Grrrrr... Again

Well after the minor setback at Hatra, rumors emerged that Watagases was again raising an army to invade Parthia, so we gathered our army, summoned our allies and waited... and waited....   and waited.... and waited. In all the battle was delayed three times by tied aggression rolls, but eventually it emerged that Watagases had made his way across to the Indian border and was attacking from there with support from the local nobles. We moved swiftly to meet him. (I was the attacker).

Now it seems Watagases is the dog that will not die, and I wanted to kill or capture him and bring this saga to an end. Since he generally hangs out on the fringes of the battle, it seemed the only way to stop him legging it when things went pear shaped, would be to surround him with a flank march. To help this plan succeed, I selected a delayed battle stratagem to increase the chance of the flank march arriving, and an exaggerated army size stratagem to make the forces initially deployed look beefier, and to force Wayne to be more careful about attacking them.

When the terrain went down, there was a large marsh and scrubby area dividing the battlefield pretty much in two, and it wasn't at all clear which side Watagases would be skulking on. To maximize the chance of having something to clobber him with, I thus not only flank marched on the left, but also delayed my Sarmation ally, so that they could enter on whichever side of the marsh Watagases was.

Now up until this point Wayne hadn't informed me that he was using the Indo Parthian version of the list, so seeing two elements of elephants go down was a bit of a surprise, and threw a considerable spanner into the works of my plan. Since I'd picked an all mounted army, I had nothing at all to counter elephants with, so the only viable tactic seemed to be to run away from them, and try winning the battle elsewhere. I deployed pretty much as I'd planned, but with the intention of immediately running my C in C and his accompanying cataphracts off to the right away from the elephants. I placed a single real cataphract and two fake ones further to my left, in the hope that they might be enough of a target to attract the elephants, and stop them chasing my C in C.

Now most people complain that their flank marches never arrive: I have the opposite problem that mine always seem to arrive too early, thus negating the fear uncertainty and doubt that they're supposed to cause. This battle was no exception, with both my flank march and delayed command turning up on the first attempt. With Wayne apparently having no reserves behind his elephants, there seemed a good chance that a flying column of flank marching light horse could get into their rear before they stomped all over my cataphracts, so I abandoned the plan to run away with them so that they could apply some frontal pressure while the flank march attacked from behind.

On the next turn, I was a little dismayed to discover the ambush behind the hill obstructing the advance of my flank march, as it meant my C in C and cataphracts would have to face the elephants alone. With things looking grim, a ray of hope appeared when Wayne used his C in Cs pip to advance his elephants forward, then inexplicably didn't use his remaining pip to provide a flank guard for them. From my seated position I couldn't be absolutely sure that  my element was behind his flank, but I sure as hell wasn't going to give the game away by jumping up and looking. So I just sat there and tried to look bored. As it turned out I was able to turn the elephant so that Watagases would be trampled if it lost, which I thought would be fitting end to the saga, and poetic justice. With two overlaps and no recoil, the factors were two each. Yes!!!, I thought when my dice stopped showing a six, there is a God. A few moments when Wayne's roll also came up a six, I realized that not only is there a God, but he's a bastard and hates me.

After this, the battle was a bit of an uphill struggle. On the right the Sarmatians charged into the mass of Parthian cataphracts, but were ultimately disappointing and quickly broken. In theory counting the Kn(X) as I should make them effective, but in practice the compulsory follow up  gives the advantage to the cataphracts. Some honor was salvaged when my flank march broke their opponents, and the Saka ally general (Cv(S)) strayed a little too close to a cataphract and got himself quick killed, but it wasn't enough to break Wayne's army, and his elephants quickly crunched enough of my army to defeat it. Luckily Bobarsaces himself had managed to maneuver himself into a position near the table edge where he was able to hand the crown to a nearby courtier, and quietly slip away.

And as for the allegations of being an "all round bad guy" we absolutely deny any rumors that our armor has elasticated sides.

We Came, We Cheated, Did We Win??* (Parthian Civil War Part 5)

If at first you can’t win, then try different tactics, if that doesn’t work – CHEAT!!  After all, all’s fair in love# and war(games)’ – just don’t lose or get caught.

Not having a good record over this series of games, I definitely still needed an edge.  We had both spent time and effort in trying to find that small advantage that would break the KnX and LhF world that is Parthia, in my case without much success.  So it was time to bend the rules of engagement to breaking point (yes, it was probably cheating) and bring out the big guns.

