"Oh no, not again!" The world span, the morning sun in the East bcame the setting sun in the West, and the Medjai grabbed weapons as Pteppic looked from what had been a clear plain to a cultivated settlement near ruins of an ancient village, near trees on the coast, but with the sun setting INTO the sea! (No one noticed the shattered bowl of begonias or the splattered whale).
"Where are we now?" Ptraci cluched her stomach as the lamb roast just stayed down.
"At a guess, there is a threat to Psamtik's ancient domain, somewhere at it's furthest extent." Arbath Bay looked up from his papyrus newssheet, and folded his glasses.
"Phoenecia? Didn't he get out there?" Pteppic enquired.
"Don't care who you phone, just get back here to control your troops!" Arbath grinned, "Messenger, get out there and scout what we are up against!".
Game 4, 45 points, I am still in the lead, but victory is not certain!
The view at lunch as I reported in to the Amazing Mrs Denham.
Pleasently surprised by the wild aspect of the great Royal racecourse.
The sixth floor was warm enough for t-shirts, while down below the
traders froze! I mooched, I pondered, I laughed, and overall had
imposter syndrome about leading the comp as I awaited the draw.
Si Hall, Nik, Ray, Hammy and Tommy are all snapping at my heals. The
competition was mine to give away! I was still walking around dazed at
my successes and wondering how I would ever live this down, when the
draw came in (from a gleeful Nik). I had dodged him and his killer
Hitties, I had avoided Hammy's all absorbing amorphous blob of Lybians, I
had already beaten (yes I know), and now I was drawn against the great
Ray Duggins and his Phoenicians, an army never seen before in a MeG
competition...
(Not sure about the 54th round)
My record against Ray is very simple. Played five, lost five! I sort of had settled into a mind set of I was going to lose, but in the best humoured and enjoyable way possible
This game was his to take. He was on 40 points to my 45, so just needed to beat me by five. On previous records, a challenge that would not take him long.
The sacrifices at lunchtime must have worked as - in the scouting cards fell in favour of Psamtik (the Medjai had worked hard to work out the Phoenecian forces motives and actions, and the usual bribes had worked too). Two red cards = 40% each, while Ray's sole coloured yellow was worth 20%. He had to deploy 60%. We were attacking into Phone-Is-Cain territory too, obviously Psamtik wa8hnted to rebuild his lost realm!
The terrain fell my way too into dense coastal, limiting the flanks Ray could dominate. He had a wood in his deployemt area, a forest on the coastline, to its south was an area of scrubby brush, on the right, two areas of rocky ground and a village secure that side too. Big open space in the centre is perfect for the long spear troops.
Very quickly, we piled forwards to engage each other. On the right, Ptepid with his usual combat shy archers, the short spears and the Diamond Dog to hold Ray's two units of short spears and swarm of skirmishing archers that were feeding their way through the two areas of rough going. In the centre Greek and Egyptians, working in consert advance on the almost imfinaite wall of Phoenician spears.
Seriously, there are hundreds of them! Well, there must have been at least 40 bases of them, maybe more, it felt like they went on forever across table. Anyway...
Ray also has two units of six chariots which are exactly as good as mine just there are more of them! I faced down six with my ten and my Mejai. My plan: erm, not die?
My long spears had coillesced into one large blob as one unit had swapped places with the skilled archers on the initial moves with the brief of pinning down the right hand spears and their accompanying chariot unit.
Closing in, Ray pulled one of his amazing flank attacks (second unit from the left, past the chariots). I never spot these until it's too late! Smack into the flank of an Egyptian spear unit and Pteppic himself! To try and take the weight off, my superior short spear Egyptians charged, knowing they would be disadvantaged in following melees. 
At this point the match got a little tense as the two lines crashed together. On the left, my Medjai and Blue Squadron shot into the six Phoenician chariots causing a wound, while Red Squadron, guarding the flank of the superiors. The average spears lost a base to their flank impact as there was OBVIOUSLY no room for any of my troops to expand or turn and face. In the centre the Allied Greek spears lost two bases to Ray's spears! Yikes. I'm in trouble. But my skilled bows were on hand to help. To the right, two of my Greek spears hammered Ray's spears.
