In the sweltering 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 1: Senguko Samurai vs Gupta Indian
The day was already warm when I arrived for my first round game against Richard Jeffery-Cooke (hereafter refered to as RJC).
For all rounds I had purposely NOT looked at the other's list choices. Why? Because you can never tell what you will face, and trying to second guess a list is pointess. Plus, it's more fun that way.
I had chosen my Senguko. Yes, that list, you know the one. It has served me well since 2017, and to be honest, is my absolute go-to list. It is small, hard, takes a lot of damage but also I know it and it's faults and capibilities, and have honed it to counter this.
(It's also my only Eastern list)
The list
Why this list? Because it works. Others have tried it, and come up with their own equally valid versions, but I love this combination. Now, I know what everyone says, what no Pirate ally? They are too brittle, yes, they are cheap, but I have never seen them NOT break. Also, why two fours of that cavalry, wouldn't I be better served with one 6, and not skilled powerbows? Simple - it's a massive fear factor, it's manouverable, and it comes with 'The Great Director', a talented general that gets them out of ALL sorts of trouble and it kills enemy cavalry at an amazing rate.
This army has two weak points - horse archers and infantry/cavalry hordes that can get round their flank.
Thankfully, Richard's list only had one of the first item, but was loaded with 9s of infantry archers with spear front ranks, and tons and tons of elephants! Yoiks! This could go badly.
Terrain and deployment, Richard chose standard, and I forced it into dense with mountains and forest on the flank. RJC took many pieces of open terrain, I chose as much limiting kit as I could. Senguko will ALWAYS be out scouted (1 card - Fluffy thinks it dishonourable to scout) but today I got away with 20%. Well, we didn't want the left hand side of the table anyway! My cavalry are out left, in the centre, Fluffy has his two 8s of average spears and a superior 6 of long spears plus the superior foot melee expert powerbows, right of that is Father and Son with their allied contingent (1 ally is compulsory in the list, so make it an internal), a 6 of superior spears and an 8 of average spears, and beyond that, Bloke on a Horse with his unit of 6 protected archers.
My plan: cavalry cause maximum disruption, the infantry kills things, and try not to loose/get the flanks torn open.
We rejoin the action in turn three. My allies had pushed forwards, but I had not had the cards in the centre to support, and RJC had managed to get round my flanks with a TuG of three elephants. This is normally a fairly fatal condition, but after the charge, my spears had stood firm. Unfortunately, they had no cards apart from blacks to attempt to turn bases to face, meaning elephants remaining in the flank, ultra nasty! My superior allied spears had taken a kill from RJC's archers on the way in, and had rather failed to inflict any damage on their charge! I was in touble here.
On the left, RJC had tried to tie up my cavalry with his horse archers, but my superior spears parking on their flank had rather upset this plan, and and forced them to retire right to avoid further flank charges by my cavalry. An average 8 spies this and moves to cause more constanation. However, this revealed RJC's plan to stop my cavalry, two TuGs of 3 elephants and a 6 of superior charging lancers, right in my face. Cavalry do not like nellies, I was in even more trouble...
RJC decided the only thing to do was close the gap, as I was bound to try and skirmish against him. By reducing the range, the chances of me getting away successfully diminish rapidly. To take the heat away, I pulled one of my superior spears into the path of RJC's elephants, stopping them claiming a flank on my horses (even worse for the gee-gees). To the right, my avarage spears have hemmed in RJC's flexible horse.
Over on the right and centre, my allies were well and truely pinned, the average spears fighting in two directions and my superiors losing another base to distinctly worse Indian spears for no return! One saving grace was the arrival of my archers, who in a forest knew they could at least have a go at the elephants, even if they were supported by a mass of Indian javelinmen.
RJC's reserve, another two units of spears/archers, more (!) elephants and a unit of skirmishing javelins. If he could get these round a flank, I was sunk.
Talking of flanks... I just could nit get anything aboe a black card for my allies to trun spears to face those elephants! (General in combat causes other units tio count as out of command - he's a Samurai, he HAS to fight, honest). His jaelinmen and my bows eye each other warily.