There is nothing the KnX (and LhF) hate more than Elephants.  So I called on my distant cousins, the Suren from the eastern most provinces and bought an Indo-Parthian army, on the basis that  a) I was desperate  b) it’s in the same list and  c) it had elephants!!

Bob of course thought it was cheating**.  And it damn nearly backfired on me - literally!!  ***

The plan was going to be simple.  The CinC with attached elephants was going to be aimed at the opposing CinC and run him down along with his local KnX support.  We would take a smallish group of KnX along to sweep away enemy LhF and lock up in combat enemy KnX while the elephants did their work.  On the basis that the bulk of the enemy KnX would stay with their CinC to use his free PiP to help their manoeuvre issues, the terrain was to be set to give predictability the most likely place for the enemy CinC to deploy and thus for the elephant corps to target.  Additionally we would like the terrain to provide locations to launch ambushes from.  Such ambushes would supplement the remaining three commands tasks of just harassing, annoying and blocking the enemy while the heavies did their job. 

So the elephants were on a seek and destroy mission and the rest was to be just a side show.

As we all know plans never survive initial contact with the enemy.  The main thrust concept worked but the sideshow(s) turned far too serious for my liking.

However, at the risk of spoiling the story, you should know that Bobarsarces (the unspellable) did indeed spend the entire game running around in circles, hiding behind his troops and trying to look inconspicuous in the scrubby ground (mainly juniper bushes) while avoiding the elephant corps that was forever closing in on him.  Apart from one moment, where the elephants were in serious danger of trampling the wrong CinC (see below), this idea was a trumpeting success.

As to the rest of the battle, well that’s a story in itself.

Opening positions.  Bob on the left (figures on the table edge behind the scrub are baggage  not fighting troops) and  Wayne on the right.
Super sized command is top left.

A marsh was front and centre with a couple of PsO to protect it and some iPkF were on its left to anchor the bulk of our KnXs’ flank on the marsh as they lined up to the left towards the orchard on the left wing that ran up to the centre line.  In the orchard were eight HdO in ambush.  Well back on the left were the Saka all LhF ally command, positioned to cover the KnX, orchard and any flank march (and be activated by such in they proved unreliable).  The CinC was right of the marsh with the heavies deployed with a screen of a few LhF and the last command of Light Horse on the right to cover the heavies flank and screen any flank march attempted on that wing.

On the right touching the centre line was a long/lateral gentle hill.  The right command placed its LhO (plus a couple of LhF) forward in ambush behind this hill either to surprise any enemy LhF outflanking manoeuvre or as a reserve against a flank march but I left the visible numbers to look like our standard steppe LhF size command (General+10Lh+2Bg=16ME****) when in fact it was the full 24ME arrangement.

I was somewhat surprised to find I was facing only two commands.  On my left, as I viewed it, deployed on/in front of gentle hill was a command of mostly LhF plus a few KnX including the general in the 22-24ME range (I counted it quickly at 22ME but assumed they were a couple more elements lurking out of sight).  As it faced my massed KnX and supporting Allies I would have the upper hand in a straight up fight.  I was also deployed to account for a flank march on this wing and as Bob clearly had some devious plan in action and there wasn’t much for him to hide entire commands behind terrain wise it would appear that I was in good shape here.  So I was comfortable on that wing.

On the right (Bob’s left) was the huge 36ME CinC command (I counted it), Bobarsaces himself, with the mass of KnX and the rest in LhF.  Interesting I thought, against the usual trend with Parthians, he’s taken way more that the minimal KnX.  In the post action debrief Bob said he expected the sheer size of it to put me off advancing to engage it as it would be an almost impossible task to break it in a alike troop type engagement.  Unfortunately, I had a different take on things.  I had two commands facing it, with elephants aimed at the less manoeuvrable KnX, my KnX aimed at juicy LhF targets and a local superiority in LhF anyway.  Additionally I still had a potential incoming flank march to worry about on that wing and while the LhO ambush should blunt it if it arrived, I didn’t intend getting bogged down by having it on my flank.  So the orders were passed quickly – we are all going forward!!

The heavies (from l to r) Cataphracts, elephant, CinC Cataphract, elephant and the LhF screen.

Opening PiP dice were very good.  In fact, one interesting feature of this game was the good PiP dice on both sides which allowed plans and counter-plans to be quite freely available.  Except, of course, on the odd occasion where a sudden shortage of PiPs would cause the most heartache.  More of that later.

