The Epic Battle of Brunanburh (937AD)

Battle of Brunanburh was fought in 937 between Æthelstan, King of England, and an alliance of Olaf Guthfrithson, King of Dublin; Constantine II, King of Scotland, and Owain,
King of Strathclyde. After the defeat of Constantine in 934, it was apparent a coalition was needed to check the growth of Saxon Wessex & Mercia. The defeat of the Coalition confirmed England as a nation and Æthelstan as the hegemon.

The location of the battle is a matter of controversy, with many sites being suggested. The battle description in the saga by Egil provides the basic layout, but this scenario
takes the Wirral site as the leading possibility.

BRIEFING

SAXONS (Use Tan blocks)
• Leader: King Athelstan of Wessex & Edmund of Mercia
• 6 Command Cards
• 4 Inspired Action tokens
• Move first

COALITION (Use Purple Blocks)
• Leaders: King Olaf III of Dublin, King Constantine II of the Scots, King Owen I of Strathclyde
• 5 Command Cards
• 3 Inspired Action tokens

EPIC GAME TURN Modification
During each turn's Command phase, a Camp may either:
• Play up to two Section cards (Command, Coordinated Attack, Forward, Order 3 units, Order 2 units, Scout, Out flanked)
OR
• Play a single Troop, Leadership or Tactic card
Counterattack can be used on any ONE card played by the opponent.

At the end of the turn, draw 1 or 2 Command Cards to fill hand to Command Limit. Draw 2 cards for each Scout card played, keep 1 and discard the other, plus an Inspired Action Token.

ADDITIONAL BATTLEFIELD INSPIRED ACTION
In the Orders Phase, an Inspired Action token can be played to order a unit not otherwise ordered by Command Cards.
This counts as the Inspired Action for the turn.

Victory
12 Banners

SPECIAL RULES
*The Brook is fordable, and with no movement or battle penalties at the fords
*Auxilia units Battleback with 1 extra die.
*Both sides use the Byzantine Inspired Actions

*Replace the Mounted Charge Command card text to read
Boar’s Snout
Select one foot unit and up to two adjacent foot units. Each unit can move one extra hex and battle.
When battling, add 1 die to each supported unit. Ordered units may not engage in Ranged Combat.

Discuss this article in the forums (5 replies).

Posts in discussion: VIK15 Epic Brunanburh 937AD

aforandy replied the topic:

#776

1 year 3 months ago

Their idea for crossbows hitting on all crossed swords in 12th century combat [this looks like Arsuf] would seem to be linked to armour protecting certain units from one crossed sword hit.

The Han Chinese used them on Mark Anthony's men on the shores of the Caspian Sea. The Romans had no answer to this and it marked the limit of their eastward expansion.

After this indeed nothing is known of military crossbow usage in Europe until the mid-10th century when Vikings apparently used primitve versions. They were apparently used in an 8th-century battle.
The Dark Ages are in some respects dark, however Viking use is not unlikely given their wide-ranging continental connections to the east.

Crossbows have advantages used in dense terrain where longbows are awkward, and also inside buildings, or possibly inside siege engines such as towers. Japanese use seems to have been for indoor personal defence. They can outrange the best longbows slightly.

Famously the near-invincible Mongols were mostly eliminated on the bridge at Mohi in 1241 where crossbowmen protected by the river had easy short-range targets on the long & congested bridge.

Use by William II's men at Hastings has always been one of the contentious issues. Normans were of Viking stock but not as warlike as one might think. William himself had experienced one battle in his youth prior to Hastings, which was many years later. His relatively poor financial base, and him being a miser, may have caused him to limit military expenditures. Also they may not have pursued an interest in crossbows as diligently as they might as they were the perfect foil for their heavy cavalry.

Hunting weapons and farming implements naturally translate to use in battles in earlier periods of history, and crossbows had military advantages. I think there are issues here regarding constant use in hunting -- which according to carvings on standing stones appears to be the case in Dark Age Britain -- use by those who find themselves in small-scale battle frequently, and those who fight major battles on a few occasions.

Mark-McG replied the topic:

#775

1 year 3 months ago

Speaking of Crossbows, there is an image of playtesting for the Crusades expansion
boardgamegeek.com/image/5343668/commands-colors-medieval

If you enlarge it, you can see the Crossbow infantry row on the Unit card (under the tree)

Mark-McG replied the topic:

#774

1 year 3 months ago

aforandy wrote:
The Viking contingent is likely to have had early crossbows. The bolts would tend to go through shields plus any period armour at close range. Say LBs that score the first Crossed Sword at two hexes -- Welcome to the Middle Ages.

I'd be very interest to see that research. There is some indication that small crossbows were still used for hunting in this period, but no military usage, and not in Viking hands. No archaeological evidence of Viking crossbows that I'm aware of (but plenty of arrowheads, and even a horn bow from the east).

This is some random website I Googled, but it maatches everything else Ive looked at scandinaviafacts.com/what-kind-of-bows-did-vikings-use/
William the Conquerer (aka the Bastard) probably had crossbowmen, and he is Viking descendent, but that is the closest I can get.

aforandy replied the topic:

#773

1 year 3 months ago

The Viking contingent is likely to have had early crossbows. The bolts would tend to go through shields plus any period armour at close range. Say LBs that score the first Crossed Sword at two hexes -- Welcome to the Middle Ages.

Mark-McG replied the topic:

#772

1 year 4 months ago

Epic map from BattleLore is used for this scenario

For the Epic map, use these Epic rules

EPIC GAME TURN Modification
During each turn's Command phase, a Camp may either:
• Play up to two Section cards (Command, Coordinated Attack, Forward, Order 3 units, Order 2 units, Scout, Out flanked)
OR
• Play a single Troop, Leadership or Tactic card
Counterattack can be used on any ONE card played by the opponent.
At the end of the turn, draw 1 or 2 Command Cards to fill hand to Command Limit. Draw 2 cards for each Scout card played, keep 1 and discard the other, plus an Inspired Action Token.

ADDITIONAL BATTLEFIELD INSPIRED ACTION
In the Orders Phase, an Inspired Action token can be played to order a unit not otherwise ordered by Command Cards. This counts as the Inspired Action for the turn.

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