hmmm, forgot to get a pic. Oh well. The Commagene army list will have to do.
So next tourny coming up is Roman/Dark 200 points. Am expecting a few Roman/Dark games coming up. Today's (yesterdays) nasties are pictured above. Rock hard 1st Corps. Four pike, two elite heavy impetuous foot and a cataphract. Cataphracts can fight anything that's not an elephant in period, their heavy armour holding strong all day long. An included general in a pike unit is generally pretty safem you are +3 as a base vs everything, but a brilliant one? Not sure I am that ballsy. Second core has some more cataphracts and four light cavalry bow. With the brilliant general (again included) allowing the lights to roam far and wide. Last command is... interesting. Its a touch squishy, but if it can find some terrain to stay safe in has force projection. I am also a fan of javelinmen in small numbers.
Two commands of angry camels and medium foot. One command of cavalry to do the maneuvering, or just standing still if needed.
...so... got to chatting, got to playing, got to halfway through my first turn (Commagene have already moved) before I thought 'hmmm, happy snaps?' After seeing the LONG line of Christian Nubians (CNs) the Commagene commence a redeployment. Using their light horse to slow the advance of the CN's Western wing. You can see a hill covered plantation to the West and another plantation in the centre. Commagene rolled for a coast and got it.
The CNs revealed an ambush in their turned and attempted to block the retreat of the Commangene lights, a solitary Commagene light horse held to prevent this from happening.
There are so many of us, and it is two dudes with no armour and poky bows. Surely a victory for the CNs?!
Am +3 up here.
The light horse takes a single hit... grumble.
Somewhere in that block lurks the CnC, not brave enough to run around the battlefield on a horse, he cowers behind a wall of sharp pointy sticks.
The Commagene light horse of luck withdraws in the West. The rest of the Commagene army think hard about advancing...
Two turns pass. Both sides are cautious. Impetuous medium foot vs pike is.... dicey. Cavalry/Camerly vs pike is suicidal. The CNs have decided to wait for their West wing to swing around and hope the pike get tired walking towards them.
Am not marking every time a light evades. Happened so much in this game that the board would be a mess of yellow "Run Away" arrows.
Woah! Something happened! A light shot a light! Quick someone inform the media!
I joke. A large part of what makes ADLG great are these turns, both sides jockeying for posisitontional advantage. The East is an interesting state of this. With the bow advancing towards the cavalry. Bow in the open vs medium cavalry is... interesting. If the bow move up first, they get one shot and then the cavalry slam home. If the cavalry move up first the bow get two shots. Given bow shots are +1 up vs medium cavalry two shots can be devastating. One shot though, well one shot you are really hoping the great god of RNG (its Nuffle by the way) is looking kindly at your dice bag. Cause after your first shot the cavarly is furious charging into you!
Lights throw (shoot) some pointy sitcks. Wait! One of those sticks went right in the eye of the elite heavy foot on the bad guys side.. this could be telling!
CN's move and its go time. Camels engae the solo cataphract in the West, while the rest charge down the lights heading dangerously close to the Commangege camp. The mad mediums charge out of the plantation. In order to get an overlap on the damaged Commangege heavy foot a stand of CNs mediums was sent to fight the Pike. His job was to die over the course of two turns while the Commangege heavy sword was cleaned up and exposed the pikes flanks.
Well sportsfans that little ROCKSTAR of a mad medium foot did three hits to the pike! The other three combats did not go as well. The Cataphract and heavy sword (both +2 down) took no damage and he even fight on the end of the line was lost. With one hand Nuffle gives and the other he slaps you like a clown...
Over in the East a mad camel was triggered (impetuous) didn't have the pips to hold him, so sent him to die bravely.
Holy ridiculous outcomes batman! The little rockstar of a mad medium foot destroys the pike in the centre! The line is turned! I mean the two Commagene heavy foot are proving to be difficult to dispatch, but what ever the pike like is in trouble.
In the West the cataphract holds, in the East the camel holds. What is with these dice?
What is going on? The little rock star, with the help of a mate, routs the opposing pike general (one hit - fighting on two flanks, two hits combat, one hit - rolled a one to kill the general). Nuffle you do love me! The routing general panics a Commagene light infantry and they join them in the off table counting our mistakes party.
Commagene camp is sacked by an angry camel.
Cataphract in the West, fighting at +3 down, holds. Camel in the East holds.
Camel that sacking the camp is swarmed by lights before it can extract itself. Pike in the centre is fighting back! But has exposed its flanks to the angry camels and there are not the pips to move the other pike (no general). The battle for the plantation looks to be going the Commagene way. The unkillable cataphract providing a truly heroic effort at flank support.
Cataphract in the West, fighting at +3 down, holds. Camel in the East holds. Actually, the Cataphract punches the camel in the nose and causes a hit. I'll be honest here dear reader. At this point I was getting concerned. The cataphract was supposed to be a speed bump and there should be two camels rampaging through the back line. Instead the elite Commagene heavy foot was carving up my mediums with no fear of flank attacks. Its a complete stand off in the East the sides are a smidge more than 4UD from each other waitin for the otherside to blink.
Cataphract in the West dies! CURSE YOU! Still going to be another turn before the Camels can get going. Pike is flanked in the centre... nothing happens...grrr. The highlighted camel has been attempting, unsuccessfully, to chase down lights. He is now surrounded and all alone.
See that pile of skulls! See it! Thats a pile of dead cataphracts!
Commangene heavy foot charges into the planation. If it can smash through the mediums it can escape the rear charge next turn he is up+1 with furious charge (+1 vs all, +1 impetuous, +1 supported, -1 terrain) compared the the medium swords +1... dammit. The impetuous foot doesn't get his impact. He is charging sword. Doesn't matter Nuffle is watching and gives a win to our heros. Pike in the center is fighting at +2 down and puts a hit on the medium foot.
Blue circle - Javelinmen charges, light foot charges flank - removing camels impact as camel doesn't have impact it no longer cancels javelin men's javelin. So that light caused a +3 swing! Good use of a light. Camel routs.
Camel in the East holds.
Commangege heavy foot is flanked and routs (both of them), pike in the centre falls.
Camel in the East holds.
Stand off in the East continues. This core has moved its light horse three times this game, thats it.
Control of the battlefield is definitely somewhat more CNs way with the Commagene being pushed back to a corner. Apart from one light attempting to take the plantation single handily. The Camel in the East routs. He will be remembered for his bravery.
The Commagene moral is shakey, its that time of the batte. The bow move up to shooting range! They have blinked! They have shot! They have done one hit.... The solitary light in the plantation takes a punt on an even fight, but takes a hit in the process.
Bravely the CNs horse command executes its first move of the battlefield, and that's to trot out of range. Well done team. CNs clean up the final pike, the brave little dude in the plantation and some mad men pick on some javelinmen in the North. Victory to the CN's
Some weird combat results in this one. Can't complain, nor cheer for my dice. Am also not sure I did anything clever in that game. My plan was to swing a flank around, which eventually happened, but I actually punched through the centre. This was caused by a 'throw away' move that went, well much better than expected. The whole intent of the plan was to eliminate the Commagene heavy sword and cataphract then roll up the line. The cataphract just would not rout! However, can't complain when medium foot takes out a pike on its own... a supported pike no less. Looking at the pics one command of mad mediums walked almost the entire long length of the battlefield, to fight some javelinmen right at the end.
Good game.
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