On the right, in the gap between the rocks and the village, the bows and the spears stood firm as a nine of poor slingers stepped into range. Yes, my cards were that bad, but Ray's were worse! That unit of Ray's spears on the right was seriously outnumbered, and was hemorrhaging bases, down to five out of eight. However, Ray had yet again cunningly set up another flank charge which I could do nowt about that!
The charge goes in! Dumdumdum and did... A wound! Seriously, a wound! Ray should have torn me apart there! This was the start of Ray's least purple patch as he rolled 18 straight misses whereas all my dice started hitting rather consistently. I wasn't sure whether I was going to have to catch Ray's dice before they plummeted 6 stories down onto some RAF renactors or was going to have them inserted into some orifice they really should not belong in!
Anyway, I broke the first unit! (2-0) while the skilled bows plugged away at the overlapping bases of the previously flank charging unit. 
Left and centre, we both shove our chariots into action, Ray's six completely out numbering me, and we both managed a wound! My superior Egyptian spears were slowly whittling away Ray's flanking spears, but would it be enough to save their friends? Ray had, on the right, an eight base unit strung out across the frontage of two eights of Greek spears, supported by white dice fire (downgraded from green due to being overlaps) at the overlap by my skilled shooters, they were now down to five bases.
This shot proves two important things. One) Ray is happily married, and ii) the chance of this game
being a massive win for him was slipping away from him!
My spears on the right were starting to threaten Ray's other chariot units, which were suffering horrendously from a lack of cards. In the meantime, his loose order spears were making good progress across the rocky gound and threatening Ptepid's command, I had shot away one unit of slingers somewhere... 
On the left, and off camera as I forgot to take photos, my chariots had had to charge a unit of Ray's long spears to stop him flank charging my superior short spears. The result was somewhat inevitable, as two turns later my chariots, despite killing two bases, evaporates! (2-2)
In the backfield, Ray's six of chariots, despite double overlapping me, and out-numbering me, broke, much to Ray's disgust, he only needed a wound to get me! (5-2)
Then, events went quickly and without photos. Ray broke both my superior and average short spears but in return I broke two of his long spears. His units surged for the stargatecamp, while mine moved to pin the chariots and hopefully destroy them. (9-6) Things were getting tenser, then on the right the combat shy bows broke (8-8). But his chariots folded to my two spears charging, as my chariots, Medjai and spears were chasing down his spears approaching the stargate. (15-10)
So, yeah, I won, just! Hell of a game. Ray should have mullered me, but now it stands at 5-1 to him.
Over the weekend I had accrued a full 60 point to, 30 points against! Incredible. My first first place in a competition since WhAB back in 2007!
Matt won the war crown as the (sencond) most successful Egyptian. Nik was second, followed by Hammy and Ray. Ian Newell was sent to the Faroes!
Part of my prize was a rather natty glass trophy, proudly displayed on the mantlepiece at home now.
I also won a whole army! (Well, most of a whole army) of Cinari. A South American Long Spear armed army. Might have to get this painted for Fire and Ice at Battlefields Hobbies in the New Year!
Box with coffee mug for scale!
I mean, I haven't pointed it up yet, but that's gonna be a BIG army!
A fantastic weekend, completely took me by surprise, and I loved it (apart from dropping armies). Thank you to my four great opponents and it was lovely to see everyone again. Here's to the next one.
The stars reverted back to normal, Arbath Bay reclined back on his own dune after four frightful days acroiss time and space. The Messenger oversaw the offloading of large amounts of fresh cedar wood from passing chariots. "We're gonna be rich boys" he kept gloating. Slowly, the army of Psamtik returned to their tombs, often waving and bowing to the watching humans. The Greeks spectres slowly marched off into an unnatural mist, and a nearby pyramid flaired, showing Pteppic and Ptraci it was time to depart.
"Is it always like this?" Ptraci asked as they rode with Bay towards the glowing entrance back to their own dimension.
"It's usually a lot quieter," he grinned. "You should see the pshycho my cousin Ardeth Bay has to look after, claims to be Imohtep and wants to take over the world!"
"I hope we won't be called upon again," she shook her head.
Arbath Bay giggled, "We are booked for a fight against Mitanni on Wednesday!"
Pteppic smiled, "See you there then!"
Still can't believe I beat Si Hall!
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