My army comprised:

Command 1: 24 MEs/Dis@6.5/Bkn@8.5/Sh'd@12.5

Inert Burgundian C-in-C*: Reg Kn (S)

1 Household Gendarmes: Reg Kn (S)

3 Ordonnance Gendarmes: Reg Kn (O)

1 Italian Mounted Crossbowmen: Reg LH (I)

1 Mounted Household Archers: Reg Bw (S)

6 Mixed Ordonnance Pike/Archers:  ½ Reg Bw (X)/½ Reg Bw (S)

1 Ordonnance Pikemen: Reg Pk (O)

4 Ordonnance Handgunners: Reg Ps (S)

2 Command Baggage: Irr Baggage (I)

* Charles the Bold

Command 2: 16 MEs/Dis@4.5/Bkn@6/Sh'd@8.5

Burgundian Sub-general: Reg Kn (O)

10 Mixed Ordonnance Pike/Archers:  ½ Reg Bw (X)/½ Reg Bw (S)

2 Household Infantry: Reg Bd (O)

1 Low Countries Pikemen: Reg Pk (I)

2 Command Baggage: Irr Baggage (I)

Command 3: 24 MEs/Dis@6.5/Bkn@8.5/Sh'd@12.5

Burgundian Sub-general: Reg Kn (O)

2 Ordonnance Gendarmes: Reg Kn (O)

1 Italian Men-at-Arms: Reg Kn (O)

1 Italian Mounted Crossbowmen: Reg LH (I)

1 Ord. Mounted Crossbowmen:         Reg Bw (O)

8 Low Countries Pikemen: Reg Pk (I)

2 Command Baggage: Irr Baggage (I)

Command 4: 4 MEs/Dis@1/Bkn@1.5/Sh'd@2.5

1 Bombard: Reg Art (S)

3 Organ Guns:  Reg Art (I)

4 Palisade: TF

Command 5 (English Ally):   16 MEs/Dis@4.5/Bkn@6/Sh'd@8.5

English Ally-general:         Reg Kn (O)

1 Men-at-Arms:         Reg Kn (I)

6 Retinue Archers: Reg Bw (S)

Stakes for Archers: PO

2 Retinue Billmen: Reg Bd (O)

1 Command Baggage: Irr Baggage (I)

Total APs: 400

Total MEs: 84

Defeat Level: 42.5

Round 1 vs Brian Bull (Alexandrian Macedonian):

I invaded. The only significant terrain was a large gentle hill in the forward part of my centre zone and a BUA to my right sector rear table edge. Brian deployed four regular commands. In his centre was a large (33 ME) command comprised mostly of Pk (O) (including a sub-general) with files of Pk (S) on the outer flanks, supported by some Ps to their left. On his right was a (19ME) command of Kn (F) wedges and Cv (O), supported by a couple of LH and a few elements of Ax and Ps. On his left was a larger mounted command, comprising more Kn (F) wedges and Cv (O), supported by a few of LH. In the rear guarding his camp was a micro (7ME) PIP dump Pike command..

I deployed in a solid line with the artillery (C4) pointing directly at his massed pikemen. C2's massed Bw X/S was immediately to their right while C3 was to the right rear with Pk (I) on the left and Kn (O) gendarmes guarding the outer flank up to the BUA. The English Ally (C5) deployed to the left of the artillery with C1 to their left, with Bw X/S up front and the gendarmes in reserve.

Brian wheeled his Pikemen to avoid my artillery and advanced against C2's Bw X/S, which fared badly with their shooting, enabling the phalangites (unusually for DBMM) to close to combat without suffering too many shooting casualties. Once they charged home, they in turn underperformed however, failing to make much impact during an indecisive melee which lasted several bounds.

On the right, Brian's Kn (F) killed four elements of Pk (I) but in turn suffered badly against C3's, gendarmes, losing three elements (6ME) of Kn (F).

On my left, Brian initially attempted to manouver his smaller cavalry command away from C1 and C5's massed bows but eventually decided to attack. He enjoyed only limited success, destroying one file of English Bw and a Bd (O) before his own command was broken. This enabled me to threaten first the flank and then the rear of his pike command - and  not a moment too soon as Brian had exploited an awkward angle between between C2 and C3 to flank lock and kill C2's sub-general, disheartening the command. Happily, C1's gendarmes were at this point set to hit his Pike command's general from the rear, which together with accumulated losses  would have broken his pike command and with it his army. Alas for me, the game now timed out so I had to settle for a winning draw rather than a big win.

Result: 15-10 Winning Draw

Round 2 vs Mick Hession (Khitan Liao):

I invaded again and the only significant terrain was a large gentle hill at an angle of 45 degrees to my rear table edge, about 320 paces in, and a half FE RH in the far right hand corner (from Mick's Pov). Mick deployed with his army in his right of the table with a mounted command with masses of horde on his left, bowmen and mounted in his centre and bowmen and swordsmen (Bd (F) on his right.  I had sent C5 on a flank march on my left, so I deployed the rest of the army in my left opposite his, with C4 to the right of the hill up to the rear table edge, C2 on the hill, then C1 and then C3 to the left. In the absence of terrain to secure my flanks, the idea was to corner sit with the army's right on the rear table edge and the left wheeling forward to link up with the flank marching English.

