Part Seven; The Merry Widow

December 18th. 1409.

Having sheltered all night from the driving snow and freezing cold, Heinrich von Lüneberg and his men find themselves caught between the snow drifts and the pursuing forces of the Lithuanian knight, Vaclav of Stentzin. To make matters worse for the Germans, Vaclav has managed to recruit several local Prussians to his cause, including an outlawed German knight; the fearsome Jörgen Krag of Dachswald. Krag is regarded as a traitor by the Ordenstaat for having cooperated with the Lithuanians and there is a handsome bounty on his head.

In the early morning light, the Teuton’s note the arrival of their enemy and prepare their defence of the inn compound. Barricades are hastily thrown up at vulnerable points and the crossbowmen find advantagious positions.

~~~~~~~~~~~~


Starting

Heinrich von Lüneberg and Justus Kekulé von Nathusius begin within the inn compound, each with his own retinue to command. There are several civilians in the inn, and although they merely classed as crew, these can be used as seen fit. Each player on the Teutonic side has three civilians.

Vaclav of Stentzin and his allies begin outside the inn. Each player may decide for himself where abouts he starts, but no element may be placed closer than 12 inches to the inn compound.

~~~~~~~~~~~~


Map

All terrain outside the inn is difficult (or impassable as marked) except the road which is rough. All terrain inside the inn compound is rough.

~~~~~~~~~~~~


Victory conditions

Either side wins by defeating two thirds of the opposing force or both enemy commanders. Players one and two win by default if they still hold the inn at the end of the game and no victory conditions have been met, but if players three and four have entered the inn then they win by default if no victory conditions have been met.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Special rules

The inn is not a fortification, therefore it cannot give +3 in cover regardless of terrain. The maximum defence bonus is +2.

The snow drifts are too soft to allow elements to use them to climb over the walls.

Visibility is good and there are no penalties for weather.

Breaking down the doors requires a roll against 5, or against 6 if the door is being held.

Reinforcements

Four Teutonic Halbebruder Sergeant-at-arms have been completed and eight additional Teutonic crossbowmen. These figures, along with fifteen cavalry were ordered to bolster my existing, meager Teutonic force, which was sorely lacking in man power. The cavalry are underway but may take some time as they are not an immediate priority. Also finished is the first of my baggage elements.

Part Six; On a winters day...

December 17th. 1409.

Act I.
Scene I. On a snow covered hill top.

Howling wind. Enter VON LÜNEBERG, VON NATHUSIUS and two SOLDIERS in armour, muffled against the cold

Von Lüneberg. What a filthy weather is this? Sooth but it freezes the marrow in my bones!
Von Nathusius. An tis but December. My discomfort swells in this chill breeze...
Von Lüneberg. Worthy Justus. Take pride and find warmth in your duty to the Fatherland.
Von Nathusius. Tis not my pride that diminishes in this foul tempest Noble Brother
Von Lüneberg. No indeed... [PAUSES TO STARE INTO THE DISTANCE]
Von Nathusius. What do you spy?
Von Lüneberg. Methinks I see a rider upon yonder snowy road
Von Nathusius. There is a road? In all this bleak wilderness I see but those hovels and trees before me
Von Lüneberg. Look you beyond that rude abode. There is a rider on the road
First Soldier. My Lord I spy two riders.
Von Lüneberg. Two riders? I say! What business is this on a dirty day in Skalvia?
Second Soldier. I can’t see them. Where away?
Von Nathusius. I spy them now!
First Soldier. There are soldiers with them, marching behind.
Von Lüneberg. How many can you count?
First Soldier. Ten or more My Lord. They wear red across their armour.
Von Nathusius. But this man has a good set of eyes!
Second Soldier. I still can’t see them.
Von Lüneberg. What soldiers are these? Death of my Soul if the Poles are running amuck whilst our men sleep in their warmth of their cots, an’ we few stout hearted Germans, duty bound by our honour, love and obeidience, must do away with these dark faced mutineers!
Von Nathusius. Amazing!
Second Soldier. Is that them over there?
Von Lüneberg. Can you make out their insignia by chance?
First Soldier. A yellow mark upon a blue shield
Von Nathusius. But the man is a miracle!
