Pseudonymous Bosh
09-20-2002, 01:11
During the late 1170s, the Almohads were stable; expansion was proceeding slowly, with only northern Spain, Malta, and southern France having been taken in nearly a century. A war with France had ended, since their simultaneous war with England had exhausted the French, leaving the French king trapped in Brittany by hostile armies and fleets to the east and north. The Holy Roman Emperor, however, had sent a second crusade against the Almohad heartland when the first collapsed, and, encouraged by the Pope, the Italian city-states had added their own, for which they were justly punished by our baggalas.
Acting in concert, these two armies, having gathered forces in Burgundy, had attempted to push southwards into Provence on their way into Spain, but proved unequal to breaking a disciplined force of militia, spears, and crossbows; with an Italian attack on the right repelled, many of the crusaders broke, and the remnant of the imperial force remaining withdrew to prepare another effort.
Rather than wait for a return, it was desirable to attack first. With France falling apart in civil war, Brittany could be seized, but this would antagonize the English, and would not advance our plans to move eastward. Anjou was unacceptable; a third power brought into the war would be too dangerous. The port of Genoa was ill-defended and could be taken with little risk, but this would not hinder the crusader rabble. Accordingly, an attack on Burgundy itself was planned; if it could be taken, then the coast as far as Tuscany would be open.
The force which invaded was to rely upon superior troops, rather than superior numbers; just 240 of the best militiamen, 180 crossbowmen, 120 muwahid foot, eighty ghulam cavalry, twenty-seven ghulam bodyguards and three naptha throwers were to face a German crusade, an Italian crusade, and German armies numbering more than two thousand together.
Astonishingly, the enemy retreated without a battle, leaving a garrison in the keep at Dijon and falling back towards Paris, in the case of the crusaders, and eastward, in the case of the other forces.
With the province taken, a catapult was selected from the scanty siege equipment at hand and sent to aid the siege. However, the Emperor recovered his courage, and personally led an army of over a thousand men to break the siege.
It is an understatement to say that the Germans were unlucky. The armies encountered one another in a steep-sided valley, with the Germans drawn up on the shallower eastern side. They faced an army in an impregnable position; crossbowmen were defended by militiamen and naptha throwers in front of them, with the spears, cavalry and catapult behind. The slope was so steep below that crossbowmen could shoot at the enemy without danger to their comrades ahead, and so steep to the sides that the enemy could not hope to bring even one man around the flanks.
Worse for the Emperor, he had brought with him a catapult and several ballistae; this had not the range to reach our position from where they were placed, and could not aid an advance. The weather was changeable, with rain and sun in alternation. A wiser commander would have sought battle elsewhere, but he came on at the head of his forces.
The Germans were truly unlucky, for at the third volley from the rightmost crossbow unit, the Emperor fell dead, and his knights fled back down the slope. The Germans came on still, but they had no heart to close with our lines, and fell back in waves. The most they could do was with their archers, and they killed just two militiamen. A group of mounted sergeants, newly arrived on the field, made a last push, then broke; the cavalry pursued. First, they charged the engine crews in the valley. These equalled the achievements of their archers, killing two cavalrymen before being taken; the engines were smashed.
Next, the cavalry perceieved the greatest and most startling misfortune of the enemy. Their soldiers, fleeing in panic, had rushed up the opposite slope of the valley. Above, however, the mountains crowded together, and their sides were too steep to allow any escape to the east. Thus with barely a hundred cavalry, every man that had not been killed was taken, and in this act, the cavalry became so wearied that six of them fell to panicked enemy soldiers.
Now, however, the rest of the enemy force marched into the valley. In order to avoid being surrounded, the cavalry fell back to the main force, and we faced the enemy again as before. Again, they fell back as they met the bolts of our crossbows. Many exhuasted theirs, but the remnant was sufficient, and the only man of ours slain was killed by a stray crossbow bolt from a comrade.
Finally, with dark approaching, our cavalry attacked again, and the enemy fled almost entirely. The last unit standing broke after taking down just two of our cavalry. At this point though, the enemy were saving from a second pursuit by darkness, and were able to withdraw in the night.
----------
This particular war story seems to have become rather long. In case the point has been obscured in all this, I'll state it clearly; the map that was used in this battle (mountaininland03) doesn't really seem suited to east-west play, as occured here. For a north-south battle, it's fine, but if someone is placed on the east side - as can clearly occur in a single-player campaign, if possibly not in other circumstances - then routing troops can become trapped by the mountains on the east side, as happened to the Germans.
