"Urgh!" Pteppic groaned
The ground shifted, the sun rose and set at the same time, and the stars span across the sky.
"I hate that bit too..."
"Where are we now?"
"Looks like we are on the plains of the Delta, as there is no terrain anywhere!" Arbath Ray shaded his eyes from the rising sun, no shade in the heat of Egyptian sun would make for a hard day's fighting, hopefully they could find shelter later. Across the plains, the shadows stretched long, and the enemy cast mighty ones. "Oh great, Mycenians!"
Day two dawned at Ascot Racecourse, and on the sixth floor, I was still in shock of beating...
Oh all right, I'll get on with it!
The drawer came up and I was facing Lance on the top table.
'Nose bleed territory!'
Lance and I have fought on many occasions now, and often it ends in a complete drubbing for one of us. There are never half-measures, and it is always a great game. He had brought Mycenians and Minoan Greeks, many units of long spears with shield cover, and some seriously heavy chariots (fully armoured, superior, long spear - combat monsters) supported by short spear javelin armed chariots, a massive wedge of skirmishing archers and a unit of loose order javelinmen. This is very similar to the sort of army Mark Spratt ran in our few practise games, which in one tore me to pieces, so I had to get this right if I wanted to get anywhere in this comp (and avoid doing an Adrian, which is to score massive points on a Saturday, and get nowt on the Sunday)!
I was defending (this army likes it) and the scouting was exactly equal (10% for green, 20% for yellow, and nothing for black), so I deployed 33.33333333333333333333r of my army first, leaving the initiative with Lance, which could be fatal. 
That shot again, because I like it! On the left are the average Egyptian spears of Pteppic's command, to their right, the spears of Ptepid, the combat shy, protected experienced archers, and then the diamond dog skirmishers who had fought so hard last game. Note the highly suspicious three element wide gap, to be filled later by something spiky!
Glory shot in the sunshine
The two battle lines arrayed, just as Barker intended? My chariots, out right, was a risk, if Lance had put his chariots on the other wing as he deployed last, he could have torn my right to pieces, but he matched me with 16 chariots to my 10 and 6 Medjai. My front line was an alternative mix of Egyptian and Greek spears, with their generals positioned to give cards where needed. I had long ago given up on the idea of block moves with this army, and it allowed me to always counterpunch, a tactic I do not often use, so why not try it again here?
Lance's beautiful army. Really looked the part. However, he had deployed all his spears, which were units of eight, four across and two deep. Maybe he was trying to find width, but it makes spears really brittle. Mine were all three wide and two files of three, one file of two, which meant when it (inevitably) went wrong and I dropped to one rank, I could feed in an extra base to boost combat factors up again. He had a dendra armed dangerous chariots unit behind his line as a heavy reserve, if these swung out I was in a heap of trouble as they could tear through my Egyptian troops in a matter of moments.
His right (my left) his spears peter out into javelin armed warriors and many stands of experienced skirmishing archers. He had two units of archers in the back field, who would march right to shore up and extend his line later. In the far distance, his oh so dangerous chariot arm waits. 
We closed very quickly, and by turn two, battle was joined! There might be a few gaps in photos here as the action went quickly! Also... Excuse the lens flair from the crack on my camera lens.
Ptepid leads the charge himself, putting his spears into the front of a Mycenian block, allowing my archers breathing space. The spears would suffer in melee, and almost inevitably die in a longer maul, but a wound on the charge was gratifying! To their left, Greek spectral spears go and meet their ancestors. 
And further to their right, continuing my policy of two of my units on any one of the enemy's, they were joined by Ptepic's average spears charging another Mycenian block.
The line is joined! Only on the far left did my superior Egyptian short spears not make contact as I had hoped to get them round the flank, but they were needed frontally instead. If you look carefully, right in the centre, my Greeks have taken a base from the Mycenians already.
