Skip to main content

Mortiem et Gloriam - Chariots of Fire Biblical competition - Round 3 vs Peter and his Minoans

The ground swirled, and Ptepic looked puzzled.
"Minoan?" he scratched his head, "not often we see them, usually it's Mycenaean. Any difference?"
Abarth Ray looked up from the sudoku, while he was about to finish the second box, but he wasn't sure where the sphinx went in box three. "Not much difference, just a Theran Explosion between them".
"Oh, fancy a fight then?"
"Why not!"


I managed to outscout Peter, by 30% and was attacking.


The terrain was dense, but only on the outside! A wood and a hill protected our right, while on the left my two rocky grounds abutted a patch of open land, and some standing crops while a hill fell conveniently for Peter's camp at the back.


My opponent muses his deployment as I advance. My skirmishers are happily resting in teh ruins, and will not pay any part in this battle, thank-you-very-much! Ptepid's command of spears and bows stand to on the left, while my Medjai and the chariots hold the centre opposite the extra tough Minoan chariot wing (superior long spear and heavy armour, if you know my fights against Mark, you know what a pain they an be). To their right, a skilled archers followed by mixed commands of Egyptians and Greeks form a solid corps facing peter's other chariots and his Minoan/Mycenaean long spears, most of which were deployed two deep, but had integral shooters, so I did not want to charge them. To their right, more skirmishers.


As the temperature warmed up, we closed very, very quickly! Three lines of Peter's chariots square off against mine. My average bows to their left look at the line of spears facing them, and wander what they hae done to upset Osiris. My Medjai had decided they were badly positioned and voluntarily legged it! Knowing their were nasty chariots out there, my Greek spears had swapped places with an Egyptian unit. Peter's skirmishers were threatening my flank, but we had shield cover, so he was on a slight minus for shootiness.


Told you the skirmishers weren't going anywhere! Ptepic's spears face Minoan spears and nine bases of skirmishers. That is a lot of shooting they have to worry about as they don't benefit from Greek shield cover.


I had carefully positioned my forces so that Peter would have to charge me, thus negating his integral shooter benefits and shield cover as he charges. I unleashed my shooting mastery.


Or not! Come on guys, you are skilled archers!


My chariots, however, did read the script and shoot nd retire from the Minoan lighter chariots. Blue squadron even manages to kill a base. Peter handily points out where his first charge will hurt as he smashes into my average combat shy bows, He also hits my Egyptian spears. To the right, my skilled bows get hit (they might have deserved it, if they weren't already dead) and my superior spears are contacted by his long wall of spears. To their right, my Greek mercenaries are hit by Minoans, all on equal.


On the right, the superior chariots stay suspiciously away from the front line while heavy Minoan spears crash in. This could be quite a quick fight, as it starts on green on green and will only get worse!


The Greeks and the Egyptian Anubis dog superiors show how it is sone, killing three bases of spars on impact on green dice. Must help having a trained member of the Ankh-Morpork assassins guild helping!


On the left, not so happy a picture, maybe, as Minoan spears pile into the combat shy bows, who, astonishingly kill a base while losing one of their own! My Egyptian spears lose a base but take a base too. The Medjai turn around and load their bows.


Long spear vs bows, this was always going to hurt! I did kill a base and a half on the charge, but the melee would be massively to the Minoan advantage. The superior Egyptian spears and the Greeks continued knocking lumps out of the Minoans.


It's one big, long line of pointy things really! On the right, my Greeks are down a base, next to them it's all square as everyone was missing everything, Then we have the untouched Greeks and the mauled Minoans. All to play for really.


The skilled archers lose three bases in melee, and do the only viable thing, break off! It's a massive risk, but worth it. They take their KaB and somehow survive on a green die. This is a much safer place for them, as the Minoans are engaged with the superior Egyptians and cannot charge again.


Finally getting themselves involved, the average Egyptian spears charge in. To their left, my mercenaries had lost two bases in evens melee (Green non Green is nasty). Superior chariots threaten from the back line.


The chariots charge again, this time one Egyptian chariot squadron has the cards to 'shoot and charge' in return, aided by the Medjai.


The first Minoan spear block fails (2-0) and the Greeks charge in to assist their ghostly brethren. We had both taken extra losses in this melee, I was hoping shear weight of numbers would help.


