105 Lake Antioch - 9 February 1098

Details
Written by: GMT Games
Category: First Crusade
Hits: 306
Victory Results:
 33 %
Record a victory for BOTTOM ARMY  67 %
Total plays 6 - Last reported by ozzie on 2025-03-17 05:49:32

Historical Background

The Crusaders had begun the siege of Antioch in October 1097 and it had dragged on for months. It was in February 1098 word was received that Turkish forces under Fakhr al-Mulk Radwan had gathered at Harim some sixteen miles from Antioch, and intended to relieve the besieged city. The Crusaders appointed Norman Bohemond of Taranto to lead what remained of the Crusader mounted forces and intercept Radwan in a hilly narrow defile created by Lake Antioch and Orontes River. The Crusader cavalry charged forward before Radwan had the opportunity to fully deploy. Although the Turkish forward squadrons retreated in disorder, Radwan was still able to organize a counterattack. The Crusader knights began to waver, but Bohemond rallied the Crusader cavalry. Their countercharge was too much for the Turkish army. Hammered from the front and deprived of its ability to maneuver and outflank their attackers, the Turkish army disintegrated into chaotic rout. 
The stage is set. The battle lines are drawn and you are in command. Can you change history?

War Council

Seljuq Turks Army

• Leader: Radwan 
• 4 Command Cards
• 2 Inspired Actions tokens

Crusaders Army

• Leader: Bohemond
• 6 Command Cards
• 5 Inspired Actions tokens
• Move First Move First

Victory

5 Banners

Special Rules

  • Retreat & Panic rule is in effect for the Seljuq Turk army.
  • The Orontes River is impassable.
  • The river hexes on the left of the map represents the shoreline of Lake Antioch. These hexes and the hexes behind (to the left) of the lake (river) are impassable.
  • All Seljuq Turk Medium and Heavy cavalry units are armed with bows. No need to place bow markers. Some Light Cavalry are armed with bows. Use the proper bow and non-bow Light Cavalry blocks for these different units.

 

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Posts in discussion: 105 Lake Antioch - 9 February 1098
ozzie replied the topic:
#1011
1 day 7 hours ago
A conundrum for both sides, this scenario. Keeping the Crusader cavalry together to get close enough to make the second turn count. The panic rule helped as well as the Crusaders punched into the non-evading troops. The double punch with Crusader medium cavalry causing hits on a Seljuq medium cavalry unit and then the knights finishing it off as it evaded. A 5-3 win to the Crusaders.

The follow-up game was not so lucky when the Seljuq light cavalry swarmed the left-most unit of knights and destroyed it and the leader - great dice throwing! As the Crusaders broke the line to try and remove these light cavalry the Parthian shooting went well and a second swarm dragged down another. The Seljuqs bided their time to pick off the victory at 5-2.
Mark-McG replied the topic:
#1006
3 weeks 4 days ago
bit of a mismatch meeting.. Crusaders all cavalry, no bows and no Lights. Turks have just 1 leader and 1 Heavy cavalry, but are jammed into a centre position between 2 water bodies, and struggle to deploy.
Command card issues for both sides, but even with 6 Command cards, it is likely the Crusaders will have several useless (move 1 unit) cards like Foot Onslaught or Move Lights.

For the Crusaders, trying to catch the Turks is a problem, and any attack on Light cavalry faces the possibility of Parthian shots, or Feined retreat. In the end I resorted to the old move up adjacent, don't attack and with the Turks so jammed together, they couldn't untangle enough to prevent being surrounded and unable to evade/retreat the next turn. 

A real puzzle for both sides, the Turks to keep open the retreat paths, and the Crusaders to contain the Turks and press them up against the terrain/board edge.
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