Waelstowe - solo wargaming in the Dark Ages

Edwin’s men were now under great pressure from Sigurd who was spurred on to greater violence when news reached him that Halfdane and Harald had been felled.

Asbjorn then rushed upon Alfred and King Horek who were about to finish off the wounded Halfdane and Harald Klak

This is where things started to go wrong for Alfred, King Horek and the men of Wessex.  Their Victory Cards had been Onslaught (get into the opponent’s half) and Blood (felling more of the enemy Heroes).  I hadn’t thought it possible to take out Halfdane in one phase and had put in Onslaught without making any attempt to achieve it, counting on achieving the Blood goal in the second phase.  

So Alfred’s men were Demoralized at the start of the second Phase and King Horek then decided to flee – he’d clearly seen enough.  I then put the Focus Cards into the deck in such a way that Wulfhere would act first on my side and would act three times before my other Heroes Alred and Edwin.  I was hoping Wulfhere could take out Asbjorn before Asbjorn finished off Alfred.  My hopes bore no fruit.  Wulfhere couldn’t shake off the wounds he’d received fighting Halfdane and so could only order his men forward, rather than leading them.  

Although the Viking Shieldwall broke at least once, they reformed and broke Alfred’s shieldwall and drove off his Thegn. 

Over on Alfred’s right, Sigurd was pushing back Edwin’s men.  His Focus card gave him the decision to make about Reform or Charging (the right column is used if Sigurd starts his Focus adjacent to my forces).   

Fortunately for Edwin, Sigurd’s Shieldwall was broken so Sigurd chose to Reform.  It didn’t help.  Sigurd was the Focus again and now in Shieldwall, he charged and drove off all of Edwin’s men before himself cutting down Edwin.

By this time Edwin had been felled by Sigurd and then Alllfred, wounded, left the field to enemy.

That was how, King Harald Klak became King of Denmark, even though all know that Halfdane is his master, like Halfdane is the master of King Egbert of Northumbria.