So we set off forward on the right wing as fast as we could.  (On the left, in line with the side show only plan and the potential flank march, we held our position).  The right hand command nearly gave away the ambushes position because in passing through them, I had to do some quick math and found that the last element wasn’t going to clear.  I though Bob might have guessed when a single element dropped off the column before going over the hill but apparently not.

We are coming to get you - and you've nowhere to hide.

In keeping with the great PiP supply in the game Bob’s opening PiPs revealed both a delayed Ally Command (the cataphract hunting, auto-piloted KnF Samaritans) who entered opposite my massed cataphracts and an impending flank march on my right, Bob’s left, where they’d enter behind my advancing elephant heavy brigade.  It confirmed my decision to charge ahead into Bobarsaces and his super-sized command, leaving some of the right hand command LhF, plus their ambush, to hold up the flank march.  At this point I could see three of the four commands and the quick and nasty math said the imminent flank marching force wasn’t going to be too big or difficult and given his overload on KnX already on the table it was probably going to be all LhF, perfect game for my LhO. 

So in addition to getting maximum distance with the Samaritans, using their ample PiPs, Bob also used the high numbers to manoeuvre his cataphracts out of the direct line of the rampaging elephants and had Bobarsaces himself scurry (that is the right word!!) around even further behind the cataphracts for additional protection.  Certainly not encouraging actions from the imitation King of Kings (especially when compared to the real King of Kings who was at that point in full flight*****, charging down upon his enemy while flanked by trumpeting elephants, his nobles and assorted horse archers) and not likely to encourage his troops to great achievements.

Plentiful PiPs saw our charge continue, and the other commands prepare to meet the enemy.  If we could smash the over-sized command, and both the matchups as well as numbers were in our favour, then the rest would be easy.  So what went wrong??

Well, the really large enemy command evaporated before our eyes – literally!!  I was suckered by a exaggerated command stratagem which besides being annoying and making the job at hand harder caused a sudden realisation that the flank marching command was going be of a serious size and composition after all.

Where have all the bad guys gone??

The battle now split up into three distinct fights, which were separated by enough distance to be basically mutually independent of each other and expected to be long enough before reaching an outcome to probably not then be able to interfere elsewhere.  This was no longer a main event with side-shows but three serious actions where the winner needed two out of three to come out on top.

Mid game - three distinct and separate engagements.
Top - Flank march trying to come along the hill.
Centre Left - Elephant corps chasing cataphracts
(CinC on CinC action)
Bottom - KnF on KnX seat-of-the pants drama.  

On the right wing the flank march came on with a group of KnX, including general, and groups of LhF on either side but they were surprised by the elements of light horse in the ambush that they sprung and their formation wasn’t ideal to meet it.  With a wider frontage, a large part of the command having already turned to face the flank, sufficient PiPs and being willing to sacrifice the odd light horse to hold up the KnX my command prevented the enemy command from advancing more than two moves onto the table.  By the games end we had broken, but the enemy was suitably damaged and had been kept out of reach of our troops rear so we had done the job required.

The Action starts on the right wing and the ambush behind the hill is sprung.

On the left wing, the Samaritans, never short of PiPs closed down on my cataphracts and while we had gotten organised on a wider frontage, we had to receive the charge and risk the ‘inferior’ effects of being cataphracts fighting other knights.  

Here they come, steady, ready .........

When we were hit we had overlaps on both ends of the line but only the general free to plug gaps.  The impact only punched one hole through our line and it was plugged.  Thereafter we used our supporting ally to protect our flank, made overlaps and played on their ‘fast’ effects in combat.

IMPACT!!

The fight goes on and .......

After a few bounds we routed the Samaritans.  

...... there they go again.  Samaritans have gone leaving the relieved cataphract line intact.

We had launched a few hordes out of the orchard to tie up the enemy’s Parthian command on that flank in support of our Saka Allies who were hard pressed by enemy cataphracts.  In protecting our cataphracts flank the Saka had been damaged and they broke when their general was run down by an enemy KnX behind our line.  Luckily the Saka are the smallest command, and even with two commands broken I was still in the game at this late stage.  Bob had the Samaritans shattered and a disheartened command at this point.

As you may have guessed it was the CinC on CinC commands action in the centre near Bob’s rear table edge that was to be the decider.

