So Guildford 1 dayer today.

 

And a big departure for me. Those who know me, will know that I normally use big

unfashionable Irregular foot armies like the Ancient Spanish or Sea peoples.

Lately though I've been dipping the old toe in the horsey water.

 

Guildford was a book 3 comp and for some reason I chose Dynastic Bedouin.

 

The army and dont laugh too loudly was

 

C-in-C (Sayf ad-Dawlah) RegCvS,

6 IrrKnI,

8 IrrSpI,

4IrrPsO

2IrrBgI

 

Sub IrrLHO

4 IrrLHO

3 RegCvS

2 IrrCvI

6 RegAxS

2 IrrBgI

 

Sub IrrLHO

4 IrrLHO

3 RegCvS

2 IrrCvI

6 RegAxS

2 IrrBgI

 

Ally IrrLHO

8 IrrLHO

2 IrrLHI

2 IrrBgI

 

Ambush

 

Army Baggage 8 IrrBgI

ME 24/24/24/16/8 Total 96

 

Unusually and luckily, I had a chance for 2 practice matches in the weeks

running up.

The first againt Neil our beloved chairman and practicing with his Central Asian

boys with Tibetan allies.

I won't go into the game too much but I played like a complete muppet. Like an

infantry commander in fact. My terrain placing was awful normally a strength of

mine and not suited to my army.

To top it all my CvS brilliant General died in bound 3 to an overlapped LH. Next

bound I lost another general and it was downhill all the way.

What a disaster, possibly the worst army I had ever put together not helped by

playing badly and cursing the luck of my generals dying to bad die rolls.

So I left the game blaming my bad dice and army composition.

Then stewing over, a couple of days later I performed my proper analysis and put

the bad luck to one side and identified all the things I had done wrong and

realised I got it all wrong, I gave Neil that victory, it wasn't the dice. It

was my use of terrain, my poor deployment, letting Neil have the iniatative. So

pulling my self out of the doldrums and too late to change the army. I had to

step it up, I had to make the changes to my play. This is not an infantry army.

With that in mind my 2nd practice match was against Craig and his very nice

Burmese. On paper not a good match up, lots of Elephant S he uses 9 of them,

lots of Bw and Ax. Terrain placing was better, I got a battlefield with a nice

hill in the middle to put my spear on and hide my Knights behind in ambush. Most

of the other terrain was superflous apart froma wood on his side. My CinC was in

the middle with a sub either side and the ally behind the centre. Anyway to cut

a long story short, I was able to pull the Burmese out of position all over the

place and pick lots of it off with the LH. I even managed a brilliant stroke and

send some LH on a 12 pip move round a flank into the undefended Burmese baggage

and wipe that out. Then a lucky flanked Elephant died. My AxS got into Bw and

AxO because all bar 1 group of Elephants was out of the game in the wrong

position.

So 1 win 1 loss. Feeling better but now understanding I need to do things

diffently.

 

Arrive Guildford.

Chris Hanley is my first game with his Arab Conquest. I like playing Chris and

we always have close tough games. Chris was the invader.

Terrain fell what I thought was kindly. On my left flank on the centre line 2

barkers from the left edge was a rough hill, then another gap of 3 but in line

with the back of the hill was a sand dune. then another gap of 3 or 4 barkers to

a gentle hill in the centre. then a big gap of maybe 6 barkers to another angled

hill on my right flank still close to the centre line. On the enemy side left

and right flank were 2 large scrub areas and 1 in front of my sand dune. Chris

doubled my deployment dice so set up with a central command behind 2 large

commands of blades that had a gap between them that would allow 8 bw from the

central command to join them.

I set up with the CinC in the centre just short of the central hill spear in

front with Kurdish Knights behind. A sub to the left and right with the AxS

Zupin men in ambush in the sand dune and behind the hill on my right flank. My

Ally behind the centre.

Chris advanced his blades and his central rear command sent various cadres to

the left and right. I responded by occupying the hill with my centre command. I

advanced my ally on a long right hook and advanced my right hand sub to slow

some of the blade advance.

