Arabs vs Arabs!
So fun fact as the Taifa started to deploy it turns out their list was illegal! Am so glad this has happened to someone else. Some quick math and the list was made legal... except our math was wrong and Taifa could have deployed one more light foot. So they played with a unit count of 22.
Four elite impact knights commanded by a strategist. That would he the hammer part of the army. A smaller command of faster light horse and impact cavalry. Fairly solid command of supported heavy spear and some bow. Medium impact cavalry to hunt flanks or plug holes. These lists are all being chosen based on a selection of 'crusader' themed armies. So knights abound and supported heavy spear and a choice troop type when looking at knight stoppers.
The middle command is the interesting bit here. Wall of heavy spear, with the black guard providing a little bit more 'omphf'. The question mark is over the javelinmen here. Am not sure why I included them. They are slightly better at fighting than the bow, but trade that off for having a real short range. Was I planning to use their ability to evade to do something clever?
I put those two fields there. Me. Firing platform for me and another one for my opponent. I am generous like that. What I was trying to do was give a board edge for my light horse command to skitter around near the edge of the board. There is exactly a two UD gap between the marsh and the Northern field. Didn't occur to me that I was also given the bad guys somewhere to hide their bow.
First two turns. Bad guys come closer in the West, don't do a lot else. Not ture. El Cid (strategist) takes the knight command screaming across the back line. Keen to get to those open plains and chewy Arab cavalry.
Wanted to get close to these light cavalry, hopeing to push on this flank and do some damage before the christian knights turn up and ruin my day.
I am elite and armoured, worst I can roll is a 3. Light horse best that can roll is a five. I take two hits out of three and am sad.
I wondered what was with the knight deployment, but with El Cid at the helm, they can redeploy like no ones business.
So Taifa was waiting to see where the Arabs were going to try and kick, and kick back that little bit harder.
Lights run away. Taifa bow take the Northern field... which I put there... did I mention that?
Taifa light infantry gets charged by Arab light horse. Little blighter runs way too far and like a swarm of light bees... the a
arab lights block his escape and rout him on contact.
At this point the Arabs (okay I get that we are both Arab, but i am not typing out Andalusian again and again. Be lucky to spell it the same way twice. So it is Taifa vs Arabs) are winning. So if we pack up now I can make it home in time for an afternoon nap.
A turn
Another turn
Some light horse fight.
So I sped up the turns. We are jockeying a little here, and both have the same problem. Fields full of bowmen.
Looking back on it now, I should have diverted the javelinmen from the West field to the East field. He could have picked up three light infantry javelin on the way and had a go at clearing the field. At the very least this would have allowed the light horse command to do more. In the West the Taifa don't want to come within bow range of the field, and the Arab heavy cavalry (who are outnumbered and outclassed) aren't straying to far from the field.
Taifa look at the lined up mediocre spear and think... we can take these guys! Plus the knights can quickly come across and join in if needed.
I couldn't find my black guard minatures. So my heavily armoured elites look exactly the same as my mediocre dudes. Built some sexy flags for them to stand out. Both black guard, who are elite and armoured roll ones.... don't like this.
Arabs turn. In the East there is some interesting things happening. A heavy spear and light foot have moved forward. Next Arab turn the hard flank will occur on the Taifas East wing. The heavy spear is stopping the light horse from ZoCing the unit that needs to hard flank. The light foot is in the terrain means the Taifa bow in the field either fights the Arab light, which stops it ZoCing something important. Or comes out of the field, where there is a swarm of light horse waiting.
Thats weird.. I have posted the same pic twice... NO I HAVEN'T bloody red guard rolled one's again!
What makes it funny is that I should be praising the armour and the elitness of the units, cause is the only thing stopping them from becoming paste!
Mauve guard roll.... another set of ones. That is six ones in a row. SIX! (mutter... stoopid game... mutter... probably should have given that gyps women some loose change instead of stealing her scarf... mutter).
Taifa bow engage light. Light does not die.
Wait, what is that symbol on the dice? What could it be? I have seen it before... yes its ANOTHER bloody one. The remaining Bright Pink Guard rolled another one. The only reason his mate couldn't is that he died last turn. That is six ones in a row and I am sad. I have also changed dice and cursed all my life decisions that brought me to play this game.
Its not all doom and gloom. The Taifa flank has been turned. The Arab centre has been blown wide open, but light horse can dance with heavy spear for days so might be able to hold on.
Wider shot, fun fact light infantry can withdraw from any infantry. Surprise Taifa bow we are LEAVING!
The lights for a light group. This is something I should have done turns ago, with the javelinmen and supporting light horse. Instead i didn't.
On to the next turn Taifa. The light guard roll... ahh whatever its just comical at this point.
