Journeys through the Eternal Empire - Part One

[massina_nz]

This is a first of a series of AARs based on some of the armies in the new supplement - Eternal Empire.

My aim is to play with different types of armies to see how they operate.

First up is the Crimean Tartars - essentially a Mongol army. I've played these before and am relatively comfortable with using them.



A mix of Light Horse, Armoured and Protected cavalry, but all drilled. This ability especially helps with the cavalry units as they can turn and retreat and then turn back to shoot, all in the same move.

I also go for quality over quantity only, selecting only Superior troops. I want my units to have better-than-average dice when loosing missiles, and resilient to return missile fire - allowing 55% casualties before routing, and having improved cohesion tests.

[massina_nz]

I win initiative and go for an open battlefield, as the Hungarians have a wide and varied list so may turn up with anything. If I was facing an army dominated by lances and spears I would actually choose a dense map, as non-clear terrain severely hampers their effectiveness.



I break my army into two groups to maximise spacing – be interesting to see which Hungarian army turns up.

Note: All my troops are within command range at the start.

[massina_nz]

Knights, lots of defensive spears and war wagons and some MF bowmen – mostly slow moving stuff, which is good for me. Also note there is only one opposing commander.



I advance, concentrating my shooting against any enemy troops out of command range as they don’t get +1 for cohesion test if I inflict two hits with shooting. I move my heavy cavalry to the sides as they are the slowest and can sometimes get trapped in the middle of the map. And send three cavalry units from right to the more open left, where I expect they will be better utilised. Of course the first laborious task I have to do is setting all my troops to always evade.

[massina_nz]

In my opponent’s turn the Hungarian bows get too close, they are now within charge range of my cavalry. MF in the open, with nothing in front of their flanks – that’s way too tempting for me.



I manage to inflict one fragment in the charge, was at + POA this turn, next turn my cavalry will be at ++ POA, and have stopped enemy LH lancers from being a pain.



Left hand flanking movement begins. I retreat my LH bows back to maximum bow range. If I kept too close there is a chance of some of my LH being surrounded and picked off. This can’t happen at maximum range.

[massina_nz]

The Hungarian archers disrupt and rout in their turn. One of my cavalry units breaks-off due to end-of-turn contact with an undisrupted spearmen unit. I have to use it again, (it’s just off the bottom of the picture) to attack the circled archer unit otherwise spearmen can attack my other cavalry from the rear, if they don’t rout their opponents (and won’t break off either). The easiest option is to attack the archers at good odds, and ZOC the spearmen in.



The charge against the disrupted archer does nothing however other enemy units already in contact rout, causing most of the Hungarian skirmishers behind to evade away. The LH lancer is also routed.



My LH keep retreating and shooting, three steps back and one forward- I can only do this so long before I reach the map-edge, but it does keep my horses way from the foot crossbows.



The envelopment on the left continues.

[massina_nz]

The Hungarian LH attack as their knights advance, exposing their flank to my envelopment move.



Hungarian infantry begin to disperse, but it’s too late, they should have done this at the start of the battle.



One of my LH is able to position itself so it doesn’t need to evade any more – if the Hungarian LH attempts to attack it, it will have to be charging uphill, because of the frontal arc limitation.



Manage to contact one knight from the side, with a rear attack. My cavalry didn’t start from behind so knight wasn’t disrupted by contact, but by the (++ POA) combat result. I don’t charge in with other cavalry unit, as it may get a rear attack next turn.



Manage to lock one enemy LH into combat with one of my LH, then charge in with cavalry, whilst on my right the cavalry continue to disperse the opposing skirmishers.

[massina_nz]

A couple of knights are routed, one after several missile attacks takes it below 75% and then a rear attack routs it. One of the pursuer’s ends up stuck against a knight, but I hope for a rear attack next turn.



I rout a LH, but another pursuer ends up in a precarious position. So I place a LH to its left, hoping to draw away the knights. Normally they will follow the evade path of the first unit they contact.



My camp is about to get looted as normal – and I surround a LH so it can’t escape. Making sure to set my units in the charge arc to “not evade”.



On my far right I continue chasing after skirmishers - not much else to do here anyway.

[massina_nz]

A rear attack gets blocked by a routers move, however if I attack the router, then when it moves at end of the turn it will follow the router and disrupt the steady unit.

My blocking LH from last turn did stop any rear attacks on the cavalry unit in melee with the spears. However it got caught by an enemy LH, and will be toast next turn. Hopefully my cavalry unit will lose its melee with the spears and then break off.



I get a freakish result by fragmenting the knight in melee. At the end of the turn, the router move away, and the cavalry attached enters the hex behind, routing the knight.



I line up some rear attacks for next turn. Remember the enemy LH on right will turn to face in their turn, exposing their rear hexes.



I use another LH to draw away the knights, and my disrupted LH survives! The cavalry next to spears has good result, and manages to break off- and escapes unharmed. The disrupted LH even recovers to steady at the end of its turn. I won it’s combat so got an opportunity to perform a rally. Having the commander next to it helped. No doubt the knights will charge it next.

[massina_nz]

In my opponents turn a LH of mine gets routed and another LH gets stuck to a knight



Whilst the spears are occupied to their front, I will slip in some cavalry behind them



I manage to rout an archer unit via shooting only – and now my cavalry just have to loose arrows and retreat to suck the Hungarians forward and leave their rear unprotected.



I lose another LH which was stuck at the beginning of the turn. On the right I retreat so that the Hungarian LH can’t get behind me.

I keep skirmishing on the left to lock those spears in place, whilst I threaten the rear of the knights.



I’m able to get one rear attack versus a knight, but my cavalry didn’t start from behind it so doesn’t auto-disrupt – so I line up another cavalry unit to get a rear attack next turn when the knights turns to face it’s initial attacker.

[massina_nz]

The Fragmented spears rout in their turn, which luckily disrupts the spears behind it, as my cavalry blunders into them during pursuit, and survives the combat without disruption, but it is now stuck against the spears.



I knock one spear unit down to 66%.



Hit one knight form behind – that was fighting another unit my cavalry, the rear attack disrupts and melee fragments – my superior manoeuvrability is working really well



Reduce a LH unit down below 75%.

[massina_nz]

I manage to rout one spear (A) through shooting, and catch a LF in the open (B) – ending the game.