With his command having shrunk to a more manageable size, he split some LhF off to head to the table edge in support of the flank marched command.  While they mostly survived they never reached the edge nor provided any support having got into a cat and mouse game, in an area neither of us gave PiPs to, so stayed mostly stationary.

The ex-oversize command has been split and the elephant corp are trying to corner the enemy cataphracts against the scrub.  But danger is about to arrive from an unexpected quarter.

The rest of the LHF ran across the table behind their cataphracts.  Bobarsaces continued his scurrying and was now past and behind his own cataphracts and was by now trying to look like a juniper bush in the scrubby ground.  Bravery was not on his list of attributes!!

The command was split so that it was no longer directly in front of my elephants and cataphracts and I’d have to have even more than the ample PiPs so far to realign myself.  We had realigned the elephants and my CinC onto the right heading but one elephant was no longer directly aimed at anything.  Without fail, this was the point where the PiPs went bad – I had just one (plus the CinC’s free).  The elephant’s right flank was open and I measured the LhF cover for it (illegally the first time as Bob pointed out, I’d used a 2PiP move) but then having got the spot marked, I changed my mind!!  I did something else to force a combat.  The reasoning was that even with a hard overlap from the only enemy in range (LhF) the danger was low and the next bound we see me demolish anything in the area with elephants and cataphracts, so I reasoned Bob wouldn’t risk it. 

BIG mistake!!  What I hadn’t realised was that with a few mm to spare the enemy LhF could get the front edge combat on my flank edge, plus an overlap on each side thus turning the elephant to face putting its rear onto my CinC’s flank so another disadvantage for no recoil.  I have an adage for the effect of knock on element destruction****** but basically the enemy LhF have a quick-kill on the elephant and it’s death would automatically kill my CinC as well – and the combat factors were +2 vs +2!!. 

We didn't see that coming!!

So here we are, mid battle and I have a 50/50 chance of being trampled to death by my own secret weapon.

You need to see the pictures to get the outcome – but I’m still here to tell the story.  

Adjusted factors on white dice - Instant death of two elements  including CinC averted with these combat rolls.

Next bound and two of the annoying enemy light horse get cataphracts up the rear and danger passed.  But we were now broken up and heading in the wrong direction and would need to regroup.  Regroup we did eventually and we then had to catch the enemy before we took enough overall damage to break our army. 

About this time Bobarsaces, in a moment of brave madness, remembered he was a KnX general that fights as superior against mounted, rushed forward and attacked a very vicious LhF.  It must have been very vicious because it sent him scurrying back (there’s that word again) to hide behind his juniper bush again.  (oh, okay he was fighting while overlapped from within the scrub against an enemy who was outside but really!?!)  He never ventured out again.

The pressure was maintained on the two original on-table commands and it finally told, the CinC’s command broke first and with the accumulated casualties took Bob’s army past the 50% mark.  Marginally to soon really, we had Bobarsaces in our elephant’s sights, almost surrounded and with only scrubby ground in which to run from our troops, some of which are faster than him anyway.  Another couple of bounds and he was doomed. 

To answer the title question – Yes, having arrived, and cheated, we did indeed win. 

So with the game over poor Bodasarace was still hugging the junipers, with his command in tatters and a supported elephant between him and the immediately available table edge. 

Did  ....  he  ....  survive??

The final position, his direct exit to table edge blocked by his own baggage, Bobarseces needs to run across in front of the elephant to escape capture.

NOTES
1)  Counting points has never been my thing, I trust my opponents can do the basic maths.  Nor will I hold up a game while I count MEs but may roughly do it in a quiet moment so that I have an idea what the task at hand is.  I don't ask for enemy command (or army) ME totals and avoid giving them by a "what you see is what you get approach".  I play to the visual effect but will ask an opponent to check break points if I think they may have missed the threshold being reached.  I regularly check and re-check my own commands so that I declare the changes at the appropriate time.

In this game the sheer size of the CinC's command was so unusual that I did openly count it and  commented on it.  Bob politely gave nothing away, and the stratagem worked. 

2)  This was my first attempt at drawing lines on photos and adding texts.  I clearly need to learn the application much better and practice more.  

# = Don't tell the wife this.  Especially the Wf(F) although the Wf(X)s and Wf(I)s may already know.******* 
* = To paraphrase one of those obscure western guys (a poet??).

