The Anglo-Saxons are the hard-pressed defenders of central England. Beset by raiding enemies on all fronts, the Anglo-Saxons fight mostly defensive battles. Their Battle Board reflects this by making Anglo-Saxons very efficient defenders but mediocre attackers. In general, they prefer larger formations in tight shield walls.
Heroes: The Anglo-Saxons have multiple leadership options ranging from the generic Warlord to mighty heroes such as Alfred the Great, Athelstan, and their sister Athelflaed. I opted to ignore the mounted option for lack of fit with the Anglo-Saxon style. As the primary Christian nation by this time, the Anglo-Saxon’s can be supported by a host of bishops, abbots, and monks.
Hearthguards: The Anglo-Saxon host is given some backbone by two units of Thegns with a war banner. The figures are a mix of Gripping Beast metal and plastic. To distinguish them from their wilder neighbours, I went for figures with spears, swords and shields. The shields mostly have Christian symbols as by this point Alfred, and later Athelstan, will have nudged the Anglo-Saxons toward that religion.
Warriors: Ceorls are the foundation of the Anglo-Saxon force. The more the merrier, and ideally in larger formations to benefit from the Battle Board bonuses for units above 10 figures. I built three points of Ceorls – each following the spear, shield & Christian symbols paradigm – but they are usually fielded as two units of 12 figures each.
Levy: The Anglo-Saxons can draft a unique levy, the Geburs with Spears – a formidable choice for an aspiring Anglo-Saxon warlord pressed for coin. I used assorted bucklers to distinguish the Geburs from the Ceorls. Further support comes in the form of levy archers. Finally, we have some wagons for the Viking invaders to steal.
Wargaming Workshop 