Renaissance Impetus Continued: Action on the Wings

The "strategos" looked at each other across the table. The Byzantine decided it was time to be cunning with his "Light Horse". One should obscure the heavy infantry from the attentions of the heavy Florentine cannon I was polishing in the centre on my line, the other would tickle and annoy a pack of psychopathic knight types of the Florentine right wing. The former worked well (see below). The cannon wasted many a ball and barrel of powder trying to tie down this elusive foe.

The latter tactic against the psychopathic knights backfired. It happened so fast that the camera did not catch it, but if I point out that (below) top right is the position is occupied by the said bunch of psychopathic knights with the light horse "missing" presumed all dead, you would deduce the outcome! To be fair as this was a "learning game" and a friendly umpire (well at least to those of a Renaissance frame of reference) assisted by explaining the evade and charge mechanics and the implications on this 'shallow' battlefield. Not wanting to evade and be lost the "lights" ended up with an unequal contest with some "heavies".

One minute the light horse was there, the next it was gone. Meanwhile as the pike slowly advanced in the centre the Florentine left wing psychopathic knights fought their Byzantine psychopathic bow armed knight contemporaries in a slugging match of brutal proportions. The Florentine player was relieved (putting it mildly) to see the second unit of Byzantine knights watching "confused" in disorder and not joining in the melee.

The grist of the battle was soon to forced as the Byzantine player was faced with this chilling prospect (see below)

Blooded psychopathic Florentine knights in the rear of a heavy Byzantine infantry formation.