Through the Ages, Series 1 Round 1, 29 September 2022

 

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Through the Ages, Series 1, Round 1 (of 12)

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Early Northern Barbarians invade the Neo-Assyrian Empire

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Barbarian CnC arrives early and has to delay things while awaiting the rest of his army (aka staying off the table to not get killed).

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Phillip

So not much of an invasion as such?

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Lh ally sweep around (although I cannot find them in the list). Ps take the central rough hill.

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Barbarians show Assyrians how to fight and take over the hill.

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Chariots make progress by the other rough hill. Lh and Cv press home attack on the other side.

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Notice how the Barbarian CnC in chariot bravely attacks the Assyrian CnC, but his wingman dies. Barbarian then fights his way out of trouble. What a hero.

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Delayed command failed to roll a 4, 5 or 6 in any of bounds 1-5. Finally arrived in bound 6. Flank march rolled 6 in bound 4, but then 1 in bound 5, so could not come on until bound 6 (and only just with a roll of 2).

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By the end of Assyrian bound 6, the Barbarian CnC had lost 13 of 40 ME.

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Later arriving commands decided they were going to just adopt defensive positions in the hills.

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Assumed the CnC’s command would break if the game continued, but it would take a long time to kill another 20.5 ME to rout the Barbarian army (450 points, 120 ME).

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15-10 to Bob

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Through the Ages - A Two-Player Campaign

 

Through the Ages – A Two-Player Campaign

To give otherwise random games a bit of focus, Anthony and Bob have embarked on a two-player campaign to get a range of armies on the table and contemporary match ups.

All armies are 450AP to get in that extra bit of chrome, and each table has a 50/50 chance of being standard or New Zealand size. In 15mm, NZ since equates to 10cm being cut off all the way around. This is to see if the smaller table really does gave the game a different feel.

Rules for the Campaign  

Both sides select four dates, one pre-200 BC, one 200 BC to 500 AD, one post 500 AD and one free choice.

Four more are negotiated to fill gaps in the timeline to make a total of 12, and the campaign ends after 12 battles have been fought.

For his dates, a player must field an army of that date.

For opponent or negotiated dates, a player must field an army within 50 years of that date. This does not apply to the pre-200 BC date when any pre-200 BC dated army is acceptable.

No army may be fielded twice although up to two different armies from the same list may be used provided they are significantly different (i.e. there is a major evolution in the composition of the principal components of the army).

The battles are fought in date order and the campaign ends after all 12 battles have been fought.

Points are awarded as per the rules. Highest total at the end of the campaign wins.

Dates Selected

735BC A, 480BC B, [312BC], 145BC A, 180AD B, [476AD], 631AD A, [794AD], 957AD A, [1090AD], 1130AD B, 1224AD B.

A = Anthony, B = Bob, [ ] = negotiated

1090AD got in ahead of 18AD as Bob would have had difficulty fielding something around then.

Thermopylae 2500th Anniversary Game Day

 To commemorate the 2500th anniversary of the battle of Thermopylae, the Thailand DBMM group held a small game day. Four players, DBMM 200, round robin style. Unfortunately no-one in the group has an Achaemenid Persian army, so we had to content ourselves with four armies from the Aegean world in 480 BC, and had ourselves a spear fest.

Runners and Riders

Myself (Bob):. Early Hoplite Greek (Athens): A big command of 22 hoplites, a small command of 10 hoplites and the best light troops, and a Thessalian ally with 6 light horse (including the general).

Anthony: Lycian: A big command of spearmen, with 6 fast blades. A command with another block of spearmen and 4 CvO and a light command of AxO and Ps.

Nash: Highland Thracian. One huge command of PsS and PsI with a few AxS and two smaller commands of Ps, Ax and a few LH.

Peter: Early Hoplite Greek (Spartan). This list pretty much writes itself at 200pts. It had one large command of SpS backed by SpO and a smaller command with more Sp and a few Ps.

Round One

Game 1:. Athens vs Thrace.