Von Lüneberg. What say you Justus, is it not the badge of the Lithuanian?
First Soldier. They are holding forth at the hamlet below
Second Soldier. Now I see them also. That is Vaclav of Stentzin and his men
Von Lüneberg. Be it so? Tis said he is a mad dog
Von Nathusius. Some say he is mad, others that lesser hate him do call it a valiant fury, but for certain, he cannot unbuckle his distempered cause.
First Soldier. Now I see another group on the farther road
Von Nathusius. Yet another road?
Von Lüneberg. Be it distempered or no, his cause will meet with a scant reward once I drew my sword this day!
Second Soldier. For this will bring a heat to our bones! What’s your gracious pleasure Sire?
Von Lüneberg. Let the Devil damn this Polak’s heart!
Von Nathusius. Lithuanian...
Von Lüneberg. Let the Devil damn this Lithuanian’s heart! I’ll fight till from my bones my flesh be hacked!
First Soldier. I shall rouse the men! [HURRIES AWAY]
Second Soldier. I must attend the call of nature before we advance to war. [HURRIES AWAY]
Von Nathusius. But who are these others which ride up the road?
Von Lüneberg. I know it not, but I fancy they bear blue shields.
Von Nathusius. Curse this wind which waters my eyes. Infected be the air upon which visions lurk.
Von Lüneberg. Vaclav must be meeting with some one. I spy the shag-haired villain himself now. He stands there by yonder hut.
Von Nathusius. He looks ill at ease. See how he casts this way and that, seeking a witness who will uncover his treacherous depravity.
Von Lüneberg. These Poles, they know not the tempered love of Christ and Germany. We shall kill them all or rue the day.
Von Nathusius. [PAUSES] ...Lithuanians My Lord Brother.
Von Lüneberg. A horrible sight!
Von Nathusius. I think the men are rousing now.
Von Lüneberg. The service and loyalty I owe, in deed, it pays itself.
Von Nathusius. Did you not yourself tell me an hour since that you have relinquished your oath to the Grand Master?
Von Lüneberg. Not so, valued Sergeant! My honour remains intact, for I swore my oath before Christ, to the Order, not to those who abase it!
Von Nathusius. A worthy distinction upon my soul.
Second Soldier. [RETURNS] I’m done.
Von Nathusius. Are the men ready?
Von Lüneberg. The sin of his ingratitude even now weighs heavy upon me. What other course to lay is mine? The needs of the Order must be supreme over the needs of the man, no matter his station.
Von Nathusius. I think the men are ready
Second Soldier. I am.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Conclusion

This game was different from previous games in several ways. First it began with a short 'thespian intro', Oleg playing the part of von Lüneberg and Palle the part of Von Nathusius, whilst I took First Soldier and my brother Peter debuted as a DSB player by taking the role of Second Soldier. Goeg was present but was eventually forced to sit out the game due to illness, other wise we would have had five players.

There was no map at all, the players taking turns to place terrain features on to the table top, once a faint snow clad road had been drawn running length wise across the table (which was smaller than usual due to the snow terrain slowing the elements to a crawl).

Once the terrain had been established, the players rolled to determine who would play which
force. Peter rolled for von Lüneberg and Oleg was his second in command. Goeg rolled for the local Prussians, Palle rolled for Vaclav of Stentzin and I rolled for Radu Puşcaş of Dâmboviţa.

A; von Lüneberg. B; von Nathusius. C; Vaclav. D; Radu Puşcaş.

We set up standing forces and the game began with the Teuton's trudging along the road and fanning out to attack the Lithuanians, and Muntenians who were centered in and around the
largest buildings in the centre of the table. The Eastern Europeans had been meeting, and were engaged in some kind of trade, but both were heavily escorted and the Lithuanians were guarding every approach.


Von Lüneberg took the road, moving the bulk of his force in a turgid column whilst Von Nathusius moved to cover his eastern flank. The Germans were not happy about the Lithuanian skirmishers and Muntenian archers but they pressed on, weathering the constant barrage of missiles and returning fire with some accuracy. The soldiers of the Ordenstaat were better armoured and carried effective crossbows and this told. They whittled down their foes as they moved slowly southward, though some of the forward Lithuanians on the western flank held their own slowing the German advance and keeping the fight managable.

