Battle Report Night Watch VS Free Folk

After several months of inactivity and still health problems, I was able to summon my brother in love to fight a Game of Thrones Battle. This time my strong force of wildlings Commander by Mance Ryder is aproaching the Wall. My brother in Las José has a small force of watchmen, mercenaries and a little reinforcement from House Bolton, which Will try to stop them. Comannder Joer Mormont is dispatching orders from Castle Black to this little Army.

Mance right flank:.three inf. Units: some raiders, cave savages and some Bone Lord followers together with the general Mance Rayder. ah! And a GIANT

The left flank...welll.. just a WOOLLY MAMMOTH...Well separated from other friendly units...if wounded, It can disbamd and d charge against them!!

i really liked how The beast looked on the field...

The Night Watch men: Many proyectiles but few "hard boys" for a melee..It was José bet.  He did not know I  had still surprises

bsttle begins.. 

These were the non-combat units: Craster and Ygritte forbtje wildlings, Commander Mormont and First Builder of the Watch. treacherous Craster was very useful givind supplies and helaing to the FF.

The Wacth commanders wer enot able too cordinate fine their poor troops

the main wildling force run from the  right flank. The Watch advances some long-range crossbowmen...but them a surprise for them...a flanking force with raiders and  one skinchanger and his bounded Bear appesrs their back!

They manager however to escape from this surprise attack...but lose the chance to shoot 

Some mercenary archers try to shoot at the Mammoth Who advances too fast on the other flank..no succes..

The bear fails four times his attack always with 1 in dice! But his misión is accomplished...the rest of the free folk Army is already upon the crossbowmen Who could not Fire at all...

And the mamoth is also aligned ready to go over the Watch right flank!!

And his charge os terrific!! He goes through a unit of Watch Ranger hunters..heavy casualties...

On the other flank, the crossbowmen eliminates the bear but suffers Many casualties...a prident retirar across the Woods..the wildling Army now concentrstes on the Bolton heavy infantr

They try to fight but enemy are so many

this unit get Broken...

The Mammoth goes unstoppable now for the Watch veterans...Also heavy damage..

He finished his trample in the middle of the reamining Watch units.

At se time, the giant captures one objetive and fishts the surviving crossblwmen...

..the poor Night Watch is collapsing

Short  last Glory moments for the Watch Veterans: the fight against Mance Rayder unit influcting heavy casualties , evem destruing them, but the supoorting wildlingu It I the flank finished them

 

The end of the Battle...just the mercenary archers survivors after several retratos...The Mammoth got fin aly some wounds from the last attack of the Ranger Hunter but not enough for killing him  or making him reverse to own units ...

Great disasree for the Watch..end at sixth round, 7Vpt against 3Vp. At least some objetives were bravely defended till the end by the Watch....

It was very violent...We did not think Mammoth was so powerful...

I Guess I has to switch to actual unit cards from 2021-2022. Everybody says It is more balanced now....but It requieres again mucho printing and cutting!!

Anyway web enjoyed. I confirmed that free folk must basis jis táctics in overwhelmi g enemy with different units together and tryying to ha e local power somewhere with more men and Monsters.

Poor José Lear that Night Watch needs more distamce to shoot and that more melee units are always welcome. And also athat he has to heal his scarce Forces .or often with the NCU or tactical cards as the Night Watchmen are supposed to be difficult to kill and stand strong...

Víctory for the Free folk and Many trophies captures on the fallen  hatred Crows...

Night Watch duty Patrol in the Far North

Hi, we played a little battle between a small force of Night Watchmen against a medium raiding Free Folk force..

You can see here both armies: The "crows" are commanded by Allson Torne commanding1 unit of enhanced veterans (top left), then 2 units of sworn brothers, with Jon Snow in the second one, and 1 unit of crossbowmen.

Jon's Wolf, Ghost, was sent to left sode ton support ser allister in a potential flanking countersattack

Non combat units were Maester Aemon and expert Blacksmith Donal Noye.

Melee units will keep resistance the best they could, and crossbowmen would be kept in second line as mobile reaction force. 

Wildling force were split on 2 groups: first 2 unit of freefolk raiders, then 1 unit of  elite thenn warriors with Thormund Giantbane  and 1 Giant. All bet on melee punch

The second group had also a giant and a wild unit of Cave dwellers.
Supposed to be a flanking force

Non combat units were Mance Rayder king-beyond-the wall directing his troops and Styyr, magnar of the Thenn

The wildlings advanced fast.... The crossbowmen  were  able to maneuver and keep a good bolt arrow on some enemy units inlcuding one giant (that in wildling flank zone).

We missed to do some pics of the first and heaviest encounters, in the centre which were actually critical...  The wounded giant (Watch right side) tried to attack in the brothers unt  in centre, where Jon Snow Was, but failed (after inlficting many casualties), Watch was lucky and one giant was killed! First trouble for the wildlings (we had some polemics about how wound were dealt and recieved by giants...)



The second giant in turn took some profit and was able to attack  again on the weakened Jon´s unit.. All killed, even Jon (lets say better he was just seriuosly woundedn and lyying on the filed for narrative reasons :))! problems started also for the Watch


In the meanwhile, Thenn warriors with Thormund crashed against the second brother unit... Fight was a draw, but then victorious giant then attacked them from the rear!!!.. Crow unit was  almost killed, but they performed good, and they survived...Specially thanks to a polemic card which allowed all damage from giant to be blocked., twice..
Many wounds were recovered thanks also to Aemon healing powers and the watchmen could attack the second giant and kill in turn!! Winds of victory started to change again.. (but only after again same polemics about giants attacks and how to be dfended....)