** = We had done the Kushan civil war series which is just Parthians with elephants (and a few foot) so it was intended that we try a purer test of our tactical skills.  Having failed the tactical skills section I went strategic instead. 

*** = The “buttocks of death” from DBM days returned albeit in a different form.  Having elephant backsides reversing into your face is an event that it is highly recommended you strenuously avoid.

**** = Used a lot by us as more than 10Lh gets unwieldy to manoeuvre and especially keep out of trouble against strong mounted.  At 16ME it maximises the dishearten point for the minimum APs and with Lh commands being disheartened makes breaking almost automatic as it hard not to die on a +2 -1 =1 very regularly.  We find 11 elements (10 Lh + general) at 16ME just as effective as 13 elements (or more) for 18ME but 8AP cheaper and less likely to be caught in too many groups to escape when the PiPs are low.  Better survivability and less cost for equal hitting power.

***** = Well, as fast as fully equipped cataphracts can go.

****** = “Don’t stand in front of the guns or behind the elephants”.  Part one is obvious, part two is toilet humour but it means anything that is destroyed in combat while forward of the artillery takes the artillery with them while the elephants take everything behind them when destroyed.
****** = See the tail end of  "Things get Worse & Worse" (24 July 2012) for a explanation of the 'wife' troop typing.

Grrrr ...........ate!! (Parthian Civil War Part IV)

Having fallen off my horse the previous week, then crawled into the sewer*, I needed some new friends.  By merging with the Hatrene ally troops (from both sides) as they returned home I was able to slip away un-noticed even though it meant acting like a pauper for too long (boy, do the girl’s attitudes change when you’re down and out!!).

So I ended up in Hatra trying to regroup some forces.  However the usurper, Bobarsaces (the unspellable) got wind of our endeavours and advanced on the city.  We had to spend our last remaining gold on hiring the cities forces, as our own gatherings were as yet to meagre to lead the way.  Of course the local leading warlord wasn’t going to hand over command of 80% of the forces so I sent out the Uncle’s nephew’s sister’s brother to command our loyal Pathians under the arrogant uncouth’s ‘leadership’.  I did give appropriate warnings about olive groves and quiet looking hills**.

On the day Bobarsaces was met by Hatrene Arabo-Aramaeans with a compulsory Parthian ally.

In standard dishonest fashion the usurper almost voided the field, entering only on the far right side with a small self-lead force hiding behind some more hired Hatrenians.  Either he had been abandoned by his supporters or he’d instilled total cowardice in them and they were in hiding somewhere over the horizon.  Bobarsaces and cowardly (assassinate***) actions go together so we suspected the later. 

Where oh where have the renegade Parthians gone??

That’s all there is, folks!!

His deployment area was cut in half by a Dune, a favourite gimmick of mine, yet he appeared to have ignored the potential of an Orchard on his right flank while we were using a Dune in the centre right forward position as an anchor for the bowlines.  This line extended onto a Rocky Hill in the centre left position which was ended with a free moving BdO general and some PsS in ambush behind the ridgeline. 

On the right of the Dune were the Parthians, as many as we had collected, with the young family commander suitably positioned as towards to table edge as possible****.  This was supported by some Lh and Cv of the CinC’s own command as an extension of the ambush placed diagonally across the Dune.  On the left flank, in imitation of another Parthian command, was an all LhF Hatrene command.  It’s job was to be mobile, block enemy advances, fill gaps, protect flanks and especially not die before the battle’s end.

With two cowardly commands still to be accounted for (despite the missing baggage trick in evidence) we were not about to go charging off randomly across the open field.  The opening bound was done with restraint and only those with enemy to engage, or their flank protectors advancing.  A sensible decision made by me (yes, time to admit I paid a bit extra in gold coin and was hidden in the Hatrene CinC’s entourage and was in fact directing much that was done) as on the next move Bobarsaces Hatrene allies, in fear of the array before them went unreliable and there was the sight of raised dust on our left, complete with appropriate hoofbeat sounds* (I checked with Bob*).  Now we had time to organise to smash the unreliable enemy at our leisure, one of the missing commands had been found and we were ready to receive it.  .

We had two distinct sides of the field to deal with.  On our left, facing the unexpectedly larger flank marching Parthian command of KnX and LhF, was my distinctly smaller all LhF command which was not keen on tackling the KnX (including general) head on so retired such that the Rocky Hill with its ambush covered and advanced their flank.  It was supported by the main bowline command’s PsS ambush and the lone BdO general who’d pushed out wide to act as a flank threat (maybe too wide and unsupported although not even renegade Parthian mounted would be daft enough to charge uphill into rocky ground against a BdO general, would they?).  This was going to be a bum-clencher of an engagement and as PiPs allowed some bows were wheeled off the main line to support and threaten flanks.  

