here is the account about six games

and three wonderful days in Urbe Maxima.

Choose the army

I did the last two tournaments with the open Championship in mind, so I tried

two different armies. Neo Assyrian, with their superior chariot power, and

Mongol Conquest, with their unmatched monouvrability. Both armies gave good

results; both armies had thier Achilles heels, since Assirian has always a flank

opened, even in the best possible scenario, while Mongols don't have the puch

power to break thru a entrenched opponent. In the end, with the deadline for

sending the army list quick approaching, I decided for Assyrian. At least, I

could crush some enemies before being ridden from the flank.

the list is:

Cmd1 - Kn(S)G, 5 Kn(S), 2 rPs(S), 4iPs(S), 4 iAx(O), 4 iPs(O)

Cmd2 - Kn(S), 5 Kn(S), 4 Ps(O), 4 Cv(O)

Cmd3 - Kn(S), 7 Ax(S), 7 Ps(O), 2 LH()

Cmd4 - 6 rBg(F)

First Game, Early Hungarian

On Friday morning, the draws placed me against Harrow Gordon, a very good guy

who played Early Hungarian. When I sat to the table, I understood it was the

first time from '96, when I began to play DBM and historical games in general, I

was meeting an Early Hungarian army. I attacked, and placed some difficult

goings around the table. Gordon deployed first: a command of Cv(S) on my left,

one of Kn(O)s in the centre, and a huge LH(S) wing on the right. Behind and on

the flanks, clouds of LH(F)s everywhere. All the Commands where in triple line,

so basically my Kn(S) should have killed three lines of enemies, being them on a

single streched line. though to be Assyrians, these times..

I place the two Kn(S) commands on the Cv(S) and the Kn(O)S, while the Ax command

had the order to resist and keep at bay the LH. The 4 Cv(O) had the hardest job,

rid the wing of any Lh(F) to come on the flank.

Obviously, the clash on the left side was really good for me, since Cv(S) can't

stand Kn(S). However, on the right the situation was mirrored, and the LH(S)

began to create huge holes on my Ax command. After one hour, we had both one

command demoralized, and began the fast race to close the central command.

However, my central Kn(S) just lost a single Kn(S), and my glorious Cv(O)

managed to keep at distance the voracious LH while my left wing's Kn(S) closed

on target and crushed anything on their path. 18-7

I was a bit disappointed by the Ax(S) performance; considering the luck as even,

the problem was that I was losing one element and half, while he got only spent.

and since he had three lines, I had to make spent three LH(S) before being able

to close on the flank of the near elements.

Second Game, Patrician

I met for the second Game my old friend Stefano Battistella from the Lanciano

team. He played really cautious - he was really worried of my Kn(S), so he

basically deployed all the army in an huge square wood in the right sector, and

few Ax with an Kn(F) ally in a rough hill in the same sector. I needed to "open"

the can, and my knife was the Ax: I launched the Ax(S) single column in the

middle of the table, I opened toward the wood, and began to march towards it.

the idea was to attack the corner of the wood, where he deployed Bw and Bd. The

battle was really bloody, but to use the Bd at maximum power he had to exit from

the wood, where my Kn(S) where waiting like marauding werewolves. the worst, for

him, was that having his army so condensed, when I demoralized one command, the

other two collapsed too.

Stefano learns quickly, and next time I will meet a flank march and wood placed

diagonally, with no weak corner exposed.

Third game, Middle Imperial Roman

Riccardo Marchesi is one of the best Italian players. calm, reflexive, with good

and simple plans. He decided to use a MIR army with inept CinC - something I

tried myself, indeed. Slow big army, difficult to beat but difficult to win

with.

He was the defender, and placed a difficult hill on his table side on my left,

and a central rough hill. Them he deployed a single Bd(S)/Bd(O) command on the

right, in the open, and the inmissable Ax(S) command in the rough hill. With at

least one command missing, I decided to wait for the flank march or delayed

command, and deployed cautiosly away from him.

After a couple of bounds, they arrived togheter: one small march on the right,

with beduins LH, and another roman wing on the left. The plan was: kill the LH,

and attack the weak spot, the just arrived Roman command with only 2 Ax(O) to

defend the difficult terrain covering his flank.

Riccardo didn't stand invain, and sent 6 Ax(S) to cover the flank. My Ax(S),

again the head of the attack, destroyed those Ax(S), dishearthing the command.

