A Short Solo Berthier Campaign

This was a simple solo campaign I set up using the Berthier Campaign Manager software to manage the campaign. It was played briefly over several days and generated 3 tabletop battles. The tabletop battles were resolved using Neil Thomas’ One Hour Wargame (OHW) rules - specifically the Dark Ages rules with some modifications which I will get to below.

The Scenario

This was that old campaigning favourite - the Viking Raid.

The objective for the Vikings was to sack as many villages as possible then return to their ships with the booty. There are 2 ship loads of Viking raiders commanded by Eric and Bjorn. There are 4 villages to potentially sack - 3 are Anglo-Saxon, and to add some interest, one village is Welsh. (So perhaps this takes place on the border between Wessex and Dumnonia). The villages are distributed across the map and named after their respective headman: Oswald, Alfred, Edgar and Owain.

The objective for the Anglo-Saxons and the Welsh was to defend their respective villages. They were not allowed to leave their village undefended - but they could move around the general vicinity as part of the defence. If their village was sacked by the Vikings, any survivors could join up with another village.

Campaign Setup

The Campaign Map

I reused the map from an existing AWI campaign using Berthier’s “Import Existing Definition” facility. The imported map was an island so I added some more terrain to make it a peninsula. I also added marshes to the map. As you can see there are two bridges over rivers which are strategically significant.

The Armies

Each side has a number of “armies” to fit with the One Hour Wargames (OHW) schema.

A scale of 100 men in Berthier = 1 OHW unit was used.

The Anglo-Saxon and Welsh are in their villages. The Vikings will sail onto the map and can land at any of the beaches shown.

OHW Rule Modifications

You will note the Welsh have a unit type of Light Warband. This is a new unit type I have added to OHW to reflect a specific tactical style. I got this idea from the Addicted to lead blog where the author defines an “Irish Warband” to reflect the mobile, javelin wielding, ambushing, Irish warrior fighting style. I think that Dark Ages Welsh have a similar fighting style. To quote the description of the Welsh Army from the DBA army list:

Their preferred to fight in rough or marshy terrain and were fierce in their initial attack…. “From their first fierce attack and shower of javelins they seemed most formidable opponents.”

Light Warband

Movement.  9". May enter woods and marsh.

Shooting.  May fire javelins as per skirmisher rules.

Hand-to-Hand. No modifiers i.e. D6 hits.

OHW are rather bloody rules often going down to the last unit or two fighting it out. To make the casualties levels more appropriate for a campaign, lost units can by recovered by means of a “saving throw”. Saved units continue on in the campaign. In addition a “Run Away” rule has been introduced.

Saving Throw Rule

Run Away Rule

Any unit in hand-to-hand combat can break off contact and retreat off the table provided:

• The unit retreats 12" move distance directly back from combat in its movement phase ending facing away from the attacker. The unit may not run-away if it would enter impassable terrain; or contact a friend or enemy during this move.

• The unit heads to the exit the table edge it is facing in subsequent moves at normal movement rate.

• The unit may not initiate shooting or hand-to-hand combat.

• The unit is lost if it contacted by an enemy.

The Campaign Starts

Several Viking landing options were set up in using Berthier’s ArmyPlan option.

ArmyPlan allows a number of alternative plans to be set and one randomly selected. The player moves the units in Berthier but the actual orders that they are acting under are hidden from the player.

As it turned out the plan that Berthier selected had the Vikings sailing to the nearest 2 beaches: Eric to the north and Bjorn to the east.

As the Vikings landed Oswald’s scouting revealed his village was in the unenviable situation of being caught between two forces.

In Berthier units can be given a recon range to see enemy in nearby squares. By sending his scouts a little to the south-east Oswald was able to observe both beaches.

Oswald decided to advance on the Vikings on the northern beach as they were the nearest force and the most immediate threat.

The Beach Battle

Eric saw the enemy approaching his landing place and shook out his warbands to fill the limited area of the shoreline. Oswald’s Anglo-Saxons took up defensive position anchored on the small hill and waited for the onslaught. The Viking sorted themselves in to a rough battle line and charged home to hit the shield wall. It was a long slog but the Vikings had the advantage of numbers and were able to roll-up the Anglo-Saxon line from west to east. The Anglo-Saxons were reduced to 2 units valiantly holding the hill. Finally one unit was destroyed by attacks to front and flank. The last Anglo-Saxon unit on the hill, having destroyed its opponent, slipped away.

