I'll post a new map shortly (we could use one). In the meantime, for your entertainment, some photo recaps of previous battles:

Scotland v. Wales: Autumn 1003. The third meeting between these armies, which show a pronounced pattern.

England v. Wales: Autumn 1003. One of the smallest DBA battles I've ever seen.

Danes v. Normans: Summer 1004. The latest battle in the campaign.

war in the north

The Danes thought they would liberate Norway. The Normans were having none of that! A fleet of transports brought the chivalry of Fecamp, Coutances, and Caen to the fjords, just inj time to face down the cocky Vikings.

Pictures may be found here, but the long and the short of it was 2 Danish Bd and 2 Danish Sp dead, one of them the Danish general. Mighty against England, the Danes proved themselves (again) no match for mounted knights. Two more elements (Ps and Sp) were lost as penalty for losing their (third?) general in combat against the Normans, and the Danes slunk home to lick their wounds.

The Normans pull into a commanding lead, with the Scots a lagging second. The two also have almost the last intact armies, as most others are reduced to 2-3 elements.

The Normans have the next move, with which they can relocate their army from Norway if they choose, but they may not invade again this turn.

not so mighty melees

A Korean proverb says, "In the battles of the whales, the shrimp are crushed." Who is crushed when the shrimp battle?

The Angles, restless and feeling as if their untold store of wealth should mean more than it apparently does to their neighbors, decided to take their tiny army and see if they could turn it to some advantage. They marched into the hills of Powys, hoping to administer a kicking to the Welsh while they were prostrate after their defeats at the hands of the Scots.

The Welsh, however, were more than a match for the English, disposing of them in a short battle (OK, what else would the Welsh fight? ;-) The English general was cut down (to size?) in the midst of his host (well, in the middle of a small group of armed men, anyway). The few remaining thegns fled in dismay, some disguising themselves as hermits or beggars or lepers, the rest settling for hiding in an old oak tree until the furious Welsh had passed and then going to hide in a swamp for the rest of their days. England had joined the Norse Irish in the unestimable Club of Not Having Any Army At All.

Wales was then left to consider its options, with the high road to Winchester and London looking very inviting. They had lost Dyfed to the Scots; what if they were to just seize some of the western shires in compensation?

Wales burns, Scots feast

The first move of Autumn 1003 was an attack by the Scots on the Welsh army in Dyfed. A full battle report will appear here shortly (with photos, even, one hopes! I know, promised before...), but it ended in another Welsh defeat and another dead Welsh general. The remnants of the Welsh army flee into the mountain fastnesses of Gwynedd (or possibly the quiet valleys of Powys--Mark's choice).

The Danes pass in their turn. Safe behind their ramparts (or so they think), they roast turnips, drink beer, and argue about the offside call in the latest Midtjylland v. Silkeborg match.

I'll post a fuller battle report (with a few pictures, even) later on, but the Battle of the Brans saw the Welsh defeated in a sharp and nearly bloodless action (1G-0). Their army loses two additional elements (Wales, please specify) and falls back on Dublin. Scots gain 3 Prestige and retain Armagh.

The armyless Irish are forced to pass, and we conclude Spring 1003.

Summer 1003 starts with, again, the Scots having the first go.

updating the map

Here's a current map, showing the impending tussle over the heights of Slieve Gullion.

crashing and bashing

It has been pointed out to me that, in the process of losing Armagh, the remaining Irish troops are eliminated. As vassals of the Scots, the Irish retain Armagh, but they will have to rebuild their army.

The Danes having passed, the Normans rode south from York to attack London. The English, perhaps having strayed out in the noonday sun too often, marched out to fight them in the open field. The Normans first stormed the small hillfort that the English had garrisoned and left their baggage in. The Normans slew the guards and looted the baggage, then fought back and forth, eventually killing off enough of the "small men" (skirmishers) that the few remaining English took to their heels. The Normans paraded into London and established their Duke as "King of All Britain". (2BUA-0, 4 Prestige for the Normans, the English lose 3 Sp, 1 Ps total, retain London, but become Norman vassals).

The English pass in their turn; it is now the turn of the Welsh.

special report from our Scottish correspondent

The Welsh prince, full of bravado, landed at Mann to relieve the besieged Irish populace at Castle Mann. The Scots, seeking retribution for a disastrous Irish invasion of the Strathclyde, had been laying siege for months now.

The Scots elected to attack the Welsh Prince as the tide was out, keeping the Irish army on their boats all day.

King Malcolm III and the Eachernthiergna (Horse Lords) rode from left to right across the front of the pagan enemy encouraging his clansmen and thegn warriors forward from their traditional place of honor on the right of the Scottish line.

A dispatch of Scottish light horse fell to the javelin ambush of the Welsh psiloi, but the ensuing highlander charge drove them to the safety of the hillsides leaving the mounted Prince of Wales to face them in a stand off.

As the Prince of Wales vacillated across the field from the ferocious clansmen, Malcolm III and his horsemen slammed into the ranks of the Welshmen.

Inserting themselves between the water and the Welsh left flank, Malcolm's horsemen and thegns rolled up the befuddled and helpless Welshmen. Ignoring their pitiful cries for mercy, the Christian Scots dispatched thousands of the pagans and the fields of Mann ran red with blood. [Here your editor will interject the observation that, of course, the Welsh are all good Christians too, intent on slaughtering their neighbours to the greater glory of God.] The Welsh prince fled the field, leaving the Gracious Bishop of Villanova de Popecki to negotiate safe conduct for the Welsh camp followers and store of rarebit.

