Dailami Dynasties at War Torn

[Robert241167]

Yesterday I had the pleasure of a 2 hour drive to the War Torn show in Scarborough to take part in a small 4 player 650 FOGAM competition run by Paul Johnston.

The 4 players were:
Myself using Dailami Dynasties
Paul Dawson using Western Hunnic
Lynette Maxim using Catalan Company
Chris Justice using Early Scots

I had used Dailami Dynasties in a previous 650 competition with 10 BG’s but found the army could have done with being a little larger. This time I went with 12 BG’s:

3 average dailami in 6’s with 4 MF and 2 LF
4 superior dailami in 6’s with 4 MF and 2 LF
2 average lancer sword LH
2 allied average lancer sword LH
1 allied average bow LF
2 TC’s and an allied TC

Game 1 – against Chris’s Early Scots

We were both +1 initiative but I won and chose hilly as I knew Chris would potentially have some cavalry and superior heavy foot. The left side of the table was relatively clear as the broken ground and brush ended up on Chris’s base edge. The right side of the table ended up a little more cluttered with most of the terrain also ending up on Chris’s base edge but crucially the steep hill ended up just inside my half off centre.

On the left flank Chris placed some light foot in the broken ground with his superior heavy foot next to them. Opposite them I had 2 BG’s of light horse and a BG of average and superior dailami. During the game my light horse charged and broke the light foot as Chris thought light horse would lose dice in broken ground and stood. The light horse then slowed down the superior heavy foot whilst the dailami moved to join the fight in the centre against weaker opposition.

On the right flank Chris also had some more light foot in broken ground with cavalry close by. I had my 2 BG’s of allied light horse opposite and again Chris stood with his light foot. I charged in but broke off without dropping the light foot. My light horse then stayed away as the cavalry got a little too close for comfort.

In the centre Chris deployed average protected impact medium foot from an ally and average medium foot offensive spearmen. The steep hill with my light foot on stopped part of his line advancing and I aimed all of my dailami at the rest before his superior heavy foot could get involved. Once contact was initiated I was up a POA in impact against the spearmen and a POA in melee against the impact foot. Impact went very well as Chris’s combat dice and cohesion dice were very bad and at least on 2 occasions he double dropped. In short order the centre of Chris’s line caved in and the game was over.

25-0 to me and a good start.

Game 2 – against Paul’s Western Huns

Paul was +2 initiative, won and chose steppes. The 2 key pieces of terrain were a broken ground centre left on Paul’s side just beyond the halfway line and another one parallel to that between it and the left table edge. This I calculated meant that Paul would struggle to push forward on my left flank because of the terrain.

On the left flank I deployed 2 BG’s of the lancer light horse and a BG of average and superior dailami. Paul deployed opposite them 2 BG’s of superior bow/sword light horse with a BG of superior protected bow/sword cavalry and a BG of superior armoured bow/sword cavalry behind the terrain. I pushed forward with the dailami towards the terrain and Paul decided his cavalry would be better employed in the centre. One BG of my dailami then pushed off one of his BG’s of light horse whilst my 2 light horse concentrated in pinning and then flank charging his remaining BG of light horse. This resulted in Paul’s BG of light horse breaking.

On the right flank I deployed the allied lancer light horse and the allied light foot as well as a BG of average and superior dailami. Paul deployed opposite them 3 BG’s of superior bow/sword light horse with a BG of superior protected bow/sword cavalry and a BG of superior armoured bow/sword cavalry. Shooting from Paul’s light horse proved fruitless and I charged his 3 BG’s of light horse with my light horse and dailami before Paul’s cavalry could intervene. Both of my light horse won their impacts but it only resulted in 1 of Paul’s light horse disrupting. The other BG of light horse evaded from the dailami. Over the next few bounds 1 of my light horse broke with 1 of Paul’s following closely after. Paul then sent another BG of light horse after mine but mine charged through the storm of arrows and fragmented it before the end of the game. My dailami then charged Paul’s cavalry but both BG’s of dailami went disrupted. Paul then utilized his light horse by charging my dailami in the rear whilst cavalry charged their front. One of the dailami broke shortly after but the other fought on, rallied and forced the cavalry and light horse to break off. This BG of dailami then pushed forward and broke the BG of cavalry.

In the centre I placed 2 BG’s of superior dailami and a BG of average dailami. Opposite these Paul placed another BG of the same light horse. The dailami spent the game ensuring Paul’s BG of light horse didn’t get behind my lines as well as shadowing the cavalry that had moved over from the left flank. Contact was joined just before the end of the game but it was too late.

14-6 to me and a 12 point lead going into the final game.

Game 3 – against Lynette’s Catalan Company

We were both +1 initiative but I won and chose woodlands as I knew the almughavars being spearmen would not like difficult terrain. Unfortunately my large compulsory forest ended up in the centre of Lynette’s side but was then moved to the base line meaning she could advance through it before I could get there. The other terrain ended up on my base edge or the side edges and had little impact.

On the left flank Lynette deployed 2 BG’s of bow/sword light horse and a BG of superior lancer cavalry. Opposite them I deployed a BG of average dailami in the forest on my base edge and a BG of superior dailami just inside them and partly outside the forest. Both of the BG’s of light horse spent most of the game aimlessly shooting at my dailami in the forest but the cavalry managed to charge my superior dailami who were only partly in the forest and broke them quickly. I then spent the remainder of the game on this flank taking the dailami out of the forest away from troops feeding across from Lynette’s centre.

On the right flank I deployed the allied lancer light horse and the allied light foot against which Lynette set 2 BG’s of poor light foot bow and a BG of average javelin light spear light foot on the edge of a forest. One BG of poor light foot were hero’s as after initially taking a charge from my smaller BG of light foot and going disrupted they then went on to break my light foot and continue down the table to take my camp. I will come back to these little fellows later. My other BG of light horse managed to chase down the other BG of poor light foot and then go on to capture the camp. My dailami then charged down the BG of average javelin light spear light foot who failed to evade off table when only needing to evade 4 inch and getting caught in the rear. The final act in the centre was the poor light foot failing 4 or 5 CMT’s to break off from the camp before being trapped by 2 BG’s of light horse and broken to end the game.

In the centre Lynette placed 5 BG’s of almughavars in and outside the large forest and a BG of light foot crossbow. I placed opposite these the remaining 5 BG’s of dailami, 2 average and 3 superior, as well as 2 BG’s of light horse. The almughavars advanced from the forest and I advanced into contact. Despite being up in impact my BG’s took the worst of it and from then on the almughavars had greater numbers. Luckily my fortunes changed and as 2 of my BG’s broke 2 BG’s of almughavars also broke. I then kept the dailami that had broken through moving forward as I was very close to losing at this point. One of my light horse in the centre eventually had to evade off table and another was very lucky not to have to make the same choice.

16-9 to me but it was oh so close to a 19-6 to Lynette which would have won her the competition.

There were 3 kindly donated prizes for the competition and I chose the Litko cohesion markers whilst the 2nd place and 4th place (wooden spoon) got a box of 28mm plastic miniatures from Colonel Bills.

Thanks to Paul Johnston for organizing the competition and my opponents for very friendly and fun games.