Chariot on chariot action, Blue squadron does not do much, Red squadron loses a base, but kills a Minoan one in return. My Medjai are just preying that neither my average archers nor my average spears don't break too soon, as being broken through is costly.


The long line of ghostly spears continues its grim work, slowly grinding down their ancestors. The Egyptians now become a target of sneaky Minoan shooters.


The Medjai pull back just in time as the spears break first and the bows remain fighting, even causing the wound to break the Minoans (4-2)! Wrong way round guys!


While both Blue and Red Squadron break through the Minoan chariot line. Red squadron is somewhat battered, blue is relatively unharmed! (8-2)


Over on the right, Minoan chariots redeploy to try and plug the gaps, but they need not worry as the right hand mercenary unit breaks. (8-4)


Shortly followed by a second Minoan spear units (10-4).


Following a series of Kill A Base tests, the unprotected Egyptian archers decide that actually, following the spears off table might be a really good idea, and break too (10-6), the Medjai look on after losing a base.


With further KAB roll, the Minoan spears crumble, leaving the Saitics in firm control of the battlefield and a (15-6) win. Another great game, hreat opponent and a lot of laughs. You really can't go wrong with the chariot period. 


"Well, that was a fun one," Abarth Ray rode up, grinning.
"So you say, do excuse us, we are knee-deep in Minoans here," Ptepic groaned as the sun began setting. In the distance, pyramids flared and the night skies twirled and swayed like a sea-sick ballerina.
"Once more old friend, and then we can rest again
."

Round 4: Richard and my Saitic Egyptians!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Frostgrave Warband; an orc!

An orc, been sitting in the pile of shame for a while. He's on a 30x30mm base Probably end up with my gobbos   Four more skeletons, a gift from my lovely neighbour Brian. Two Prinz August self molded skeletons and two games workshop skeletons. Back view Quite a mix of weaponry Charge   Antediluvian Miniatures recently produced these, and I just had to have them! Left - Right Heinrich Kemmler, Lord Krell, Ranlac the Black and Mikeal Jacsen! The four main characters based on the illustrations within 'The Terror of The Lichemaster warhammer 2nd edition mini-campaign. PDF here They are the main antagonsits of the campaign, and genuinely nasty pieces of work! I moved the arm pose on Krell to give him some depth For c£20 they are lot bigger, and a damn sight more affordable, that the price the originals go for on ebay!   Three (maybe two, one is a mou...

Soldiers of Napoleon - French Imperial Guard vs Austrians - bad day to be a hussar.

Whilst down in Wiltshire for the Devizes comp, Nigel very kindly gifted me his 10mm Imperial Guard division from FOGN (Field of Glory Napoleonics), and although I had rebased the cavalry and generals (including painting some), the guard themselves were not finished. I scrabbled together a 900 Soldiers of Napoleon list (which turns out to be illegal, read the rules Will), and fielded it Vs Mark's undefeated Austrians. My army, including reserves, was twelve units and Mark could basically do that in two brigades! My list : Two brigades of two five Old Guard infantry, with two twelve pounders and full cassions. Guards Heavy cavalry brigade. Five Grenadiers a Chevel. Five Guards Dragoons. Three batteries of 8lber guns. Guards light cavalry brigade. Four Guards lancers, four Guards Chasseurs a Chevel. Three batteries of three 8lber guns. Mark had: An Avent Guard brigade with hussars, artillery, jagers and two infantry units, two dragoons with horse artillery as his cavalry brigade,An in...

Soldiers of Napoleon - Imperial Guard vs Austrians.

 Mark and I met up for a game at Leighton Buzzard Wargames Club. My Imperial Guard vs his Austrians, but he had taken an earlier list (1806), whereas mine was back to 1811. This time saw the first fielding of my new Young Guard. My plan was to adance the guard through the two villages, one brigade had deployed forwards in the centre to accomplish this; then swing in from the left with the Gauard Heay Cavalry brigade. Unfortunately, Mark had other ideas! He had deployed with his cavalry brigade screening forwards. Then it all really went his way. Soldiers of Napoleon has three things you can do on each card, an amount of units that can move, a rally state and special events. Sometimes, the cards fall absolutely how you want them to, sometimes, they don't. Turn one and Mark had been dealt two sets of 'At the quick' special event cards, allowing a march and then a manouver (or vice versa) for three units. Exactly the amount of cavalry units in his brigade! Combined with a ...