Last round of the Global MEGfest playing the other Leighton Buzzard players, this time Dik and his Etruscans in his beautiful house.
Round 1 and Round 2 can be found here.
Etruscans, an interesting choice by Dik. 15 (yes 15) average or poor, spear armed TuGs and 3 SuGs! That is huge - and those of you who are regulars here will know, I usually struggle with my tiny lists vs meta-hordes like this. All competent and mediocre generals and two allies is particually brave, we will see how this pans out! It deploys in batches of 6 units. That's nearly my whole army at a time!!!
My list, so far on 30 points for, 6 against. I knew Neil had beaten both Dik (15-6) and David (15-0), so I needed 7 or more points to edge him into second place.
Dik out rolled me to start and chose to invade, so I landed us in the 'Very Dense' mountains, with a forested and mountainous left flank. The table may not look very dense, because the left flak then proceeded to eat five of our extra terrain choices!
We deployed, and I swore - that is a truely massive army! It's two allies, on their own, are nearly as big as my whole army. His Gauls were on the left, with the poor spears set back behind them. Then there is the massive line of three blocks of 8 average spears and their three units of skirmishers, and on the right two allied Sammite infantry and two cavalry, all flexible and ready to deal with my troops in the denser terrain and I knew taking them on in that wood would be vital.
I split my troops (again - must stop doing that), with my archers edged back into the forest, wishing they weren't here I'm sure. Next to them was the Presidensies and the Seconda Britannia, my 8 of superior legions and my 6 of exceptionals. Their task was simple, take on and beat the Gauls. My CinC is on his own in the centre until things develop - a floating cinc can gift out his cards where needed, as long as his subordinates are in range. To the right of the gap the Primani Iuniors superior legion and then my three average legions, with the Seguntienties in loose in the wood. To their right my two cavalry units hold the right flank, waiting to see if Dik will shoot the gap. Not brilliant cards to start, but that will do.
First turn advances, not cagy but cautious as I wanted to see how this would turn out. My superior cavalr on the right hold the obvious gap through the woods blocking Dik's flexible Samnites. Dik realised he had fowled his deployment in that flank as his general needed better than the average of two black cards a turn he kept getting dealt. My average legions advance, two to take on two Samnites, close odds. The other average legion and the Primani Iuniors start to bare left, aiming to block and hold the average spear blocks of the Etruscans. On the left, I swing the group of decent troops to face the Gallic horde, and hope and prey I dont get flanked by the Etruscans.
My CinC walks forwards on his own. Sounds odd, but it increases the gifting range of his floating abilities.
All too quickly the Etruscans surge past, sensing that 24 of them vs 12 legionaries was a fight in their favour....
Iuniors swing left into a position where they can hopefully engage two units simultaneously. 
On the right, my cards improve, but it looks like I'm doing something stupid as my average cavalry end up butted up against the flank of my own legion. There is a plan here, honest. 
Dik swung his Etruscan cavalry into a glanking position, brought up his poor tribal spears and swung his Gauls to meet me. That" 8 units against 2.
Always outnumbered, never out gunned I believe the saying is. My exceptional foot wheel to face this threat, carefully angling themselves so the gallic foot behind can't flank charge them too, while the superiors expand to stop themselves being threatned by the gallic cavalry.
Back on the right, the Iuniors move to pin 16 bases of Etruscan heavy foot, but in doing so come under accurate fire from the skirmishers, who then promptlystep back behind their heavier friends, even in shield cover, and lose a base! Great start. Now 5 plays 16. They did pick up the boss on the way through, which would prove vital later.
First contact is made!
Dik's cavalry is pinned between his heavy foot and his poor troops, but he charges my Iuniors legion, who horded a card and held so they could use their integral shooters. Etruscans get +1 for long spears. Romans +1 superior, +2 impact weapons, +1 integral shooters and on the centre +1 for the general. We take no damage, roll one S (which we can't use as we have no special effects) and then a skull and a wound.
Behind, the Etruscan skirmishers taunt the heavy foot, their thrown pointy sticks are better than long spears! 
To the right, the second Etruscan foot meets my average legion, who do not have integral shooters, but their impact weapons still do a satisfying amount of damage with no losses! 
