Two games to allow Ray to practise with his army before the IWC in Belgium this month.
I was invited around to Ray's pad in London Village to move the board games, books, figure collection, and construct his shelving to help sort and catalogue his figure collection during the next stage of constructions! I needed a day's exercise after the Xmas binge and what better way to spend Twixmas than helping out a friend and playing some games (and enjoying his wife Meana's amazing cooking). 14000 steps (up and down his garden) later.
A small selection of Ray's armies (each box is A3 and holds about an army, nothing compared to Hammy or my 19th Century heap I know, but he is only been in this ancients game 2 years)!
I only got the left hand section catalogued! 😕 The army he chose to use isn't even in the stack!!!
Ray cruelly forced me to stop work after 6, and we had a game before dinner.
Game 1: Mid Republican Romans vs Thracians.
Yeah, Thracians,
" the Thracian people, like the bloodiest of the barbarians, being ever most murderous when it has nothing to fear."
Thucidides— Book VII, 7.29
Ah, that wasn't in the script!
Ray rather outscouted me (Red is 40%, Yellow is 20% and 10% is Green, black & white score nowt), he scored 130 and I got 30, so 100% of my army goes down.
Deployment, I chose to defend against the giant box of Wine Gums, and put mt superiors and cavalry left, my average backed up by Trarii on the right. Light troops and nellies up the centre.
My, they're a good looking bunch! 10mm Pendraken
Who says instinctive generals are no good? This is turn 2 and Ray is all over me with his cavalry already!His allied infantry is also screaming down the right.
Just to prove it!
This army is HUGE! 4 cavalry, three normal Thracians, and 4 devastating charge melee expert Thracians, one of which is superior. Ouch! And all those a re lined up against my weak flank. The only honourable option was to drop back before being overwhelmed.
No, it's still big!
And it's coming round my left!
I push my legions forwards while my cavalry wonders about taking on better Thracian horse.
The line of Thracian Devastating Chargers closes quickly!
I decided the only thing to do was implement chaos theory, and try to split up the solid line of impulsive chargers, taking the fight to Ray.
He charges, the earth itself shakes, I only take two wounds, and inflict enough hits after melee to break Ray! (0-2) My mood improves, I might even pull a win here!
My superior Triarii smash into the superiors, and this is not going to go well.
Meanwhile, my cavalry charges Ray's better horse. I even managed to do some shoot and charge damage with unskilled javelins.
But I fail to capitalise on this in impact or melee!
Flank charges +4, impact weapons +2, superior opponent -1, should still tear lumps out of...
Humph! It all goes wrong!
However, the cavalry redeem themselves by slaying the horse, a skull vs a miss. (4-0)
So, where I was ahead, now I'm not! Three units break in moments. (4-6) and my camp is under threat!
My cavalry ride off into the distance and safety.
I fail to catch any of Ray's skirmishing horse on the left, it's gonna be a long one!
While in the centre, I try in vain to take on Ray's normal Thracians, but all things being equal, I lose! That was enough to break my army, as the elephants were shot to pieces, and it's a (4-15) loss.
Oh well, time for dinner.
Game 2: Imperial Roman vs Thracians.
Ray used the same army (no, it didn't shrink between courses, only my waistline expanded). So, a late night game of MeG began.
The terrain was more open, with a forested flank.
Since my whole army is basically flexible, I planned to go straight down Ray's flank on the left and then hold against the cavalry swarm on the right. Well, not as far left tbh.
I got out scouted by 80%. Bit difficult with only 9 units...
We pile forwards, and Ray realised the problem with putting three cavalry units stacked onto of each other, as one unit crashed through two others causing KaBs all over the place!
Ray followed my example from game 1, and retired his foot in the forest before my superiors and exceptional legions could get at him!
I force Ray to get involved with his cavalry on my baseline, as my superiors hit his.
While my average melee expert cavalry take a flank charge from Ray's horse archers, this could hurt, lots! My issue was I kept missing (14 rolls without a hit at one point).
My superior 8 legion, which should have been on yellow dice to his white (+2) and chainsawing Ray's Thracians does...
Nothing, then gets hit in the flank for it's efforts!
In the forest, my legions engage. My exceptional legion catch a charge from Ray's superiors, I should cream him here, I'm +5 to his +3.
Elsewhere, this is an issue, I'm rather surrounded here, and I'm about to lose my average cavalry; who failed to hit anything, despite being much better in melee than Ray's. See a pattern here?
A success, I break Ray's horse, 2 points!
I just cannot hit, all the units that outclass Ray's cannot deal any damage (moan moan)
My infantry is surrounded, and is going down fighting.
I cannot rescue them...
Ray smashes my superior 8, then a flank charges a 6, then another 6, my cavalry and bows have both evaporated, it was gone midnight, and I was utterly destroyed, 2-15, well played Ray!
Two cracking games in Ray's new games room. Lots of laughs and really honoured to have been asked to play. This army is going to be awesome for Ray.
Cracking looking games but the die Gods seemed to have abandoned you, certainly in the second game!
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