Photo by Chris Brantley

Pre-Feudal Scots (846-1124 AD)
DBA 111

Our Subject

King MacBeth

The Pre-Feudal Scots list more properly traces its starting point to 843 AD when Kenneth McAlpin was crowned King of the Scots and Picts, thus uniting Scotland. It extends through the reign of Alexander I (1107-1124 AD) to the beginning of the reign of King David I in 1124 AD, who reunited Scotland with Lothian and Strathclyde. It encompasses such colorful Kings as Malcolm II, victor at Carrham, Duncan I, who slew his grandfather Malcolm for the throne, MacBeth, who dispatched Duncan before becoming fodder for a Shakespearean play , and Malcolm III, nicknamed Canmore (Ghaelic "Cean-mor") or "Big Head" who slew MacBeth in turn. During this period, the "Scots" were truly an amalgam of people, including the original Irish Scotti who expanded northward into Scotland from their Kingdom of Dal Raida, the native Caledones, Attecotti and other Pictish tribes, as well as settled Norse and Danish invaders. In addition to almost constant internecine conflict between the tribal "clans" with their competing claims to kingship, the Scots also had to contend with Viking incursions and the aspirations of King William and his Anglo-Norman successors to extend their conquest and influence into the north.

Composition

Variant List: Working from the original DBM lists using the method described on page 22 of the DBA rules, Bernd Lehnhoff derived the following Pre Feudal Scot DBA List: 1x 3Cv* or 4Wb* or (after 1052) 3Kn*, 1x 2LH, 1x 4Wb (Thegns), 4x 3Aux, 3x 3Wb (Galwegian) or 3Aux, 2x 2Ps.

Enemies

The enemies of the Pre-Feudal Scots encompass the early Saxons (#75a), the Sub-Roman British (#82), Normans (#102c), Vikings (#106a), other Pre-Feudal Scots (#111), Norse Irish (#112), Anglo-Danish (#113), Scots Isles & Highlands (#128), and Anglo-Norman (#134).

Notes on Tactics

The Pre-Feudal Scots list lacks a consistent "killer" element(s) but is fairly resilient and can perform well in rough terrain by maxing out it Auxilia option. Tactics will necessarily vary according to opponent and available terrain:

• Against the Warband-heavy Saxons, you can use your own Warband to take on the Saxon comitatus (Blades) for a quick-kill while slugging it out with your Spear and maneuvering your Light Horse and Psiloi for flank support.

• Against the Knight-heavy Normans, rough terrain is key...so head for the hills! Your two elements of Light Horse can slow down the Norman Knights and even have a small chance of killing them, but don't hope for miracles.

• The Blade-heavy Vikings can be beaten by supporting your Warband and going for quick kills, while double-ranked Spear can hold their own....but watch your flanks.

• Against Sub-Roman British, beware King Arthur's Knights. Otherwise, your Spear and Warband should do well against his Auxilia if you can keep them in good going. By the same token, try to keep the British Cavalry away from your Warband and light troops.

• The balance of opponents have so many options that your tactics will have to be flexible to match your opponent's army composition. A full-fledge assault is rarely effective since there will be too many unfavorable match-ups. The key is to pick your battles and work hard to get that +1 bonus from overlaps as well as the critical flank position.

My own Pre-Feudal Scots have been surprisingly effective of late against predominantly Viking opponents, largely because of a hard-learned tactic of using supported Warband and Spear aggressively with the aim of quickly punching a hole in the middle of the Viking blade line. With average to slightly better die rolling, I've been able to do that fairly consistently.

I have yet to master the Scots, however, as a rough terrain army. One reason is that I so seldom see a board where there is significant bad going to take advantage of. If you distribute your bad going troops in a patch of rough terrain here or there, you'll find your opponent ignoring those patches to concentrate on your remaining Warband and Light Horse, who are left to patrol the wide-open stretches of good going. Ultimately, you be forced to leave the protection of the bad going to prevent the balance of your army from being overwhelmed. The key to success using the Scots Auxilia option is undoubtedly related to placement of terrain during the deployment phase.

I have had some minor success, even where the available terrain choice was limited, by placing rough terrain in the middle of the board, where the armies are more likely to meet regardless of which board edge we start from. I particularly like drawing up my line of Spear and Warband just beyond the rough terrain, so that any enemy crossing the broken ground will draw the rough terrain penalty when they emerge while I stand in good going. Of course, that won't last long with your impetuos Warband, who will charge in after any enemy recoils.

Scenarios

• Fuileach Rathad (Pre-Feudal Scots vs. Vikings, c. 943 AD)

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Comments, questions or suggested additions to this page can be sent to Chris Brantley, brant@erols.com.

Last Updated: May 10, 1999