Planning and researching the battle of Ashdown
Anglo-Saxon warriors advance towards the Danish forces at Ashdown, 871 AD Having decided on the battle of Ashdown, it was time to begin researching the battle. I am going to research the battle, learn the history and work out what I need to recreate the battle on the tabletop. Myfirst port of call was to consult the Shieldwall book for Hail Caesar which has a nice section and scenario for the battle of Ashdown. The next thing I decided to consult was some contemporary accounts of the battle. Forttunatealy for me, my son had bought me Asser,s Life of King Alfred and Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for Christmas (how did I get through my University days without copies of them?), now I am fully aware of the bias behind these sources as one was written by Alfred the Great some years later and the other was written as a biography of Alfred's life. The research begins in the Cave I realised quickly that this research was not just about learning about the battle of Ashdown...