The lines close. Game 2 in background

The Thracians were hoping to defend, but ended up attacking. I just picked an open field for my terrain choice, so the only terrain was one difficult hill on my left. My plan was pretty simple mask the hill, extend my line to the table edge on the right, then advance and push the Thracians off the table. The Thracians plan was to confront my hoplite line with a line of PsS backed by I, hoping to break up the line and get a few kills with overlaps and his S bonus. Meanwhile another horde of Ps would swarm over the hill and LH would come round on my extreme left.

The line of Ps and Sp quickly collided, with poor Thracian dice seeing a number of Ps being spent and the hoplite line holding firm. I moved my reserve Thessalian ally over to reinforce the left, while retreating my heavily outnumbered psiloi from the hill. The Thracians surged up onto the hill, but then the advance was stymied by several bounds of poor PIPs. The Thessalians and spears on the left polished off the Thracian light horse, while the hoplite line continued pushing forwards and spending Ps. One Thracian Ps did make a breakthrough on my extreme right, but it was too little too late and the hoplites polished off the last few opposing Ps to reach the 20 spent needed to break the command and army.

Hoplite line totally broken up

The Thracians only killed two hoplites, but did completely break up the line and most of the hoplites ending up surging forwards impetuously in isolated columns. Had there been reserves positioned to counter attack, the Athenians could have been in trouble.

Result: Athens 25 - Thrace 0.

Game 2: Sparta vs Lycia

Spartans top huddle btetween crag and baseline

 

The Spartans were very worried about being surrounded and formed a defensive perimeter on the base edge (even if it doesn't look that way in the photo) anchored on a craggy hill. The Lycians were eventually able to take the hill but were still unable to pierce the Spartan defenses with their swordsmen failing to make an impact. 

Result Lycians 13 : Sparta 12.

 

 

Round Two

Game 1: Athens vs Sparta

A good old fashioned local derby this one. Spartans invaded, and placed a sea on my right. I placed two difficult hills on their base edge to disrupt their deployment, and a gentle hill in the center for me to defend.

Deployment

Getting the win in this game would be tricky. The superior Spartan hoplites would easily defeat mine in a frontal fight, though they'd have a hard time defending their flanks, and if I formed too deep, they might use their regular maneuverability to march round my line. If the Spartans defended they'd be hard to defeat within the time limit even though I had enough light troops to take one of the hills they'd anchor on. Therefore I'd have to lure them out by offering them something they could attack, while making sure I could hold on long enough to turn their flank.

Spartans advance

So I deployed a two deep line of hoplites between the sea and the central hill to act as bait, with a large force 3 deep on the hill to be a strong anchor and flank threat, or to advance and pin the Spartans frontally if they defended. I sent the Thessalian on a flank march across the sea in improvised shipping. The Spartans placed their large command in a line resting on the sea, with a deep column on their right. Their smaller command was placed further back on their right with some Ps thown out on the flank.

Spartans advance in silence

The Spartan line advanced along the sea, bringing their baggage with them, while the Athenian spearmen held position as their light troops moved round to drive off their Spartan opposite numbers. These fell back while the hoplites from the small Spartan command moved behind their main line to protect their rear from the impending flank march. The Thessalians did arrive, but the Spartan second line fended them off easily. However, this left the main Spartan command facing two Athenian ones, with very stretched flank protection. 

Spartans totally surrounded

The lines clashed by the sea, with Spartans killing a fair number of Athenians. However the latter also bagged a couple of Spartiates, and turned the right of the Spartan line and started rolling it up. Meanwhile the force on the hill pivoted and overran the Spartan flank protection breaking the army.

Result: Athens 23 - Sparta 2. 

 

 

 

Game 2: Lycia vs Thrace

Nash's lunch in top left corner

The Lycians placed a wide river running between the two short table edges midway into the Thracian deployment area. The Thracians defended the river with two commands, and sent a third on a flank march. The Lycians stormed across the river, and eventually broke the enemy there. The Thracian flank march rolled a six to arrive at an opportune moment, but then rolled two ones in succession for PIPs and was unable to come on. Eventually it headed towards the Lycian baggage, where it appeared there would not be nearly enough booty to go round.

Result: Lycia 25 - Thrace 0.

