The Hoste's Tale, or the Bishop's Admired End

From the Crusadebadly Tales, by Geoffrey Großer.

The Prologue the the Hoste's Tale

Lang had he wirked with brush and glue
Building an army up anew
To face crusaders again and again
A grumble of most agéd men
Rolling the dice and turning the card
We really take things over hard.

The Hoste's Tale 

Horny Hattin has been fought
Tensions rise, feelings fraught 
The Crusaders must escape the field
They give no quarter they will not yield
Sir Nigel, Archie and the Bishop
The feeling is it was a stitch up.

The War-Spur issue 6

The Game

Horny Hattin.  

The Bishop's plan is to charge!

Wee Archie's Scots crusade takes the centre.

And Bold Sir Nigel the left.

From the outset the Bishop and El Q go hammer and tongs

And Archie the Laird leaves his foot behind as he goes "well mad"

The view down table as the lines close

My Mounted Sergeants taking it to the enemy.

And Archie gets stuck in.

Sir Nigel uses his foot as a screen.  Good tactics.  The fellow has it sussed!

Wee Archie once again goes bonkers but amazingly wins.

before impaling himself on the Islamic's spears

And n the flank EL Q has faced mounted knights in droves.  Both sides are exhausted, yet Brian the Breton still hopes to survive

And Sir Nigel was still fighting his way forward, wondering where we had all gone!

The Bishop kills ff ElQ's Fierce foot

And Sir Lionel of Blair, Leper Knight kills El Q, the enemy general but is killed doing it.  Archie killed, El Q killed.  The Bishop next I fear.

Brian attempts to rescue his boss, but fails his morale and pulls back battered. 

The Bishop charges the Djimm, but recoils.  El Pea shoots down the Bishop, and all of our Holy men.

The view down table.  The centre and left hold, but the Bishop is gone as is half of Archie's force

My feeling is that Brian the Breton somehow escapes this!

And the Christians are far from escape as the sun sets over Hattin and the hopes of the West 

Except for Brian of course.

The Roll of Dishonour.  

I'm a good judge of the full 12 inches.

How much did it cost him to buy two Kings?  Scurrilous gossip.  Casting nasturtiums

It's your last game in this country, so of course he lets you win.

And the curse of Sir Nigel  "Fucksticks!  Holy Men."

Most Gallant Knight Points

Sir Nigel/the GallopingTurk  17 (+2 for his Lines lines lines but he survived the battle which is never good for the image) 

Grand Master/El Q 18  (+3 Fought to the bitter end)

D'Pidelin/El Pea 16 (+3 for his tactics Although a -1 for lack of valour was considered)

Amir El Liott 10 ( a no show but a good campaign record)

Oour Hoste 15 (+5 for gallantly putting on these games)

Bishop Farthingdale/El Fattii 16 (+3 for his glorious end.  -1 for the third use of that 12" joke) 

Wee Archie/Bungdit Din.  18 (+3 for a glorious end, again, +1 man of the match point from Father Jac) 

Wee Archie the Laird o'Balamory wins the title "Most Gallant Knight.  The Grand Master is second, winning the title "Very Gallant Knight"  Sir Nigel wins bronze, as "Somewhat Gallant Knight"