On the Wtach right flank, The cave dwellers advanced fast,  but crossbowmen mocved to get in the middle of their way and shoot again...The cave dwellers,after taking several casualties from crossbow bolts, tried to charge the crossbowmen..  But The crossbow brothers then made a succesfuly bolt counter-volley against them... and Even worse for the wildlings, the charge failed.. Many casuaties taken for nothing..

The Watch left flank was an easy business for The watch veterans under Ser Allister command and the Vengeful Wolf, Ghost.. The wolf alone could defeat a whole raider unit which were panicked of the white beast, and then attack together on the second raider unit.

Veterans and Ghost  destroyed easily the second raider units in the Wtach left flank,  They would have been howerver more useful omewhere else!

Most critical point for the second Watch brothers unit.. Almost destroyed after the Giants charge (even if the giant was killed) and then charged by Thormnd...
However the healing powers of MAestar Aemon and some lucky cards kept them alive... They could counter the wildling last effort.

End result on right flank of the crows.. Altough they finnaly got charged,The lucky crossbowmen stood and finished all cave dvellers, as the had superior numbers.. Victory for the Watch but with some polemics.. (we realized leater, we dealt too many wound from giants in natural situation, becausee we misread the rules,  but also the blocking crads whci were used against it wer enot legal..)

So we can say It was some kind of pplemic. cheating draw battle... War beyond the wall is usually dirty stuff , with no rules, and never decisive battles are fought.. However, indeed the hardest men perfomed good as desired form both players

..An Now My Watch begins

I could not go very far Away form my everlasting project in the lands of GRR Martin  Westeros
Now turn for a new faction to bring on the Battelfield, defending the Realms of Men  against the Wildlings and maybe some  Undead Terrors...  I present to you all.. The Night Watch

This concript force is supposed to defend a Gigantic Wall of ice in the norhtern border of the "Civilizated" Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, being politically indpendent form all of them and their disputes. They must defend it form any extern threat (this Wall is a remind of actual Historical Walls as That oif Hadrian in Britain or theGreat se Wall..)

The origin of Watch´troopers is no too epic, as apart form a few volunteers, their reclutes are drafted among the worst in the society: criminals, rapers, robbers, traitors and so on, who can exchange a Death punishment to serve in the Watch fpor the rest of their lives..

After some first "novice" time, they take an Oath and so their pasts are forgiven, they became all members of a Brotherhood and must serve the Watch and all his duties (for example  only wearing black clothes or not being married) Of course, any deserter is executed inmmediately.. (so; they represent some mix of militar Military Orders together with the French foreign legion ..)

They have therefore so little staff available to defend the big Wall many fortifications Only the strongest survive the hard conditions in thw Wall. Also supplies are supposed to be shport there, so not to expect here a disciplined and well equipped military force...

Let me show you firs tsome  inspiration images, from several sources: the Internet, The TV Series and the Art form the  Miniatures Game " A Song of Ice and Fire"
You can see, they all look similar as: as expected black clothes, much black fur cloaks, beards, long hair, general irregular looking, light equipment but however an excesive uniform appearance in my opinion (I used this, but also brought my own ideas as shown later)

 

This is my (quite improvided at the moment..)  home version of the Wall and the general look of the Watch units and charachters garrisoning it

 The "common" watchmen i tried to represent keeping the previously described look (cloaks, long hair, beard, no headwear) but not only this way, wantign to have more variety, less uniofrm look and giving the more personality  and realism. I thought, these men in relaity would wear whatver  clothe they had avilable (ok, lets stay still in  very dark grey or brown or real black if possible) , and available equipment is not so much, but of course any helmet, light leather or mail armours  and something as basic as shields are very appreciated!! Weapons woudl be also varied: swords, but also axes and lances (more affordable) ..

And why not any single headwear on the inspiration images ?? come on, it is  very cold out there! for sure someone can knit a hat!!!

Only the veterans or the most previously wealthy or noblr men  would have such better equipations and the better clothing, of course

Miniature choice was difficult... But i think I managed:

I took a mix of Mars rusian/lithunaian medieval warriors,  strelets russian militia types, some early rus warriors  and even ancient germans and dacians, and a fantasy undead;  and some other more...and as a final discovery, the surprising and recent Alliance fantasy Corsairs!! they all suited well!

The Watch keeps many heavy projectile weapons on top of the wall, as this Ballista:

And of course, achers and crossbowmen ar essential in a defensive- small number force!

Going on to main charachters; 

When all the Game of Thrones story begins, the commander of the Night Watch os Jeor Mormont, former head of house Mormont.. Nicknamed as "The Old Bear" he is supposed to be a ferreous and strict but also admired leader... He has usually a big black raven on his arm (wildlings use to name the Wtach as "crows" with disdain because of their black clothes) 

One very importan characher in all the Story is Jon Snow, bastard of Ed Stark in Winterfell who enlists the Watch as volunteer to avoid conflicts at home about being first born Son of the Lord Stark

He is accompanied in all battles by his white direwolf "Ghost"

To finish;: Jon Snow closets friend is Samwell Tarly..militarly almost unuseful, but very curious for reading ancient texts and records which will be very helpful for the Defense of the Human realms.. All thuis information is brought to him by old blind Maester Aemon, a very wise old  man who was a Targayen Pricne in his youth!

SO.. when is first Threat to the Wall appering..? coming soon!

Hope you liked that!!!


As extra last  gifts: here I present some pre-shots for Daenerys Targaryen Army with The unsullied spearmen and his commander Greyworm, and my first uncomplete  tests for Dothraki horse riders