First 25mm game
Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 9:55 am
I played my first 25mm game last night against Gerry. I used some ancient (25-30 year old) Seleikuds, Gerry used Carthaginians. After Mark and Gerry's experience with trying to cram 800 points onto a 6 by 4 table last week we went for 700 points which did seem to give a reasonable amount of space.
I had:
4 Agema, 4 Cataphracts, 8 Argyraspid pike, 8 Phalangites, 2 Elephants, 4 Thorakitai, 4 Skythian light horse, 6 Thracians, 8 Close order archers, 6 Cretans, 6 light foot archers and 6 light foot slingers.
Gerry had:
2 * 6 Undrilled protected cavalry, 6 Numidians, 4 Numidians, 6 Balearic slingers, 8 Italian foot (average protected) and 2 * libyan veterans (superior armoured).
The only terrain of note was an open field about 1/3 of the way from the left along Gerry's baseline and a smaller open field on my side of the table on my right flank.
Gerry deployed with the spears in the centre and one cavalry and light horse BG on each flank and the Balearic slingers infront of the field between the spears and his (slightly weaker) left flank mounted .
I had the Agema, Cataphracts, Skythians and Cretans on my left then closer to the centre but well back were the Thracians covering the left flank of my Argyraspids, next came the elephants, phalangites and thorakitai with my slingers to the fore. My right flank was comprised of the medium foot archers and the other BG of light foot archers.
I moved first and the light archers moved to the open field to close off my left flank, the main infantry line advanced twice, the left flank light troops pushed up to threaten Gerry's Numidians and my Agema and Cataphracts advanced with the cataphracts wheeling left to try to avoid the veteran spearmen to their front.
Gerry responded with a similar general advance and his left flank cavalry lined themselves up on my medium foot archers. I advanced my archers to effective range (a mistake in hindsight) and shot away with 8 dice against double ranked protected cavalry
Unfortunatley despite 6 hits the cavalry were not impressed. They then charged my archers (I should not have moved to effective range as by doing so it meant I only got one shot). I survived the impact but went disrupted in the melee (the -1 for MF vs mouted being the cause). The writinq was on the wall for the archers now and it was simply a matter of time before being at -- againts superior troops led by a general told.
In the centre Gerry charged along the line and the resultant fight lasted most of the battle. I had my phalangites and the elephants against Gerry's veteran spear and my argyraspids against the allied spear where I was overlapped. The main fight swayed backwards and forwards with BG's becomming disrupted then recovering. Eventually my Thracians arrived and charged in to the overlap of average spear, this still didn't disrupt the spear but it did cause a 4th base loss which auto broke them. At the other end of the combat my phalangites were charged in the flank by the victorious cavalry and depite their frontal opponents (the veteran spear) being fragmented the phalangites quickly broke. The pursuit of the cavalry resulted in the death of my TC who was with the phalangites. This unnerved the elephants and when the pursuing cavalry smashed int the now exposed flank of the elephants they broke in the resulting melee. This left a very depleted (50% strength) BG of fragmented veterans and a almost as badly damaged BG of argyraspids standing next to each other.
On the left I advanced and took an innefective shot. The Numidian LH charged an shooed away my Cretans and Skythians. Over the next few turns I distracted the Numidians with my Agema while the cataphracts slowly switched from the right of the Agema (facing spearmen) to the left of thr Agema facing the light horse. A poor death roll saw a base of Agema die but other than that and the occasional disruption they held up the Numidians for a while.
Eventually the cataphracts charged and forced the Numidians to evade opening up the way for my Agema to have a go at the Carthaginian cavalry.
On the right my light foot archers in the field shot and disrupted the Numidian light horse facing them. The Numidians charged and in the resulting combats ended up a base down and fragmented before breaking off (we forgot the first breakoff) The archers then stepped up and broke the Numidians with shooting (1HP2B hits so -1 and 25% lost and fragmented for a -4 on the test)
My Thorakitai initially provided an overlap for the central melee but after realising that the cavalry slaughtering my archers would be heading for them next decided to charge the slingsers facing them. Over then next few turns the slingers took a base off my thorakitai (another 1 on the death roll grrrr) and disrupted them but were pushed back to just in front if their camp in the process. The slingers had to hold their ground or evade off table and sacrifice the camp. The thorakitai got stuck in and gradually wore down the slingers (the slingers fought like heroes and being superior was really handy for them).
The game ended when my Agema hit the cavalry on my left and disrupted them at impact (the lancer bonus being significant) killing the Carthaginian TC in the process which resulted in the Carthaginians fragmenting. In the melee phase my three bases of armoured elite cavalry led by a general proved better than six of fragmented protected superiors. The cavalry broke as did the slingers and my thorakitai pursued into the Carthaginian camp.
I suffered 6 AP, I inflicted 10 even though I only needed 8 to break the army.
There were no significant rules issues appart from which direction does a BG that has been hit front and flank rout in? Does this change if the frontal opponent's can't pursue because they are fighting someone else.