In the wood, despit being up on the charge, the Segunientes do NOTHING! To be fair, neither do the Samnites. Behind, my other average legion is busy switching from close to loose formation, but that has slowed them by a turn. 1200 plus points of superior cavslry sits idle on the flank, enjoying the view of Dik's beautifully painted troops. Where are the average cavalry that were badly positioned earlier? They had moved left to act as a reserve for the legions (not great vs lobg spear armed foot, but its the implied threat that counts).
Melee phase and disaster! The Seguntienties lose every dice throw. Green vs Green dice can be one hell of a risk, especially when you only have 6 bases vs 8. I had expanded left to try and get more hits in as an overlap, but missed completely. It allowed Dik score more back, a skull and a wound on a wound hurts! Two bases down on 6 Drat.
My average legion to the left of the wood is dealing hits, but now is facing 16 spears and is down a base themselves. Its a matter of time I suspect. My cavalry lurks behind waiting for a weakened moment in the spears to assist.
The Gauls impact. A pair of wounds but my exceptionals do two kills in return. My superiors wait the inevitable.
Seriously, Dik's army is lovely.
Iuniors do something incredible and despite being hammered down to half strength, they and the cinc hit the Etruscans to their front hard.
I could do with SLIGHTLY better cards than this this turn.
I paid a white, upgraded to green by the attached general to hold the superior legion so they benefitted from their integral shooters. So the Gauls are on +2, my superiors are +1, impact weapons +2, integral shooters +1, (+4) general adds an optional +1
Straight off I ex a cavalry stand and two gallic warbands. Not bad really.
Those Etruscans are getting closer. I hit a few.
In the wood my second legion engages Dik's Samnites, and yet again we do nothing to each other on the charge!
Iuniors break the Etruscans to their front, (2-0) but as they break through the skirmishers behind, they sweep them away with them. I did not kbnow a routing unit breaks, they also lose their supporting skirmishers too (3-0) didn't know that rule! Thanks Dik. The Legion are within a base of breaking, but they are going to hit the Etruscan cavalry that had (fortunately for Dik) turned to face in the last go.
The cavalry suffer badly in the KaB test (as do the poor spears behind). They are smashed by the superiors charge and go. (5-0 and I had got lucky.)
On the left, the superiors crack the Gallic cavalry. The Gallic next door infantry are suffering too, being down to 5 out of 8 bases.
The Iuniors pile firwards towards the poor spears, who take red skull on a KaB. They are down to 3 bases, and are incredibly brittle, but on their own have already broken two units so anything they do from this point on is a positive.
Dik throws in a flexible Samnite cavalry to help the poor spears. The superiors cause some damage on the poor spears. Dik's cavalry is in skirmish (+2) impact weapons (+2) siperior (+1) unprotected (+1) so +6 is a red and yellow vs a black. Dik has a 1:6 chance of breaking me.
I do 2 wounds on the cavalry. Dik actually hits!!!
(5-2) Oops.
Light horse pursue and my archers, who have been lounging around behind the decent troops, take a shot at them in their next shooting phase and wound them. 
After several turns of fighting, the Gallic foot all break, one after the other, each fracturing the next with KaBs. (11-2) and causing KaBs within the poor Etruscan spears (poor spears in all senses of the words).
My average legion breaks under the weight of Etruscan spears. (11-4)
The Samnite foot disintergrated and leaves the flanks of the Linen legion dangerously exposed.
Due to the Gaul's falling apart, the Samnite light horse are forced to take a KaB, and roll a skull, breaking them too, and thus the army. I'm ptetty sure if they had not have broken from the results of the KaBs, the follow up charge by my superiors and exceptionals in their next phase would have been enough.
Superb game, very tense right up to the end, when suddenly Dik's forces disintegrated. I was not sure I could hold him and if he had managed to find a flank or five he could have torn me apart. I got incredibly lucky with the Iuniors that got two and a half units, the exceptionals got two, the other superior legion got two of the eight I needed. The average legions in the wood did well to pick off the last unit after their friends fled.
The final tally of the Leighton Buzzard Global MEGfest
Can't believe I got three wins, both Dik and Neil could have taken me apart if the dice had fallen their way. Superb set of games and top fun all round.
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