‘Tibetan Ex-Knights Exit ‘
Or
‘The Deli Lama Gets Sandwiched’

Once again we return to the diary of  Dyfyd Llewllyn as he continues his expedition to survey the Silk Road routes of Central Asia and the battlefields of the now rather extensively documented Silk Road Wars.

 ...............................................................................................................................................................

26^th April 1873

Well here we are again, at yet another battlefield and yet another story of an army trying to push the infamous King Ganasha off his perch. This time it was those bloody Tibetans again. From what I have learnt , their leader ‘The Deli Lama’ was a great warrior, if not such a great general – oh, but I get ahead of myself! Let me start this tale as my friend Gerupta Singh relayed it to me.

Those bloody Tibetans with their bloody armour and bloody yaks were trying to invade again. This time they had thought to trap Ganasha The Almighty and his Hepthalites against this bloody marsh. But by now, you are knowing that Ganasha The Crafty is not so easily outmanoeuvred. He tricked the Tibetans into giving away their positions and manoeuvred his army to hold the high ground (1) With woods on his right flank and this large hill in the centre he was very happy indeed.

The foolish Tibetan sent his horse archers to the right, thinking to tempt our heroes to engage – and it bloody well worked, Sahib, because engage they bloody-well did… and with great elan! For the unwitting Deli Lama did not realise that the wily Hadhash The Brave had been sent to the woods to lie like a tiger in ambush. And it was like a tiger that he leapt out from his lair and pounced upon the enemy horse archers!

At the same time the Zhing Zhang  nomad ally general , Zhu-Li-Zhu-Li-Zhu-Li Zhing-Zhang-Zhu, loyally sent his horse archers forward to cut off the enemy’s retreat and exploit the large gap in their flank.

But this is not all. There was more to the brilliance of Ganasha The Well-Planned. For on this very hill he had hidden more Huns and a group of blessed elephants. Sensing the time was right, he pushed them forward towards the centre of the Tibetan army. It was with great fear and wobbling of the knees that the Deli Lama realised his doom had come! To add more pressure, Fagash The Wise sent a small group of Huns to skirt around the far left of the marsh, while he moved to the centre to support his King.

Well, it is true to say the Deli Lama was most disheartened by this turn of events. It was all he could do to form his troops into some semblance of a battle line. Just as they were doing this they were struck by the first attack of the main Hun force. Many Tibetan cataphracts were slain in this first attack, but they resolved to get their revenge and counter charge. Alas, this was not to be so. For the gifted Ganasha The Masterly, had another trick up his sleeve. 

The Huns broke away from the centre in flight before the Tibetans could strike back at them. But it was only a ploy to lure them on. Stalled the Tibetan response was to do nothing

.

Suddenly, the Huns turned again and charged back into the front of the knights, while on the right flank the nomads had worked their way around the rear of the enemy lines, trapping the Tibetan Commander in the process. 

And he was not the only general to be surrounded as on the opposite flank one of his subordinates was also isolated.

The Tibetans crumbled. The subordinate general was quickly dispatched. 

The Deli Lama… well, he fought like a yeti!  He repulsed the enemies that had surrounded him and managed to slip away from the battlefield as his army routed.

And so it came to pass, that the Deli Lama escaped but was still many, many miles from his home His journey would be long and arduous with many perils. And thus began the Waynyssey, the story of the shamed Tibetan chieftan and his journey home… but it is very dull and boring and I won’t make you suffer it, Sahib! (2)

So there you have it. Another great victory for Ganasha. I am told that we only have 1 more battlefield to visit before we move further along the Silk Road in search of Ganasha’s fabled capital, The Palace of The Golden Goat. (3)

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

1.    Wayne rolled a 2 and I rolled 1, so him doubling me meant he deployed first J

2.    Wayne is officially out of the campaign running as he has lost his 3 lives. However, he will play as the stand-in opponent for Bob on the bottom table as he tries to fight his way through the converging armies and back to Tibet.

3.    The current standing is Anthony and Bob have 1 life each, and I have 2 lives. Anthony is the next opponent and when I beat him I will have beaten each player consecutively and therefore become the Grand Poobah and Keeper of Goats without having to beat Bob (again).