Come to think of it, my opponent must actually also be rolling pretty bad. He has been up +1 or +2 for most of this encounter and the Arab Armoured Elite is still around. In fact the only way for the Arab to not rout this turn was by the Taifa also rolling a one.
Don't care, is still unfair.
In the North East a lonely Arab heavy spear is hard flanked by a Taifa bow, while a light horse comes and javelins him in the face. The hard flanked Taifa dies and the Taifa line looks to be in trouble, but there are some Christian Knights on the way.
I should have used my light horse to stop the flank attack in the North East... or should I? There is an impact cavalry coming from the East (top right), nights from the West, ZoCed by light horse to the North... maybe it was just the heavy spears time to take one for the team?
The bow in the field reach out, phone a Christan Knight and say
"Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Arrow.
Arrow who?
Arrow's coming your way, BIATCH!"
My bow have done something! Good times. Taifa get hard flanked in the centre and rout. Aab that was being hard flanked i the North East rout's.
What a mess. There no one is facing the right direction. I think technically that Taifa is winning this exchange, but has been bloody as hell.
Not a lot happens as Taifa is all about getting their knights into position. They do charge a light horse in the centre which evades away.
Bow fire takes down a Taifa heavy foot! Arab light horse General blocks ZoC of Taifa light horse allowing a Arab heavy spear to hard flank. Like that the Arabs are winning this exchange. Bowmen pour out the field, and light horse engage from the front. The Taifa heavy spear takes surprisingly little damage.
On recount the factors were wrong.
Heavy spear hard flanked -1
Light horse 0, +1 jav, +2 supports. The bowmen have no factor vs the heavy spear so add nothing more. So the light horse loose while being +4 up and get a cool little green marker as a prize.
Taifa Knights are coming in hot in the centre. There is Taifa bow in the East, a medium impact cavalry about to come through the field. Just don't think the Arabs can hold. A bowmen hits a knight from the field, putting a second level of cohesion on him.
As Arab cavalry rounds the field in the West, the heavy spear form a line in the centre, some lights shoe of some other lights in the East.
All eyes turn to the Arab bowmen as they go for the maximum of +4 up and roll a fecking two, but feeling sorry for the unlucky Arab sods the dice gods give the Taifa knight a three (which becomes a five, elite and armoured) the Knight routs!
This is actually game changing. The Taifa knights are now one knight short!
Taifa charge in with knights and a light horse... into heavy spear... I mean the heavy spear is damaged, the light horse has a support... Heavy spear is +2 (+2 vs light horse, +1 receiving a charge from mounted) light horse is +2 (Javelin +1, support +1) So even fight. Heavy spear is mediocre, but supported. Light horse only has two cohesion... Light horse routs on contact! Knights do no damage, but take no damage, Now they are in where there armour and elite gets to go pound town on the mediocre heavy spear. Mediocre supported heavy spear tend to be able to wear a knights charge, maybe if they get lucky put a hit out. More often then not the knights get in and start wailing from the second round of combat. The mediocre heavy spear here are not trying to win, they just need to die slowly cause reinforcements are inbound.
Was brave to put the light horse in. Even braver to put the Taifa bow in a hard flank position, what happens if the light horse routs.....
Light blue circle. Arab heavy knights are close, but not contacting. They are pinning the bad guys in place and allowing the javelinmen to get into a flanking position. Taifa knights win both their fights, but the Arab spear is hanging on. In the East the Arab heavy spear flanks the Taifa bowmen doing one measly hit with their +3 bonus.
Taifa heavy cavalry only have one hope CHARGE and let the dice fly, draw one win one. Probably not enough.
The center sees a mediocre Arab spear fall, and the other on its last legs.
Taifa bow charge the light horse. Its an even fight and if the light horse survives then the lights to the south can add a +2 next turn! Cowardly blighter routs on contact.
I have no idea who is winning in the centre. The piles of corpses must be making it hard to maneuverer.
The dead pile at the side of the table show that the Arabs are just winning.
Arab turn. Two Arab heavy cavalry charge two taifia light horse, nothing happens. Two hard flanking attacks see the Taifa take exactly enough for El Cid to decide it was home time. Doesn't stop them from running down a Arab heavy spear on the way out.
Victory to the Arabs!
Hmmm, not sure what to make of that one. Both sides 'hardest' units didn't come into the battle till late in the game. Hell my elite cavalry impact rolled four dice in anger (rest of it was bouncing javelins or rallying).
Moving the second field, that was were I made the big error. Totally unforced. Didn't think through the consequences of my actions. Without that there his bow wouldn't have been the all time pain in my ass.
You think I am going to mention the black guard and the bad dice. A good general accepts that sometimes the dice are not in his favour and adjusts accordingly. I mean just because the same two units rolled seven consecutive ones in combat is nothing to FECK THE DICE ITS SO UNFAIR!
Stoopid game.
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