Peter's first game.

The Muntenian commander, Radu Puşcaş was seated upon his horse through the battle, and beside him was another mounted Muntenian, clad in bright clothing and bearing a crossbow (he also had a lyre on his horse's harness). This second rider attempted to ride into the skirmish on the eastern flank, but was brought down by a Teuton crossbow bolt to the head. He died instantly. The Muntenians who were trying to hold the eastern flank were also suffering terribe losses, but as things began to look hopeless, some local Prussians arrived and took the side of the Lithuanians. These were Goeg's elements, but by this time he had left and so the dice decided the local Prussians loyalties. I won the toss so the locals became a relief force for the eastern flank.


The arrival of the Prussian locals meant the defeat of von Nathusius, though being a named character required for another game, he was allowed to survive to fight another day without a damage roll, for this time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The end result was a marginal win for the Teutons, who were in better condition by the end of the game, with more elements in some semblence of order, despite the loss of their secondary commander. The Lithuanians eventually retreated into the countryside, Radu Puşcaş and his remaining men fleeing along side them. The Teuton's arrested the surviving locals and put them in chains and began to drag them back to Memel...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aftermath

Von Lüneberg and his men trudge from the burning ruins of the peasant farm and return along th the road. After a few hours the weary soldiers and their prisoners come to a crossroads. Wrapped against the cold wind, von Nathusius has walked with help from his men, but his condition has begun to deteriate and von Lüneberg calls a halt to the column as he regards the silent snow covered roads which radiate off into the gathering darkness.
"I am exhaused" von Nathusius grumbles.
"Your head does not look good" von Lüneberg replies. "I wish we had some shelter so you might recover your strength".
He turns to a nearby man-at-arms.
"Heinz, go and fetch one of those treacherous locals".
"What are you thinking?" von Nathusius asks.
"Memel is still half a days walk at this pace. You will never make it. We should have stopped at the farm but for the risk of that dog Vaclav returning and surprising us".
The man-at-arms returns dragging a shivering bare headed man.
"What is your name, you!?" von Lüneberg shouts at the terrified man.
"Gutenberg My Lord" the man replies.
"What? Art thou a German?"
The man nods miserably
"But then why did you take up arms with the Poles against us?" von Lüneberg asks in wonderment. The man merely shakes his head and mutters something to himself. He points back down the line and the Brother Knight understands the man is blaming one of his fellow rebels.
"Well, be that as it may. Now is your chance to find some small redemption"
The man glances up, and despite his shivering there is a spark of hope in his eyes that almost moves von Lüneberg to pity him.
"We need to find a place to shelter. The wounded cannot be expected to walk to Memel in these conditions."
Even as von Lüneberg speaks, the snow falls heavier than ever and the man nods enthusiastically. He points.
"That way there is an inn not more than a short way"
"An inn?" von Lüneberg frowns. "A German inn?"
The man nods eagerly, hugging his thin arms to his shivering chest. Von Lüneberg nods to himself then motions for the man-at-arms to drag the prisoner away again.
"It sounds promising" von Nathusius says. Von Lüneberg agrees and soon the column makes its way southards. It takes an hour to reach the inn, but eventually the soldiers see a dim light up ahead. A moment or two later there is another and then a row of windows.
"Finally" von Nathusius groans as the group stops before the facade of the inn. He looks up and reads the lettering which is half obscured by the driven snow. "The Merry Widow"
"Lets hope she is" the soldier beside him mutters.

Von Lüneberg and his men do not stand on ceremony but kick in the door and enter the inn with drawn weapons.
Within they find several people with shocked faces huddled around a fire place.
"Who... who are you?" a fat man in aleather apron asks
"Are you the inn keep?" The Knight replies.
"Yes... Yes I am Albrecht Bauer, are you guests or bandits?"
"I am the District Provost and I am requisitioning this inn under the authority of the Ordenstaat!"
"But you can't..." Bauer's voice whispers as he watches the long line of heavily armed soldiers entering the building.
"Albrecht! Whats going on?" a woman cries as she enters from a backroom.
"Madam." Von Lüneberg holds up a commanding finger. "Calm yourself. We merely require food and shelter for the night". He removes his sopping wet cloak and kicks the snow from his feet.
