Conquerors and Kings, second game (Byzantines versus Saracens)

The previous game gave us a sense of the main mechanisms of Conquerors and Kings, but was between two mostly infantry based armies: for the game, we pitted a cavalry heavy force (the Saracens) versus an archer heavy force (the Byzantines) to explore how the rules play out for more mobile forces, and for massed projectiles.

Here are some photos of the initial setups from both sides: the Byzantines ...

... and the Saracens

An overview of the starting positions.

An early attempt by the Varangian Guard to seize a piece of rough ground.

The nature of the grid led to a series of envelopments: each time one side manages to surround a grid of opposing troops, it would also lead to it's own grid being open to being flanked the next turn.