Engaging Parthian Usurpers (Part One)

The Rhus have been painted enough to get fielded and they have had an impressive if butt-clenching existence*.  Their only non-wins over a span of more than two months* (that’s eight encounters) was a lose and a draw, both to the Parthians.

The Rhus are getting rested, to allow some extra paint work can be done including alternative allies, so that they can be fielded in differing guises.  Wait for the 100% all Rhus, no external allies monster to appear next, followed by Viking allies then the final Viking/Leidang option as the total package.

As Bob said, we both have the ability to morph our Kushans into Parthians, where they are even more monochrome than the Kushans (who still fell to the Rhus) as they lack the pachyderms and assorted Indian foot, but do, I suppose, have more ally options.

Thus, in line with a growing trend of fighting civil wars where we can, it was deemed time to decide who was the King of Parthia and who was to be a footnote to (DBMM in BKK) history.

Firstly I needed a cunning plan.

With the Parthians being iKnX & iLhF with little else, the KnX are the kings of the field (albeit somewhat un-manoeuvrable), while the LhF would be buzzing around ensuring the KnX were too PiP starved to attempt more than basic manoeuvres.  As I didn’t fancy using outright luck to win a ‘walls of steel clash’ I looked at the idea that the winner would be the one who destroyed the enemy’s KnX while keeping his own intact.  What did the most damage to KnX??  Well, that would be Wb, Bd and non-X knights of which none were available unless I used allies.  Amongst the allies there was only the impetuous, fragile iKnF of the Samaritans and Scythians.

Knowing I had a huge Arabo-Aramenian army usurper Bobarsaces was bound to expect a large Hatrene ally bow-wall to be used block off a significant part of the table.  So the first decision was not to employ Hatrene mercenaries.  At this point I couldn’t decide which KnF group to bring - re-introduce the cursed** Scythians or a larger group of Samaritans who didn’t come with any flank protecting LhF. 

So the plan was going to be to charge the usurper’s KnX with KnF, destroy as many as possible and then use my own then almost invulnerable KnX, with flanks well protected by Lh, to slowly mop-up all enemy on the field.  That meant I needed the maximum KnF to ensure the enemy was as damaged as much as possible – decision made – bring BOTH allies, Samaritan and the cursed** Scythians.  To improve the odds the terrain would be chosen to box him into an area so that he couldn’t easily get the KnX away from in front of the KnF.

I was a bit off putting to learn on game night that Bob was also using a AD35 list, the only time the Samaritans are available and I didn’t want a KnF on KnF conflict just as I hope to avoid the mutual KnX clash.  However Bob was even more dismayed when I, as invader, selected two Marshes as terrain and a flank edge as the additional allocation number.  Maybe it was all bluff.

I got the terrain I wanted, interfered with a little by a SF between my M’s but that could be both a boon or a bain.  I deployed first and put the two ally commands with all the iKnF (12 including 2 generals) as far forward aimed directly in the only space where Bob’s KnX could deploy.  My KnX were held back to be the reserve and the Lh commands on the flanks were well back also because I would need to use them to re-deploy quickly to counter Bob’s deployment and provide the flank protection for the Kn’s.  LhF were to be sacrificed to protect flanks as the heavies made an unrelenting push forward because we are an all mounted army.

Once Bob had deployed I was confident that my plan would at least be tested, I had the matchups I wanted.  All I had to worry about was the missing 4^th command.  Game on and the KnF went forward while Bob’s attempts to breakup the formation weren’t overly successful although I lost a general, and once we hit the enemy line we were doing damage.  The missing command appeared in the rear (as delayed) which was better than having to deal with a flank march.  Now my Lh commands were then able to be redirected to cause the maximum discomfort, including the CinC lead group, plus a few Scythians, going after a lesser number of Lh wide on the left flank.

As a good King and leader, the allies were always going to take the casualties and this they did but by the time they broke they had broken one enemy ally command and disheartened two other commands, although this didn’t affect the Kn’s in those two commands.  At this point it was still in the balance, my fresh KnX reserves and a fresh LhF command joined the main fray but the matchups were no longer ideal, so I had to do damage elsewhere to break another command before my army took enough random damage to tip it over 50% (the fresh commands weren’t going to break anytime soon).

Thus we actively pursued the enemy out on our left flank and boxed them against the table edge.  It was end-game time and in one bound, had we won all the flank command combats (with enough dice points) we would have pushed the enemy over their 50% mark.  But it wasn’t to be, we in fact lost a couple of combats, and then they avoided the combats in their bound, and I didn’t have enough PiPs to catch them all again subsequently.  Thereafter I had taken the few casualties elsewhere to pass the 50% mark myself.

An oscillating battle, down to the wire and as bloody as hell.  Great fun.  

I could blame slightly below average PiP dice (recorded fact), certainly less than Bob’s, but such is life (virgins to be sacrificed*** before the next encounter to appease the dice gods) although I can’t complain about the combat dice. 

But please NOTE that I, King Watagases I, rightful king and all round good guy, survived, and NOT a single cataphract was lost by me in the exchange (unlike Bob who managed to kill off many of his leading nobles) so I will be returning to again fight for my rightful place on the upper most throne in the land. 

[Don’t forget I’m also the biggest fluffiest Kushan**** after recovering from a first game lost – I will do it again!!]

* = Battles not reported due the learning experience producing to many embarrassing errors to admit too.

** = Refer to February 2012 Blogs for the cursed Scythians story.

*** = An action completed last night in preparation for tonight’s game (although a recycled virgin had to be used).

**** = This group of battles are reported in Feb-March 2012.