"Verily" the woman agrees readily as she sees the stark black cross on his chest. "We have plenty of room My Lord. Albrecht! Prepare our finest room for his Lordship at once!"
Starting in surprise at his wife's tone, the Inn keeper shuffles up a flight of stairs and disapears above. Von Lüneberg glances about the room at the civilians who make way before him. He warms his hands at the hearth and looks into their eyes.
"Have you ever known such a winter?" he shakes his head.
One man, gratefully replies, "No My Lord".
There is visible relief at this District Provost's tone, and the room is suddenly filled with voices as people begin to relax again. Most of the Teutonic soldier's disperse to other parts of the building, to find a dry place to sleep whilst the inn keepers wife busies herself in the kitchen. Von Nathusius finds a chair and pulls it to beside his brother knight. He warms his hands at the fire, then leans back in grateful repose. Von Lüneberg has produced an object wrapped in cloth
"What do you have there?".
"I'm not sure. I picked it off the Poles's mules."
"I think they were foreigners"
Von Luneberg shrugs. The package is tied with wet leather string and his fingers are still numb with cold. He draws a poniard and slits the package open. Within is a book of dull metal, its cover wrought in finely worked gold and a locked clasp holding it shut.
"Well, well" von Lüneberg mutters. "What is this now?"
"Can you open it?" von Nathusius asks.
"It is locked, but I'll wager I can break into it easily enough.
Von Nathusius shakes his head slightly. "It would be a pity to break such a fine book"
Von Lüneberg considers this for a moment but then shrugs and passes the book to a nearby soldier.
"Open this."
"Yessir!" the soldier produces an axe and with a single blow severs the lock from the cover.
"Impressive" Von Nathusius murmurs
"Yes, Hans is a dab hand with his axe!" Von Lüneberg smiles happily, "And look, the damage is minimal".
Ale is brought and the two men sip greatfully, then von Lüneberg places the book on his lap and opens the cover. The first page is blank but for a few strange scribbles in some alien writing. Frowning von Lüneberg turns the page, and then the next.
"What is this?" he wonders. "Moorish?"
"It is Greek" Von Nathusius replies in a dull voice.
"Can you read it?"
"No."
"Oh..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The testimony of Karl Grubenhagen.

Scribed by Johann Altenburg. Schöenberg Castle. 14th June. 1409.

Before the mother of my lord and saviour Jesus Christ, I do hereby swear to the validity and truth of what I am about to relate. Let God’s heavenly will alone pass judgement upon me for my sins.

In the summer of 1398 I was approached by my kinsman Frederick of Kitnow who bore news of a secret gathering of nobles from our home province of Culm, wherein it had been decided that the best interests of the people of Culm were to be safe guarded by a secret fraternity whose prime purpose would be to eradicate the outlaws who were then a problem for the people of the province. Culm had long since suffered from the deprivations of undesirable elements from foreign parts, not least from amongst the Lithuanians and Poles and I agreed to meet with Nicholas von Renys upon whose initiative the meeting had taken place.

Von Renys was then a secular brother of the German Order, and upon our meeting, he impressed upon me the importance of joining the order with the purpose of influencing it from within. He spoke at great length of the troubles afforded to Culm by the imposition of authority by the leadership of the German Order and how the province would be better served if it were a part of a greater Germany under the sovereign rule of a Holy Roman Emperor.

I could not but agree, for in those days I was young and idealistic and betraying the Orderstaat seemed of no great importance if only Culm could be liberated. To my ever lasting shame I readily agreed and entered into the Order with the intention of furthering the interests of Culm. I was not alone however, a great many other young nobles of Culm were beside me, and we called ourselves the Union of the Lizard.

For the next many years I campaigned hard on behalf of the Ordenstaat whilst all the while working towards the interests of Culm. At first this was easy as my differing interests did not conflict, but with time, I began to find it harder to reconcile my betrayal of the men I was fighting along side. I knew that with time, the acts I undertook at the behest of the Union would eventually bring me into direct conflict with my pledge of allegiance to the Order. Little did I realise that my worries were misplaced and that subsequent events would demonstrate the folly of my decisions.

