The final MNG game of the year was supposed to be a big French Wars of Religion set to with all of my 25mm figures on the table. Then Chris came back from a mini-break in Frankfurt with a proper German cold, Tim was away on business and Steve got hit with a last minute wave of Christmas stuff to do. So the reiters went back in the box, and I took some DBA armies round to Phil's.
Not a complete disappointment. The two new late Reconquista armies haven't had a face off yet, so it was a chance to get them out.
We diced for the armies and Phil took the Granadines (IV/38) so I got the Castillians (IV/68d). Their relative aggressions are 0:3, and as expected I attacked. Phil blustered about not knowing the army as he set up. I didn't point out I didn't know either of them too. The thing is that when Phil builds an army he builds it to win, and selects them to (a) look nice and (b) be good in tournaments and not necessarily in that order. He doesn't buy all the options, makes use of allies regularly and everything in his selection has a purpose. I buy stuff because I have an interest in the army, often holiday inspired. I think about how to win with it - if I do at all - after I've finished painting it. Phil may not agree with this analysis.
The Granadines have loads of crossbows, so you need to keep your cavalry away from them and your psiloi away from their light horse. I put my psiloi on a difficult hill, shuffled my knights to the right centre and held the left with auxilia and spears. My LH were hidden behind a difficult hill, waiting to make use of the Zero PIP movement benefit in the first bound.
Phil moved up and started to unfurl his right wing of massed archers. I moved forwards, angled slightly to make a gap to put my General in and protect the inner flank of my knights.
PIP issues slowed us both down, but Phil was putting his infantry line together slowly.
This is just about going to plan. I've avoided being shot at too much, and got into combat with an overlap of my auxilia v fast bows. I've got my knights lined up with his light horse, and my LH is coming in to do the pincer thing on the right.
It is a truth universally acknowledged that it matters not what you roll for your PIPs, it's what the dice do in combat that'll settle the game. A very narrow shot by Phil's bows top right doubled my LH and made them flee. I won the combat against the bows, recoiling them, but then lost against the spears being recoiled in my turn. Hmm. Things starting to unravel.
Phil risked his LH in extending his line to get an overlap v my spears at the risk of fighting my knights next turn. He managed to double one of my spear elements and killed it, so a gamble that paid off.
I am unable to get to grips with the enemy and achieve a single recoil result against some LH. My own LH are stuck on the table edge with too few PIPs to get them back into the action.
Things turn round a bit. My knights kill three LH elements in a single turn, but the General is a disappointment, only getting a recoil instead of winning the game for me. He may have been hung out to dry a bit, but no worry. I'm 3:1 up.
Phil slots his General into the recoil gap in front of mine, and then turns in on the flank with some spears. I was afraid something like this might happen, and my General goes down. Suddenly it's 3:3.
No worries. There's an isolated X-bow element on my right. Double flanked that's a 2:0 advantage to me and I only need a recoil to win the game. Phil rolls a 6. I roll a 1. My psiloi are doubled and killed.
I just lost 3:4. Oh.
So we put them away, and Phil pulls out one of his famous matched pairs. Axumite (II/62) and Pre-Islamic Arabs (II/23a). The former has an Elephant General, the latter loads of camels. I got the camels.
Well, you do the best with what you've got. I'll worry his flank with my LH and try to find a way to get at the bows with my blades. Phil is "In like Flint" aiming to get at my blades with his warbands and close up with his bows to shoot my camels.
Well the PIPs did me a favour. Phil was rolling 2s and 3s and I got a 6 or two. Or three. I was able to shuffle things around a bit, and pounced on his solitary light horse with both of mine. That got me a kill!
Phew! The Steele wheels drop off slightly. I bounce the warband and elephant, which leaves me a little up and down on that flank. The LH General and the blades get a draw, so I'm in place to surround him when it is my turn.
Six for PIPs and I'm swarming all over him. Those psiloi top left look like toast, and I've flanked the elephant general. I could win the game this round.
I duly kill the psiloi, and astonishingly kill a warband with some camels. I fail to kill the General, and lose a blade. However, that's a 4:1 win. Whilst it was based mainly on rolling good dice, I was pleased with that.
Well that wraps it up for the year on the gaming front. Next post will be my EOY round up, and then maybe a book review.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of you.
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