Nikephorian Byzantine vs Christian Nubian

...a year... its been a year since I dusted off this crusty badly designed website and wrote something up. The whole purpose of this site is to make me review my games. Maybe this is why I have been losing so much ADLG recently. Well not anymore! Its time to start blogging again, like the middleaged white guy that I am.

Not Romans. 23 is an okay number of units, but look at those units! Heavy cavalry impact/bow Elite! They sing, they dance, they are good to their mothers. Can fight most things in period, can shoot and run away from the little they fear.

Other two core are some tough infantry. I like the heavy spear/bowmen give the core some force projection. There are some down sides. This list does not like terrain, anything tougher than a gentle hill with some daisies will give it pause. While the list is tough, it only has 14 fighting units, they are tough, but there are not many of them.

32 units! this army is massive! Am so happy.16 units are impetuous and with a total command and control of +2, well you just wind 'em up and let them go. Each core of crazy troops has one medium sword that went to the yoga classes and is far more likely to listen to orders or at least not go screaming into the enemy uphill with no hope.

Impetuous camels are a crowd favourite. Cheap, effective, hugely vulnerable to bow and really not great on taking on heavy spear.... heavy sword not brilliant either really.... but....

Impetuous medium foot love heavy spear! This list has it all. Jeepers just noticed I loaded the wrong list. Light horse command swaps two impact for two javelin. No i am not reloading stuff. Computers are hard.

The trick to this army is lining up the right match ups, don't be afraid of losing some troops and the light horse command can fight! Just don't take on too much at a time.

Look at those brave little dudes. All ready to go. A quick look at the available troops for my opponent and I see what i need. I want to defend in the desert, and brush for as far as the eye can see (camels not affected by brush). Opponent wins initiative, gets a coast, and fights me in the plains... no brush, no dunes... sad face.

All the rough terrain is on the bad guys side... all of it. I get some beach side property and thats it!

So the coast has shrunk the board. Nike (yup, thats what I am calling them) have deployed in the North. Heavy cavalry in the West, two infantry cores centre and east. The identical camel commands are next to each other. Where is the light horse command? Ahhhhhhh shhhhh.

So the camels have been deployed further back. The plan is to shift all the foot to the East, smash through there, camels move to the West, light horse command comes on to the flank classic pincer and we are in Constantinople by xmas.

Nike advance in a line. I gaze longingly at the plantation in the centre of the battlefield, if it was just two more UD to the south.....

So my plans for massive redeployment were derailed by utter lack of pips. A clever general would have set up his camels so they didn't have to turn in the first turn (impetuous troops require more 'pips'/command to turn 90 degrees, not reason I couldn't have deployed them facing West.

...yeah, forgot a photo. Theatre of the mind, Nike moves in a straight line boringly. Right back to our heros.

A CA medium foot charges impetuously in the centre, straight into the Varangian Guard. This was expected, am not expecting much, just need to hold the Guard up for a turn or two while I get into the heavy spear bow (remembering that the spear/bow fights as mediocre.) The Guard splat the christian nubian unit in one swipe, doesn't slow the Guard for a moment! The cool graphic in the West is dust clouds to show approaching forces.... shad up.

Okay. I am impetuous medium sword charging heavy sword. I am +1, (i dont get impact cause I charged a sword unit) he is +1, +1 simple support (mate to the West). So +1 on the die, he is elite, he has a two handed weapon. Hmmm, math time..... 19.4% chance of being splatted in a single turn. I fell a smidge miffed. I mean I didn't expect wonders, but what a way to start the game.

Nike knows whats in my flank march. Cheeky blighter had watched my morning game. Lets call it advanced scouting.

Stuff advances. The bloody guard in the centre do exactly what I didn't want them to do and ZoC one of CA foot.

Flank march arrives. Two javelin units charge off way up North to see if they can get at the camp (pro move for those paying attention at home, always have your Camp 10+ UD from the edge... Nike has it at 9.5 UD... snicker) The rest of the flank march is looking at the camels going, okay we are here, isn't it time for you guys to get involved? Cause the Nike heavy cavalry will rip these little guys apart. Elsewhere CA medium foot charge. That bloody guard puts two hits on a unit (suppose I should just be happy he didn't blast straight through.

CA is actually winning here. The have done more damage (orange dice show hits on Nike), The Eastern flank is in trouble. However, that bloody guard in the West is going to carve through and start on the CA Western flank.

Please don't notice the big red arrow. camels didn't charge, they got charged! Nike sends one of their cavalry to deal with the CA light horse in the North. The rest are waiting to see what the camels and other light horse are doing. The centre see a CA light fall to bow fire and a charge... unexpected. Though I suppose if you smash the camel on the West quickly you can flank before... hmmm. Both sides take two hits. The guy circled in blue is one of the yoga taking medium sword, so thats why he is not charging uncontrollable into the spear. The guard finishes off the CA medium foot. Didn't put a marker down cause feck that guy.....

The East is looking more and more CA as Nike doesn't have the boots on the ground and both flanks have been turned.

I don't believe I missed a photo, but a Nike light horse has disappeared from the North. Am hoping that we forgot to do the shooting step, did it post photo and I didn't retake. That or he just wandered off to get biscuits.

Camels in the West advance! First time this game. Note the blue circle. We are not touching, just so close to it. (insert Scout Master Kevin joke here). Camel bites it. The Guard can't charge the CA medium foot without being flanked charged the turn after. The CA are so much bigger that Nike, even if they were not on the back foot, couldn't afford to trade unit for unit. The East is becoming mop up duty, as Nike units are dropping like camel turds.

there is not a lot to say here, apart from the mediocre spear hanging on for WAY longer than I thought it would. Kudos guys.

this is four lights vs one heavy cavalry.... I think I might have the odds right.

The Nike cavalry bullies light cavalry in the North and South.... nasty big horses taking on the little guys. The mediocre damaged camel is not long for this world, but up North the CA light horse does not die.

The Nike general is in combat, rolls low pips... NO MOVE FOR YOU!

Mop up actions continue in the East.

I am ALIVE!

Up North the CA light horse continues not to die, the same cant be said for the Nike light horse who falls to the javelin wielding CA light horse. There is nothing to stop the sacking of the Nike camp now.

Down South a camel gets into some action! Winning. The rest of the lights kinda just watch...

In the centre the Nike general gets hard flanked HUZZAH! Shrugs it off and kills the camel he was facing.... that went so much better in my head.

East mop up is almost complete.

Blue circle. Now what happens is a lot of medium impetuous troops being triggered by lights and they go running round the battle field. They run around like an old Benny Hill skit and never catch anything. I didn't mark all the charges and evade.

So you are done boys, if you could just now please hunt down all those pesky light foot that would be great...

Nike turn, and they are mad! They do four combat losses to the CA for now damage back! Unfortunately the lady thats eaten one too many pies has been seen warming up here vocals.

I mean.... ouch.

CA sacks the camp, and just needs on more hit somewhere. They get a few and Nike falls back in disarray!

Victory to the good guys.

Hmmmm, I was happy with my plan, just poorly executed it. I forgot just how bad my lists command and control is, relaying on rolling a 4+ on the dice to do what you want to do is not a game winning strategy.

Not sure how I would have played Nike differently. There elite cavalry are a lot of points to spend most of the battle doing nothing but... what else could they have done? Risked the camel fight? But then you get swarmed by lights. Wasn't really room for them to go somewhere else, and if you redeploy everything you risk the CA medium foot getting into some of the rough terrain.

hmmmmm. Will ponder.

Right, will not be so long between reports sports fan!