Better Late Than Never

We've done quite a few South East Asian games, but they've always been my Burmese vs one of Wayne's collection, so for a change I borrowed some of Wayne's troops to do an historical match up that we haven't tried yet: Siamese vs Khmer. This time I took the Siamese.

Khmer El(X) are invaluable against elephant armies

It's a tricky match up for the Siamese as the Khmer El(X) relegate your elephants to the role of fat boys hanging out at the back. This leaves two options; take regular generals and fight a war of maneuver, or try a frontal assault with irregular fast blades. The Khmers have lots of tough auxillia superior, but I figured not having to follow up would give Siamese regular guards an edge, so my first attempt at an army list featured regular generals, and all eighteen permitted regular fast blades. This yielded a very small army though, and with a list stipulation that there can only be six guards per command, the three commands all came out quite similar, and not really looking like they'd make good use of a regular structure.

So for the actual game I decided to go for the blunt force trauma approach with massed irregular blades charging straight up the middle. A command of auxillia and Ps(S) would protect one flank, and the C in C the other, the latter also having some blades and some light troops. The fat boys were split between the two flank commands to disused any Khmer cavalry from stealing round the ends.

Actually I didn't think such an obvious plan would work on an open field, but if it could be sprung with an element of surprise, there might be a chance of overwhelming the Khmer centre while other troops were out of position, and before reserves could be brought up. My plan then was to ambush as many of the blades as possible in a central position, let the Khmer come to me, then spring out in a mad impetuous rush.

Initial Deployment

 Sadly the terrain didn't fall as I'd intended, my side of the table being an open plain, with the only useful terrain being a wooded hill on the far right. Wayne's side of the table was by contrast, replete with all sorts of useful hidey holes, so much so in fact that he forgot that, as the attacker, he was only allowed one ambush. Not wanting to reveal my hand too early, I therefore decided to delay the main blade command, while carefully deploying the other two commands to leave a big enough gap for it to come on. The C in C command went on the left where his extra pip would help protecting the open flank, and the light command was set well back on the right, in the hope that any assault on it would be delayed by the need to clear the wooded hill where four Ps(S) handgunners waited in ambush.

The battle unfolds

Khmer elephants redeploy from left to right

 With two widely separated  commands and many troops obviously absent, I expected Wayne to attack me pretty aggresively, however his center and left stayed put pretty much, while he shuffled his elephants across to his right to face of the few blades he could see. Meanwhile his CinC on his right advanced rapidly around my left flank. When my first pip rolls gave a one and a two for the on table commands, I figured it was going to be one of those days.

Khmer C in C in chariot

 Over the next bounds Wayne continued lining up his elephants, and pushed his CinC and column of auxillia further round my flank, encircling but being strangely reluctant to close. The general and a couple of blades made a half-hearted adavance from the center, but otherwise this stayed put. I split my C in C's command to face off the outflankers, while holding the rest of the command.

Didn't expect that!

Seeing his left was weak, and wanting to sap pips from the elephants that had switched flanks, I advanced tentatively with my right, and moved my handgunners out of ambush to investigate what was in the wood on Wayne's left. As they advanced towards it, five Khmer cavalry elements sprang out and attempted to run them down, but the lead psiloi outrolled the opposing cavalry 6 - 1 twice in a row to push it back into the wood. Eventually the cavalry prevailed, killing three of the four psiloi, while one made it into the wood and beat up several elements of Ps(I). Trying desperately to command his elephants on one flank, and his cavalry from the other, the commander of the Khmer left spent most of the battle camped in the center circle.

Eventually Wayne got everything arranged to his liking on his right, and began closing in on my left, but then at long last (bound 6) my central command arrived. The general and some psiloi were detached to shore up the left against the impending elephant attack, while 20 elements of blades stormed up the center.

Reinforcements finally arrive

Siamese blades about to crash into Khmer center

Meanwhile on my right, I'd moved up my auxillia and elephants to apply pressure. I foolishly allowed the Khmer bolt shooter a couple of shots on the general, but fortunately he survived, and my foot closed in and killed it, precipitating a fight there. Khmer quality and numbers were beginning to give them the edge, when my center command arrived, and quickly carved up the disorganized Khmers, while my right rallied killing two more elements with successive 6-1 rolls, effectively crushing that end of the Khmer line.

Khmer general in a bit of a pickle

On the left I managed to fend of the outflankers, while putting together enough of a reception commitee to stall Wayne's elephant attack. The later then came under heavy pressure as my center stormed past their exposed flank, and detached a few elements to turn it. Another unlucky roll killed an elephant leaving a gap that allowed the Khmer central general to be outflanked and killed,  and my El(S) C in C attacked another Khmer El(O) killing it and the one behind, leaving only some mopping up needed to complete the battle.

So was nice to get a win with my first attempt at Siamese. I do think Wayne let me off the hook a bit though by doing too much maneuvering on my left, and not pressing the attack quickly before my center arrived. I definitely had much the better of the combat dice though, as on another day the Khmer cavalry would have swept away my psiloi, and the artillery would have killed at least one elephant general. OTOH maybe they owed me for the unfavorable terrain, and long delay in my central command arriving.