that any turn of either side or just a Saxon turn ?

any = either Saxon or Viking turn. 

If the Vikings run up to them, they dismount to fight at the end of the Viking turn. Until the end of that turn, they are treated as Medium cavalry.

It seems pretty clear the Vikings and Saxons used horses to move around the countryside, but dismounted to fight. No indication of any cavalry tactics or suitable cavalry equipment. The Welsh seemed to have some sort of cavalry, probably Light cavalry, likely as a remnant of the Roman period. 

 

Turn 1: Saxons surge forward across the line while the first arrivals from Edward’s mounted infantry attack from the northeast. Viking archers are caught flat footed and suffer 75% casualties. The momentum of the cavalry assault cause the Viking infantry to retreat. On the Saxon left, additional Vikings are pushed back, but they also break up a Saxon Fyrd unit. Saxons 0, Vikings 0.
Turn 2: Edward’s men eliminate the Viking bowmen unit on the right and nearly wipe out a Viking leiðangr force. Vikings on the Saxon right flank head north to escape. (In this scenario, Vikings earn a victory banner if a Viking unit on the Saxon baseline is order off the map.)
Turn 3: Saxons eliminate two more infantry groups of Danes. Vikings use their turn to head north to the Saxon baseline. Saxons 3, Vikings 1.
Turn 4: Vikings are completely focused on getting as many units across the Saxon baseline as possible.
Turns 5-10: Vikings have made this a race, not a battle… Two Viking units escape. Saxons have difficulty catching the panicked Danes. Saxons 3, Vikings 3.
Turn 11: Saxons, with a Foot Onslaught, surround and eliminate the last Viking archer unit. Meanwhile, another Viking infantry unit escapes to the Thames. Saxons 4, Vikings 4.
Turn 12: Saxons begin to approach the last remaining Vikings on the Saxon right, but the Vikings successfully get another unit to safety on the Saxon left. Saxons 4, Vikings 5.
Turn 15: The lone Viking Bóndi unit, its manpower down to just 25% of its original strength, issues a Fire and Close order and forces a startled Saxon cavalry unit to retreat!
Turn 16: The Saxon cavalry, coming to their senses, regroup and attack the last stand of Vikings… As the last Dane falls, the battle ends and results in a draw! Saxons 5, Vikings 5. Prince Edward the Elder possesses the field of battle. (Interesting game with the Vikings preventing a Saxon win by essentially moving potential victory banners off the map.) 

Six games in our group, three victories for each side (Vikings first) - 6-1, 6-1, 6-5, 3-6, 3-6, 5-6.  This would suggest the scenario is reasonably balanced, with the determining factor being the card draw.  Certainly, if the Viking player gets one or more Move-Fire-Move or foot onslaught cards they are well on the way to gaining banners through exiting units.  Keeping the cavalry mounted to prevent this is key for the Saxons, but it's largely down to the die rolls whether this can be achieved.  Overall an interesting scenario.