700 AP seemed very reasonable for a 25mm game on a 6 by 4 table.
Hammy
I had:
4 Agema, 4 Cataphracts, 8 Argyraspid pike, 8 Phalangites, 2 Elephants, 4 Thorakitai, 4 Skythian light horse, 6 Thracians, 8 Close order archers, 6 Cretans, 6 light foot archers and 6 light foot slingers.
Gerry had:
2 * 6 Undrilled protected cavalry, 6 Numidians, 4 Numidians, 6 Balearic slingers, 8 Italian foot (average protected) and 2 * libyan veterans (superior armoured).
The only terrain of note was an open field about 1/3 of the way from the left along Gerry's baseline and a smaller open field on my side of the table on my right flank.
Gerry deployed with the spears in the centre and one cavalry and light horse BG on each flank and the Balearic slingers infront of the field between the spears and his (slightly weaker) left flank mounted .
I had the Agema, Cataphracts, Skythians and Cretans on my left then closer to the centre but well back were the Thracians covering the left flank of my Argyraspids, next came the elephants, phalangites and thorakitai with my slingers to the fore. My right flank was comprised of the medium foot archers and the other BG of light foot archers.
I moved first and the light archers moved to the open field to close off my left flank, the main infantry line advanced twice, the left flank light troops pushed up to threaten Gerry's Numidians and my Agema and Cataphracts advanced with the cataphracts wheeling left to try to avoid the veteran spearmen to their front.
Gerry responded with a similar general advance and his left flank cavalry lined themselves up on my medium foot archers. I advanced my archers to effective range (a mistake in hindsight) and shot away with 8 dice against double ranked protected cavalry
Unfortunatley despite 6 hits the cavalry were not impressed. They then charged my archers (I should not have moved to effective range as by doing so it meant I only got one shot). I survived the impact but went disrupted in the melee (the -1 for MF vs mouted being the cause). The writinq was on the wall for the archers now and it was simply a matter of time before being at -- againts superior troops led by a general told.In the centre Gerry charged along the line and the resultant fight lasted most of the battle. I had my phalangites and the elephants against Gerry's veteran spear and my argyraspids against the allied spear where I was overlapped. The main fight swayed backwards and forwards with BG's becomming disrupted then recovering. Eventually my Thracians arrived and charged in to the overlap of average spear, this still didn't disrupt the spear but it did cause a 4th base loss which auto broke them. At the other end of the combat my phalangites were charged in the flank by the victorious cavalry and depite their frontal opponents (the veteran spear) being fragmented the phalangites quickly broke. The pursuit of the cavalry resulted in the death of my TC who was with the phalangites. This unnerved the elephants and when the pursuing cavalry smashed int the now exposed flank of the elephants they broke in the resulting melee. This left a very depleted (50% strength) BG of fragmented veterans and a almost as badly damaged BG of argyraspids standing next to each other.
On the left I advanced and took an innefective shot. The Numidian LH charged an shooed away my Cretans and Skythians. Over the next few turns I distracted the Numidians with my Agema while the cataphracts slowly switched from the right of the Agema (facing spearmen) to the left of thr Agema facing the light horse. A poor death roll saw a base of Agema die but other than that and the occasional disruption they held up the Numidians for a while.
Eventually the cataphracts charged and forced the Numidians to evade opening up the way for my Agema to have a go at the Carthaginian cavalry.
On the right my light foot archers in the field shot and disrupted the Numidian light horse facing them. The Numidians charged and in the resulting combats ended up a base down and fragmented before breaking off (we forgot the first breakoff) The archers then stepped up and broke the Numidians with shooting (1HP2B hits so -1 and 25% lost and fragmented for a -4 on the test)
My Thorakitai initially provided an overlap for the central melee but after realising that the cavalry slaughtering my archers would be heading for them next decided to charge the slingsers facing them. Over then next few turns the slingers took a base off my thorakitai (another 1 on the death roll grrrr) and disrupted them but were pushed back to just in front if their camp in the process. The slingers had to hold their ground or evade off table and sacrifice the camp. The thorakitai got stuck in and gradually wore down the slingers (the slingers fought like heroes and being superior was really handy for them).
The game ended when my Agema hit the cavalry on my left and disrupted them at impact (the lancer bonus being significant) killing the Carthaginian TC in the process which resulted in the Carthaginians fragmenting. In the melee phase my three bases of armoured elite cavalry led by a general proved better than six of fragmented protected superiors. The cavalry broke as did the slingers and my thorakitai pursued into the Carthaginian camp.
I suffered 6 AP, I inflicted 10 even though I only needed 8 to break the army.
There were no significant rules issues appart from which direction does a BG that has been hit front and flank rout in? Does this change if the frontal opponent's can't pursue because they are fighting someone else.
700 AP seemed very reasonable for a 25mm game on a 6 by 4 table.
Hammy
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