After COW time for planning Tuesday evening's MNG session is at a premium, so I suggested that we did some DBA. The twist was that we'd use armies made out of my 20mm plastic armies and I'd theme them round Armies and Enemies of Republican Rome (II/33). I'd previously done a bit of prep on this as an idea, all I needed was to do a bit more checking and a small amount of rebasing. For example I have virtually no 4Ax bases in my armies. This is because they were originally based for Armati where Auxilia/LHI are 3 figures to a base not 4.
The armies I chose were:
- 11/33 Polybian Romans (I hate that name)
- II/19b Seleucids
- II/32a Late Carthaginians
- II/11 Gauls
- II/8a Bruttians
My aim was to get out enough figures for all the options before anyone arrived, so they could pick their army options. I marked out the larger playing areas with tape, and dug out a pile of suitable terrain selections. I also made an extra large size DBA measuring template out of foam board (top right). So much for not doing much preparation.
Tim was bit late, so we started with out him. I faced Phil, who went for Gauls. I chose Seleucids, not because of the elephant, but because I'd rebased some figures and was intent on making sure they were used.
Phil defended, and put his chocolate shortbread on the corner of the table. I don't have picture of the set up. I chose all the hard to move options - elephants, 7Hd and Scythe Chariots. I thought that if I put them all in one block I could attack with all of them or none at all. Phil had his chariots out to cover the flank of his massed warbands, so I was forced to mask them with my general and companions. I wanted to use my pikes as part of my main group, but Phil came at me on an oblique line, so I had to detach them to get into contact. The chariots and cavalry on the left are both sitting on hills to keep the uphill advantage. I need to paint crest lines on my hills to avoid future disputes.
Anyhow, first combats and my Scythe Chariot got killed , but I was able to stomp on a warband with the elephant and also win a combat with my Hordes.
Couple of turns on, and Phil killed my elephant by surrounding it. This was not all that disappointing, as by attacking it front and rear he got run over by it when it got killed, so we were both an element down. I closed up my line with my 4Ax on the right, but on my left I hadn't got my cavalry far enough forwards to put the chariots in my threat zone, so they swerved round and hit my phalanx in the rear and flank (not yet moved).
I got lucky and bounced them off and hit the warbands to my front.
I also charged down the hill into the chariots and killed them. I also killed a warband on the right that allowed itself to get isolated.
As Scythe Chariots don't count as a kill I won out 5:1.
In the other game Chris had the Romans and Steve took the Carthaginians.
Chris decided to sit on a hill. Steve attacked him and lost 3+General:0. Steve really needs to learn not to attack Chris when he does this, and to wait him out.
Tim arrived and we swapped round. I took the Carthaginians and fought Chris with the Seleucids, whilst Tim took the Bruttians and Phil kept hold of the Gauls.
This time I did take a set up picture. I was attacking. I don't know why Chris had put his elephant behind his Scythe Chariot. Chris had his cavalry on his right, one behind the other, so I angled my elephant duo to shut that side down, aided by my Numidian horse. I thought I should get two kills out there, and then maybe rough up the phalanx overlapping him in the wood with Psiloi whilst I hit him with warband. As Chris had chosen a defensive position the odds were that he wouldn't move out of it until I'd got where I wanted to be.
I nearly came unstuck, as I left enough room for the Scythe Chariot to switch flanks and hit one of the elephants. However, as he was overlapped and quick killed by me, he was soon gone. I could also see Chris shuffling his Psiloi across to face off my elephants. This is normally a good idea, as I can't kill them face to face, but if I can get on their flanks then they will die. This was what the Light Horse are for.
After the death of the Scythe Chariot, Chris threw his Psiloi at me, and went for my LH with his knights. I'd got my General up in line, but that's not an overlap yet.
My LH did a number on his Kn, with a quick kill (that's really against the odds) and, joy of joys, I got two recoil results against the Psiloi. In my turn I had enough PIPs to flank his Psiloi on the left and also the Pikes on the right. Looking good.
Oh yes indeed. Whilst Chris' elephant droves back my Auxilia ("Don't I get a quick kill?" - not against Auxilia you don't), I killed the psiloi and the pikes, giving me a 4:0 win, although it was more nip and tuck than the score line suggests, I think.
On the other board Tim took the Bruttians and Phil stuck with the Gauls, as noted above. Tim was defending and should probably have put out more hills, as pretty much all of his army is 3Ax.
Phil tucked himself in a corner, presumably to concentrate the hitting power of his warbands. I don't know why Tim is attacking with a solo Ax base.
Ah. I snapped him half way through a move. He subsequently moved up another element. He's flanked a chariot and killed it. Actually, given decent PIP rolls, he could roll Phil up from this end, but it's a race against time.
At this point Phil is ahead 3:2, but he has his double banked warband stuck into the Auxilia, where they will shortly win the game for him. Yes, 5:2 to the Gauls.
Very satisfactory evening, especially as I was the only undefeated player, thanks to being a tactical genius.
I think I will revisit my plastics collection and put together some more themed groups. I've loads of Hoplites, so Greek City States is a goer, as are the Alexandrian Successors, or even Alexander's armies and enemies.
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