Battle of Cealwin’s StoneAfter foolishly giving up Dumnonia without a fight, Alfred was attacked by Ingvar of the Isles who was joined by Halfdane, both of whom hated Alfred. After meeting up at Exeter, the two Vikings sailed up the Severn Estuary left their ships near Stroud and headed towards Winchester. Alfred met them at Cealwins’ Stone. The fate of all of Wessex was in the balance.
Descriptions of what was happening are below each photo, in italics.
Halfdane on Ingvar’s right, Magnus, Ingvar’s right-hand man, was on the Viking’s extreme left.
Alfred opens the battle by praying and gaining 3 Devotion! God was going to be on his side this battle.
This was another solo battle, but ‘real’ in the sense that whatever happened would carry on into the loose, on-going, player campaign we have been having, i.e. if I gained Glory, Territories or Gold, I would have it when I next encountered my real-life opponents; likewise if I lost any Glory etc. As Wessex is Alfred’s Homeland, victory was vital.
My Goal was ‘Blood’ - to have felled more Heroes than I had lost. Terrain had worked out badly for Alfred and his right and left hand men - Wulfhere and Edwin, so I decided to sit back and let the Vikings come to me.
Ingvar came straight towards Alfred and wounded Alfred, though Alfred’s loyal Thanes injured Ingvar as he struck their King. Ingvar’s impetuosity had lead him straight into a wood, which had caused some of his Warriors to fall out of formation, weakening his Shieldwall.
On Alfred’s left, Edwin marched his men to occupy a small farm.
Halfdane charged straight at Edwin, shattering his Shieldwall and injuring the brave Saxon Lord. However, Halfdane was also injured, and Edwin soon got a Kinsman to bind his wounds.
On Alfred’s right, Wulfhere awaits Magnus’ charge against his men on the heights.
Alfred and his men get the upper hand against Ingvar and soon only ingvar and his Kinsmen were left, his Warriors having been slain or fled. Aafter Invoking an Angelic Host, Alfred’s Thanes cut down the brave Ingvar, who was borne from the battlefield seriously injured.
Alfred just before he and his Warriors plus an Angelic Host that he invoked, 'finish off' Ingvar.I was on course, I felt, to achieving my goal (killing more enemy Heroes). However, around mid-battle, the fates dictated that it would be Vikings goal that would most likely determine victory or defeat. Of course, I had no way of knowing which one of the other three goals it was. So I surveyed the battlefield and took stock. If the Viking’s goal was Onslaught, I would lose. My best plan, I thought, was to concentrate on Magnus, deep in my half.
Mistake!
Wulfhere, instead of concentrating on keeping the Shieldwall intact and letting the Vikings break themselves on his ranks, now went on the offensive. It cost me dear. Magnus, bound his wounds and then Waded In with 4 dice getting 3 hits, enough to scatter Wulfhere’s Ceorls and put the wounded Wulfhere out of the battle.
The end of poor WulfhereNow I was unlikely to meet my goal!!! I and the Vikings had both lost a Hero. So Alfred desperately attacks Magnus as the sun starts to set.
Alfred throws himself at Magnus, as much to avenge the injury to Wulfhere as anything elseAt Dusk, as the light fades … Alfred looks up to see the Vikings retiring. To his surprise and immense relief, he had the battlefield.
The second Epilogue card, as suspected, showed that victory or defeat was about whether the Vikings had met their goal. Fortunately for Alfred, the greedy Pagans, Ingvar and Halfdane had decided they wanted to Loot Alfred's camp, something they failed to do.
For an hour or so, one the eve of St Edmund I was transported back in time. As I looked over the wargame's table and pondered the bravery of the men of the past I was rudely awakened to reality by a cry from downstairs, "Daddy, when are you coming down to play teddies?" My daughter wanted me to player with her toys 
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November 17, 2014, 09:03:17 AM