When the last enemy delayed command came on a short time later, behind the right side enemy unreliable Hatrenians, the cry went up* (in Aramaic of course) “What??  Bl**dy bows in the wrong place yet again!!”  Another impossible re-deployment required.

The Unemployed - Bows without targets.

The problem was now quite concerning, on the left due to quality and quantity we were faced with needing a delaying action while the right wing won the battle, despite that wing being out numbered three commands (albeit one currently unreliable) to two commands, and being outnumbered about 2:1 in heavy horse.  We needed a clever plan (which wasn’t easy to identify) or some serious luck BUT most likely both.  I wasn’t confident and considered myself out- deployed strategically.

Developing the right flank – Avoid reactivating enemy until it's opportune.  

On the right the only bright spot was that the bulk of enemy cataphracts were now near the table edge and getting them back into the combat was going to be PiP intensive as I had faced them off with LhF and the Parthian ally general.  However I still needed to act quickly

On the left Bob’s better equipped, larger flank march was closing down on a weak LhF command which needed to use constricting terrain to survive.  The bowline command, more than 25% of the force, was unemployed, forcing the remaining two commands to take on three stronger enemy commands.  So the left went into delay and harass mode while the bows were to do the almost impossible manoeuvre thing and set off to provide support in the event they ever had enough PiPs to arrive.  On the right I needed to get lined up favourably out of range of reactivating, and get a decisive charge into the enemy Hatrenians and sweep them away as quick as possible, the plan being to get back to fighting one command on one enemy command.  At the same time I had to keep the enemy cataphracts occupied but not engaged so they stay out wide.  Bob of course was looking to disrupt my obvious plan as much as possible.

Now we get down to the most tense and oscillating battle of the series.  And it was heavily influenced by that denizen of warfare – luck.  I have to say that it appeared we had normal dice spreads but there was a lucky pattern that appeared, when the 1-6’s (and close extreme results) ran against me it was in places that just losing would have had the same effect but for Bob whenever these extreme dice differences turned up they turned a non-descript situation into a bad one.  And it happened several times, enough to produce that ‘dice frustration (what did I do to the dice gods?)’ kind of feeling that we all get from time to time.  Bob’s frustration, while taken in his usual well mannered way, was a little noticeable and it had an unfortunate effect later.

On the left wing - Impact Coming

Let’s concentrate on the left wing for a while.  With good PiPs Bob pushed the cataphract forward as much as possible as quickly as possible to try and get to grips with my LhF, something I wanted to avoid.  To cover their flanks from dangers on the hill he pushed his LhF line onto the hill, having realised that even on losing outright to the PsS I had there he would at worst be spent, something I discovered to my annoyance on the first such outcome.  This bought the realisation that if I spent too many it would make the command effectively unbreakable without actual defeating the cataphracts head-on – ouch!!.  So I used my Lh on the hill as well, took a few risks in the really low combat factor lottery, using the PsS as hard flanks if possible, plus the few bows and their general to whittle away at the LhF end of Bob’s command.

Hanging on - only just!!

But I was taking casualties and had only depth to absorb the damage and hold the cataphracts up.  It was tense stuff, with no good outcome in sight until I took a risk and attacked the KnX general with LhF and two overlaps, the best possible odds I could arrange. 

Bows to the rescue – ETA next week some time.

He died!!  As per the dice spread pattern mentioned previously.  That changed the picture on that wing and with a couple more LhF picked off shortly thereafter the danger was dealt with.  Bob realised, but I didn’t yet think of it, that his broken command would have the unreliable Hatrenians switch to my side.  

Threat over – Pheeww!! 
(Notice missing KnX general & bows trying to U-turn.  Their game was over while the LhF did make it across the table but not in time for combat).

But instead of saying such, he was off to the right flank with a measuring stick checking distances.  “Well”, he says “I think you’ve made a boo-boo”.  
He’s polite like that, I’d have used stronger words like “you’ve screwed up”.  I stared at the element of mine that he was indicating, thinking of how to respond, it was clearly half a base with too close to the very outside of the reactivation area of the Hatrenians, having strayed there while performing an essential flank overlap provision for a wider combat.  So, to paraphrase, as my language may not have been as polite as Bob’s, my reply was along the lines of “Oh dear, I do seem to have made a boo-boo”.  So having managed to pull off the almost impossible on the left my inattention to a detail had cost me the game on the right.