In 1407, after many years of dedicated service to the Union, I became aware of a conspiracy at its heart which defied its stated purpose. Like most of my fellows, I was convinced of the honour in Nicholas von Renys and his intentions, but during a trip to Liege I was made aware that certain highly placed individuals within the Union were in direct conversation with highly placed members of the Order, and together with several members of the Court of King Ruprecht were conspiring for own gain. I became confused and undertook to discover the truth of what I had glimpsed. I met with Frederick and made him aware of my knowledge and whilst he initially attempted to deny that any such conspiracy was afoot, he soon gave up the pretence and admitted that the Union had been infiltrated by unscrupulous parties and that he himself did not even know if Nicholas von Renys was implicated in the affair. We agreed that I would undertake to investigate the matter further and for the next few years I went about my business, quietly watching my fellows.

Around about this time, I became wounded in a skirmish with some Poles and I was sent to Memel to work as a secretary to the Komtur. This gave me an insight into matters to which I had heretofore previously been blind. I examined the archived records of the Komtur and discovered that the Ordenstaat was rife with corruption and that a great deal of wealth was being taken from the provinces and moved to the coffers of several influential nobles, some of whom were themselves high standing brother knights of the Order.

My wounds were sufficiently recovered in the Spring of 1409 that I was sent to help deal with the uprising in Samogitia, but I discovered upon my arrival that the group with which I had been placed was comprised mainly of members of the Lizard Union and the purpose of our group was not to impose the authority of the Order, but to gather as much wealth as possible. To my dismay, none of the other members of the Union objected and I soon found myself witness to all manner of atrocities carried out against the native Poles. Alone with my doubts and misgivings I am ashamed to say that I went along with the actions of my brethren, acting the part of an aloof observer. During the first months of 1409 I saw a great many murders committed, often accompanied by rape, torture and the destruction of entire villages.

I finally lost my reserve when I was sent on a raid with von Voldensee and Metzger. Both are high standing brother knights of the order whom I had long suspected of corruption, von Voldensee’s name in particular has often been whispered to me as I searched for connections between the corruption of the Ordenstaat and the Court of King Ruprecht.

We arrived at a rebellious village called Pinnow where both Germans and Poles were living and von Voldensee and Metzger chose to attack. I had supposed they would slaughter the Polish inhabitants as this had been seen on several previous occasions, but this was not to be the case. With us on this mission was a noble in blackened armour unmarked with any heraldry, whose name I gathered was Krebs. I had never seen this man before, but I understood from his bearing and the deference shown to him by von Voldensee and Metzger that he was of great importance and influence. Krebs ordered the destruction of the entire village and despite my protestations, von Voldensee and Metzger obeyed. I was placed under guard and removed to a nearby hill top, from whence I watched as the village and all its inhabitants were all put to the sword whilst anything of value was removed in a caravan of wagons which headed west.

Later I was removed to the custody of Anschütz-Kaempfe von Beyrich who informed me that my arrest had been cosigned by the Grosskomtur himself, and that I was to be taken to Memel to be tried as a traitor to the Ordenstaat. This did not happen as I was unexpectedly rescued by Heinrich von Lüneberg and his compatriots.

During the past several years I have uncovered a lot of corruption within the Order, with many examples of individuals taking bribes, stealing assets of the order and general theft of goods belonging to the native population of the Ordenstaat. To which degree these crimes are connected I cannot say, but I can identify a number of key figures in the conspiracy of corruption which exists between the Lizard Union, the German Order and the Court of King Ruprecht.

The Komtur of Memel, Albrecht von Oldenburg and several of his staff are all guilty of corruption, von Oldenburg himself may also be in league with the Grosskomtur of the German Order, Franz Karl von Voldensee and his Sergeant-at-arms Marius Metzger, both of whom are in league with several high standing knights of the Court of King Ruprecht, including Dieter Anschütz-Kaempfe von Beyrich, Adam August von Eschenmayer and the mysterious Knight in Black named Krebs whom I have only encountered once.