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………

This was one of those games where everything went well. The terrain fell quite well, and Wayne deploying first was a bonus, but not really a big advantage. It was obvious that he had a large force off-table somewhere and my main fear was that it would be a delayed command (which would have buggered up my attacking his flank). As it happened it was a flank march on my right and would have come on the turn after his army broke. His first move of bringing the LH too close to the wood set the tone for the game really. They were trapped and without them his flank was wide open. That only really left the option of pressuring his centre to stop them from protecting that flank. The match up for Wayne against the Huns is very hard as my army is far larger. I learnt from the errors of our first game and tried to keep the space open for the LH. As ever, Wayne defended well but the odds were too far against him. End result: 25-0 (I lost 3 LH(s) elements).

Next, Anthony and the Indians. Having learnt from our last game I have a plan. However, I can also rest on my laurels somewhat as I have 2 lives and can accept a draw, whereas he cannot (a draw = 1 life lost each).  

So, until the next (and final instalment), I bid you roll well and may the Goats be with you! 

Strategically Evading Elephants

....and then we rolled a  ....  ran out of time!!

Having chastised the Sassanids the Tibetan Traders moved back into Indian to check the Gupta Hindus for health and hygiene compliance with a view to franchise options.

But in the planning stages for this game we had a change of heart and opted for a campaign strategic approach and to leave the battle tactics to more opportunistic forces.  A (winning) draw was deemed a good outcome, rather than risking a loss as we really needed the potential bonus points for the following week when we would take our one remaining campaign 'life' into a sudden death (for the Tibetans) game.

A surprisingly usable battlefield for the Tibetans

Terrain was selected as an experiment, to see how a maximum sized 2FE Marsh could be successfully deployed to split an enemy force.   

As in past battles with the Hindus, if we could neutralise the elephants then our cataphracts would take care of everything else.  Cavalry was taken to be an elephant holding force and fast light horse to out flank the enemy.

Table layout suited a plan of withholding the centre to entice them to advance and double e envelope them thereafter.  A light horse screen was to deploy centrally then exit (probably) stage right, the cavalry behind the Lh was to U-turn and move rearward further drawing the Hindus in and exposing their flanks.  Artillery was sited using a psiloi filled marsh as cover to shoot crosswise on the table and maximise the chances of killing elephants.

Tibetans open the trap - Hindus take the bait.

Despite having an unreliable (internal) ally, the Guptas took the bait.  Into the centre they came, the cavalry evaded, further onward they came until their right flank was taking artillery shots.  

As the artillery can choose it's targets I eventually had the option to target an elephant general.  The general lost, I called the death and .... "HUH!!???!?!!" said Anna-Toni Guptha (in a voice that only he/she can manage) - "Huh!!??!!   

"That'll be a dead general, thanks!"

When informed that ArtS quick-kills El, it was discovered that this was a point unknown to the Chief Gupta Guide.  "Ohhhh" he said (again in a voice only he can muster) "Ohhhh....mutter, mutter".  Without their general the command was pretty much out of the battle thereafter.

Tibetan right wing in full control.  Hindus keep advancing.

On our right wing we massed our light horse and bottled up the allied Gok Turk superior light horse between the wooded hill and enclosed fields and waited for the main Hindu centre to pass and expose itself.  The other ally became reliable after a few attempts which wasn't perfect but didn't change our plan.  A small group of LhF were dispatched to go over the WH on that flank and deal to the baggage and attack the Hindu centre from the rear.  This prompted the Goks to attack into the 3/4 encircling reception committee where they were annihilated.

In the centre, our cavalry eventually turned to fight, poorly as it turned out. 

The final position taking - Fighting about to commence.

I was somewhat peeved at the CvO's inability to stall the ElO (& iBdF) as my calculations said a general falling back was to be expected although Anthony's judicious use of overlaps did shorten the odds a bit and the dice were unkind. The unfortunate rolls saw a few holes open up with elephants breaking through but with the higher PiPs available and support from other commands the situation was contained and the flank attacks were started in earnest.  

Clearly it was only a matter of time before the Hindus broke.

I wasted some valuable game time trying to get a battle winning rear attack on an elephant general but the measurements just wouldn't quite reach regardless of which elements were moved first to make room.  And in trying so hard for the kill I missed seeing the option to actually flank attack said general and turn him into a bad position (with a sudden death dice roll).

So as the clock ran down, we pushed ahead as fast as we could because the Hindus had
a) a generalless shattererted command where the Tibetan light horse were into the baggage and had direct access to (the somewhat distant) enemy forces' rear
b) a generalless disheartened command
c) a disteartened CinC's command but still with effective El.
d) a command with casualties but more importantly with Tibetans in immeadiate reach of serveral element rears' including their general's

Saved by the Bell!!  Hindus effectively surrounded and Tibetans closing in from two quarter in their rear.

