Wednesday 27 August 2008

DBA 15-19K Samurai vs Spanish Imperial

A nice 'what if' now, Imperial Spain invades Japan! Hordes of Spaniards & Landsknects, Pike and Shot pile ashore onto Japanese soil.
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83 Japanese, 1543-1615.
2x3Cv, 2x4Bd, 4x4Ax, 2x3Bd , 2x4Lb.
19 Spanish/Imperialist 1519-1559.
1x3Kn, 1x4Pi, 1x2LH, 3x4Pk, 1x3Bd, 4x4Sh, 1xArt
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The Battlefield & direction of attacks
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The Samurai attack, Blades swarm through the centre.
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The Imperial army advances slow & steady.
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Ashigaru & Cavalry would try to outflank the Imperials.
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The Imperials don't force the pace. The Spanish Light Horse on the flank do however get ahead of themselves.
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View from the Imperials side of the board.
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Ashigaru Auxilia swarm the Spanish Light Horse.
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Samurai support the Ashigaru attack.
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First blood to the Samurai!
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The Samurai main force move to engage the Imperials.
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Samurai Bows would hold the hill, while the Ashigaru would move round the flank.
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Pike & Shot versus screaming Samurai Blades.
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Landsknect Pike & Shot assault the hill, the Samurai Lord looks on.
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Landsknect firepower blasts away Samurai Bow!

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Spanish firepower forces back the Samurai Blades.
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Landsknect Blades hold the flank while the battle for the hill takes place.
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The Landsknects attack the Samurai Lord!
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Another Samurai casualty, a Blade falls on the points of Landsknect Pikes.
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The Imperial victory is complete as the Samurai Lord is blasted away.
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So Imperial Pike & Shot proved to be too much for the poor old Samurai!! A slow & steady advance followed by holding the forces together brought the victory... Plus some good die rolls of course!

Thursday 21 August 2008

Richmond Castle

As I've mentioned, we're very keen members of English Heritage & visit a lot of historic sites around the North of England. We'll put up some posts of the places we've been to & a bit of the history involved.


Now the history bit... William I 'the Conqueror' laid waste to all the countryside from York to the Wear, the 'Harrying of the North'. This was in reprisal to the death of the Norman garrison at York. Afterwards, 'Big Bad Will' divided out the land between his Norman lords. Alan the Red was one of these men and he was given the Borough of Richmond. He started to build the initial Richmond Castle, in stone, around 1071, choosing a natural defensive position above the River Swale.


Richmond Castle's purpose was to protect Swaledale against border raids. The keep was started late in the 12th century. The keep was built on rock, rather than on a man-made earth motte, which enabled the builders to construct a very sound structure.

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Jack surveys the landscape from the top of the Keep. The view from the top is quite spectacular.
The view on the left is overlooking the River Swale.


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The horrors in front of the main keep. Still an imposing & terrific structure.






Richmond Castle was still in use during the First World War. It was used as a jail to house 18 'conscientious objectors'. There is a display of a cell in the visitors centre.




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Richmond Castle = http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server.php?show=nav.17243