Aside from these, there are also the members of the Lizard Union, several of whom I suspect to be implicated with the afore mentioned conspirators, and others whom I know to be in league with various Polish and Lithuanian nobles. Nicholas von Renys is a traitor to the Ordenstaat and almost certainly in treasonous conversation with the Grand Duke of Lithuania Jogaila. Frederick of Kitnow is a co-conspirator in Nicholas von Renys’s plots as are John of Pulkow and Frederick of Kitnow. These men make up the governing body of the Lizard Union, but behind them are several other notable figures from Culm, foremost of whom is one Albrecht Wohlfahrt von Toruń. I cannot be certain, but I have reason to suspect that von Toruń is in league with von Beyrich and von Eschenmayer.

Part Five. Ambush

3rd June. 1409.

Lothar von Schöenberg and his men rest up in the early dawn light. Their attack on the farm house at Pinnow was thwarted and whilst their remaing men squat in the early morning light catching their breath Otto Bierhoff approaches the knights with a grave face.
"We lost seven men, three of them are dead"
"Verdamt!" Lothar slams a gauntlet against his armoured thigh. "We must rescue Grubenhagen, he's the only one who can tell us whats going on!"
Heinrich von Lüneberg places his hand on Lothar's shoulder. He is the next ranking Brother Knight in the group but in age and bearing he is second to none.
"Oh Brother of mine. We shall rescue Karl or die in the attempt. He is one of our Order, betrayed, and we must not suffer our fears or fatigue to allow such a thing. I know of many local men who can aid us. Let me gather some allies and then we will return and triumph if God wills it, or find von Beyrich on the road if he tries to flee..."

Lothar looks about his men and finds each and every face firm and resolute.
"It shall be as you suggest Brother Heinrich, but it pains me to wage war upon my fellow Germans whilst all across the Ordenstaat, rebellion simmers. I must assume these gentlemen of the Royal Court are engaged in foul deeds that they hold captive a true and loyal brother of the German Order".
Heinrich von Lüneberg nods solemnly. "It is a foul day indeed, but we must d what must be done!"
The men murmur their agreement and Lothar orders several to accompany von Lüneberg.
"We meet tonight at the crossroads by the broken tree!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The screams of the man on the ground suddenly cease as the arrow is finally pulled from his ankle and he faints. Sitting on his horse, von Beyrich watches with a glum countenance.
"Roland!" he calls to his trusted sergeant-at-arms.
"My Lord?" the sturdy soldier replies, marching across the farm yard.
"Roland, we need to move away from this place as soon as possible. We shall travel to Memel at once."
"Yes My Lord!"
"Round up some willing locals and some means to transport the prisoner."
Roland looks down at the moaning man on the ground. Another soldier is tending to the dreadful wound in the man's ankle.
"What about the wounded My Lord?"
"We shall leave them here with von Eschenmayer for now. We can send carts and a doctor to fetch them later on, but for now our priority is to prevent our attackers from taking the prisoner... I wish I knew who they were working for. This attack was a most unpleasant surprise."
"Indeed My Lord."
Adam August von Eschenmayer staggers from the farm house, a crossbow in one hand and a quiver full of bolts in the other. "I am going with you" he states.
"How so?" von Beyrich replies.
"Roland. Send a man to the schloss Ortenstein and request the ue of their carriage. The Baron is an old friend of mine and it will not take more than a few hours."
Roland looks to his lord and master, but von Beyrich merely shrugs.
"As you wish Lord Eschenmayer" Roland hurries away to make the arrangements.
"Why are you doing this?" von Beyrich asks. "You should stay here and recover yourself. Go and visit the schloss Ortenstein perhaps"
"No." Von Eschenmayer replies. "If they come again, I want my revenge! I shall guard Grubenhagen and ensure he does not escape."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later that same day Heinrich von Lüneberg rendezvous's with Lothar and his compatriots at the cross roads. The sun has passed from the sky and as its last rays fade, the shadows are long.
"What news Lothar?"
Von Schöenberg emerges from the undergrowth and removes his helmet. On the road behind von Lüneberg he sees a grup of local men bearing weapons.
"There is no news as yet. Either thay have taken a different road or they are still at the farm house. We have set up an ambush though and I anticipate an engagement some time soon."
"I suggest we send some runners to gather more information" von Lüneberg says. Lothar nods, tiredness evident in his every movement. After he has dispatched four of his local skirmishers, von Lüneberg looks to his friend.
"You are tired. How far is it to the ambush?"
