To begin, BattleLore is one of my favorite games. It's not too heavy, the production value of the game is fantastic, and--here's the kicker--Liz actually knows, understands, and can strategerate (yes, I made that word up...sorta like ESPN's "trickeration") with the rules. We learned it together when she was still in college via a Days of Wonder demo day. She actually likes playing the game, but hates the setup involved with it.

Well, the other day she made this statement: "I'm going to take a nap and when I wake up I'll play any game with you that you want." Knowing this was too good to be true, I got BattleLore out of the closet, set it up, and waited for her alarm to wake her up. I was giddy, so setup took no time at all--as a side note, I don't really think setup has ever been THAT much of a problem for us, I think she just doesn't like sorting the figures. Because I didn't know when this game would come out again, I figured I'd commemorate it with a nice session report, that I'll now give you in narrative form.

Agincourt

Liz - Henry V of England
Sean - Constable Charles d'Albret

The sun sat low in the early morning sky as the armies of Henry V and Charles d'Albret took to the fields of Agincourt. Henry's forces, fresh from a night's rest, were eager to test their mettle against d'Albret's men. More particularly, they were anxious to feed their bloodlust. Henry's archers sent a volley towards d'Albret's men. Their shots rang true as they nearly routed a squadron of Charles' heavy Calvary, killing two thirds of them. The battle was on, and Henry's men made a more than fitting entrance.

Charles ordered three of his units to advance on the left flank. Two units of medium footman gained ground, but were unable to attack. A volley of arrows from a group of Charles' archers missed their mark. Henry's forces were ready.

Henry ordered his archers to darken the skies, and the skies were not the only thing that ended up darkened that day. The remaining heavy calvary from Charles' elite knights were slaughtered. Trying to save their mates turned out to be the last move an entire regimen of medium footman would make, as their blood soon darkened the grass alongside their countrymen. A final volley from Henry's archers demoralized another regimen of Charles' medium footmen, killing 3 of the 4 squadrons. The rout of the French was on.

Charles, seeing the carnage caused by Henry's archers, knew it was time imperative to attack. Charles ordered his units to advance again on the left flank. This time, the blades found their mark. Charles' second group of heavy Calvary, wanting to prove the knight academy in France was no pushover, ran down Henry's archers, feeding their swords with three of the four units of one regiment. Emboldened by their brothers-in-arms, the last unit of archers made a valiant counterattack, killing two units of Charles' heavy calvary. A lone unit of heavy Calvary remained. The fate of these brave men would prove vital to this day's battle.

Henry saw the line of Charles' medium footman breaking, their morale low, and their courage dwindling. He ordered an attack, killing the last of the already wounded regiment of Charles' medium footmen. Three regiments of Charles' men were dead. Retreat was imminent.

But Charles would not be defeated this day. The brave unit of heavy Calvary, led by the most valiant knights Charles employed, was now ready for battle. They went on a rampage, killing the remaining unit of archers in the formerly bold battalion of Henry's. They gained ground, attacking the second regiment of archers, killing two units and forcing them to flee. Seeing the upper hand shifting, the Knights followed in pursuit. Though the archers were now supported by two regiments of medium footmen, their bravery was no match for Charles' knights. They slaughtered the remaining archers, increasing Henry's casualties to two regiments. Charles' morale was soaring, and the Knights continued their assault. In one fell swoop they dispatched a regiment of medium footmen, again taking their position and preparing again for battle.

Henry's line was breaking. The casualties were even, and Charles was on the move. Henry attempted an assault on the bane of his army, the knights of Charles' heavy calvary, to no avail. Sensing the fear in the footman, Charles ordered his calvary to attack. They killed two units of the footmen, causing the remaining two to retreat. The knights knew this was their time. They pursued, killing the regiment of footmen, and causing Henry much dismay.

The battle had been one-sided for much of the time, Henry's archers picking off Charles' regiments from a distance. But in the end, they proved no match for Charles' heavy calvary knights. Upon killing the last regiment of footmen, Henry ordered his retreat. The day was won for France...at least until the next battle.

***

Final Score:
Liz -3
Sean - 4

The massacre my heavy calvary went on was truly amazing. For four consecutive attacks, they either killed an entire regiment or forced them to retreat. It was ridiculous. The game was really fun, Liz had a good time, and I hope allows me the opportunity to play again.