The question is, can this occur on other maps? Has anyone found troops stuck between a rock and a really hard cavalry unit, found their forces split by a river, or ended up with an army with its back to the sea? If there are many such maps, then the campaign is likely to be marred by getting inexplicably poor or unreasonably good positions from time to time. If on the other hand, most such maps have been set up to only allow a particular direction for the battle, then perhaps the patch could include a fix for this one, and any others which people find to have this sort of problem.
Anyone else found a dubious map?
Acting in concert, these two armies, having gathered forces in Burgundy, had attempted to push southwards into Provence on their way into Spain, but proved unequal to breaking a disciplined force of militia, spears, and crossbows; with an Italian attack on the right repelled, many of the crusaders broke, and the remnant of the imperial force remaining withdrew to prepare another effort.
Rather than wait for a return, it was desirable to attack first. With France falling apart in civil war, Brittany could be seized, but this would antagonize the English, and would not advance our plans to move eastward. Anjou was unacceptable; a third power brought into the war would be too dangerous. The port of Genoa was ill-defended and could be taken with little risk, but this would not hinder the crusader rabble. Accordingly, an attack on Burgundy itself was planned; if it could be taken, then the coast as far as Tuscany would be open.
The force which invaded was to rely upon superior troops, rather than superior numbers; just 240 of the best militiamen, 180 crossbowmen, 120 muwahid foot, eighty ghulam cavalry, twenty-seven ghulam bodyguards and three naptha throwers were to face a German crusade, an Italian crusade, and German armies numbering more than two thousand together.
Astonishingly, the enemy retreated without a battle, leaving a garrison in the keep at Dijon and falling back towards Paris, in the case of the crusaders, and eastward, in the case of the other forces.
With the province taken, a catapult was selected from the scanty siege equipment at hand and sent to aid the siege. However, the Emperor recovered his courage, and personally led an army of over a thousand men to break the siege.
It is an understatement to say that the Germans were unlucky. The armies encountered one another in a steep-sided valley, with the Germans drawn up on the shallower eastern side. They faced an army in an impregnable position; crossbowmen were defended by militiamen and naptha throwers in front of them, with the spears, cavalry and catapult behind. The slope was so steep below that crossbowmen could shoot at the enemy without danger to their comrades ahead, and so steep to the sides that the enemy could not hope to bring even one man around the flanks.
Worse for the Emperor, he had brought with him a catapult and several ballistae; this had not the range to reach our position from where they were placed, and could not aid an advance. The weather was changeable, with rain and sun in alternation. A wiser commander would have sought battle elsewhere, but he came on at the head of his forces.
The Germans were truly unlucky, for at the third volley from the rightmost crossbow unit, the Emperor fell dead, and his knights fled back down the slope. The Germans came on still, but they had no heart to close with our lines, and fell back in waves. The most they could do was with their archers, and they killed just two militiamen. A group of mounted sergeants, newly arrived on the field, made a last push, then broke; the cavalry pursued. First, they charged the engine crews in the valley. These equalled the achievements of their archers, killing two cavalrymen before being taken; the engines were smashed.
Next, the cavalry perceieved the greatest and most startling misfortune of the enemy. Their soldiers, fleeing in panic, had rushed up the opposite slope of the valley. Above, however, the mountains crowded together, and their sides were too steep to allow any escape to the east. Thus with barely a hundred cavalry, every man that had not been killed was taken, and in this act, the cavalry became so wearied that six of them fell to panicked enemy soldiers.
Now, however, the rest of the enemy force marched into the valley. In order to avoid being surrounded, the cavalry fell back to the main force, and we faced the enemy again as before. Again, they fell back as they met the bolts of our crossbows. Many exhuasted theirs, but the remnant was sufficient, and the only man of ours slain was killed by a stray crossbow bolt from a comrade.
Finally, with dark approaching, our cavalry attacked again, and the enemy fled almost entirely. The last unit standing broke after taking down just two of our cavalry. At this point though, the enemy were saving from a second pursuit by darkness, and were able to withdraw in the night.
----------
This particular war story seems to have become rather long. In case the point has been obscured in all this, I'll state it clearly; the map that was used in this battle (mountaininland03) doesn't really seem suited to east-west play, as occured here. For a north-south battle, it's fine, but if someone is placed on the east side - as can clearly occur in a single-player campaign, if possibly not in other circumstances - then routing troops can become trapped by the mountains on the east side, as happened to the Germans.
The question is, can this occur on other maps? Has anyone found troops stuck between a rock and a really hard cavalry unit, found their forces split by a river, or ended up with an army with its back to the sea? If there are many such maps, then the campaign is likely to be marred by getting inexplicably poor or unreasonably good positions from time to time. If on the other hand, most such maps have been set up to only allow a particular direction for the battle, then perhaps the patch could include a fix for this one, and any others which people find to have this sort of problem.
Anyone else found a dubious map?