But as I had added a few casualties to Bob’s side all I now needed was to deal with his Hatrene command which I was ready to charge and who had their right flank on a Dune but was open to an unchallenged approach from an angle which was something my CinC (under direction of Watagases) and a few friends did.  With Bob’s and my cataphracts both pushing forward they had pasted each other and between them, that is to their respective right rears was a confusion of opposing LhFs all looking for gaps and hard flanks.  I had no intention of fighting against the cataphracts and the Parthian general and LhF were there to stall and mostly protect the open flank of their own cataphracts as they crashed into and hopefully destroyed the Hatrenians to their front.  Such Lh on Lh combats are a lottery so rather than fight them I spent PiPs putting double cover on all the positions on the basis that one or two would go bad on me so the gap fillers were already in place.

Cataphract line about to pass .......

....and passed.  No reverse gear on these steel monsters!!  

While the right became a swirling, fighting, counter fighting, and anticipating how to give protection sort of tense, on your seat edge kind of battle, my cataphracts got into the enemy bowline and the bows died.  

Some damage done.  The 'big swirl' tense action starts ........

...... and continues.

But it was to go on for a few bounds, in a nerve wracking way, before the nasty dice pattern confounded Bob again and my support LhF also took out some bows alongside the deadly attack of the CinC. 

Having approached outside the line of bow fire my CinC goes in supported ......

............ and the final damage is done.
The remanent Lh command from the left wing arrives behind the CinC to add support just too late to be involved.

 Bob declared the bows and psiloi behind dead, his command broken taking with it the army.  Unfortunately, as it dawned on me early the next morning (and I emailed Bob to check), the frustration of another extreme dice roll in a critical position caused Bob to make a rules memory error and announce and accept undue damage, the same damage cause legitimately by the KnX CinC on the previous roll.  I was, to my embarrassment, and because I aren’t normally daft enough to charge lone LhF into double ranked and supported BwO, still doing the maths as to the result of the combat itself rather thinking of the outcome. 

In my defence of accepting the victory, the corner had been turned, none of my commands were in danger of breaking over the next couple of bounds, I had the Hatrene flank opened and vulnerable and my third command was arriving to add to the attack on Bob’s allies.  Bobarsaces knew the game was over******.  (Luckily Bob’s still talking to me!!)

I would like it noted that Bobarsaces spent the battle close to the table edge, an action he has previously demeaned as cowardly****.  I think he knows the tide is turning.  Watagaces will be back with the full family resources being bought to bear on the usurper - watch this space!!

* = Refer to previous battle reports.

** = See the danger of such in the previous battle.  Having also seemed to have left all suitable virgin/non-virgin sacrifices in a previously looted baggage train we were also forced to dispense with such precautional activities*****.

*** = See the off table comments in the previous battle commentary.  Also see below.

**** = A favoured tactic to guard against an untimely demise in the event of an unfavourable outcome.  Much used of late.

***** = The battle outcome dictates we should permanently desist from such activities, as the sole victory was sacrificeless.  This is a better decision than the unthinkable alternative – that mere uncouth Aramenian mercenaries can out-general a refined, civilised, handsome man about-the-world such as the rightful King of Kings.

****** = And it was already late in the evening and the wife [Wf(F)***], on a rare game night visit having travelled down from upcountry, was asleep on the sofa having made it known a late night wasn’t recommended.

The innocent looking Egg Mayo Assassin planning another devious action.  

Grrr.....

With Watagases chased out of Parthia, it was time for Bobarsaces to pay a little visit to the former's erstwhile supporters in Hatra, and effect a little regime change. Wolgash, the leader of the contingent that had changed sides in the second battle seemed like a good candidate for the new headman there.

