ADLG: Northern League Round 2 (Manchester, 18 May 2025)

Introduction

In the midst of an unseasonal heatwave, I made the usual drive up the M6 to Manchester in the cool of the early morning. Shorts and t-shirts were the order of the day for many. At lunchtime I managed a rare photo of some wargamers enjoying the sunshine.

At the moment I'm only playing in competitions, so I have changed my approach to the Northern League. I've decided to be more adventurous, if not somewhat perverse, in my army choices.

The standard of the play in the League is getting better all the time. One of the regular players is Paul Dawson the recently crowned 2025 World Champion. To celebrate his win in Madrid at the end of April he turned up wearing a suitably tongue in cheek, home-made, badge proclaiming his new status. Sadly, it didn't occur to me to take a picture. Silly me!

Event Summary

Event	Northern League Round 2
Date	18 May 2025
Rules Version	ADLG 4
Theme	Medieval: 1330 - 1500 AD
Venue	Magdalene Centre, Eccles, M30 8JD
Army	Medieval Polish
Army list	254.0.2
Army date	1456 AD
Entrants	19 players in 18 teams.
My results	9th of 18 with 167 points. 1 win, 1 draw & 1 defeat.
All results	Grid & 2025 NL table.

By the numbers

The Medieval Polish list is the 20th most popular ADLG army (as of 12 April 2025). The ADLG database contains 109 games under V4: 41 wins and 50 defeats for a efficacy rating of 45.9%. The average efficacy for all Late Middle Age armies is 49.5%, whilst that for all armies is 50.0%: statistically the Poles are a touch below par. My efficacy rating for the event was 50.0%, so above average for the army.

Strategy & review

I decided to repeat the strategy I used in 20024 with my Muscovite Russians: two mobile mounted commands with a static infantry command behind fortifications.

The army had war wagons & light artillery with the infantry, and medium knights elite & heavy cavalry crossbow as the mobile units supported by elite light horse impact. The army was small (20 units) so I tried to place a coast if I could to secure at least one flank.

I designed the list so that my enemy had to either destroy both mounted commands completely (unlikely, even on a bad day), or attack the infantry to win the game. I intended to have "fun" with the mobile commands whilst my opponent decided what to do about the infantry.

Plans never survive first contact with the enemy (as the saying goes), but this seemed to work. My only defeat came when my opponent successfully attacked one edge of the fortified infantry command.

Choosing two unreliable commands was a bit of a risk, but they both proved reliable in all three games. A nice bonus, but I'm sure it won’t happen every time. The big plus was the flexibility of the crossbow armed heavy cavalry: strong enough to attack loose medium infantry, fast enough to evade from knightly charges and they could shoot if the opportunity arose.

Game #1

Opposition	Jack Leech
Army	HYW English
Army number	236
Army date	1425 AD
Initiative	Lost
My Posture	Attacking
Terrain	Forrest
Game time	02:15
Attrition Scores	5/20 to 21/21
Decisive	Yes
Points	95 to 15
Result	Win

This was my first time playing Jack. He had a predominately infantry army with lots of the dreaded swordsmen-longbow units. Nonetheless he would have to press on to get something other than a draw. My only hope was to tempt, or force, Jack to fragment his solid blocks of infantry. At first I nibbled at the edges picking off some light troops before finally opening a gap on my right which proved decisive. It was fun as I tried to open gaps and Jack did his best not too. An enjoyable game against a great bloke.

Game #2

Opposition	Tony Parkin
Army	Medieval Scots
Army number	232
Army date	1429 AD
Initiative	Won
My Posture	Defending
Terrain	Plains
Game time	02:10
Attrition Scores	20/20 to 27/28
Decisive	Yes
Points	29 to 81
Result	Loss

Tony's army had longbow everywhere and was, at 28 units, tough to face. He used a terrain corridor to attack my fortified infantry: the only one to do this. He started very well, and seemed in a hurry, but mid-game things swung in my favour. I tempted him with some cavalry, he took the bait and his losses mounted. Going into the last move we both needed one point to win. I lost one combat against the odds and elsewhere Tony easily got the point he needed. A tense and entertaining game for both of us.

Game #3

Opposition	Martin Routh & Andy Wallace
Army	Medieval Spanish
Army number	239
Army date	1380 AD
Initiative	Won
My Posture	Attacking
Terrain	Mountains
Game time	02;05
Attrition Scores	15/20 to 11/21
Decisive	No
Points	43 to 49
Result	Draw

For the second round running I played the Rotherham club’s answer to the Chuckle Brothers. An entertaining game emerged from a welter of banter. I fought nine(!) elite heavy knights (two commands) with four heavy cavalry & four elite medium knights. My losses were inevitable, but I killed a few knights and a knight general. Protracted melees meant they hadn't reached my infantry when time was called, ending their hopes of a top five finish. Always a pleasure. If you read this, see you in next round.

Closing remarks

Well, round two was much more fun than the first, which I didn't enjoy all that much. I had a plan and set out to pose an unusual problem for my opponents. It seemed to work. Had the dice been kinder in the last bound of the second game I could have won another game. I'll be using this army again.

The only drawback was that all my games were lengthy leaving me little time between games to make a cup of tea and gather my wits.

One general point, all my opponents used armies with lots of similar troops: longbows, longbows & heavy knights elite respectively. This, somewhat one dimensional yet powerful, approach to army building seems to be increasingly common (if the list allows). I wonder whether varied lists have fallen out of favour or whether I've just had a run of opponents who like this kind of list? Let me know your experience in the comments.