In this weekend’s game the Imperialist army faces the invading Turkish hoards.

The Imperialists are out scouted by the Turks and have to deploy their units on table first. They deploy their Feudal cavalry command (five irregular cavalry and two skirmish horse) on their right (but for some reason the leader and his Gendarmes are not deployed with them). Next to them was an Imperial cavalry command (two Reiter blocks and two mounted harquebusier.

The next command was the levee infantry command (three pikes blocks with supporting artillery, skirmish and shot units). In the centre were the two regular Imperial infantry commands (each three tercios with supporting artillery, skirmish and shot units). On the far left was the remaining Imperialist cavalry command (three blocks of Reiter and two mounted Harquebusier).

In response to this deployment the Turks decided to focus their attack on the two flanks with two Feudal cavalry commands commands (each with four Feudal Sipahi and four skirmishing cavalry), on the left facing the Imperialist Feudal cavalry and Reiter. In the centre, facing all the Imperialist infantry, was a Turkish infantry command of tribesmen and skirmishers (two skirmish foot. six tribal foot and two batteries of artillery). Then on the right were all the elite troops - the foot command (two heavy artillery batteries, two Janissary units, two fanatic Dervishes, four units of tribal foot and skirmishers) and a mounted command of three units of Sipahi of the port and five units of skirmish horse). 

The Battle boiled down into three sections.

On the Turkish left their two commands of horse moved forward to attack the opposing mounted commands. The Imperialist skirmish horse were routed (two consecutive ‘20’ morale rolls) before their leader realised his bad positioning and rushed over to join his command to lead a counterattack. The fight came down to a series of charges and counter charges but due to the broken ground and woods none of the cavalry could gain and advantage and the fight ground down into a stalemate.

In the centre, the three Imperialist infantry units moved forward, the levee Pike blocks moved slowly forward forcing back the Turkish skirmishers with constant charges, but counter attacks by the Turkish horse stripped away their supporting skirmishing and shot units. The first imperialist infantry command (three tercios and supports) rolled slowly forward firing at the tribal foot in the Turkish centre, slowly pushing the Turks back. Their fellow Tercio command was held up by the skirmish cavalry belonging to the Sultan's command getting themselves into an ineffective exchange of fire.

On the right the Sipahi of the port moved forward to attack the Reiters on the Imperialist left, pushing them slowly back supported by fire from the Sultan's artillery. The Janissaries and Dervish foot followed up supporting the Sipahi, shooting off and routing the Reiter counter attack (with the help of a ‘20’ on the Reiter morale roll). At the end of the game the Spahi of the port had overrun the Imperialist guns and mounted harquebusier, leaving the remaining Reiter units cornered by the Janissaries and Dervishes.

It was a fun all day game (12-6pm) finishing in time to clean up ready for an evening out at the local Thai restaurant.