"Only a short distance"
"Take me there, and then you must rest"
The two knights make their way through the gathering darkness, followed by the locals who mutter amongst themselves and passing a wine sack.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Map

All terrain is rough except the road which is good, the stream which is difficult, or unless otherwise marked.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Forces

Player One: Palle

Lothar von Schöenberg (Ritterbruder)
Maximillian von Schöenberg (Halbbruder)
Albrecht Mannsfeld (Diendebruder)
6 x Archer
6 x Skirmisher
Karl Grubenhagen (unarmed)

Player Two: Goeg

Heinrich von Lüneberg (Ritterbruder)
Lorentz Wolfenbüttel (Halbbruder)
Jörgen Billung (Halbbruder)
3 x Archer
8 x Skirmisher (locals)

Player Three: Oleg

Dieter Anschütz-Kaempfe von Beyrich (Knight)
3 x Spears/cavalry
4 x Arbalestiers
8 x Skirmishers

Player Four: Jan

Roland (Sergeant-at-arms)
2 x Spears/cavalry
2 x Skirmisher/light horse
8 x Skirmisher (locals)

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Starting

Lothar and his men have rested during the night, as have von Beyrich's. Both sides are up early and ready for any eventuality.

Players one and two begin by positioning their troops on the table.
Players three and four arrive in column on road, at the western edge of the table

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Victory conditions

Players one and two win by rescuing Karl Grubenhagen (note player one controls Grubenhagen) or by defeating two thirds of their opponents force.

Baron Ortenstein and his men have become aware of the conflict and are roaming the countryside nearby. If the game is undecided at its close, it iassumed that Lothar and his men have been forced to withdraw by the imminent approach of the local Baron. In this situation players three and four win by default.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Special rules

Players one and two may place a fallen tree across the road if they wish, or they may arrange for a tree to fall once a signal is given. Furthermore, they may also place 2+ 1d6 booby traps on the map.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Write up

Palle and Goeg set up traps and positioned their forces for a surprise attack, and then the game began with two of von Beyrich's riders moving along the road ahead of the column and scouting the terrain. In doing so, they managed to discover the ambush before it could begin, and before the caravan had properly arrived on the table. The ambush essentially lost its surprise advantage and went off 'half cocked'.


The carriage and the wagon behind it moved off the road to create a barrier to protect von Beyrich's men (see image above), but as the fight had essentially begun, most of the defenders were scattered around outside the protection of the make shift 'lager'. Of the two cavalry riders who had discovered the ambush, one was quickly brought down by arrows and the other sped away as fast as possible up the road. This looked like he was fleeing but he was simply doing what light horse always do; hit n' run. Over the course of the game, whilst the battle raged at one end of the table, this lone rider ducked and dodged at the other end and took out three of Heinrich von Lüneberg's men. He subsequently became the games highest scoring element.


Arrows were speeding left and right as the ambush erupted and the attackers adapted to the situation. Their initial plan was disrupted, but they still had the advantage of longer range weapons and more missile troops. Von Beyrich's arbelstiers attempted to return fire and were moderately succesful, but sitting in the carriage with von Eschenmayer, who was taking pot shots out the carriage windows with his crossbow, Karl Grubenhagen was simply biding his time. When the attackers shot up the carriage, killing both horses and its driver, Grubenhagen took his chance and jumped out.

Suddenly, the defenders realised their prisoner was fleeing and several of the foot soldiers defied enemy arrow fire and attempted to grab the feeling men. Holding the road, von Beyrich became aware of the situation and urged his horse up the slope, but too no avail. Grubenhagen ran like a hare and his rescuers covered him (Grubenhagen can be seen in the upper left of the above image, in a red cloak, running off behind Lothar's skirmish line). The game ended with a victory for Lothar von Schöenberg and his bretheren as they all slipped away into the undergrowth leaving Dieter Anschütz-Kaempfe von Beyrich and his men in total disarray and still wondering who their attackers actually were...

~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was a good game, but brief, and some what predictable. Nonetheless I had fun, and I promise that next time, I will have a thespian intro!

~~~~~~~~~~~~

For the aftermath of this game, read the Testimony of Karl Grubenhagen