But there wasn't quite enough time, it expired and the Hindu's 40% plus casualties & two dead generals hit them with a huge 10 penalty points against the 9ME (7 elements) the Tibetans had lost (out of 73) for an overall difference  of 8 - but giving a rather meagre 15-10 result.

Next game it's back to the Kush for a final "do or die" effort to take the King of the Table position from those gastronoically challenged Hepthalites.

Pulling The Persian's Rug From Under Them

Or

Another Successful Mission By The Sassanian People’s Front Crack Suicide Squad

The following is yet another passage from the diary of Dyfyd Llewllyn, the intrepid Victorian explorer, who after departing Wales in 1871 lead an expedition to survey the Silk Road routes of Central Asia, and by coincidence the battlefields of the now well-documented Silk Road Wars of the 7^th Century.

20^th April 1873

It seems like I am going round in bloody circles on this expedition! I have become a tad fascinated by this rather splendid chap, Ganasha, and his exploits. It seems that he was not too shabby at all! And ‘bloody’ is the right word for this story, or at least that is what Gerupta Singh tells me. We are camped as usual on a hill overlooking yet another battlefield, and once again we are listening to the stories as told by the locals and translated buy my trusty guide. So without further ado, here is this bloody tale:

This is being a short story because this was a very short bloody battle, so I am having the time to tell you while we wait for the tandoori goat to cook. Our great King Ganasha The Handsome was still holding power in The Kush and by this time he was starting to get old and weary of these foolish upstarts trying to take his kingdom away from him. This time it was being the Persians of Bobroes II again and goodness-gracious-me, they were looking for revenge and had gathered enough troops to outnumber the Huns (1).

King Ganasha the unstoppable was not to be deterred. In fact, he was most incredibly angered by the audacity of these foreign devils and thought to smite them a mighty blow, by the grace of Shiva!

The two armies manoeuvred to be gaining an advantageous position but Ganasha was not able to secure the high ground that he was wanting. Instead he secured his flanks with a large wood and a rocky hill on his right, and on the left the rocky hill on which we are camping this very night and the village below. (2) Through his cunning, Ganasha was able to force Bobroes II to give away his army positions first (3) and then deployed his glorious Huns in a strong position.

It has been told for all these years that upon seeing the Huns so arrayed, Bobroes II was overawed, oh yes indeed! Seeing no other option, and not brave enough to lead the charge from the front, he resigned his troops to their fate, pushing them forward as he skulked at the rear like terrified skulking wollah!

The Huns responded in turn, pushing their centre forward. The Persians had sent light troops to harry the Hun elephants and these were summarily dealt with in the first charge. Fagash the Reserved at first tempted to try to out flanking the enemy, decided it was better to be remaining close to the main force and provide support (4). The third Hun general, Gudhash The Brave, also pushed forward to exploit the end of the Persian line.  Meanwhile, the Gok Turk, most ungracious allies of the enemy probed the left flank, looking for weakness in the hordes of infantry …a weakness that, by Shiva’s left booby, was found lacking!

So, the battle lines were drawn and the clash began in earnest. The initial charge of the Huns cleared the enemy psiloi but the Persian Assavaran held firm. The Persian counter attack was incredibly fierce and bloody. The Huns were taken aback but not dismayed (5) as they hurled themselves back into the fray. On the right, Gudhash The Aggressive pushed his troop forward, forcing the Persians to be commiting their reserve. On the left, the hordes held but were in a sticky position…Fagash The Distant was needed here!

The battle in the centre was as bloody as you have ever been seeing in all your days! The Persians fought back again with verve and many Huns were slain. However, now on either end of their line, the Hun elephants had reached the Persian cavalry, while in the centre, holes were to be appearing in Bobroes’ line. One of his sub generals was forced into the melee, while on the right, Gudhash The Valiant was also in combat. The Persians had already taken casualties and as FagashThe Timely rushed to support the troops on the left, Ganasha The Indomitable pushed his troops forward once again. This time it was too much for the forces of Bobroes and their army collapsed, once more fleeing the field in disarray and dishonour, the dirty shit-wallahs!  (6).

Ganasha The Long-lived retained his throne in a swift victory!

   

1     1.    The extra victory points meant that Bod was fielding 430 points to my 404 points… Pah!  

