Rodger In Chains

After the mercenaries' defeat at the Battle of the Borgo Verde Fields, Stockwood began heading back towards his primary entrenched position to the North.  As the army reformed and marched onward, outriders reported that the Milanese were following hot on their heels.  Stockwood realized that the Italians were under a new command.  The city-bred Prosciutto would never have made such a bold pursuit.  Obviously, this Austrian commander was a far more worthy adversary, and in fact, was responding in exactly the same fashion as Stockwood would have if he were in the victor's chair.  After a quick meeting with his war counsel, Sir James decided to prepare for another battle on the open fields near the Pass of St. Ambrose.  The terrain was ideal for his archers, and if a serious enough blow could be dealt to the enemy, perhaps he and his men would be left in peace long enough to reach their fortified encampment where they could regroup and resupply.


The Battlefield:

With the exception of a small copse of trees, the battle took place in a long, flat valley under the shadows of the steep steppes to the east.  We used the same 400-point forces that we did for the last match.

The Battle:

Realizing that there was no escape from the Italians on the open ground, Stockwood decided that a good offense would probably serve as the best defense.   Skirmishing broke out as the lines closed.

General Prosciutto felt terribly ashamed as he played the role of secondary general, over-seeing the artillery, baggage, and supplies.  The Austrian upstart had already worn out his welcome as far as the proud son of Milan was concerned.

Just before the breaking of the dam.

As the mercenary arrows rained down on the enemy, the Italian cavalry (under the command of Dertflinghan) engaged Stockwood's infantry in a ferocious melee.

Von Dertflinghan and his knights charged Rodger of Lynn (see dice roll-J).  Neither side gave any ground until Rodger was set upon and almost unhorsed.

With his nerve broken, Rodger panicked and fled the field with his knights in tow.

Prosciutto, eager to prove himself to his men, charged the men-at-arms, and at one point found himself on foot and fighting at the forefront of the engagement.  Irreparable damage to his favorite hat aside, he led his men competently and secretly felt that the foreigner would be put in his place before long.

However, unbeknown to Prosciutto, Karl Von Dertflinghan and his men had galloped off after the fleeing Rodger and successfully overtook him.  By the time the battle was concluded, Karl and his knights were heading hastily back towards the Milanese border with the pompous young ass bound and slung over a spare horse.  The Milanese had a prisoner.  The question was, how much would his safe return be worth to James Stockwood?


Aftermath:

It had been much too long since our last game, so Chris and I decided to make an effort to get the 15mm Impetus rolling again.  As usual, the game doesn't disappoint, and the 15mm models are so visually satisfying when based on those large rectangles.

I'm eventually going to learn to hold my cavalry back as a reserve and to make proper use of my long range advantage.  Maybe.  I'll try.

Thanks for reading,
JET