Oswald may have done better if the Anglo-Saxons had advanced immediately with the aim of squeezing the Vikings into a pocket against the water and negating their superior numbers.

The Beach Battle Causalities

Anglo-Saxon

Lost 3 infantry and 1 skirmisher in total but 2 infantry saved with saving throws.

1 infantry retreated.

Vikings

Lost 3 warbands in total but 2 warbands saved with saving throws.

Bjorn's Failed Raid

Having defeated Oswald, Eric’s force moved to sack Oswald’s village.

Meanwhile Bjorn’s band advanced inland to attack Alfred’s village. There was just one problem - the route went over the Seaford Bridge and it was a choke point. Bjorn reached the east bank of the river and saw that Alfred’s Anglo-Saxons were on the other side of the river commanding the bridge. It was a stalemate.

Finally Bjorn decided that the only way to break the impasse was to send a flanking force to the north to come upon the Anglo-Saxons from a different direction. He detached 300 men (3 OHW units) and waited. Unbeknown to Bjorn, Anglo-Saxon refugees from the Beach Battle had flooded into Alfred’s Village seeking sanctuary and offering to assist defending the village.

The Battle of Seaford Bridge

The Vikings charged across bridge but on such a narrow front they were constantly hit to front and flank and unable to force a way forward. They ended up losing 200 men (2 OHW bases) until Bjorn realised that that attacking across the bridge was fruitless.

Bjorn’s flank attack would have given the Anglo-Saxons a hard time if it hadn’t been for the re-enforcements that Oswald’s men had provided. Oswald’s men with some help from a unit of Alfred’s were able to deal with the flank attack, eliminating it.

Bjorn made two mistakes here. The flank attack wasn’t in sufficient strength to make inroads. Oswald’s reinforcements helped overwhelm it. Further Bjorn had too many men on the east side of the river who were effectively out of the battle. They would have been more effective if they had joined the flank attack and Bjorn had just left a token force to hold his side of the bridge.

Battle of Seaford Bridge Causalities

Anglo-Saxon

Lost 1 infantry in total but saved with a saving throw.

Vikings

Lost 4 warbands and 1 skirmisher in total, none were saved with saving throws. (Ouch!)

3 warband units retreated to the east returning to Bjorn’s ships.

Eric’s Bold Advance

Having sacked Oswald’s village Eric developed an audacious plan to sack another village and escape with the booty. He ordered his ships to sail to the south-west beach while he marched overland to meet them. He would have to cross a bridge near Edgar’s village but his target was the Welsh village near where his ship would be beached.

Edgar was unaware that the Vikings had landed but as he knew it was raiding season he adopted a cautious defence. He advanced towards the bridge to observe it but stayed close enough to his village in case Viking arrived from a different direction.

Eric’s men made their way through the marshes and then, in a swift move, crossed the bridge before Edgar had time to react and then headed off to the south-west. Edgar was happy to see them go.

In Berthier it is possible to have terrain affect recon ability. So by moving through the marshes - although slow - meant that Eric’s Vikings remained invisible to Edgar’s scouting efforts.

The Wealas Battle

From Eric’s point of view all he could see was a poorly defended village. He was further heartened when the Welsh cavalry thundered passed him. It look like he had scared them off. Prospects looked good.

Eric broke the Vikings up into 2 columns: one to frontally attack the village and the other to attack from the south side. His plan was to stream roller over the defences. He signalled the advance. Then to his surprise he was met with a barrage of javelins from the woods on his right.

I set up a simple sighting test - a D6 would be thrown each move and a 5+ would disclose the Welsh ambush. It was the third move, once the Viking had deployed in column to attack the village, that the ambush was discovered.

The Welsh charged out of the woods while the Welsh cavalry and skirmishers manoeuvred to get behind the Viking columns. Meanwhile the village defenders behind the cover of the village stockade were able to hold back the Viking attack. Held in front, hit on the rear, and unable to manoeuvre into a battle line, the Viking columns broke up and disintegrated.

Owain's village was safe.

The Wealas Battle Causalities

Welsh

Lost 1 cavalry but saved with a saving throw.

Lost 1 light warband which was not saved.

Vikings

Lost 6 warband of which just 1 was saved. (Double ouch!)

Lost 1 skirmisher which was not saved.

1 warband retreated off the board to the south.

Campaign Conclusion

Eric’s remaining forces retreated to the ships. The two now rather diminished and chastised Viking fleets left to return home. The only up side (!) was that the booty went a long way amongst the few survivors left.

Last Updated: September 2021.

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