Just a glorious shot really! Cards weighted down and not in holders due to winds.
My cavalry decided to do the only honourable thing and run away! Not my usual choice as if I skirmished or stood I would be on Green+ (start on white, up for skilled, up for powerbow vs horse, down a half for superior vs skilled), but legging it would at least give me white plusses, and a reasonable chance of getting clear, slowing the cavalry with shots, and out running the tuskers.Three white plus dice, three wounds! (The fourth dice was a green on the elephants, it missed). I might get away with this yet!
My cavlry, it turned, it ran, we rolled a 2 (-1, so 4BW) and a 1 (-2BW)! Even if the Gupta cavalry was slowed by two for the three hits, it couldn't still catch us and hurt us. Unless RJC pulled a red and bought off the two slows, which he promptly did! Thankfully, the elephants were too slow to catch us.
His charge gamble worked, two double reds into the back of one of my fours ofcavalry, and one double red on their neighbour could have caused MASSIVE damage. He killed two bases out of four on one unit, but the other escaped unharmed.
Why does pair of units have an attached talented general, basically in case something like this happens! Quickly the superior melee experts turned to face (white cards) and showed the cavalry what they could do 1 on 1 (or 6 on 4.5 by this stage)
Meanwhile, back in the forest, multiple charges go off, my bows and RJC's javelins meet, but more importantly, my bows contact the FLANK of an elephant, supported by a general. Only a wound!
Elephants and superior close formed spears clash. (I did not have time to convert to loose, giving RJC an advantage here as well). On the charge, everyone missed, then on the melee, everyone missed! 
My average spears (+2) vs unprotected (+1) horse, reds and yellows down the line, they did not last long and I had got very lucky so far.
In the forest, an elephant turns to face, but is still being flanked, overlapped and generally having a pretty bad day, one dies out of 3. Meanwhile the archeres are struggling against the javelinmen, while the flanked spears finally turn to face while the rest of their unit engages the Indian mixed bows and spears frontally, knocking out a decent spearman and getting through into the soft underside. The superiors still have made no headway on the next Indian unit, but are joined by an non-allied average unit, which does start doing damage.
Despite heavy losses, the bows destroy the TuG of elephants in the forest, taking the stress out of the allied average spears (2-0, not sure how, I should hae been 2 down here).
RJC's missile armed cavalry evaporate (it was an awesome turn for me as far as dice were concerned) and I am now 4-0 up!
Then the oddest thing happened... My Samurai cavalry, devestated in teh charge, go down fighting, taking bases of the lancers with them as they go, and the second unit breaks the said lancers! (6-2) but it does mean I pursue stright into the wainting elephants! Not good! 
Who lose a base, while I only take a wound! Tee hee!
My superior spears take out their opposing elephants (8-2)
And the combined weight of two spear blocks crush an indian unit (10-2) - cripes! At this point RJC was freely admitting he had pulled defeat out of the jaws of victory!
Small consolation for RJC as his javelinmen smash my archers in the forest (10-4) 
Somehow, my cavalry hangs on, again! 
My avarage allied spears, so badly beaten up by flanking elephants, and despite getting into the soft, chewyy underside of their indian unit, break while teh rest of my line look for extra fights against RJC's second line. (10-6)
RJC moves his javelins quickly towards my camp, will he be quick enough?
His second line crashes in, but skilled powerbow armed superior melee expert Samurai charge by elephants is always an interesting fight. If it goes right, the Bushi make short work of charging elephants, katanas yumi and yari slice and dice, and the Samurai have an awful lot of ivory to take home! If it goes wrong, the Samurai get scooped up with a fish slice and poured into a jar!
HOW BIG IS THIS ARMY! My cavalry surives another turn as my spears wonder around looking for a target.
Both armies turn in on the centre, looking for that oh so valuable flank charge.
But the elephants shattered elephant and that seals teh fate of the Gupta Indians (15-6)
WoW! I finally beat Richard, that was a tough game, and he really should have torn me apart with his charges, but somehow we stood and fought. Great game against an absolute gent!
Onto game 2, Ray and his Thracians vs my Sassanid Persians
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