Retrospective: Cold Wars WAB Doubles Tournament, 11 March 2011 (Game 1)

Opponents: Mike D (Teutonics) and John B (Ottomans).  John is a long-time opponent and I am very familiar with his maneuver-heavy playstyle with Ottomans.  Mike’s Teutonic Knights, on the other hand, was sure to be a fairly blunt instrument, but also heavily reliant on cavalry.

Armies: (3000 pts)
TEUTONICS (Mike)

• General & BSB on warhorses with full armor, not attached to units
• 2 units of 5 Knights and 5 Turkopoles in back ranks, one unit with WS5
• 3 units of 8/8/9 crossbows with heavy armor and pavise (3+ saves)
• 1 unit of 8 skirmishing cavalry with bows

OTTOMANS (John)

• General & BSB on horses with armor, not attached to units
• 2 units of 10 medium spear/archer cavalry (one unit is Janissaries)
• 2 units of 9/10 skirmishing nomadic cavalry
• 2 units of 9 skirmishing infantry archers
• 1 unit of 10 medium infantry (Janissaries with halberds/bows)
• 1 Bombard artillery piece with crew

Mission: Alternating deployment (2 units per side until all units set up), 12” in from long board edge, and an unmodified roll-off afterwards to decide who takes first turn.

Terrain: Playing on a 4x8 table, the left half was almost completely open, with a few trees and hills about 12” in from either long edge.  The right half had a huge hill in the middle of the table, neatly blocking up LOS from most angles.

Retrospective: 17 July 2009 Historicon WAB Medievals (Game 2)

Opponent: Tom Eiche (Teutonic Knights). A very cheerful and energetic young gamer with a brightly painted army – the white tunics were nearly blinding! – Tom had a very straight-forward ‘beat face’ strategy that perfectly fit the style of his army list. Playing a crusader order transplanted to the Balkans, and which eventually forms the foundation of the Kingdom of Prussia (and thus, modern Germany), the Teutonic Knights and Burgundians meet on the field of battle in a wonderfully unlikely conflict. Maybe we’re fighting over Denmark or Saxony?

Army: (2000 pts)

• 1x10 Teutonic Knights (plus General, ASB, and Character)
• 1x10 Light Cavalry (Lithuanians)
• 1x13 Medium Cavalry (Turcopoles with Heavy Armor and Spears)
• 1x18 Heavy Infantry with Halberds
• 1x10 Skirmishing Handgunners
• 1x18 Crossbows

Mission: “Collision!” – before the game, each player divides their list into three sections, each worth between 500 and 1000 points. They deploy their armies alternating with the other player, and deploy each section all at once. The 2nd-largest section in terms of point value (“vanguard”) deploys first, then the largest section (“mainguard”), and finally the smallest section (“rearguard”). Deployment takes place in opposite corners, with a 24-inch-wide no-man’s-land running diagonally between the two (this is a common Warhammer Fantasy setup). Table quarters do not count for VP purposes.

Warmonger Charity WAB Tournament: 30 January 2010 (Game 1)

Opponent: Bob Rioux (Teutonic Knights). A marvelously wry and subdued gamer with a killer army list, Bob was fielding a Teutonic army with a several metric tons of Knights (not even including horses!), backed by two big blocks of infantry warbands, and supported by a smattering of some missile fire. In all, it was a collection of units that would absorb almost any opponent’s assault, then annihilate it with warbands and First Charges in the following turn, and I was very happy at the fact that I was fielding a medieval gun-line when I saw what Bob had.

Army: (2000 pts)

• General, ASB, and Hero operating solo on horseback
• 1x12 Knights & Turcopoles (Sergeants in back ranks)
• 1x10 Knights & Turcopoles (Sergeants in back ranks)
• 1x9 Allied Latin Knights
• 2x30 Warbands with mixed weapons
• 1x15 Crossbows with Pavise
• 1x14 Skirmishing Handgunners

Mission: “Collision!” – before the game, each player divides their list into three sections, each worth between 500 and 1000 points. They deploy their armies alternating with the other player, and deploy each section all at once. The 2nd-largest section in terms of point value (“vanguard”) deploys first, then the largest section (“mainguard”), and finally the smallest section (“rearguard”). Deployment takes place in opposite corners, with a 24-inch-wide no-man’s-land running diagonally between the two (this is a common Warhammer Fantasy setup). Table quarters do not count for VP purposes.