Stockport Pick n Mix


I can only summarise from my point of view obviously!

Overall the tournament was a real success. The premises surprised me by being
decent and cost effetcive. 240 points gives a fast and very brutal game. I don't
recall there being any draws to speak of? If there were draws it will have been
as both armies carved holes in the other. Several games looked to have embedded
numbers of infantry blocks into their oppoennets.

It was a very successful method of trying out different armies.

Day 1 i fielded Gupta Period Indian with the chariots efefctively becoming irr
cav s. I mucked up the terrian vs Ian Austin with hordes of Patrician Aux S
which was pretty mch it. Then played Geoff Pearson whose Spear Inferior made an
ideal target for the elephant superior. To cap it all Geoff was unlucky and lost
a blade general that shouldn't normally have gone. Then played Brian Pierpoints
Huns. This started well enough, warband and knights sort of heading towards my
elephants impetuously. I'm not totally sure what to say happened next as the
Indian chronicles are vague on the matter. Basically on two occasions el s
generals killed a target and followed up. On each occasion I think Brian went in
with a Hun Light horse s. So the first two combats where a general was
overalpped once the hun light horse killed the elephant. Something of a surprise
and losing a 4 ME at 240 pretty much broke the respective commands from the off.

The only comment i would make is that Elephnats are a pretty pricey unit for
their effect. They can destroy some opponnets, but are really very vulnerable.

day 2 was with a brilliant early belisarian Byzantine. Again an experiment to
see if the brillaint generals can work. (They generally don't with a regular
army)

This didn't do too badly. Against Bill Skinners Picts a Hunnic flank march was
driven back by the Pictish light horse flank march. They then couldn't get out
of the way of the light horse, and avoid the advacning Pict Pike blocks. These
got caught in the back, then soon after Belisarious dropped dead which was a
good start. This was always going to be a difficult game from the sheer size of
the Pict army.

It didn't help to then draw John Fletcher with Pictish which I actually didn't
do so badly. The terrain managed to go down on my side of the board. A cav and
light horse command plus the sub with light horse faced most of his pike.
Menawhile a hunnic command supposedly with the subs light horse in support went
for Johns light horse o command.

Trouble is neither of my reg commands moved for much of the game. their first
two bounds scored three one's and a three, so they pretyt much waited for the
picts to hit. Meanwhile at least the huns were facing light horse o and John had
not been able to get overlaps i don't think by then, The huns however died
horribly at the outset and that was pretty much game over. Frustrating as the
light horse O did look vulnerable on that flank.

last game was against geoff pearson who was now welsh. This was however mostly a
warband fast army, and they really did die rapidly against both cavalry and the
two ranked light horse superior. In the end the huns were outflanked and killed,
they should probably have died earlier as they were very exposed on thta flank.

Thats a pretty quick summary. the Byzantines didn't do badly, but the regular
brilliant general didn't amount to a greta deal. At least at 240 the cost was
far more reasonable.

Other than misgivings on some AP, the games went very well and it was a very
good atmosphere, a welcome tendency.