The Viking longship sailed to the other end of the game board to supplement James' Western Franks mercenaries...
...with some genuine Vikings:
Meanwhile Orhan's Vikings started coming across the beach at the far end of the gaming table.
The Saxons had a strong position holding a hill in the centre...
...with other troops including crossbowmen in the woods on the flanks:
James also started with some Western Franks infantry holding a fort...
...although his bowmen fled immediately following some devastating crossbow action from the woods (Jonathan succeeding despite needing 7s on D6s - don't ask! ;-)
James' Vikings had more success, sliding up behind the fort...
...and then along the edge of the woods, where the Saxons began to retreat.
On the other flank, Orhan pressed on, wiping our skirmishers with his berserkers - which even succeeded in getting Saxon cavalry to flee, leaving the flank looking very thin.
Jonathan reinforced the other flank as a defence against James and moved troops to meet Orhan...
...having particular success with his housecarls:
With Jonathan's original central position split to fight the infantry on his flanks, James then rode his Western Franks cavalry into the centre - held up a bit by fencing...
...but eventually able to do a fair bit of damage to the Saxons including a nasty flank attacks:
The other flank was becoming a war of attrition. Both Jonathan and Orhan continued to pass every morale test as their troops continued to thin each other out - units usually flee with this much of the movement trays empty!
The Saxons and Vikings continued to wear each other down, with Orhan reimagining the Viking strategy of "Raid and Retreat" into one of "Death or Glory". They got Death. Jonathan killed Harald Hardrada in a character battle. Orhan's remaining Vikings finally returned to the beach...
In the centre, there weren't many Saxons left to face James' Vikings and Western Franks, who hadn't lost any units:
With the Saxons defeated and the Vikings returning to Norway with their tails between their legs, we decided the victory belonged to the French mercenaries.
But the strategic win must be with the English - with Harald Hardrada now dead, King Harold wouldn't have to later march to Stamford Bridge to defeat him, leaving Harold's troops fresh and ready to repel the Norman Conquest...?
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