Pennsic - part 5 - Field Battle Videos

Hey, turns out we've got videos of the battles!

In the first field battle, I talked about our flanking of what I think was the Aethelmearc army:

Blog Post:  Pennsic - Part 1 - Field Battle

Fortunately, I found a 1st person video of it (taken by my friend Albert......uh.....ignore the taking during the hold).  I think its clear that we did very well in this battle, despite eventually losing.  Keys to success, IMO, were:

Smart tactical decision moving in on the flank
Being fast and mobile because of our loose skirmish approach
Melee skills (there was a *lot* of melee experience in that group).
Great balance of weapons (constant back and forth between the use of spears and shields)

Anyway, check out the video (note, this is the first field, not the 2nd, despite the title.


video:  FIELD BATTLE 1



And we also have footage of the second field battle, but from a different perspective.  In this one you can see us hit a small group of people on the flank, and then after killing them, moving down the hill to engage the flank of the main unit.

Blog Post:  Pennsic - Part 2 - Advanced Tactic

video:  FIELD BATTLE 2

We come in right at the 1 minute mark.  We're in the foreground in either green and gold, or black and white.

Pennsic - Part 4 - Bridge Battles

The Bog (Anglesey, The Concusare, Galatia) fighting with Atlantia did well in the bridge battles this year.  We historically do well on bridges for a few reasons.  We have a lot of really good spears.  We have a few shields who know how to fight from the front rank.  We have poles and shield who know how to support the spears, and we have a good system of fighting.  We were one of the first "spears to the front" units dating back to the late 80s/early 90s when conventional wisdom had shields in the front with spears trying to shoot from behind them.

Working Together

We found it very frustrating fighting in the MOAB battle when on the attacking side.  Too many SCA people would get mixed in with our group, and they just don't work the way we do, and its very hard to be effective.  Kinsman Karuk pushed for us having our own frontage when we fought the bridges so that we could keep The Bog together without too much mingling with other fighters.  We negotiated with Atlantia to give us a piece of the bridges they were on, with us taking the right side and them taking the left.

Our first battle went well, but we had a few Atlantian shields mixed in our front rank that were difficult to work around.  In the next three battles we did a much better job at clearing them out after the initial charge, but fell off of that on the 5th battle (which was our worst battle).

Starting the Battle

Always begin the battle with a shield wall.  If you begin with spears up front, and they begin with a shield wall, they will run you right over.  Always start with a shield wall, and if the battle is a timed battle for control of the middle, charge that shield wall as fast as you can right across the bridge.

Spears to the Front

Once the line is set, the key to the battle is going to be getting as many of your spears on the front line as possible, BUT with plenty of space between them so that they can work.  Too many spears get in each others way, they plug up lanes for potential pulse or column charges, and they can' t retreat back into their own ranks when receiving a charge (see the top unit in the diagram below).

Oh, and one piece I can't emphasize enough;  get your shields out of the front rank.  If you aren't anchoring a particular spot on the bridge for some reason, or your shields don't effectively know how to get kills from the front line, then get them out of the front rank.  They are just taking up space and preventing your spears from being able to work.  They aren't "protecting" anyone.  They are just in the way.

Exceptions can be made for the rare shieldmen who actually know how to jump into a line of spears and get a few kills.  The vast majority of shieldmen can't do this.

Spears - Shields - Poles

Upon establishing the spear line, the next two ranks need to be organized.  The second rank should be shields, so that a charge can be repelled, or so that they can charge out of the second rank when the opportunity arrises.  Examples would include when the other side has too many spears in the front rank (such that they can't retreat easily), the other side has two ranks of spears (easy kills), or the other side has weakened and territory can be gained with a charge.  The third rank should be poles as they can effectively back up a shield wall.

If the unit receives a charge, the spears melt back into the 3rd rank as the shields and poles push past them.  If the unit wishes to charge, the same exact method applies.

Badly Organized Front Line

We did very well in the bridge battles this year, but the 5th battle we were poorly organized.  We allowed too many shields to plug up the front ranks.  My apologies to the shieldmen in this picture, they were doing what they thought was right and we, the commanders, failed to get the line organized correctly.

I count 5 shields and a pole in the front rank, and only 4 spears, who were crowding each other.  We had not captured the bridge for the point, yet, and there was no way it was going to happen with the way we were disorganized in this line.

As I've been learning in the last couple of years, working together and individual prowess can go a long way, but good command and good organization can account for quite a lot!

Pennsic - Part 3 - Commanding

This was my first Pennsic as a commander.  I've fought in ~10 Pennsics at this point, but never have I had the responsibility for the wellbeing of my unit.  This year, however, Anglesey elected me to be their warlord.

