Transylvanian Nightmare 1459 - A Table Top Game in 28mm.

While Vlad Dracula is camped outside the walls of Brasov he sends out his captains to burn towns and villages and bring in more captives to add to his growing forest of impaled victims on Tapma Hill.

One such walled village proves a tough nut to crack, the Wallachians had been seen and shadowed by a troop of Transylvanian cavalry. Far too small to attack, the troop head to the village and prepare for a battle.

For the most part the villagers are peasants, but they have prepared and they mean business. To bolster their defence the village also boasts the local landowners retinue of knights, all good men and women, but will it be enough as the Wallachian host comes into view.

As arrows began to fly and several men drop the Wallachians immediately sound the attack, horses surge forward towards the defensive spikes and the infantry run into the fray, the sight of Vlad's men hurtling forward was terrifying, but the villagers held their nerve.

The villagers put up a stout resistance but the Wallachians break through, inside the village walls the Transylvanians have hatched a plan. When the Wallachians are bogged down in combat they will rush out of the gate and surprise them, hopefully driving them back enough to rout them completely.

With the villagers under severe strain outside the village walls it is now deemed to be the right time to spring the trap. The gates are opened and the Transylvanian cavalry pore out with the rest of the villagers behind them. The fighting is vicious, the Wallachians are forced back but they do not break. 

Whether it was the fear of Vlad Dracula or their captain, but the Wallachians didn't run, they withdrew in good order and made a fresh defensive position. With the shock of a fresh attack by the villagers now over it was time to counterattack, the Wallachian cavalry outflanked and drove the villagers into the waiting infantry.

Wallachian cavalry rode over the broken and bloody bodies hacking anyone down who got in their way, they were soon inside the village. The remnants of the village force was rounded up and taken as captives for Vlad's spectacle on Tampa Hill, some escaped.

As per orders the village was burned and those found within impaled as a warning, as the captain handed over his captives and reported the village destroyed another captain was being impaled on a higher stake, he had lost his battle with the population of Bod and was now paying the price for failing in his duty to the Impaler Prince.

The Merchant of Hamstadt, Game 3, The Final Encounter - A Table Top Game in 28mm.

                                             The Final Encounter

"How could he possibly escape!" Vlad's anger was boiling over. "I I I I..." stammered Boyar Dimerascu. "No excuses, your time in my service is over....guards, GUARDS, take him away....".

Vlad greets his former Boyar whilst on his way to raise his army at Targoviste, "Don't worry Dimerascu, Todor will join you in Hell soon."

It was after a grueling night march that Vlad's army approached Michael Todor's abode, Todor was just having breakfast and a chat with his knights when the alarm was raised, at this break of day, the Wallachians were approaching.

It was time for Todor to put his rather hasty battle plan into action, his soldiers were largely peasants, with a couple of professional knights, several archers and a couple of crossbowmen.

He knew Vlad would press home a frontal attack, so he arranged his forces into three groups, hopefully this would cause terrible losses on Vlad's men. What he didn't take into account was the sheer professionalism of the Wallachians.

The Wallachians charged taking several casualties from Todor's bowmen, Vlad's bowmen, however, couldn't hit a thing. Soon the two sides clashed, the weight of the assault was too much for Todor's first line, and very soon the second line were fighting for their lives.

The second line soon broke, now it was Todor's turn to face the Wallachian onslaught, the fighting was short and brutal, very few of Todor's men escaped, those captured were put to the sword.

Time had run out for Michael Todor, after capture he was stripped and a stake was prepared, no more escapes, nowhere to go, his body was left as a warning.

The Merchant of Hamstadt, Game 2 - A Table Top Game in 28mm.

 Michael Todor Attacked At Schinen, Transylvania.

" My Lord Voivode Vlad III Dracula,

         The recent dispatches from our spies in Brasov are correct, the villain Todor is in the town of Schinen, we move against him immediately.

          Your servant,

                C. Dimerascu."

Cornered in the village of Schinen, in Southern Transylvania, soldier and merchant, Michael Todor, the bane of Voivode Dracula, and the robber of many Wallachian merchants, stood his ground and prepared for battle. Ranged against him was the retinue of Boyar Dimerascu of Wallachia.

Todor sent his arrow and bolt throwers up front while he arranged his fighting men, soon a duel of archers and crossbowmen started.

The first casualty was a slightly wounded Dimerascu, a crossbow bolt gave him a nasty graze, painful but not a knockout blow.

The Wallachian archers proved to be far superior to the Transylvanians, and the resulting casualties were too much for them, Todor's archers turned and fled.

The Wallachians saw their chance and Dimerascu ordered his men forward.

Taking advantage of Todor's lack of archers, Dimerascu ordered his archers to loose upon their enemy and cause havoc! However, Todor wasn't that stupid and he had a back up plan.

Completely by surprise Todor's men sprang out from the flanks and attacked the archers and Dimerascu himself, already wounded, he fought for his life.

Meanwhile the two sides met in a flurry of violence, men hacked and slashed at each other.

At this point the battle could have gone either way, if Dimerascu was killed the Wallachians would most likely have broken contact, but he wasn't, his attacker was.

This coupled with the Transylvanians losing more men in a spectacular attack by the Wallachians, broke their will and Todor's men ran.

Todor himself was wounded in the fight, and he found himself surrounded by enemies.

With the battle over Todor resigned himself to his fate, taken along with one of his Hungarian mercenaries, he knew what was to come.

Victorious Wallachians were soon in Schinen looking for spoils, and a happy Dimerascu looked on safe in the knowledge that Prince Vlad would smile upon him.

" My Lord Voivode Vlad III Dracula,

       This afternoon the retinue of your faithful servant Boyar Dimerascu, fought and captured your enemy Michael Todor. We will return to Targoviste at once and hand him over to your tender mercies and swift justice.

                

               Your servant,

                     C. Dimerascu."