This stopped them moving and they stopped slightly in the scrub. However his

right flank blade advanced quickly to what looked like my exposed left flank and

wheeled aiming for my central hill. Meanwhile a series of good pips allowed my

ally to reach the enemy base line and turn 90 degrees inwards against the scrub

which held some enemy Ps and the flank of the blades, my right hand sub still in

strike of the blades. Chris advanced his blades further towards my left hill not

worrying about my left hand sub. Then I sprung the ambush and jumped out of the

dunes into the blades which had kindly angled their flank towards them. Chris

cursed a lot especially when at the start of the game he had asked me what

options I had taken and was I allowed to take the zupin men which I had said yes

I could. He had promptly forgotten and then not twigged none of them where on

the table. Shortly afterwards I triggered the other ambush and brought the AxS

up to support my Ally take the scrub from the enemy Ps and further threaten the

Bd flank. Over a few turns of hard fighting my ambushing Ax who had got in

amongst the blades had killed 4 for the loss of 2 and both of us were throwing

support troops into the mix. A couple of times Chris thought the pressure would

be relieved when I threw 1 for my pips but crucially I used a brilliant stroke

for my sub and on another occasion swapped pip dice. This combo worked well. My

ally attacked the scrub against a mix of Ps and LH. What a lottery, lots of 1 to

0 and 1 to 1 combats. I lost a couple of LH dead and spent so withdrew the

attack to let the AxS come in. Chris then split his blades that had stopped and

advanced on the central hill as I was starting to feed some of them into the

fight near the sand dunes and he needed to pressure me before the numbers told.

In respomse my knights came through the spears and attacked the blades who

where now in the open and supported this with some CVS from my right flank. Just

as we started combat time was called. We finished combats in which my ambushers

killed the blade general that had got isolated and hard flanked and my Knights

killed 2 blades. That meant a dis heartened enemy blade command and 1 off

breaking.

Great game 14 to 11 to me and 14 turns played. Whilst it wasn't a win I was

feeling quite pleased with myself. Chris is a good player with a tough army and

my guys had stood up well and I had managed to play my game and dictate the

play.

 

game 2 tomorrow.

cheers

Jim

 

--------------------

 

 

Hamdanids of Aleppo ride out game 2

To recap the army was

 

C-in-C (Sayf ad-Dawlah) RegCvS,

6 IrrKnI,

8 IrrSpI,

4IrrPsO

2IrrBgI

 

Sub IrrLHO

4 IrrLHO

3 RegCvS

2 IrrCvI

6 RegAxS

2 IrrBgI

 

Sub IrrLHO

4 IrrLHO

3 RegCvS

2 IrrCvI

6 RegAxS

2 IrrBgI

 

Ally IrrLHO

8 IrrLHO

2 IrrLHI

2 IrrBgI

 

Army Baggage 8 IrrBgI

ME 24/24/24/16/8 Total 96

 

This time I was to play Bob Kendal with Carolingians Franks on an up and fresh

from a morning victory.

 

Now I know its close to Halloween but spookily the terrain on my side of the

table fell in the same places right down to the same gaps between them.

 

On my left flank on the centre line 2 barkers from the left edge was a rough

hill, then another gap of 3 but in line

with the back of the hill was a sand dune. then another gap of 3 or 4 barkers to

a gentle hill in the centre. then a big gap of maybe 6 barkers to another angled

hill on my right flank still close to the centre line. The scrub in front of the

sand dunes in the first game landed on Bobs side opposite the big gap between my

2 hills. Bob had picked 2 gentle hills and these landed on Bobs left and right

flank close to his base edge and played no part in the game.

My deployment map was the same as the first game right down to the ambushes.

Like the first game Bob doubled my deployment roll and had to deploy first.

Opposite my central gentle hill he had a double ranked 4 wide wodge of IrrKnF

controlled by his CinC. To his right and opposite the sand dunes a six wide line

of IrrKnF with so BwI and SpI filler behind them. To his left of his CinC and

still partially opposite my central hill he had some IrrCvO and this was

supported by a good number of Ax in the scrub. On his left flank and opposite my

right flank hill he had more IrrKnF and some supporting Infantry.

 

I deployed my CinC with the Spear in front, Ps behind them and Knights behind

them aiming to take the hill like I did in the first game. Again I had a sub on

the left and right. Again I had the Ally to the rear ready to redeploy.

 

Bob rolled his pip dice 6,6,6,1. Crucially the one was for his ally general who

was on his left flank opposite the hill on my right flank.