As a fighter, I'm mainly concerned with killing what's in front of me, surviving, and helping out my tribe and my side when needed.  As a commander, on the other hand, I met with the warlord of Atlantia (the army who hired us) every morning before the battle to find out what the plan was and how we fit into it.  Sometimes we did exactly what they asked, while other times we offered alternatives depending on what the scenario was and what we thought we were best suited to do.  Half way through the war I realized it was better to bring advisors with me if only to have a second set of ears to listen to the plan.

Allied Champions Battle

We took the right flank, and fought it well.  Despite losing all of the victory points, our flank generally held the midway point and pushed well past it between horns which released the resurrection corrals.  Our guys (The Bog:  Anglesey, The Concusare, and Galatia) know how to fight this kind of battle, so they needed no instructions from me.  The only thing I told them was to pace their selves because we were short on reserves.

As commander, however, I constantly had to step back and watch the lines.  Our middle and left flanks were pushed behind us, so I couldn't see them from the front line.

Mother of all Battles

This battle required two key command decisions on my part.  The first was when defending the castle.  I elected to stand as a reserve on the left breech (closest to the market).  We knew that this was the most likely place for the enemy to break through.  One commander came over and offered an alternative plan, which myself and our vice warlord talked him out of, as his plan was going to give up all of our advantages (to be discussed in a later blog).

I was focussed on the potential of Blood Guard breaking through at the corner of the castle.  One of my Kinsmen said that we should be worried about the far left, instead.  I thought for certain that Ironlance would hold the left.  It turns out that he was right and I was wrong.

As soon as the Tuchux started pushing though on the far left, I made the call for us to go and reinforce.  Again, as commander, I didn't have the luxury of running up to help.  As they ran to reinforce, I surveyed the field to see if it was enough, or if there were other weaknesses.  I spotted a unit who had just moved in and turned to look down the hill at Blood Guard.  I yelled over to them and pointed to the far left flank and that they needed to help.  They responded in kind.

The other decision to make was when we were attacking the town.  At this point I started to discuss the plans more with some experienced fighters in the group.  We decided that we would move into the town and try to find a weakness to exploit.  We found a unit that appeared less experienced than us in the middle road and decided to hit them.  It was actually one of my men who pointed it out, but it was still my job to make the call and mobilize the unit, which I did.

Bridge Battle 

This battle was one of our better successes.  This time I grabbed three advisors and walked out to the bridges before the battles began and discussed ideas with Atlantia's warlord.  After hashing out several plans, he agreed to give us partial frontage of whatever bridges we were on.

At the beginning of the first battle, I realized that I needed to let our other spears up to the front while giving up my own normal spot on the line.  The biggest challenge here was getting our unit organized, and making sure that Atlantian fighters didn't clash with what we were doing.

The first bridge was a little rough, mainly getting Atlantian shieldmen off of the front rank when it was time for our spears to work. I did a better job of this on the next three bridges, yet failed badly on the 5th bridge.  I also had a moment where I ran to an Atlantian commander insisting that we needed a pulse charge (he was already on it), and a few moments where I cleared out a lane for a column charge (in one case I grabbed the king and threw him out of the way.  I later apologized, to which he said its better than getting plowed in the back by a column).

The other key command decision was on the 4th bridge we were slated as a reserve unit.  I moved us into position so that we'd be much closer when we'd need to react.  Early on we saw bridge #2 about to collapse, so we moved in on it.  As the unit moved in, I realized that we were still pretty thin (we had ~20 fighters), so I looked back for reinforcements, and saw Atlantia coming up right behind us.

Wall Battle

Its hard to say how this would have panned out.  We were on the northern most breach, which was about 8 ranks deep.  The only thing that could help this breech would have been column charges, which we are just not built for.  One of my men suggested that we move our entire unit to the south breech, which I agreed was a good idea.  I ran this past a few other fighters, including the warlords of Galatia and The Concusare, and we agreed to move.  Unfortunately, I could only convince half the group to move.  I felt the decision was the right one to make, but failed at mobilize our entire unit.

One of the benefits of having a group of veteran warriors is that they all know how to fight and don't need to be told what to do.  The down side is that they don't always follow orders.  I can only hope that had the battle lasted another hour as it was supposed to, that I could have gotten our unit back together.

Field Battle

Last year we had two field battles that did not workout as we would have liked.  We served as a shield for the Tuchux, but it didn't put us in the best of positions.  We are better when we can move like a pack of wolves.

