All this talk of Cv(S) has inspired me to do a quick write up of our games at
Oxford. Shamus and I were using Sassanid Persian in 550 AD.

CinC Reg Cv(S), 8 x Reg Cv(S), 2 x Irr El (O), 2 x Irr LH(F). 30 ME
Sub Reg Cv(S), 9 x Reg Cv(S), 2 x Irr El (O). 30 ME
Sub Reg Cv(S), 3 x Reg Cv(S), 4 x Irr LH(F). 18 ME
Alan ally Irr LH(S), 12 x Irr LH(S), 1 x Irr Ps(O), 2 x Irr Bge(F). 18.5 ME
Train 6 x Rge Bge(F). 12 ME
Scouting, Feigned flight.

The basic plan is to pile the 2 big Cv commands down one flanks , support with
the elephants and skirmish elsewhere with the little commands. Terrain will be a
smallish 2 FE gentle hill.

Game 1 v John Saunders & Philip Saunders Bretons
The table is a wide open plain with a few irrelevant gentle hills. The Bretons
deploy with Carolingian knights in the centre and cavalry and light horse to
either side. We massed the elephants against the knights and strung the asvaran
out as much as possible to match the Breton cavalry and matched the rest of
their line with the Alans. We get first hit, breaking the Carolingians and
disheartening the command next to them. The elephants had done a clean sweep and
a double overlapped asvaran had 4-1'd it's opponent. We soon mopped up the
remaining casulaties need to break their army although the Alans were under a
lot of pressure. 25 – 0 to us and game over before the game next us had finished
deploying.

Game 2 v Thom Richardson and Keith Nathan's Paechke Koerean.
We invade an area with hills and other bad terrain on our right and a fairly
open area on our left, so that's where we will play. We flank march the little
Sub on the left. Their Kofu ally gets great PIPs on the first turn and marches a
long way forward reducing our manoeuvre room. Thom puts together a defence
against the flank march of cataphracts and cavalry supported from some crossbows
from the other side of the table. By the time we are ready to attack our Alans
are in some difficulty as they are trying to hold up half the opposition army.
Our attack on the left does not really get anywhere and the Alans succumb to the
pressure, although not without the amusement of its cattle herds having
destroyed some Korean spearmen. A large cavalry command is also broken and we
succumb to a 4-21 defeat.

Game 3 v Jer + Tim's Khitan's
Our hill goes nicely in the centre for us and there are a few bits of difficult
going scattered about. Both armies are deployed to do a strong attack on their
own right flank. We get the advantage of moving first and use the road they have
so generously placed to get right up to their weakest commands. Tim is now
struggling to fend off the 2 large asvaran command supported by the Alans with a
small Jurchen ally and a low PIP command of orderlies and Chinese foot. Both
these commands are soon broken but our Alans have again taken casualties.
Reinforcements from the Khitan right finish off the Alans and our small sub is
looking in dire trouble. Not too many casualties, but it is surrounded on our
hill and about to be taken up the rear. No worries we'll just charge what's in
front of us and unhorse the Khitan C-in-C to break that command and the army.
21-4 to us.

Game 4 v Mike Bennett and Colin Sharpe's Hindu Indian.
On the left flank is a large town, then a gap to a woods, then another gap until
a huge marsh. Our hill is opposite the built up area and wood. We can't attack
this, so we will defend our hill. To provide some sort of attack we will flank
march the small sub to come on behind the BUA. We get to deploy first, but it is
muddy. This makes the plan to defend the hill look good, but our flank march
will be in trouble as Mike and Colin have set up flatten it when it comes on.
There is a lot of faffing about whilst both sides wait for the flank march to
come on. This takes an age, but arrive it eventually does, almost at the point
of counting lost. Having taken an age to arrive the small command then hangs
around for a very long time before finally succumbing to combined assault of
foot, cavalry and elephants. Nothing else of note happens and the game ends in a
draw. 11-14 to us.


Overall we had got to 2nd place. We did not get a great deal of use out of our
elephants, but they certainly won us the first game. Both our flank marches were
mistakes – the first one should have been the large sub and in the second case
we should have put it on the right as a bluff.