Tuesday 11 December 2018
R.I.P. Tilly
Today we had to let go of our lovely 14 year old black greyhound lady "Silly" Tilly. It was a privilege and joy to be her host for 9 years.
Friday 7 December 2018
The Battle of Onomatopoeia 423 BC
This Thursday we fought a battle the Classical way – Greek Hoplites, 28mm, Hail Caesar with some useful add ons for Phalanx (a bit toned down), Othismus (push of pike and drift of units), Hoplitodromos (free run of hoplites(+1d6") OR one sweeping advance once) ... I brought my newly painted Plastic Greek army and Mike brought his old "dusted" Metal Greek army and we fought just to test and and see how it would develop. Later Bart joined my Spartans, as for the lack of cavalry in the game, I had to give him the King and his bodyguard.
The Deployment was slowly (I-go-You-go) and fairly classical as well, light skirmishers and horses at the flanks the hoplites in the middle. Mikes Athenians would take the 1st turn, both parties "prayed" and got a dice worth of units that they could change in positions before the start.
Then we slowly ploughed forward. Initially the skirmishers were fighting, and like a hay fire, they were quickly used up. Then the "line" of moras, more or less consistently, clashed in the middle. In my add on, Phalanx is a status, one can loose by movement (vs simple command test, that does not bind blunder or command to stop). Also the Phalangites would move always one inch to the left (apart from the spartans of course). I must say it worked! In contrast to my strategy, or the lack of it. My army befell the fate of all new armies, it got slowly hacked to pieces!
Even Barts cavalry attack went downhill, so that at the end just the Bodyguard of the Spartan King and himself were fighting agains all the odds. Heroic they took down even the mega-phalanx of the Thessalians! And one unit after the other of Mike‘s old army ... the tide seemed to have turned ... but too good to be true, the Spartans were encircled, shaken with 6 stamina points and near the table edge surrounded by enemies and lots of missle troops ... but Bart would not have it ... alas we must close up because of the time ... still, he refused to be beaten ... in truly spartan way, even if a bit delusional. He probably has to hear about Iphicrates - maybe the next battle!
We had a lot of fun and agreed that this will be repeated another time for sure ... maybe Olpae or Delium ...
The Deployment was slowly (I-go-You-go) and fairly classical as well, light skirmishers and horses at the flanks the hoplites in the middle. Mikes Athenians would take the 1st turn, both parties "prayed" and got a dice worth of units that they could change in positions before the start.
Then we slowly ploughed forward. Initially the skirmishers were fighting, and like a hay fire, they were quickly used up. Then the "line" of moras, more or less consistently, clashed in the middle. In my add on, Phalanx is a status, one can loose by movement (vs simple command test, that does not bind blunder or command to stop). Also the Phalangites would move always one inch to the left (apart from the spartans of course). I must say it worked! In contrast to my strategy, or the lack of it. My army befell the fate of all new armies, it got slowly hacked to pieces!
Even Barts cavalry attack went downhill, so that at the end just the Bodyguard of the Spartan King and himself were fighting agains all the odds. Heroic they took down even the mega-phalanx of the Thessalians! And one unit after the other of Mike‘s old army ... the tide seemed to have turned ... but too good to be true, the Spartans were encircled, shaken with 6 stamina points and near the table edge surrounded by enemies and lots of missle troops ... but Bart would not have it ... alas we must close up because of the time ... still, he refused to be beaten ... in truly spartan way, even if a bit delusional. He probably has to hear about Iphicrates - maybe the next battle!
We had a lot of fun and agreed that this will be repeated another time for sure ... maybe Olpae or Delium ...
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| Initial deployment |
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| the Delian line |
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| The Peloponnesian line |
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| First peltasts skirmishing |
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| The Spartans in phalanx advance (the white tokens will someday be exchanged to shields) |
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| The Delian line in chaos |
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| The Spartan Bodyguard attack the cavalry!!! |
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| Spartans allies holding the line |
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| The spartans suddenly stop moving ... |
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| the Delian pick the Spartan allies apart |
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| ... one after the other ... |
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| ... but the Spartans (the lacedaemoni) |
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| still don‘t move ... |
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| The Delians push for victory – but still Bart fails his command |
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| ... until they are isolated |
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| the Spartan allies melt away |
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| ... and retreat ... |
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| ... to no avail ... |
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| and then they crush on the last men standing |
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| The Spartan king |
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| And his Bodyguard |
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| the noose gets tighter |
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| still ... they never break ... |
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| ... Bart insists that they had a chance ... |
Sunday 2 December 2018
The greeks are coming!!!!
"Timeo navali ludos propter taedium adferunt!" - Last week was AGM, an annual affair of great international excitement which would impact on to the time left for gaming that very evening ...
We played a naval game, Post Captain, which turned out to be even more breath taking than the administrative prelude of that club night. I haven‘t read the rules, so I won‘t judge them, they might be terrific - unlike the capability of my club mates of explaining them to me. Apparently I took the wrong turn at the beginning and couldn‘t catch up with the rest of the "party" (and I use the term here in the widest possible meaning).
... coming to the announcement of the day:
the upcoming 28mm, Classical Greek clash (using Hail Caesar and some new useful rules to test ...)
the army is slowly collecting itself on a nice new printed mat ... figures are plastic Warlords and Victrix ...
We played a naval game, Post Captain, which turned out to be even more breath taking than the administrative prelude of that club night. I haven‘t read the rules, so I won‘t judge them, they might be terrific - unlike the capability of my club mates of explaining them to me. Apparently I took the wrong turn at the beginning and couldn‘t catch up with the rest of the "party" (and I use the term here in the widest possible meaning).
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| This picture perfectly sums up the thrills of the game - the one on the left was mine... |
the upcoming 28mm, Classical Greek clash (using Hail Caesar and some new useful rules to test ...)
the army is slowly collecting itself on a nice new printed mat ... figures are plastic Warlords and Victrix ...
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| The Spartan King and his men |
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| The Kings bodyguard |
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| The Athenian Allies |
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| More Athenians |
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| Athenian peltasts |
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| More athenians and some light Hoplites |
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| More lightly amoured Hoplites |
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| More peltasts and slinger |
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| The Thessalian Cavalry |
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| The whole lot ... |
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