This year we told Atlantia that we would satellite around them, but would have to make a judgement call as we read the battlefield.  In all three battles we had a lot of talking back and forth within the unit as the battle unfolded.  I made a few calls to reposition a few key people within the unit based on what I thought we would do.  This was actually one of the easier battles to command as we were generally able to make the decision before impact, and then the rest would flow naturally afterward.

Lessons Learned

Being a commander is a much different experience on the field.  Its like moving out of a playing role and more into a coaching role.  I would argue that having a good commander on the field is far more important than having one more good fighter in the unit.  Its tough not being able to just focus on fighting, but I got some positive feedback from our fighters saying that they had the room to work and the necessary support to do what they needed to do to be successful.

A lot of time when someone gets killed, they'll say, "you caught me thinking."  For me, that was the hardest aspect of commanding while fighting.  My kill ratio was probably the worst its been in a while.

Next year I will be the vice warlord.  It will be interesting to see if I can let go control of the unit and go back to fighting.

Pennsic - Part 2 - Advanced Field Tactic

As I wrote in my last blog post, I'll be talking about Pennsic in several parts.  This is my second installment.

I originally wanted to put in a different title that described exactly what we did in this battle, but I thought a "what would you do" approach to each step might be a little more interesting, so I've simply called this "Advanced Field Tactic" to keep you in suspense!  =)

The Scenario

This was the second field battle.  We fought on the Midrealm side and were lined up on our far right flank.  Our unit, known as The Bog Troopers (or simply "The Bog", comprised of 3 celtic clans: Anglesey, The Concusare, and Galatia) consisted of ~10 veteran fighters, about half shields, and the rest were poles and spears, plus one archer (spears and poles are both represented as poles in the diagrams).  To our left was a sizable Atlantia unit.

Note:  we fielded over 20 fighters for most of the war, but the heat, rain, and the Pennsic Plague cut our numbers down drastically for this battle.

When the battle started, Atlantia marched right and so did we.  Across from us were the Tuchux, who held back on the hill in reserve, and a smallish unit (maybe 20 fighters) who charged ahead of their entire army and appeared to be headed directly for us.

At this point, I believe, Atlantia stopped their forward progress to read the field.  We kept moving forward, as did the unit across from us.  It appeared that we might be in for a head on engagement.  At this point blue has a slight up hill advantage, with the hill sloping upward both behind blue and to our right (their left).

What Would You Do?

Pardon me if I sound patronizing, but I think this is a good exercise for anyone.  What would you do if you were The Bog?  What would you do if you were the blue unit?

Now I think from the blue's perspective its pretty clear.  They see what appears to be a loose band of rabble in front of them with no shinny hats and no belts.  Most people in this case would likely charge straight into The Bog.  Of course, we know that and we also know that we wouldn't fair well taking on a shield wall charge from a larger unit head on, so we didn't just stand there.

Most units that I know, if they were in The Bog's position, would have done one of a handful of things.  They would have stood there and gotten rolled.  The would have formed up a shield wall and charged straight into blue (and died).  Or, if they employed slightly advanced techniques, they would have formed a shield wall and charged on a slight oblique, hitting the right half of blue.  

Personally I think all of those options are bad ideas.  There are two other options that some of the smarter units might have tried.  The Bog could also have held back to delay the engagement and draw the fight in with Atlantia (something we may have done if this unit was much larger).  We could have run away and hid behind Atlantia (no need to do that in this case).  We could have also moved in between blue and Atlantia to protect Atlantia's right flank as they moved to attack someone else.

I also don't like that last option because, though it helps Atlantia's mission, it places us in an unwinnable situation.  Of the available options, I tend to favor those that allows us the most kills with the least amount of casualties.  We can still protect Atlantia's right flank, but instead of as a shield, we can do it as a threat that pulls a unit away from them.

Note:  delaying the engagement would actually have given us our best chance of success, but would also have taken longer to complete the fight.  In a field battle, you are looking not only to maximize results, but to do it as quickly as possible so that you can move on to more fighting in the battle.

The Pincer Attack

We opted to shift our entire unit to the right.  Kinsmen Llyr made the suggestion in order to gain the high ground.  I agreed with his decision, though I actually preferred it to get us into an outside position.  Its usually better to fight the enemy while placing their backs to enemy units.

Because we travel in a loose skirmish formation, we can reposition ourselves faster than just about any unit on the field.  The call was made, and we redeployed to the right.  At this point we had no idea what blue would do, nor what Atlantia would do.

