BORNEL 2025

Bornel balance ton dé is a small MEG tournament near Paris . This year's theme was : any army with an external mediocre or competent ally who must command 3 UGs

My choice was

I must admit I was not very sure how to handle this and had not much time for testing. I am unused to that kind of army but wanted to test and I had some english PB on the shelves since 2017 and never used them.

It would not be a great success perhaps due to faulty tactics, faulty list or not accustomed enough to such type of army . Anyway it was fun

The list were never published, the pairings had been prepared before the tournament so points had nothing to do with it .

My first opponent, Philippe played with a Late Medieval Lowlands army with Late 100 years war english

As I expected many pikes I deployed defensively. Philippe, to my big surprise putted a huge wood on my right side in the center which helped my defence.

My skilled PB are on the protected flank, Burgundian ally in the center with my men-at-arms nearby and I held the woods with my other bowmen

I tried to move quickly with my drilled guys but was plagued with white and black and made a mistake. I tried to manoeuvre the tribal welsh . I should have dropped them back

Prudently Philippe refuses to come near my skilled PB and I advance with my pikes . Forgetting he had not moved a pike TUG, I went out of the woods to have some action and nearly lost a PB TUG that did break of back safely in the woods.

Shooting was not good for me

As I advance Philippe retreats towards better positions. Lack of coloured cards and some nasty mounted knights will make my advance prudent

I advance, he falls back as he wants to avoid my wall of skilled PB

I will have to fall back in the woods

Heer Burgmeester Philippe looking at the battlefield

...should I have run more quickly ( The cards were not in favour ) , drop the stakes and face SUP knights in the open ? Should Philippe have sent his pikes towards my pikes and overwhelm them ...we will never know and it is all useless speculation . The game ended in an un glorious 2-2 as we both had manoeuvred, both trying to avoid some threat .