Down on the delta, as the sun rose across the branches of the Nile, Arbath Bay sat on his steed on a river berm, looking at the approaching army, the threatened Mycenians had vanished and as the heat haze affected the view of the pyramid in the distance. A lone chariot came forwards, delivered a scroll to the waiting Messenger, turned about and trundled back to its lines. Wearily, the messanger rode back, and handed it to Arbath. He opened the scroll, scrunched up his eyes, turned it upside down, frowned, shrugged, and handed it to Pteppic.
"Well, that gives us a date range of when we are, it's written in heiroglyphics!" the warrior moaned.
Pteppic scanned the scroll, snorted and threw it on the embers of the fire "He claims to be a living god, the greatest general Egypt has ever seen, and demands we leave his lands immediately!"
"Who?" Ptraci enquired.
"Rameses II, Rameses the Great, Rameses the old..."
"Really? How old is he now?" Ptraci asked.
"About 800" Pteppic mused.
"Doing well to keep his hair and teeth then!" Ptraci laughed.
*Ahem* "It's dyed!" Arbath coughed.
Down at the Pendraken stand with Paul and Mark, chatting with Leon and buying some more Austrians for 1809, when the draw came through for round 2 on Paul's phone. A short moment later, Simon realised he had got Roger's and my scores the wrong way round.
A quick redraw later...
And I was playing the New Kingdom Egyptian army of Rameses II The Great, under the guise of the rules author, Simon Hall!
Squeak! Help! Oh well, I came to play not to win, no chance here, but I was going to enjoy this...
Defending again. The terrain was two lumps of rocky ground and a village, all of which wandered to abut each other in one massive piece of chaos. But my terrain looks good, while the armies are not deployed yet...
Rameses deployed historically, his infantry (masses of skirmishing archers and loose order spears) mass under their God-king and were tasked with clearing the bad going. On either flank two units of (downgraded) chariots were holding the edges, while two units of combat shy bows escorted the right-hand chariots. My chariots, joined by the medjai held the right with orders to keep the flank secure but out of trouble. Ptepid held the terrain with his combat shy bows and the diamond dogs (poor, unprotected, combat shy unskilled javelin, skirmishers), while his spears guarded the right for the eventual and inevitable breakthrough. On the left, mixed again, Pteppic and Amenthes' commands were designated to sweep and pin the chariots and maybe pull spears towards them and the skilled archers?
Not sure where the points were coming from, but hopefully I might get a couple? The cards go down as Simon deals.
Ptepid moved his spears around as Rameses the talented (that was a surprise, thought the guy was a legend) pushed his hordes into the village and the rocky grounds. A mediocre Egyptian general moved the skilled shooting superior chariots to block the left while on the right the way round the village was held by more chariots, with more mediocre commanders supported by the bows. On the left, my mixed commands started to move in an effort to pin back the chariots. Had Rameses set a cunning trap for my chariots of Psamtik I and the medjai? 
Who knows, as I chose to ignore it and smash the bows in the open. Red squadron, with shoot and charge, superior short spears, melee expeerts, with a general vs loose, combat shy, unprotected bows, we lost one base to shooting on the way, but paid through the slowing effect. The effect may upset viewers of a nervous disposition! Expanding in the movement phase, and the necrotic horses rode over the poor Egyptian archers (2-0). They ran only the shortest of distances. In the background, blue squadron slammed into their ancestors. They lost a base, but did a base and a half in return, both units were battered, would my four superiors with melee experts hold the six average without? 
However, Rameses had tricks up his ancient sleeves. His chariots on the right swings onto Blue Squadron's flank. Had the 18th Dynasty outfoxed the 26th? The Medjai had taken a hit from shooting too, and were worried by these events.
Blue squadron crumbled back into the dust from which they rose as the melee crushed their skulls (2-2). Red squadron turned to face, hoping to save our souls (although they were lost a long time ago).
Knowing Red Squadron was closing fast, and Rameses being an educated Pharoah with access to knowledge from around the world, was a fan of Zeno's paradox and Achillies and the Tortoise (hint, don't back the guy with the shell), threw his chariots forwards into the Medjai! He promptly killed two and a half bases, leaving them EXACTLY on half strength (the Medjai even did a wound), and the units in charge range of Red Squadron!