The main Scottish shield wall, watched the battle while eating cheese and drinking wine (again?).

Viewing this from the Castle of Mann, the besieged Irish, out of children to consume, surrendered to the gracious King Malcolm III, whose thegns shared their ales and venison with the wraiths who were once a thriving populace.

Let all take notice, it was the Irish who landed upon the coast of Scotland only a few months before. The gracious King Malcolm III welcomes the crowns of Wales and Ireland to call Him overlord and live full and pleasant lives free from the scourge of conflict and fried Mars bars.

Malcolm III
Rex and Nice Guy

the end of autumn 1002

We fought out the Battle of Mann last night between Wales and Scotland. I will defer to one of the combatants to provide a full report, but the outcome was a 4-1 win for the Scots who (after the Irish have their turn, in which they can do effectively nothing because they sent a contingent to the Mann battle) proceeded to complete their year-long subjugation of Mann by finally reducing its inhabitants to obedience.

I will provide an updated map over the weekend (and update the army lists and prestige totals). The Normans, the Welsh, and the Scots will be able to refill their armies from their reserves over the winter, but the Vikings (who can recruit only 3 elements), the English (who can recruit 3 but still need to lose 2 after a previous defeat), and the Norse Irish (who can recruit only 2 elements) will have some tough choices.

Also, could the Norse Irish please clarify their current status: have they voluntarily submitted to vassalship, and if so to whom? I have heard rumours, but I have seen no formal declaration by the Irish themselves.

late summer, 1002

The Irish desperately tried to fight off the fierce attack of the Welsh. They slew many warriors (the Welsh lose 2 Wb and 1 Ps). But the Welsh hacked and slashed their way through the ranks of the Gaels, slaying their general and many kern (Irish lose AxG, 2 Ax, 1 Ps). Many of the Irish broke and ran (Irish lose Bd, Ps as additional casualties). Wales acquires 3pp, one for the element loss differential and two for slaying the Irish general.

The Welsh proceeded to lay waste to Dublin, replacing all the churches with chapels, all the pubs with union halls, and all the potato fields with sheep pastures. Strong, stern men were seen in every quarter, alarming the populace with their ferocious, close-harmony singing and their profusion of consonant-like vowels.

Only waiting for the Scots to finish the turn.

a sticky end for a Danish (king)

The Normans moved by sea to the cliff-filled coast of Norway, where they laid claim to the fertile fields of Trondelag. The army of Denmark rushed back from York to contest the conquest, but the King of Denmark was slain early in the battle. Read a Norman account of their victory here.

Norway becomes Norman. The Vikings lose a Bd (and two Sp in the retreat).

England's turn!

the end of the beginning

The Irish invasion of Scotland met a rather bloody conclusion, as the Scots detached a small portion of their army to surround and attack the Irish, as the bulk of their spearmen stood on a nearby hill, snacked on cheese and pickle sandwiches, and watched the battle.

Four Irish bands were slain [will fill in which elements from my notes later], while only one band of Scottish skirmishers were slain. The Irish retreated precipitately, falling back to the Isle of Man. The Scots, given the opportunity to pursue their defeated enemy, leapt into their birlinns and coracles and followed. (Neither the initial Irish invasion nor the Scots counter-invasion lost any elements to the windy waves of the Irish Sea or to Corryvreckan--Cailleach Bheur was apparently sleeping.) But the Irish, loathe to fight further until they had repainted their shields and polished the brass hilts of their swords, moved back to Armagh. The Manx were, it appears, annoyed but not dismayed by the departure of their overlords and gave the arriving Scots a broad two fingers. (The Scots lose an element for a failed "siege".)

Thus arrived summer 1002. The Vikings made a few exploratory raids from their stronghold at York. They seem to have sent scouts, mounted on local horses, in several directions, checking the roads to the north and west. But in the end, they stayed in place, calculating many options but making no movements.

All wait now to see what move the Norman army makes, if any, from its base in Fecamp.

more death in the north

The attempt of the English to dislodge the Danes from York met with a significant reverse. Though the English fought more doughtily than in the first encounter, the result was much the same. Three more elements of fyrd were wiped out and this time the English camp was sacked!

Danes gain 4PP; English lose an additional two elements due to the loss of their camp.

It is now the turn of the Welsh.

ravens wheel over the moors

The armies of England and Denmark met in bloody battle! Your correspondent was not able to get copious detail on the battle (he was busy losing, badly, an off-script Breton invasion of Normandy), but he observed two dense battle lines rushing straight toward each other with a huge gap subsequently forming in the center of the English army as the Vikings under Sweyn carved their way deep into the Saxon ranks. Victory for the Danes, 0-4 (all Sp). The English withdrew to London. The Vikings gain 4PP for the battle and now hold York.

Not to be outdone, the Normans (cousins by blood to the Danes) announced their intention of invading England while English were down and bleeding on the canvas. England mollified them with huge chests of silver coin, so the Norman army stays in place and cannot attack English territory for the remainder of 1002. (Frank: I know I said last night that you would complete the move and remain in Winchester, but looking at the danegeld rule, it's supposed to take place before actual movement, so I think the Normans will remain in their starting location, Fecamp). England transfers 1 PP of monies to Normandy.

After Denmark and Normandy, England gets the next move. Aethelred, what will you?

(BTW, the turn order is clockwise; this year it began in the north, so it's Danes, Normans, English, Welsh, Irish, Scots. Next year it will begin with a random player but progress in the same order from that start.)