Using 4 pips on the other 3 commands the Franks decided they wanted to deny me

the central hill and took the 2 wodge of Knights and the cav 3 march moves

straigh forward. That scupperd my plans as there was no way my spear where going

to get to the top of the hill before the Frankish Knights. I therefore wasted

most of my pips apart from my right hand sub who marched into the gap between my

centre hill and right flank hill opposite his scrub with Ax in it.

Back to Bob and his CinC Franks made it to the hill and his right flank Franks

wheeled aiming for that central hill and gap between the central hill and sand

dunes where the LH and Cav of my left subbie where. This wheel took him close

enough to the sand dunes that he spotted the Zupin men men hiding in the dunes.

In response I moved my left subbies LH into my charge range of the angled

Frankish Knights and brought my Knights through the spears to combat the

Frankish knights on the hill but redeployed the PS to the right flank of the

spears. My other Zupin men came from behind the right flank hill formed column

and headed towards the enemy Ax in the scub that where being faced off by my

right sub. I had no plan of attacking them, I just wanted to make it look like

it and I was keeping my LH in range of the rear of the central hill but out of

Cav range of it.

Meanwhile my ally with a good pips sent half his LH through the middle of the

sand dunes to the left of the sand dune.Then some bad pips for Bob meant he had

to hold both his knight commands in place.

I held steady and manouvered various LH into strike positions. The ally was able

to get his LH out of the sand dune and deploy within range of the rear of some

of the angled knights. They now had LH to the front, LH to the rear and Zupin

men aiming at the flank.

Again the angled Knights had to hold but the ones on the hill advanced to the

bottom of the hill with Cav on their left.

I then launched the attack, not totally ideal as in his bound he was going to

get hill advantage but I had to tie them down and take the chance.A LH hit the

end of the angled Knights in the rear with a Zupin man in the flank. My LH hit

the Franks on the hill in the flank to turn the end of the line so that it could

not recoil. I hit the rest of the double ranked Knight F in the front with my

KnI. At the right of the line was my Brilliant CinC who declared a brilliant

stroke as he charged up the hill. I had a good round and killed about 4 KnF and

a cav.

Subsequent bounds got very messy with flanks opening up all over the place and

the KnI and KnF trading dead Knights. My Zupin men got to the angled knights bow

and spear support as the knights had rode off impetouosly to get out of their

predicament and were now threatening my LH and CvS of the left sub. My Right

hand sub had pulled the LH away from the enemy scrub and were now attacking the

Cav supporting the Franks on the hill. To and thro it went for a few turns. Then

I thought I had the game in the bag. His CinC command had lost 6 ME, his Cav

command had lost 3 Cav and his angled command had lost 6 ME.

I got a CvS into the front of his CvO general and hard flanked it with a LH at

the same time as my Brilliant CinC CvS declared a Brilliant stroke into his CinC

and I also had an overlap. Elsewhere I also had 2 other hard flanks on Knights.

It was now or never.

My CvS was beaten 6 to 1 and he died where he stood. Still a chance, kill his

CinC and the 4 ME would break that command and probably take the army. I was on

a 4 plus hill bonus plus brillant stroke and a 7S vs his 3F. Again I rolled a

1, still a 50/50 chance but noooo!! hes rolled a 4. The game had slipped from my

grasp although the angled command did dis hearten but time was called and

surprisingly I had lost 10 per cent...just and Bob was a couple of me short of

20 percent. So the only difference was that he had a command disheartened and

after all that excitement and drama a 13 to 12.

Again a great game and opponent.

 

So not as bad as I thought and so close to taking the second game.

I played much better which is just as well because the army is unforgiving.

My set up was standard for the subs with the 4 LHO in the front rank,3CVS and LH

Gen in the second and the 2 IrrCvI in the 3rd rank. With the Zupin men in ambush

somewhere. Basically the CVI get left behind blocking any marches towards the

baggage one lot on the left and one lot on the right. Everything else in the

command moves as single elements for 1 pip. The CinC being the slow moving bait

for the enemy but actually tougher than you think. The brillance and pip

swapping ability allowing a lot of pip flexibility. A qucik moving ally whose

troops also all moved for 1 pip. That was my theory and the structure was to get

the commands at 24ME which is my preferred command ME hence 24/24/24/16/8 for

96. Make sure you know what happens when you get doubled especially against foot

armies, often your spent with the LH and Cav and it does make a big difference.

 

In period and book they are fun, i'm not sure I would be brave enough in an

Open.

 

cheers

Jim