Crunch! Red Squadron shoots and charges the rear unit, killing a base; then, smashing into the back of two of their ancestors (as it goes dark outside and we were right next to the window). Catching both chariots with a two sets of very tasty hits. +1 superior, +1 short spears, +4 hitting from the back, vs +nowt. Add a pharoah and we hit on double red! Double skull on double red kills the left hand unit, and red yellow dinks the right hand unit who had already lost two bases with a skull and a wound We also caught and killed a general! With no troops left to return to, he teleported to the pryamid.(6-2). The Medjai stood, breathing a huge sigh of relief (much to the jealousy of the undead)!
The rest of the battle you say?
Do I have to...
Oh yeah, better talk about that after all that excitement...
Right of centre, Ptepid's spears were facing off against a unit of Rameseseseses' spears, which the Medjai swung round to help shoot. A unit of Egyptian spears had been turned into mobile pincushions by skirmishers (6-4), but in return we had caught and killed a chariot unit with combined superior Egyptian spears and Greek spears, and skilled archers (8-4). On the left my skilled archers shoo away a unit of skirmishers (with many arrows) so that Rameses has to send two short spear infantry units to exact revenge (9-4).You might note the lack of Greek and Egyptian spears, they had left the top of the screen pushing chariots backwards towards the pyramid! In the centre, the diamond dogs skirmishers had held up two nines of Rameses's skirmishers for turn after turn after turn. They sold themselves well, but it left combat shy bows exposed with only white cards to move them! (9-5) They were doomed, but they had held up the large bulk of Rameses's army from reaching the camp before being mercilessly arrowed down (guns aren't invented yet)! (9-7)
Eight loose order short spears, with Rameses himself and a mediocre general that had scampered over from the chariots goading them forwards, vs six close order short spears. Aided by a rear charge by archers, I was losing bases like there was no tomorrow (irony is, the undead get to see every tomorrow). This was going to hurt!
Well, not that much... handbags! 
The inevitable happened and supported now by THREE generals and the rear combat by Rameses's archers, my spears dissolved (9-9). Red squadron and Psamtik rushed in to the remains of the archers and killed two bases, but would it be enough?
In the shadow of the pyramid, the Greeks charged the camp, and were promptly wounded by it! They caused a wound back. In front of the wandering wonder of the ancient world, alive Egyptian chariots crashed with Greek spectral spears.
Caught by two units of shortspear and very much alive Egyptians, my skilled bows die (well, temporarily inhumed) and now I am in real trouble as the score stand at 11-9 and I broke on 12!
Back in front of the Pyramid, time does weird things...
Both of us needed a hit to wound, that would be enough to break the opponent. Rameses' last remaining chariots had the initiative and the one nearest the pryamid swung at the single rank of long spears, and missed!
My middle spears, however, did not! 15-10!
I could not believe it! I had broken Simon Hall! In fact a week later I still cannot believe it! I broke Si! Poor Rob who had to share a car home with me, I'm sure I repeated it 85000 times...
I think I was in shock.
I got home, I was in first place going into day 2 on 30 points for, 14 against, and I had broken Si Hall! I repeated it so many times, even my youngest told me to shut up as she wanted to watch Strictly!
The undoubted stars had been the Medjai, holding off two chariot units long enough for my Red Squadron chariots to do the damage while the delaying action by the Diamond Dogs had definitely bought me enough time to chase down chariotry.
Proudly, Arbath and the Messanger stood before the pryamid, knowing their part to secure a win over the mighty Rameses II the-less-than-Great!
"Nice pryamid, think we will keep it!" Arbath laughed.
Pteppic rode up on Youbastard, and looked at the blue, magical, inscriptions etching themselves across the surface of the mighty tomb before their very eyes. "You know, it claims Rameses beat us..."
It was a fantastic game. Those fanned mudajia skormiahers did for me. For never managed to switch them to loose so I was pretty sure I was through them. To survive so well against heavies was impressive. Such a Good game. Down to the last three dice rolls. I will done you!!
ReplyDeleteIt was a fantastic game. Those fanned mudajia skimosjeta did for me. To survive so Ewell against heavies was impressive. Such an. Good game.
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