Above are some plastic Fireforge Games horse archers for my Nikephorian and Komnenan Byzantine armies that I've just finished painting. I will combine these as rear rank archers with the Fireforge Koursores figures as front rank lancers, for Tagmatic Kavallarioi. I have more Gripping Beast metal cavalry figures to paint as well as the Fireforge plastic cataphracts. Newly painted troops often seem to perform poorly in games and this was the case with this lot, see photos and report below!
On Thursday afternoon Garry came over and we played another Lion Rampant game out in the shed. The scenario was Hold on Tight with the objective a mountain pass. I was the attacker with my Nikephorian Byzantines and Garry, the defender, with the Normans. The Byzantines advanced to the pass and managed to hold it for three turns before multiple charges from the Norman cavalry and shooting from the Norman crossbowmen drove them back. Disaster struck when the Byzantine leader was killed by lucky blows and soon the remaining Byzantine cavalry routed. The Byzantine infantry tried to hold on but retreated battered and soon routed.
 |
| Normans deployed on the left, Byzantines on the right |
 |
| Normans with the pass in sight |
 |
| Byzantines are within cooee |
 |
| Byzantine horse archers and foot archers advance |
 |
| Horse archers are in the pass but can they hold it? |
 |
Shooting commences - the Norman
crossbowmen prove very effective |
 |
| Byzantines charge and Normans counter charge |
 |
Byzantine leader is killed and
remaining cavalry soon rout |
 |
Byzantines are down to infantry only
|
|
 |
| Can they hold on? |
 |
Norman Milites charge again,
crossbowmen find their mark |
 |
| Byzantine infantry retreat battered and then rout |
 |
| Normans are victorious |
