4th Game and a few more queries
Posted: Fri Dec 15, 2006 2:42 pm
Lance and I had our 4th game last night. 800 AP Lombards vs Abbasid Arab.
We both brought 1 FC and 3 TC generals. This is fast becoming the standard for us. If I had the option to buy 4 TC's I probably would. We each had 12 BGs.
No issues with terrain and deployment but all of our games have tended to have a very large and clear centre. Probably helped by me usually bringing 4 open spaces!
Lance had 3 BGs of Defensive spearmen supported by a 3rd rank of archers. Despite deploying as far forward as they could and double moving at every opportunity and charging anything in reach, they still struggled to get into the game. They were quickly closed down by my LF archers to ensure that my cavalry could redeploy elsewhere and avoid them. Both of us would like to see the deployment area extended to increase the chance of HF getting into the game.
With the Defensive spearmen largely neutralised, the greater numbers of the Lombard Armoured cavalry swamped the Arabs. I deployed 2 x 6 base BGs of armoured cav in front of 2 x 6 BGs of unprotected followers. These joined the melee after impact to act as the 2nd rank of the BG as per P60 which highlighted some issues. But they proved very effective. I also had a further 3 x 4 bases of Armoured cav to secure the flanks.
After the embarrassment of my Bulgars evading off table in Bound 2 it was largely one-way traffic. A combination of greater numbers and good dice against smaller numbers and poor dice led to the collapse of the Arabs after 8 bounds of play which took 3 hours. So it was good to get a decisive result relatively quickly but had Lance chosen to skirmish/avoid combat he could probably have played for a draw.
As before it was an enjoyable game but still no adrenaline flow - maybe it's all those dice? Or maybe we need to play against different opponents.
A few queries arose:
This roughly represents 6 bases of armoured cav A, who've been joined by a General. B are 6 bases of unarmoured followers. Does the displaced base, B, obstruct movement?
AAAGAA
BBBABB
B
In the melee phase, would the second rank BG get the benefit of having a General fighting in the front rank? We assumed not but perhaps it needs to be explicit?
On another occasion the armoured cav charged 2 enemy units and had a staggered frontage. Can the unarmoured BG adopt a similar staggered frontage when it joins in during the movement phase? Again we assumed that it could but again it is not covered.
Flank charges:
A 6 base BG in line was hit in the flank. Does just one base turn to fight or 2? We thought just 1. Having survived the Impact phase the BG struck in flank appeared to have no options to move/turn/expand before the melee phase. Is this correct? This gave it just 1 dice against 3, fortunately the enemy were in just 1 rank! In my own bound I turned the remaining 5 bases and expanded 1, giving me 4 bases fighting. This doesn't appear to be covered in the rules or have we missed it?
So the unit is now 2 wide and 3 deep and is unsportingly charged in flank once more! This time I turned 2 bases to fight to flank. But again we weren't sure. Is the 2nd rank unengaged and eligible to turn or not?
Still with this same melee, do all the bases benefit from having a General fighting in the front rank, despite fighting in 2 different directions? I thought so but just looking for reassurance.
On 2 occasions a 4 BG superior unit was reduced to just 1 element and auto-broke. What should happen to the accompanying General?
Initial pursuits are well described but subsequent pursuit moves less so. We assumed that a new enemy in the path of a subsequent pursuit move would either stand or evade immediately.
Another melee query: BGs A & B are in melee with enemy BG E. BG C charges in as an overlap in corner to corner contact with E. A & B both rout. Does E remain to fight C? We assumed it did but we weren't sure.
AAAABBCCC
EEEEEE
Our 5th game is planned for next week - Gauls vs Carthage.
Cheers
Pete
We both brought 1 FC and 3 TC generals. This is fast becoming the standard for us. If I had the option to buy 4 TC's I probably would. We each had 12 BGs.
No issues with terrain and deployment but all of our games have tended to have a very large and clear centre. Probably helped by me usually bringing 4 open spaces!
Lance had 3 BGs of Defensive spearmen supported by a 3rd rank of archers. Despite deploying as far forward as they could and double moving at every opportunity and charging anything in reach, they still struggled to get into the game. They were quickly closed down by my LF archers to ensure that my cavalry could redeploy elsewhere and avoid them. Both of us would like to see the deployment area extended to increase the chance of HF getting into the game.
With the Defensive spearmen largely neutralised, the greater numbers of the Lombard Armoured cavalry swamped the Arabs. I deployed 2 x 6 base BGs of armoured cav in front of 2 x 6 BGs of unprotected followers. These joined the melee after impact to act as the 2nd rank of the BG as per P60 which highlighted some issues. But they proved very effective. I also had a further 3 x 4 bases of Armoured cav to secure the flanks.
After the embarrassment of my Bulgars evading off table in Bound 2 it was largely one-way traffic. A combination of greater numbers and good dice against smaller numbers and poor dice led to the collapse of the Arabs after 8 bounds of play which took 3 hours. So it was good to get a decisive result relatively quickly but had Lance chosen to skirmish/avoid combat he could probably have played for a draw.
As before it was an enjoyable game but still no adrenaline flow - maybe it's all those dice? Or maybe we need to play against different opponents.
A few queries arose:
This roughly represents 6 bases of armoured cav A, who've been joined by a General. B are 6 bases of unarmoured followers. Does the displaced base, B, obstruct movement?
AAAGAA
BBBABB
B
In the melee phase, would the second rank BG get the benefit of having a General fighting in the front rank? We assumed not but perhaps it needs to be explicit?
On another occasion the armoured cav charged 2 enemy units and had a staggered frontage. Can the unarmoured BG adopt a similar staggered frontage when it joins in during the movement phase? Again we assumed that it could but again it is not covered.
Flank charges:
A 6 base BG in line was hit in the flank. Does just one base turn to fight or 2? We thought just 1. Having survived the Impact phase the BG struck in flank appeared to have no options to move/turn/expand before the melee phase. Is this correct? This gave it just 1 dice against 3, fortunately the enemy were in just 1 rank! In my own bound I turned the remaining 5 bases and expanded 1, giving me 4 bases fighting. This doesn't appear to be covered in the rules or have we missed it?
So the unit is now 2 wide and 3 deep and is unsportingly charged in flank once more! This time I turned 2 bases to fight to flank. But again we weren't sure. Is the 2nd rank unengaged and eligible to turn or not?
Still with this same melee, do all the bases benefit from having a General fighting in the front rank, despite fighting in 2 different directions? I thought so but just looking for reassurance.
On 2 occasions a 4 BG superior unit was reduced to just 1 element and auto-broke. What should happen to the accompanying General?
Initial pursuits are well described but subsequent pursuit moves less so. We assumed that a new enemy in the path of a subsequent pursuit move would either stand or evade immediately.
Another melee query: BGs A & B are in melee with enemy BG E. BG C charges in as an overlap in corner to corner contact with E. A & B both rout. Does E remain to fight C? We assumed it did but we weren't sure.
AAAABBCCC
EEEEEE
Our 5th game is planned for next week - Gauls vs Carthage.
Cheers
Pete