Impetus Bash - The Berber WIP take on Crusaders

This weeks game was part of a multi-player Impetus practice event at the club organised by Dax in which eight or so of us had a game of Impetus with most of the participants using armies kindly supplied (almost to order) by Dax himself and he offered sage advice to those of us (ie pretty much all of us) into the niceties of the rules and didn't get a game himself!

I brought along my very much WIP Berber to the fray and was pitted against some very spiffy Crusaders who were under the able command of Chuck.

Med Cavalry get peppered by XBow A

As we were just getting to know the rules better rather any serious 'gaming' the troops were plonked down on the table and they set to.

Chucks dice prooved to be pretty vicious through the early part of the game getting initiative in all but one turn and he did throw a lot of sixes in combat, ouch, though his luck did begin to turn towards the end of the game. He was fairly cautious to begin with with a slow advance with his infantry and only taking on my Light Cavalry and Mercenary Knights on his left keeping back his general and a passle of knights as a reserve. Only on his right did he throw cation to the wind and send a solitary unit of turcomen archers rushing forward to disorganise my medium cavalry (which he did in spades) and when I did get to charge him and destroy him he still managed to disorganise and take three casualties off one unit. Ouch.

Knights about to charge

His Impetuous Knights on his left held in check by being opportunity  were let loose and did manage to take out one of my Light Cavalry but took a little damage in the process. His two other units charging into my Christian Knights were bounced repeatedly and driven back in no uncertain fashion.

The Knights get bounced

We soon realised the the screening skirmishers were unlikely, neigh impossible to actually hurt each other so after the tussle on the flanks between the cavalry and the rest of my medium cavalry getting biffed about by nasty VBU 4 crossbow A, I decided that it was likely that my infantry in these rules were likely to be my best asset the same as all the other rules I've tried, and so it proved to be with my Black Guard and associated others leaping forward and giving his infantry a damn good bloody nose.

A good to and fro melee was developing in the centre with the Berber beginning to get the best of it when my Black Guard (with general in tow) who had driven all before them had a minor reverse at the end of a good run of combat, and of course I threw a six (you knew it was coming didn't you). To see his fate I promptly threw double six plus three - instantly killed and army fizzles into nothingness result. So ended the battle in much hilarity and general derision, totally forgetting about the dice of destiny I had put aside for just that event. In truth I think the Crusaders would have triumphed in the end by shear weight on numbers. (Aren't the points system in Impetus odd BTW?) All in all a good fun game with lots learnt.

Only a few actual losses on either side but everybody hurts

The other games went well too with I think (but don't quote me) Palmyran vs Anglo-Dane, Late Roman vs Something all Cavalry and I totally missed what the other game was. There was the other goings on the night as usual but attention was on Impetus on the night.

Impetus games to the fore

Late Romans take on lots of horsey people

Unknown armies clash (but there's elephants!)

AngloDanes vs Palmyran

Good fun on the knight and thanks to Dax for organising the fun. No doubt more Impetus will ensue soon and I'll be getting more progress done on my Berbers.