The flank march proved successful - too successful in fact, arriving on the first attempt, which was a bit premature as this left little time for C3 and C1 to link up with it. A bit like the British airborne at Arnhem, the English ally found itself biting off more than it could chew behind enemy lines as Mick prepared a welcoming committee comprising lots of Bd (F), Cv (S) and LH (F). Things weren't helped by dire PIPs (one 2, two 1s and two zeroes over five bounds), resulting in command paralysis which Mick ruthlessly exploited to get into the rear and wipe out the command in short order. This disaster now exposed C3, forcing me to spread the vulnerable Pk (I) more thinly than was healthy. I scrapped it out for a while, but the command  soon became demoralised and then broke, taking the army with it.

On my right, the massed exodus of Mick's left wing cavalry to attack my right enabled me to advance my right wing and wipe out virtually all his horde - but of course this is what horde are for and it did me little good, especially as I was unable to build to ME losses inflcited on his Hd (O) when C1's Bw XS underperformed in their brief shooting exchange with Mick's Bw (O).

In the absence of much terrain corner sitting was the only option but in hindisght I would have been better keeping the English ally on table from the start. At least that way I could have used their initial PIP roll of six to get them organised and form a more solid left wing. All credit to Mick on an excellent win though, optimising his army's strengths exploiting the weaknesses of mine to the full

Result: 23 -2 Defeat

Round 3 vs Tony Farrell (French Ordonnance):

I defended and deployed in a solid line with C1, C5, C2, C4 and C3 in that order from left to right with bowmen and artillery to the front and gendarmes and Low countries pikemen held back. Because Tony's army is just as slow as mine, I was less worried about my flanks being exposed than usual, so deployed forward. Tony's deployment featured two commands on his right and one on his left but absolutely nothing in his centre, reflecting his concern to avoid a frontal attack on my bowmen. He had two commands of Gendarmes on his right - one 18ME worth of Reg Kn (O) and Irreg Kn (S) and one with 16ME worth of Reg Kn (S). On his left was a 29.5 command with mounted Bw (S) on the outer flank, with Bw (I) to their right flanked by a column of Bd (O).

Tony's basic idea was good but the gap in his centre was so large that I was able to form C2 into column and - with no enemy on either side within 400 paces - march freely  into his half of the table for several bounds before forming line to my left. This meant that his Reg Kn (S) were now in an L formed by C2 and C5's English archers.

Caught in the crossfire, the command soon broke. To the left, C1 tracked down the Irreg Kn command, which Tony let go into spontaneous advance away from my line after both elements of Kn (O) died to shooting. They ended up trapped against my left side table edge in disorder, where I closed in on them with archers and gendarmes.

On my right, Tony advanced his Bw (S) rather too boldy against a gentle hill on my right, behind which If formed C3's gendarmes into line, threatening to hit his Bowmen at double overlap advantage. Tony hastily turned 180 degrees and retreated, but I eventually caught up, forcing him to turn around or be hit in the rear. The gendarmes duly charged in at double overlap and started slaughtering the column, while to the the left another element went through four ranks of Bw (I) to go clean to his lines, flank lock his C-in-C (who was one of the Bw (S) in the column being hit from the front). The resulting loss of the C-in-C broke his command and with it the army.

Result: 25- 0 Win

Round 4 vs Ian Austin (Ugaratic):

I invaded and placed a WW on my right. Ian deployed in a defensive position with woods anchoring both his left and right. On his left was an ally (22.5ME) comprising masses of Ps padding Cv (O) and (S). In his centre was an infantry command (24.5ME)  comprising Bd (F)  padded by more masses of Ps. On right was  a large command (32ME) of Cv (S), Cv (O), Kn (O) with some infantry padding, behind which was a a small mounted command (18ME) of Cv (S). I deployed second with C2, C1, C3 and C5 pushed forward and C4 held back on my right. My plan was simply to advance as quickly as possible and close on Ian's army before he could exploit his mobility to get around my flanks. Because my Kn (O) would be no match for his larger numbers of Cv (S), I deployed these on foot from the outset, leaving only Charles, his solitary Kn (S) bodyguard and the lone LH (I) as a small mounted reserve to cover the open left.

I decisively outpipped Ian in the first few bounds, enabling me to execute my plan to perfection. Ian's problems were compounded by his ally proving unreliable. I closed quickly to stop Ian from marching, which largely spoiled his attempts to run around my left flank. Forced to attack frontally, he started losing heavily with the result that his biggest command (32ME) broke quite early in the game. This pemitted me the luxury of  avoiding unnecessary risks for the rest game to ensure maximum points. Ian did manage to get his smaller command around my left, but with maximum PIP priority, I was able to use my general and lone Kn (S) to skirmish this command out of the game.

On my right, C3's Bd (S) hammered his Bd (F) while the English archers destroyed several of his allied commands Cv (S), but passed up on several opportunities to finish the  job by failing to dispose of his ally-general.  It didn't matter as in the centre, C1's Bw XS and Bd (S) were by now attacking his camp, killing enough to break Ian's army.

Result: 25 - 0 Win

Round 5 vs  Jim Gibson (West Sudanese):

I suffered the curse of the inert general in this one, invading into optimum terrain for Jim, but then forced to deploy first by bad set-up dice. I therefore had to deploy right back on my rear table edge to create space to redeploy in response to Jim's deployment . I largely succeeded in this and eventually created a strong position with optimised match-ups. As a result  I was optimistic about getting a good result but alas, the time taken to get into position combined with equal determination on Jim's part to get everything just right before committing to combat meant the game timed out before we got to serious fighting.  All in all it was a rather bloodless game but at least I did get to wipe out his famous expendable stampeding cattle!

13-12 Winning Draw

All of which meant I ended up on 80 points in joint third with Rob and William, with Rob getting the prize on countback.

Thanks again to Rob for organising, Donal for umpiring and all my opponents, especially Ian, Jim and Brian for travelling to take part.