 

 Round 3

Game 1 Athens vs Lycia

The Athenians invaded, and the terrain ended up with two gentle hills in the Lykian deployment area, one on their extreme right, and one nearer the center, with a difficult hill on their baseline protecting their left. They deployed with a large command on the central hill with a two deep wall of spears fronted by their six fast blades. Another command extended the spear line out towards their right, with their cavalry at the end of the line. Another command of auxillia was placed to the rear.

The two threats posed by the Lycians were their blades chopping their way through my spear line, and their superior mounted and light troops sweeping round a flank. The first threat could be countered by forming 3 deep, which would exacerbate the second one. However the Lycian line was a bit thin towards their right, so I formed up a big block of hoplites three deep opposite their blades on the hill, with the rest of the hoplites extending the line towards the left table edge with a view towards pushing the Lycian cavalry off the hill on the edge and overwhelming the force between the hills. Ps and the Thessalian ally would I hoped be enough to protect my right given that the Lycian heavy horse were on the other side.

Blades crash into spears

Initially the game played out as expected with the Athenians extending their spear line towards the left table edge while moving up to mask the force on the hill. The Lycian reserve Ax came out to line up opposite my light troops on my right. The Lycians would eventually triumph in this area as I moved a couple of Thessalian LH over to support my left.

It was soon "game on" for real though when the Lycian force on the central hill came down, and their six blades crashed into my hoplite line killing five spears in the first hit. This was bad, but as the spear line remained two deep, I hoped that any just dice gods would allow some severe retaliation against the fragile blades in my turn. Sadly the dice gods are not always just, and I killed just one blade in retaliation, and worse still it was the only one I managed to kill all game.

Athenian line broken up and depleted

The Athenians did have some success on their left killing some Cv with lucky die rolls and pushing back the parts of the Lycian line held by light troops to get some nice overlaps on their spears. However, in the center the Lycian swordsmen kept chopping down spears, breaking the small hoplite command and disheartening the large one. As the time limit approached they needed only one kill on their last turn to defeat the Athenians, but our luck held and when the bell arrived we were severely battered but unbroken.

Result: Lycia 15 - Athens 10

Game 2 Sparta vs Thrace

Spartans form semicircle

Once again the Spartans formed a tight defensive perimeter on their baseline, and the Thracians swarmed around them. However, Peter hadn't flown 300 miles just to sit the corner and started pushing out after the Thracian Ps. He didn't catch many, but they did manage to kill a few Spartans, and by the time the bell intervened the Spartan position was looking a bit dodgy. 

 

Ps bag a Spartiate

Result Thrace 13 - Sparta 12. 

Final Results

Bob (Athenians) 58

Anthony (Lycian) 53

Peter (Sparta) 26

Nash (Thracian) 13

All in all a great day's gaming with three of the four contestants enjoying it, and the fourth swearing never to play DBMM again. There was some concern before the event that it might be a series of dull grindy spear clashes, but in the event this wasn't the case as all the armies had a different character. The Athenians were big but unruly, the Spartans most dangerous, and the Lycians the best supported. The Thracians of course were something completely different.

Personally I was happy that my new Athenian army was able to get a couple of wins. I had originally planned on using them in a COVID cancelled event where they would probably have struggled, but glad that they fare ok within a historical setting. 

Thanks to Anthony for noticing the anniversary and organizing, and to Chris's Pie Shop (aka Battlefield Bangkok) for hosting us.

Chester Watts Testimonial Conqueror's Report

The army

You have got to have some knights. Only two hours to kill your opponent, so you have got to do it quick, and nothing does it quicker than knights.

But wait, only 200 points! Those fancy regulars are starting to look overly expensive. Irregular KnF kill just as well and leave some army points for a bit of foot. Maybe they are hard to control, but at 200 points, one only gets five or six, and that’s much easier to keep together than a dozen at 400, especially when one is getting just as many PiPs.

So iKnF are in. What do they fear? Spears. (Fast knights don’t like being shot at by bows either.) So something that will do for both spears and bows makes an ideal compliment. Step forward the blades. Now, can I find an army list with both iKnF and Bd?

There are a few, but not many. Romans have them, but not really enough of the knights and those legionnaries are a tad expensive, plus one has to fit in all the compulsory auxilia and stuff as well. Paying for knights and starting some dismounted is another option, but then it would be better to save on army points and go Roman. What else?

