Here is a peek into the cutting-edge Vassal module engineered by the great Brian Reynolds for Levy & Campaign Series Volume II, Almoravid, from a solo game that Volko played to test out module operation. Have a look!

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Almoravid’s three-turn Scenario D, “Arrival of the Africans”, gets right into the action. The Muslim Almoravids have landed the first part of their massive army at Algeciras in the south to reinforce the militarily weak Taifa Lords, while the Christians led by King Alfonso of León are in the field, focused on a siege of Zaragoza in the northeast.

I chose this short but hot and heavy scenario to test quickly how well this amazing Vassal module would handle the action. We are checking various aspects of the Vassal module, such as functionality of automated features to accuracy of scenario setups. (For example, in the scenario situation automatically set up by Vassal as shown here, an assigned card is missing from one of the Muslim Lords—an omission since fixed in the module.)

The next image skips forward to about midway thru the scenario’s three 40-day turns (outlined in blue). The sides have formed up and advanced their armies. King Alfonso in the center is about to seize the mosque in his recently conquered Toledo (Cathedrals Capability card, circled in orange). Now come each side’s big operational decisions: whether and where to confront the enemy?

I have added the colored annotations to the Vassal screenshot to help show the progress of the campaign. But you can already make out the high functionality fidelity of the module: three-dimension pieces with shadows, automatic deck building and card draw, cards tucked under gameboard or Lord mats—just like in the material game on a table. Along the bottom of the image, you can see each side’s held cards (in solo, the enemy’s cards would be hidden 2-player).

In ample area off to right and left of the gameboard, each Lord in play (cylinders on the map) has his mat with troop units, Asset markers, Capability cards, and so on. These closeups show that Alfonso’s counts are mustered to battle-ready, and so are the Africans.

These Lord mats are fully positionable in the module: you can just drag them around or rotate them as you like, and all the bits and card move along with them automatically. So you can arrange your Lords as you like, into groups that reflect their locations on the map, or to Array for Battle or Storm—just as on a physical table.

On the Calendar (see next closeup), you can similarly arrange and rotate markers as you like. Muster and Disband of Lords and Victory accounting are all automated.

Let’s pick up the pace of play. In the full-map image below, Alfonso marches to Talavera (A) to block the encroaching enemy army. Yusuf invades Christian León to besiege the town of Coria (B), where his call to Jihad fires up resistance from Trujillo to Valencia (C shows Muslim play of the Maliki Islam Event card).

The King can respond (D is his next Command card) and attack the Muslims while their army is split, but they would face archers on hills. (The closeup here and E in the larger view show the Muslim’s hidden Hold Event—in a 2-player game, the Christian side would not see that it is the Hills Event card).

Historically, Alfonso reached Coria first, turned south, and attacked the Muslims’ combined strength, resulting in his great battlefield defeat at Sagrajas.

For purpose of the Vassal test, I will have the Christians attack, to either relieve the siege of Coria or hope to win a decisive field battle. Alfonso reasons that he will not have a better chance to catch just a portion of the Muslim host.

Again, to test out the module’s Battle Array, I opt for Yusuf to stand rather than Avoid Battle. The Christians are slightly favored, but the Hills will help. And, if the Muslims avoided Alfonso, they would have to Feed their troops anyway on the move, and their Provender is lacking. The Battle of Coria is set to begin!

In the module, as in the physical game, you can fight out Battles and Storm Strongholds on a Battle mat, where you simply arrange the Lord cylinders from the map while leaving all the mats where they are. Or, in grander style, you can slide the Lord mats involved to any clear table area and Array them against each other there.

The Vassal module provides plenty of table space to Array your Battle, and you can send the Lord mats there (with the proper rotation) by clicking on a menu at each mat, or just slide and rotate them as you desire. It’s actually quicker than in physical play!

In the playthrough, the Christian attackers put their strong counts on each wing, with Álvar’s knights in reserve. Yusuf’s Africans will take the position of honor on the Muslim right, set to shower García Ordóñez with archery from the hills.

Here is the course of the battle. African missiles, especially their bowmen on the height, take a fearful toll from the Spanish knights. …

The Christians take the worst not only of the missiles but of the melee, which routs their left wing under Count García, though the weaker of the Muslim taifa emirs, al-Mutawakkil of Badajoz, also routs.

The storied Álvar Fáñez advances to fill the gap in Round 2, but the well drilled and shielded Almoravid phalanx is just too tough. It is time for Alfonso to concede the field to save his baggage train and remaining men. …

For Round 3, Count Pedro remains as rearguard to enable Alfonso’s beaten army to retreat with its provisions intact and hope to rally many of its routed troops. …

In the module, we clean up after battle with just a few clicks to return each Lord mat and all its accoutrement to their positions left or right of the gameboard, before assigning any Spoils, rolling for Losses and Service shifts from Retreat, discarding Events, and so forth.

Dice rolling naturally also is easy—and recorded in a text record at top of the Vassal screen.

In my playthrough, Christian losses from the battle prove heavy. But the routed Emir of Badajoz also has had enough and will pay Alfonso dinars to make amends. That Coin will keep the Christian lords in the fight after the indignity of their retreat.

Alfonso’s failed attack has severely weakened he Christian side, as occurred historically. The Christian player is a bit behind on victory score but not out of the game. With just one 40-day Campaign to go, the fight is the Muslim player’s to lose.

Playing out the first two turns, including a big Battle, yielded a list of action items for little fixes and tweaks to the module. It also satisfied me that the Almoravid Vassal experience will be top notch. Successful Vassal module test concluded!

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