On the other side, the LH standed perplexed (they rolled many "1s" and didn't

move at all) while my chariots charged and vaporized them. Just when things got

serious and his second command was under pressure from my Ax(S), the game ended.

15-10.

Riccardo is a good player, so he sent 6 Ax(S) from a command who demoralize at

6,5, leaving all the other elements hidden in the safe rough terrain. If I had a

couple more bounds, however, I am sure I could win. however, a good result

against this opponent and this army.

Fourth Game - Alexander Imperial

Davide Mura is a young player from Genova, but he become one of the best in few

years. he has good ideas for armies, like the Alexander Imperial one he deployed

in Rome. Instead of a moltitude of Pks you can normally expect from AI, he uses

the minimum possible ammount of infantry, converting the Pks in Bw(X/O). He

defended, and deployed two commands of Kn(F) in the very rear, with a central

command with Ax and El. The action was on the left, where I conquered,

unopposed, a big difficult terrain, and sent my fast chariots of the Ps command

beyond it. Davide saw the opportunity to charge Ax in the open with Kns, and

Kn(S) with El. With some dancing, the matches were exact opposed: Ax(S) on El

and Kn(S) on Kn(F). and, boys, Kn(S)s like hot knives in the butter. I destroyed

the first Kn(F) command, then I began to chase the elements I needed to finish

the job. And while a disheartened art(O) resisted twice to my Ax, in the very

last bound I killed the Kn(F) general with a Kn(S). 22-3.

Davide is one of the more promising players from Italy. Anytime I meet him, he

plays much better. The only problem he faced was an overcomplex plan, where he

had to have luck and high pips to dance against my Ax/Kn commands. next time,

I'm sure, he will play even better.

Fifth Game - Thematic Bizantine

Coghlan Donal, another very nice guy, searched for troubles on Sunday morning.

You can imagine an army of Cv(S) and double based Cv(O) even considering to

charge home agains Kn(S)?

The first half of the game saw vast ammount of Ax(S) and Ps killing each other

on the difficult hill in the right, the only anchorage I could find in a plain

and open table. Ok, I was lucky, luckier actually, since I killed two rows of

Ps. However, I was almost dishearthened with one Kn(S) command for the losses in

the light troops. So, when Donal advanced with Cv(O) in double bases and LH(S)

behind them, I was a little worried. If I charged, I could easily win the match;

however, just few "1s" and my central command could be gone, leaving the other

with the flank open. I was still considering what to do, when the umpire called

the last bound. 13-12, only because I was the attacker.

If I met Donal the first or second game, probably we would have a decisive win

(or loss, depending which side you watch from). On the final day, we both played

cautiosly, and since the match was better for me, he didn't forced too much.

Sixth Game - T'ang Chinese

Another really good match for me: however, Antonio Di Giacomo shown to be a very

good opponent, even if lacking some experience. I attacked, and the table was

obviously very open, with only some difficults on the right. He deployed with

the Bw(X/O) command on the far left, and the two Cv(S) command in the centre, to

observe my deployment and counter-react.

I deployed with one wing covered by the difficult terrain, the other only by the

hope in the future, and the Ax(S) command beyond the two Kn(S) command. Antonio

played really well, attacking the exposed flank. His only error was to retire

with the Cv(S) command boyond the 400 paces while the other one was placing

pressure on my exposed flank. With only one problem to face at time, I managed

to turn the command (with 5 Kn(S) and with the highest dice on four, was

simple), so I got the initiative again. Were on the first game, I would have

charged immediatly.

On the last game with 21 points on the second player, I decided not to test too

much the already smiling luck, so I just manaced him. The game endend on a tie

13-12 to me, and then we decided to see what would have happened in case of

serious fight. After the clouds lowered, I lost two Kn(S) and he lost three

commands. Cv(S) cant' resist :P

The DBMM tournament was really enjoyable, and I didn't have a single problem or

discussion. the few issues were settles gently and calmy from the competent

Umpire. The only problem was that I would have liked to play with more people

from UK, Ireland and Germany, but in the end I met only 2 foreign players on 6.

DBMM confirms to be a more stable and playble set of rules than DBM, and we

happily can confirm that the "cheesy" moves are gone forever. I can't wait to

see the 1.1 version, that will improve an already good ruleset.

The tournament in general was really good, despite some problems with the meal.

The organizers, Andrea, Massimiliano and Marco, did a really good job to guest

almost 200 players under the Castello Sant'Angelo walls, a sight I think I will

not see often during a tournament. Thanks to them and to all the players,

especially the one I met.