To the left, faced with three units of skirmishing archers, my skilled archers dispose of one unit within two turns! (1-0, I scored a point!) They had lost a base to return fire, but it would be worth it to draw his skirmishers and approaching 9(!) of javelins away from my Greek's rear!
The first real success, combined with Pteppic showing why he joined the Assassin's Guild in Ankh Morpork by personally getting involved in the fighting, the superior Egyptians and long spear armed Greeks finish off the first unit of Minoan spears (3-0).
Joined moments later by a second! (5-0) My Egyptians had lost two bases, but it was worth it, to their right my Greeks had also taken two losses, but their deeper formation was paying dividends as they could reinforce themselves, as the Mycenians to their front were down to one rank and had lost their long spear bonuses. Pink counters show units that have fought, allowing us to keep track in longer melees.
My Egyptians pursued, and as the spears choose to do, threw themselves valiantly in front of the reacting superior dendra armoured super chariots. Thankfully for them, assistance was at hand as the damaged Greek Mercenaries burst through the Mycenian/Minoans and would pursue into a flanking position! (7-0)
On the far right, despite being out armed, the Short spear Egyptians of Ptepid's command (assisted by some flukily lucky shooting by the archers) destroy another unit of spears! (9-0). In a matter of about three turns, the whole of Lance's front line had collapsed!
Ptepid and his boys look relieved, if a skeleton can ever show that emotion!
The general state of play as we head for denouement and early lunch: My skilled archers who had been left of centre, were torn apart by combined skirmishing shooting and a charge by the nine javelin armed Greeks (9-2). Ptepic had turned his superior spears to face them, but it was not to be. To the right, my chariots, assisted at times by a very much out of command unit of mercenary Greeks (Amenthis had to move left several times to be able to command them, then duck back to his lines for safety as The Nine came past), had pushed back the more numerous Mycenian chariots into a corner, and had then caught one six of average chariots in an arrow storm followed by a charge!.
After several turns of the full weight of undead and Medjai archery, the unit was teetering and then disintegrated. (11-2)
A unit of Greek spears had ended up in a situation where they had over pursued and were forced to charge Lance's archers or stand and get shot to pieces. The charge saw them shot to pieces anyway! (11-4) Meanwhile, my Greeks and Ptepid's spears combined to charge the threatening Dendra chariots in the flank, removing the threat and smashing Lance's elite. With that, it was all over and the Mycenian threat was dispatched back to Thera to await the wrath of the gods.
15-4 does not reflect the tenseness of the game, as if Lance had got the cards he needed early on he could have torn me asunder. The Medjai look on, pleased they have not had to fight for the third game!
As we fill in the results slips, the sun still shines in the faces of the righteous!
Three games, three wins! This is incredible, I am beyond nose bleed territory, I was oxygen masks on, ice-ax out and in the 'Death Zone' 45 points for, 20 against. I simply could not believe it, my army I had taken purely to have fun and annoy people was dominating the field. I was five points ahead of my nearest rival and that was SI Hall, who I had... Oops.
Nope, won't mention it again, honest!
It did mean I was waiting for the results of the other games, as Nik, Hammy and Ray were all in the chasing pack, waiting to reel me in, and all of whom I had never beaten, one of these was sure to thrash me at the last moment and take the title!
Picking over the battlefield, the Messenger reached Abrath Bay, "Sir, the Greeks are fled, victory is ours!"
"Whose Greeks, our or there's?" Arbath mused.
"A little of ours, but mostly theres! Ours appear to be back though," the Messanger scratched his head in puzzlement. Pteppic was in the thick of the fighting and came out unscathed, he asks if he and Ptraci may join us for dinner again, as the rest of the camp isn't that conersational? I said yes on your behalf."
"Good answer! What else do you bring me?" The Bay smiled, he was starting to respect the young Pharoah as much as he feared the dead one. Ptraci was a whole different matter, she would be an even more powerful Queen.
"Erm, olives, sticky nut pudding, freshly roasted greek lamb in rosemary and olive oil and good wine?"
"Yeah, that will do."
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