When one’s choice is essentially restricted to Books 2 and 3, that means not really much else at all. In Book 3 in particular, it’s either lots of blades or a spear-knight mix. At least that’s what I thought until I started working through some sub-lists and Duke William put his head above the parapet at the end of the Norman list.

A core of milites (iKnF) but with more than half starting dismounted as iBdO, and more importantly, costing only the iBdO price rather than full knight price. Plus the Duke thoughtfully brought along a Breton sub-general with some cavalry (to which some bow were added) rounding out the army with a flank guard. What joy.

The battles

First up, Wayne with his Navarrese Company. Regular knights, spear, bows and auxiliary S all mixed up along the line. What a pain. But then Wayne’s central command decided not to participate, so at least I didn’t have to worry about them charging forward. His other ally ran away behind a wood leaving me to either charge his C-in-C and activate the central command, or come up with a plan B. Bah humbug. I went for plan B and sent the Bretons around the BUA anchoring the Navarrese line. This forced Wayne to use PiPs to put troops out so as to stop the Bretons marching into his rear, but he still got plenty to burn on the unreliable ally. When the other ally completed their tour des bois, the KnF engaged them with mixed results. The Bretons, though, dispatched the flank guards and got two ready to attack the enemy’s rear, but not before the unreliable ally had decided to join the fray. Bah humbug. Then time was called. 13-12 to the Duke. Bah humbug.

Second, Chris and his Islamic Berber. Lots of spear, so a day out for the blades, and they really enjoyed themselves. Most irritating part of the battle was a wood in my deployment zone that prevented the Bretons getting swiftly around the Berbers’ flank. The covering Berber light horse may not have actually engaged but their sheer presence meant the Breton general had to take care and surely saved the Berbers’ bacon (or perhaps that should be lamb chops). Most entertaining part of the engagement: Chris getting confused over what kind of ‘i' the spear in his second command were – irregular or inferior – when it really didn’t matter against the blades. Result: 15-10, Chris saved by the bell. Bah humbug.

Third game was against Brian and his Khazars with a matching iKnF command, but the rest were all cavalry and light horse. Thus, the Duke knew he wanted some rough terrain for his foot to combat the enemy’s maneuverability, but as invader, the only such terrain available was boggy flats and one came out on the centre line a short distance from one flank. Brian, needless to say, just took a BUA to stick his baggage in and nothing else. Time of day had a major impact, the Duke rolling 6 to Brian’s 2, so the Normans deployed first. In the mud. And the mud made the boggy flats difficult going. What a pain. The Normans hunkered down with the blade one side of the flat, the Bretons on the other and the knights well to the rear. The Khazars sent one lot of cavalry around the flat with their knights a bit back in support while the rest of their cavalry and light horse zigzagged just out of reach of the blade line. The Khazars charged the Bretons; the Bretons counter-charged to greater effect. The Khazars charged with with two rCvS generals. The Bretons survived then wiped out the Khazar generals. The Khazar knights were dumb struck then fled after losing one of their number to the marauding Bretons. (Lots of bah humbug from the Khazar side of the table.) 25-0 to the Duke.

Finally, Nash and his Southern Dynasties Chinese, and for the first time on the day, the Duke did not invade. Bah humbug. The Norman deployment centred on a BUA, blade mostly along the edge, Bretons to the side, knights to the rear and baggage in the middle. The Chinese had six warband, and deploying second, were able to get them lined up to attack the blade. As they advanced, they held the blade like deer caught in headlamps then just chopped their way through. (In retrospect, the blade would have done better deploying further back inside the BUA, able to charge out. They did everything wrong. Bah humbug.) But it was not all bad news. The trusty Bretons got overlaps on advancing Chinese knights and dispatched two to the ‘F’ factor, demoralising that command. And before fleeing, the blade did enough to demoralise the warband command, leaving both sides perilously close to defeat when the bell rang. 11-14 down on this battle, but 64 overall and enough to win the competition. Ya hay! Duke William is indeed William the Conqueror!

Conclusion: knights are not necessary for a 200-point army, except perhaps as a threat. What one really needs are Bretons. Or at least, some cav to cover the flanks of one’s blade. Now where have I seen that combination?