2     2.    I wanted a couple of gentle hills, but they both landed on Bob’s side of the table

3     3.    Bob scored double my score on the deployment dice, thus having to deploy first

4     4.    Swinging round the wood would have probably taken too long.

5     5.    I rolled really poor pips and could not exploit the position. However, the Hun light horse was        impetuous so the gaps were filled.

6     6.    One of the commands broke and the knock on effect took the command next to it, thus totalling  half the army.

An unexpected result in all honesty. I had put some thought into the OoB and command structure and terrain and this battle in some ways went as planned. I didn’t expect Bob to charge forward though, and I definitely didn’t use the two small commands as effectively as I would have liked. The fight in the centre was really bloody on both sides and quite a nail biter. My centre command was huge and could take losses, but the light horse died easily – especially with my low combat dice in one round!  The command was only a couple of elements from being disheartened. However, the LH did attack well and with overlaps and some low combat dice from Bob in the last round, they did enough damage.  With me losing 1 ME per element lost and Bob’s Cav S counting as 2 ME, I could afford to take losses and he couldn’t. Still, I think I was fortunate. I think this was quite possibly the shortest campaign game to date. We were in combat in round 2 I think and the whole game only lasted 4 rounds! 

So, Ganasha is still king with 2 lives remaining. Bob, Wayne and Anthony each have 1 life. Will the next game verses Wayne see our first elimination, or will the Tibetans find a way to knock the Huns off the top table?

Goat Broadcasting Channel NEWS  

 Newsflash!

Ancient engraving sheds light on Tibetan Yeti legend!

An engraving dating from the 7th or 8th century AD has been discovered recently in a long lost cave deep in the Hindu Kush. The cave located just a few miles from Kabul was recently unearthed by archaeologists tracing the steps of Dyfyd Llewllyn a Welsh explorer from the Victorian era. Local diggers were petrified  by the hideousness of the creature in the engraving and refused to enter the cave. However, British experts were able to identify the piece and told us that the monstrosity pictured was the legendary Tibetan Wuwu Yeti, a fabled beast said to have fed on the dead carcasses of defeated opponents (the legend goes on to say that the Wuwu Yeti starved to death).

The Wuwu Yeti was thought to be a mythical creature but during the last few years there have been reports of such a creature in a number of places in Asia ranging from Bangkok to Hong Kong. Until now,  no real evidence has been presented for its existence, but the descriptions from contemporary witnesses match the repugnant creature from the Kabul engraving. Is this a coincidence or does this foul beast really exist?

Nothing To Singh About
Or
The Indians Don't Deliver 

Another enlightening entry from the diary of Dyfyd Llewllyn, the legendary Victorian explorer, who left Wales in 1871 on an expedition to survey the Silk Road routes of Central Asia and subsequently never returned to his native Dinas Powys:

1^st April 1873

Once again, we are following in the footsteps of the Huns as we traverse The Kush. My trusty guide Gerupta Singh has had us set up camp for a few days while he goes to visit some long lost relative in this area. So, for the last two days I have had time to talk to the locals, and I’ll have you know, we are in the area of another battle. This time it was the Huns against a horde of Indians. It was not easy to get much of the story for this one as there are few songs about it, it seems. I have done my best to recount it here.

This battle, or so the story goes, was fought on a clear day. The Hun leader, Ganasha, had already fought of the Tibetans and the Sassanians, so the Indians thought they would have a go, too.

Well the two armies faced each other with large mounted forces and thousands of bowmen on the Indian side. Ganasha’s plan was to lure the Indian horse to his right flank and then spring an ambush on them from behind this hill that we are camped upon this day. By all accounts the plan was fairly successful, but the Indians fought well. Anyway, I am getting ahead of myself here, aren’t I?!

So, the Indian bow line advanced very slowly and was held in check by the Zhang Zhung allies, while the Indian cavalry was drawn further to the right. A cunning bloody bugger that Ganasha. Not only did he have an ambush behind the hill, he also managed to feign flight and bring the Indians even further out of their position. Now, it is said that this was a bloody struggle and both sides took heavy losses. There are some that say Ganasha moved to soon, but anyway, the trap was sprung.

Now then, meanwhile on the left flank the ranks and ranks of Indian levy bowmen were slowly advancing, but had been reluctant to climb the small hill on their right in fear of the masses of horsemen facing them. It was now that Fagash (‘The Cautious’ they call him now) chose to reveal himself from ambush. However, he was a bit reluctant to charge into all those arrows (I don’t bloody blame him really!), so he decided to try to get round the enemy flank – well I say try, I think he succeeded.

