Lion Rampant 2nd Edition - Seljuks versus Byzantines

 

Byzantine attackers deployed

Seljuk defenders

Most of the Byzantines advance

Seljuks advance

Byzantine Klibanophoroi catch up

Last Saturday afternoon Craig came over and we played a Seljuks versus Nikephorian Byzantines Lion Rampant game out in the shed. We both had 24 point warbands, using the usual Bloodbath scenario. The Byzantines were the attackers and the Seljuks the defenders. Craig’s Seljuks consisted of two units of heavy cavalry with bows, a unit of light infantry with javelins, a warrior Azerbaijani unit, and a unit of archers and a unit of skirmishers. My Nikephorian Byzantines consisted of a unit of Klibanophoroi (elite cavalry), two units of heavy cavalry with bows, a unit of skutatoi (heavy infantry) and a unit of archers.


This was a practice game as there is a Lion Rampant event on the 8th of July as part of BelCon II (8th and 9th July 2023) at the Raiders’ Club in Kippax. This event has three games with 24 point warbands and the scenarios of Bloodbath, the Convoy and Hold on Tight. If anyone is interested in playing I can bring along a 24 point warband of Early Crusaders or Normans. Some of the other events at BelCon include 15mm Mortem et Gloriam, 28mm Billhooks Italia and 28mm ACW with Pickett’s Charge. Tickets for all these events can still be purchased on the Olympian Games website.


Most of the Byzantines advanced but it took a few turns for the Klibanophoroi to catch up and launch a wild charge into the Azerbaijani who retreated battered. Repeated charges by the Klibanophoroi, drove the Seljuk heavy cavalry back, before they sucumbed to the Seljuk shooting. The Byzantine heavy infantry forced a unit of Seljuk heavy cavalry to retreat battered but then both units of Byzantine heavy cavalry failed their courage tests and routed. In the end it was a bloodbath indeed and only a unit of Byzantine archers and the Seljuk leader with a single cavalryman remained

Byzantine archers and Seljuk heavy cavalry remain