A bit more DBA

Chris K continued with his on-going DBA series of evenings this week. We were all requested to bring along matched pairs, or something that could be matched to a pair.

Phil & I got paired off at the beginning of the evening, as we were late turning up. It was pancake day and Mrs T & I had indulged in a couple each so I was behind my normal schedule for picking up Phil. I started with my Armenians against his Seljuk Turks. I was a bit trepidatious, as Phil's had that army for years and I assumed he knew what to do with it. I'm still finding my way with the Armenians, but they look to be a good solid, reliable army. We're a turn or so in, and there's been a shooting match on the left. I'm up by 2xLH to 1x4Cb.

More shooting, and more loses. As Phil's got a cavalry army, I thought I'd close down his space to manoeuvre in. My cavalry are on the rght, to ensure my flank doesn't get turned.

Two turns later, and I learn the "phantom overlap" rule, which was news to me but didn't upset my overall plans. Phil obliged me by charging in on my spears. He did okay in turns of recoils, but I reeled off enough kills to get me over the four unit threshold. Phil hadn't even noticed I'd won. 4:1 to me.

As the others were still playing we swapped armies. I brought on my Ilkhanids and Phil used Later Crusaders. It's a close but not exact reversal of troop mixes from the previous game. Trying to learn from the previous game I went for a double overlap, but had a bit of a PIP disaster. I've already lost a couple of LH to archery.

I did the decent thing and committed my cavalry against his spears, but I had no room to get round against his flank guard.

And as I post this last picture of the game (I've lost 4:0) I can see why. He's got 14 elements on the table. I didn't realise at the time.

I mean, I'd probably have lost any way, but even so.

Moving across to play Chris K next. He's got two new armies out. Early Indians and Achaemenid Persians. I took the Indians. The Persians have got too many weird unit types like hordes and double elements.

The tactic is to ram the centre with elephants and  heavy chariots. My line gets mushed up by massed archery, costing me PIPs to get back into line.

Whatever. Pile in regardless.

I win the archery shoot out on the left, and smash through the centre. That gets me a win in quick time.

Playing to the end of the turn in fact gets me a win big time, with a 6:1.

Elephants are great when they work out.

So that was a fun evening again, with my record holding up. Either Won 2, Lost 1 or Won 2, Game Void depending upon your point of view.