The battle had become a very bloody business by now but there were not many opportunities for glory. Until that is, the Indian general left a very large gap in his forces. Well, as you can imagine, those shrewd Huns leapt at a chance and managed to attack an Indian general, almost killing him. But it was not a lucky day for the Huns, and nor for the Indians. 

Both armies were tired after a long fought battle and as the daylight was waning the fighting drew to a close without any real outcome. The Huns had been bloodied but had held firm. The Indians too had spent their best and noblest and were unable to carry the day. The Indians skulked off back to their city while Ganasha’s Huns were able to return to some well-earned goating - now there's lovely! 

This was another tough game that could have gone either way. I was happy that Anthony had brought his cavalry command to my right and wanted to gang up on it. With the ambush, feigned flight and with 2 commands there I thought it would be enough to deal with it. In hindsight, I probably should have drawn him out a little further but that would have also been a gamble. That said, if the dice gods had been with me it would have worked, but as it was they were not in attendance as we both had pretty similar dice which meant that many of the great chances that were created failed to produce results. 

The small ambush on my left was ineffective and that bow line was not going to be taken on frontally. I probably should have just moved the two commands over to the right and ignored the bow. It was a good game and Anthony played well. My winning streak has been broken but I am still Grand Herder of Goats.

The end result was a losing draw 10-15.  

Next, the Sassies are back for more rugged punishment!

Tibetan Traders Triumphant!!

Or a Saga of Serious Sassanid Stomping

Last battle (two weeks ago), the “Annoying Tibetan Shopkeeper”, Zhwayne Yahwot the Deli Llama, expert purveyor of the finest Silk Rd cuisine, set out to remove the confused ‘fusion’ (combining Hun & Hindu - for Deity’s sake!!) & 3rd rate curry cooker ensconced in the Kush thereby blocking the Deli’s wonderful gastronomic delights reaching their eager customers.

Despite the brilliant plan and splendidly prepared buffet, the desired outcome was thwarted by Hepthalite tactical ineptitude (flank marching around the wrong compass point [table edge] (1)) and the confusing reek of mis-mixed curry preventing our own wide ranging foragers from locating the conflict location (flank march never arrived).  The Tibetans were beaten, not by the Hepthas, but due to the food poisoned Dice Gods who had been force feed ‘fusion’ food offerings (2).

Zhwayne Yahwot died valiantly on the field (3), defending to his death, the right of all to purchase fine, wholesome, filling and high margin foods.  A death so noble it was still the stuff of legends centuries later, being reported to Europeans well into the 19th century (<see here>).  So now the Deli has a new Llama, a cousin of the fallen, one Zhwayne Anka (= the nine ‘fingered’) with a reputation for slicing and dicing (4).

(1) - I guessed wrongly which side he was flank marching on, so my plan to push him back on failed. 

(2) - No flank march should roll 8 times never scoring higher than a "3".  Nor should the combats at the final clash been so disportionally                        unfavourable (opinion only).

(3) - Against the odds the CinC was destroyed in combat.

(4) - Yes, for those keeping count, there was another DIY mishap between games resulting in multiple stitches to my left index finger.  Luckily not the           important hand - careful!! - the one used for rolling dice!

The Opening - Open battlefield mostly unused.

So as the leader of the all fine food suppliers throughout the sub-continent, it fell to Zhwayne Anka to corner, defeat and punish the objectionable (& uniquely named) Bobroes II, destroyer of Goat Jalfrezi restaurants far and wide.  Realising who had set out to reprimand him, Bobroes II fled rapidly back to Persia where, after awaiting the thaw rivers to abate (5), we invaded in the Summer.  The messengers 
exchanged insults regarding the forth coming "Sassie Stomping" and/or the ridicule that such a thing was possible (6).

The battle took place on a plain except for a central gentle hill, a marsh due for draining and the beginnings of agricultural endeavours.  The Sumpa sub-general was given a new compass, detailed map and pegs for their noses so that as flank marchers they would arrive on time.

Opening Manoeuvres 

The Sassanids covered much of the hill with rCvS (superior cavalry), spread more of the same to the sides and rearward of the hill plus added a few iLhF (fast light horse bowmen) and a fair few iHdO (ineffectual peasant hordes).  I didn’t expect elephants to be used (making a small army even smaller) and there weren’t any.