Hatra is a little rundown these days

The terrain was dominated by two large sand dunes, one in the middle of my deployment area, and another in Wayne's area to the left of it. There was also a rocky further to the right in Waynes's area. All told there was great terrain for Hatra's archers to defend, and lots of scope for camel led ambushes (though as it transpired, neither of has brought any cataphract camels this time). With no prospect of being able to assault the terrain fortress, and not really wanted to fight massed bows head on anyway, I needed to lure Wayne out of his hidey hole, so I planned to attack down the left with my main cataphract force, and mask the dunes in Waynes area with my own Hatreme contingent. The two other commands would be off table, one as a delayed command, and one as a flank march on the right, which I hoped might get into the rear of any command attempting to swing round onto my right flank. Starting with two commands missing can be dangerous, but the dunes would protect me, and I hoped that last weeks ambushes would make Wayne caustious about advancing past the apparently empty area of the table.

Mine is the tiny command on the left.

Wayne deployed more or less as I had expected, with a huge command of bows on the rocky hill, and the open area to the left of it, a mixed force around the dunes, and a command of light horse on the right. On the left he had a bunch of renegade Parthians led by some minon of Watagases whose name wasn't important enough for the great king to remember (SMOWWNWIEFTGKTR).

To many bows to handle

SMOWWNWIEFTGKTR and crew

As defender, Wayne took first bound, and started to shake his forces out, while waiting to see what else turned up before commuting. On my first turn, two bad things happened. Firstly, it appeared that Wolgash wasn't as loyal as hoped, so my Hatremes were unreliable, and secondly my flank march rolled a six, and so arrived way too early. I started to move my cataphracts out to the left to attack the renegade Parthians led by some minion of Watagases whose name is too hard to pronounce.

My Hatremes were less than helpful

On the next turn, Wayne started to line up against my Hatremes (while being careful) not to activate them, and my flank march steamed onto the table, and advanced rapidly with a good pip roll.

Flank march riding hard

Wayne's general, who  appeared to be answering a call of nature, was surprised by the arrival of the flank march

The flank marching command had great pips all game, and seemed to have a great chance of sweeping away the smaller Hatreme light horse command before their bow command could assist. However, all the hard riding had clearly tired them out, as their combat dice were pathetic, and after a few turns of engagement, their general rolled a one at a bad time, and the command turned tail and fled. On the plus side, they had at least stopped two of Wayne's commands from interfering in the rest of the battle.

The main battle was played out on the left, where I maneuvered my cataphracts to attack the renegade Parthians, while the latter  lined up ready to charge my Hatreme contingent, while being careful not to get close enough to activate them. My delayed command turned up fairly promptly and I fed them in behind the inert allies. Unfortately, having arrived on time, they proceeded to roll poorly for pips and took a long time to actually get engaged.

Jockeying for position on the left. Delayed command coming up behind.

There was some minor skirmishing, then unfortunately Wayne made a boo boo, and in has haste to chase off some light horse, moved close enough to my Hatremes to activate them. I say unfortunately, because if he hadn't, at the end of the bound they'd have changed sides when my flank marching command broke, and it would have been game over, and we could have had an early night.

Anyway after an initial surge of enthusiasm  ( 4 pips no less), the Hatremes reverted to their previous state of disinterest, struggling to get enough pips to apply pressure, and not doing well enough in combat to kill much. Wayne charged into their bows with is cataphracts and was successful on both counts, killing four bows and making a big hole. Eventually I filled it with some cataphracts from the delayed command, but he killed one of them too. Further left, there was a lot of fighting around the end of the cataphract lines, but I struggled to get pips to launch a full on charge into his light horse. Eventually Wayne bought his cataphract C in C over from the other side of the dunes, and charged him so more of my Hatreme bows, killing another pair and psiloi support behind. To add insult to injury, the sacrificial horse archer he'd sent in to stop his C in C being outflanked, also rolled well, killing another two bow elements and the psiloi behind. This broke the Hatreme command, and with it my army.

Big hole on the right made by C in C proved decisive

Now those of you who are actually familiar with the rules of DBMM will realize that we played this wrongly, and the horse archer should only have killed the front rank of bows, and that neither these, nor the C in C should have killed the psiloi behind. Doing this correctly would have left the command demoralized, but not broken, and with most of Wayne's line having more holes than a swiss cheese, I'd have had an excellent change to break his Parthian command, though whether I'd have done enough to the Hatreme's  C in C's command to break it, is dubious.

All in all a bit of a frustrating result, as I had a good plan to deal with a difficult terrain set-up, predicted my opponents set-up correctly, concentrated superior forces against lesser ones, didn't feel that I made any significant mistakes, and still ended up losing. I guess I've been on a bit of a roll the last three games, and the dice gods decided it was time to put me in my place. Maybe now I should offer up some sacrifices.