I only took photos for the first half of this game, sorry!
In the boiling heat of the desert of South Cheam, six intrepid generals gathered in a socially distant and cooperative manner in Ray's garden, under the shelter of gazebos, to play MeG while sharing nothing but good humour, heatstroke, three decks of cards (wiped down between games) and hand sanitiser.
All the rounds were based on delayed/postponed or defunct competitions from our time in lockdown.
Round 1: Far East: Gupta Indian vs Senguko Samurai - Rollcall Theme - Richard
Round 2: Classical: Thracian Lowland Tribes vs Sassanid Persians - Attack Theme - Ray
Round 3: Egyptian: Early Fatamid Egyptians vs Saitic Egyptians - Campaign Theme - Nik
This was a three round event, each round with a different theme and requirement. Looking at the draw, I had Richard, Ray and Nik, all of whom I have never bested in combat, so my hopes of an out-right win were slim, but I knew I could have a lot of fun!
Round 2: Mid Sassanid Persians vs Thracians 
After Round 1 and my unforseen victory ve Richard. Round 2 was Ray, and his dreaded Thracians. I had met them before at Christmas, and it had not gone well! Ray was our host and as lunch appeared we finished deploying our forces, tasty it was too.
I had secured the plains and my mounted army was ready to roll. Terrain was one large, flat-topped hill and a wood, that Ray convieneitly deforested!
The heat was about the same as Persia in mid summer too. Ray outscouted me, as he had seven cavalry units comapred to my 8! Oh , and a whole heap of infantry. I chose to deploy in three bodies, my superiors on the right wing, my catafracts in the centre and everything else on the left, with poor spears guarding my camp!
My turn 1 cards. Utter pants! This is an army that needs speed and manouverability, and with these cards I could hardly even go in a staright line!
Cards under card holder as high country thermals built around the tent (it was at least six foot higher than the bottom of the garden)!
By the end of turn 1, it was pretty evident this was going to be a HARD fight, as I could not react to Ray's hordes. I did cause wounds and slows with shooting on turn 2.
My lack of cards means I am having to react rather than lead, I peeled off one Asvaran to threaten Ray's foot and cavalry, while my skirmishers are threatened by Ray's own light horse.
I did manage to push his cavalry far back, but needed something to turn to face him with!
This results in a break each! (2-2) I got lucky here and even killed his general. Maybe I could swing this one?
On the left, his light horse try to take on mine and shockingly, mine win! (3-2) However, my other two units of cavalry are in BIG trouble as melee expert infantry start carving me into horse stakes.
My superiors do turn about and get a rear charge into Ray's beaten up (4/6 left) cavalry, and manage to miss completely on red & yellow followed by red and green. This should have been an easy scalp! Humph! (Oh well, it's a game of skill)
From here, I did not take any more photos of this game, as it was so busy and hot I forgot! Sorry.
I broke away from the horse and Ray caught me from behind and squashed them (3-8).
I caught one of his other cavalry in a three way pincer (5-8) and caught and killed a warrior unit with catafracts (7-8) who then squashed another (9-8), but Ray's warriors took on my heavily armoured horse, and beat them (9-15), breaking my army.
Top game, utterly exhausting and made me think, mostly, that one day I will beat Ray! Ray said he had struggled to think of a way to beat me, in the end, my lack of decent cards beat myself. I could not get my cavalry horses to manouver, and my catafracts got bogged down chasing cavalry then infantry, it should hae been the other way round, silly idea really!. Back to the drawing board there!
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