The Tibetans deployed left of centre but with a flank march coming on from the right, the plan being to entice the mobile Sassies to advance rapidly across the table exposing their rear to the later arriving light horse command.  The Tibetan army had a huge (especially for a super small army like Tibetans) 30ME command using the high PiP values with two supporting commands of 12 ME each.  This made a highly mobile army with a good resilience point.  We planned to push around the field to our left, passing to the left of the hill and further encourage the Sassies to turn their rear even more towards the flank marchers.

The plan basically worked.  The Sassies advanced on my right but stayed on the hill in the centre, where I choose to shield them and work a small command around the hill.  The rKnX (cataphracts) vs rCvS fight often comes down to the first strike and with the CvS having a longer reach (charge range) than the KnX I wasn’t going to fight going up the hill.  Besides it suited me to await the flank march.

Here come some more Tibetans

The Dice Gods, recognising the forthcoming gastronomic feast the Deli Llama would supply, kept me well supplied with PiPs (command control points).

Then the flank march announced its arrival for next bound, Bob sending some CvS back to protect his baggage his next bound, where upon my flankers only got 2 PiPs and, to much derision, only a single group came on table but near the centreline so as to threaten the advanced Sassies.

.....and the Sassanids respond.  The main Tibetans are a bit
too far away according to the plan.

Bob chose to come off the hill and start the fighting as I was clearly waiting for the flank marchers to close up and cause him problems.  He charged in but with some divine help on the dice I only lost one cataphract.  In the counter charge, that gap had to be filled with iLhF, far from perfect against rCvS but the rest of the fights generated overlaps for the light horse who recoiled their opponents (these light horse when on to survive the battle).  Over three bounds I lost two cataphracts but the Sassanid cavalry evaporated, leaving Bob with a headache and the hill mine to control (mostly).

During this time the second group of flank marchers got on table, smaller than the first group and enjoying as much derision about their effect.  However, they immediately started waving flags, shouting wildly and sending word back "there’s two damn big elephants hiding

That's a bit of a surprise!!  Right wing goes into encircling mode.

behind the hill!!!" (ambush discovered) and "grab them quickly, for the steak BBQ tonight".

The flank march got into the rear of the Sassies on our right, our main body trying hard but without quite enough reach to pin them to the front and the whole wing degenerated into a swirling mass of horsemen exchanging fights, rear attacks and hard flanks.  I had parts of the highest 2 PiP commands in the fight, Bob just one command (lowest PiP control if I remember correctly) and later a 3rd command of mine joined in as well.  Casualties mounted on both sides, I could absorb more although the flank marching command eventually disheartened.

What a total shambles two manoeuvrable armies can make!

On the the left wing we stalled for time, avoided elephants and repositioned long enough for our psiloi to arrive and stall (and eventually kill) one of the elephants while the other elephant headed up the hill to aid the last two surviving cavalry elements from being molested by my cataphracts.   Despite its help the Sassanid centre, broke then shattered while our left stopped stalling, charged in and with the aid of the Dice Gods caused casualties without loses.


On the right we had closed up on the swirling mass with our now surplus centre cataphracts, got numerous rear attacks and then, importantly a now disheartened flank marcher light horse survived an attack by the Sassie general who was then swamped front, side and rear and in a close dice roll, destroyed.  With the other casualties it took the Sassanid army and gave the Deli Llama a 22-3 victory.

The plan played out generally as envisaged but needed that some critical dice rolls go my way, which they did and I did have strong PiPs most of the night.  I made a few mistakes which I luckily survived, including by breaking Bob’s army when I did as I’d forgotten to move my CinC in the last bound and left him in reach of the last elephant who could have charged down hill - not something I was likely to survive.  The elephant had diced his way out of a double flank lock (convert to front & rear attack) with additional overlap.

A great game that showed what happens when two small but manoeuvrable armies meet.

We have now established multiple yak’s milk distribution centres throughout Persia and plan to do the same in Northern India after the next battle (delayed due to international player visitors next week then the Thai New Year holiday) where we will pay another visit to the Goat Jalfrezi House to see if the service has improved any and if the reputedly appallingly ugly-person, Anna-Toni Guptha, has stopped dishonestly substituting the goat with yak meat.

(5) - Games were delayed a week when Bob’s game room air-condition malfunctioned and spewed out a torrent of water (quantities vary depending on the witness).
(6) - Bob & I had yet to meet in the campaign and even though we weren’t on the Top Table we quickly got back to our sledging ways, and reputations and bragging rights were very much on the line.  Well, probably no more than usual.