From this position, Atlantia could have moved on to fight other fights, and blue could have turned their front to face us.  Had that happened, we probably would have kept swirling to the right in order to limit the number of fighters that they could engage with, and we would have spread out and try to draw out smaller fights.  Blue likely would have charged, and we would have given ground where they charged and try to attack them in their backfield.

Fortunately for us, three things fell into place that gave us a big advantage in this battle.  1)  No other units came to support blue, which meant Atlantia had no one else to fight and there was no threat to our right flank.  2)  Since Atlantia had nothing better to do, they mounted a charge at blue's right flank.  3)  Blue attempted to protect their left flank by pulling spears and poles out of the back field (note:  this is what we are taught to do at our local SCA melee practice and I think this is just simply a bad idea).

Now if you don't know your rock, paper, scissors, remember that spears beat static shields, kill pocket beats a shield wall charge, and shield wall charge beats spears.  When I saw blue move their spears and poles out on the flank, I looked to see where our shields were.  I pointed out the weakness to our most experienced shieldman, and I pulled another shiledman to the front to set up the charge.

As soon as Atlantia was in about the right position, Kinsmen Llyr called the charge.  Kinsmen Arundoor swept the spears, and the rest of The Bog charged through them, and into the back field.  The battle was over in seconds with minimal casualties.

Key Points to Remember

Don't move into the middle of the field with no protection

Don't keep your reserves disengaged for too long

Take the high ground if you can

Take the outside position if you can

Attack the flanks

Protect your flanks....and not with a thin line of spears

Sweep a spear line with a shieldman

Charge spears with shields

Always be cognizant of your unit's position and how it relates to others on the field 

Be sure to check out Pennsic - Part 1

Pennsic - Part 1 - Field Battle

I just got back from Pennsic and took down several notes.  I have a lot to talk about, and I don't tend to write these blogs too quickly, so I thought I'd break them up into several parts.  Some of the lessons learned from Pennsic are based on my unit's successes, while others are based on mistakes that we made.  In either case, I felt that tactical decisions had a huge impact on the results of our battles.

For this first post I'm going to focus on the perspective of Anglesey and the Bog Troopers (includes The Concusare and Galatia) in the first field battle.  Though we only brought a small unit of veteran fighters (~10), we managed to kill someone on the order of 50 opponents in each battle while securing the right flank for the Midrealm.

Field Battle Plan

The overall battle plan for this first battle was for the entire army to sweep left, hoping to avoid the Tuchux and other units that were lined up on our right and up the hill.  We were on our far right flank, supporting a much larger Atlantian army.  We considered a number of options, including running behind Atlantia and hiding in the backfield while waiting for an opportunity to exploit, but decided, instead, that we would move out to the right and give the Tuchux something that they would have to deal with as they moved down the hill.

As the battle began, we noticed two things that impacted our tactics.  1)  The Tuchux never came down the hill, but instead waited up there in reserve and 2) a large unit went straight at Atlantia, leaving their left flank completely exposed as they did so (not sure who it was, but it was a rather large unit, and I noticed Duke Tindal and Duke Byron in the mix, so I'm guessing it might have been the Aethelmearc army).

Realizing that the Tuchux would not be an immediate threat and seeing an opportunity of an exposed flank on our left, we turned and hit the large unit right in the flank.

This position put us at an excellent advantage.  Atlantia's front was matching the front of this large unit while Atlantia's right flank was completely protected.  The large unit, however, had a veteran unit attacking on its left flank.  

With their flank being attacked, they lose the advantage of having a unified front against a single unit.  Forward momentum is slowed, and fighters are being attacked from the side and/or from behind (with proper engagement).  It wasn't long before the entire unit was enveloped and killed.

Knowing that the Tuchux were likely coming up behind us, we continued to push through the unit and out the other side, circled right, and then turned to meet the Tuchux.  It turned out they weren't there as they went behind us, around, and into the back field.  By the time they had engaged, however, their side was down one of its sizable units.

Lessons to be Learned:

1-Protect Your Flanks

In this particular case, the larger unit from the other side left its flank completely unprotected.  Maybe they thought we were moving somewhere else.  Maybe they underestimated what a small unit with a disorganized appearance could do.  Either way, leaving their flank open hurt them in this battle.  

2-Bring as Many Weapons to the Fight as Soon as Possible

There are two aspects to this that are important.  First, I'm not a big fan of having a unit that goes 8+ ranks deep in an open field battle.  That leaves less than 15% of your force actively engaged.  More importantly, reserve units shouldn't wait to get themselves engaged.  Had the Tuchux moved maybe 30 - 60 seconds sooner, or even just moved themselves into a closer position where they'd had been a threat, the left flank of their battle would have played out much differently.