AAR archive

[stockwellpete]

One of the most interesting features of the two earlier knock-out tournaments has been that some players have taken the time to take screenshots of their games and post them on the forum with a bit of commentary - this is what is known as an "After Action Report" (or AAR for short). It would be good if this could happen again in The Slitherine Trophy. The AAR doesn't have to be particularly elaborate. Four or five screenshots at various stages of the battle and a bit of chat would be fine. The links here are a sample of some of those earlier AAR's . . .

http://www.slitherine.co.uk/forum/viewt ... 96&t=37513
http://www.slitherine.co.uk/forum/viewt ... 96&t=38157
http://www.slitherine.co.uk/forum/viewt ... 96&t=32201

If you think you might like to do an AAR at some point in the competition can you please post your name in this thread? Ideally we would like to get at least one AAR for each round.

[stockwellpete]

Here is my way of doing them, Klay . . .

1. Select your map for the screenshot and use the mouse wheel to make it as large as possible on your screen.
2. Firmly press “PrntScr” on your keyboard to take the screenshot.
3. Open up a new Word document.
4. Right-click the mouse and paste the screenshot into the Word document (please note: if all you get is a small blob on the Word document then the screenshot has failed and you will need to start from the beginning again).
5. Right click on the screenshot on the Word document and “Save as Picture”.
6. Give the map a title and press “Save”. Close the Word document.
7. Open Imageshack.
8. Check “Image resize” box and set to 19 inch monitor (1280x1024).
9. Click “Browse”.
10. Go to your “My Pictures” folder and left-click on the map you require.
11. The title of the map will appear in the “File Name” box. Click on “Open”.
12. The map will now appear in the “Upload” box on the Imageshack screen.
13. Click the blue “Upload now” box.
14. The screen will change and a small version of the map will appear on the left of the screen. On the right of the screen in blue text the words “Continue to image links” will be seen. Left-click on the blue text.
15. The screen will change again. Go to the “Direct Links” box, highlight the text within it, right click on your mouse and press “Copy”.
16. Go to FOG forum and start your post or PM.
17. Click on “Img” box (in row of options just above the area where you will type your message. This will appear in your post .
18. Paste the direct link text from Imageshack in-between [img]and[/img] leaving no spaces.
19. Complete your post or PM.
20. Check your post or PM and it should contain your screenshot.

[hidde]

I've posted an AAR of my game vs tamerlane. Short but quite a lot of pics,
Link:viewtopic.php?f=96&t=44588

Anders

[hidde]

http://imageshack.us/
There are several similar sites if you don't like it.

I don't use Word. I just save the pics in the "My pictures" folder.
If I want, for example, to resize a pic I use Paint to open it.

[batesmotel]

In general, Paint or a similar application meant for dealing with images is better than Word. It will give you better options for format for saving the image and also allow you to re-size,crop and re-orient the image.

Chris

[ianiow]

I set up my Palmyrans in the SW corner and did my best to stay behind the northern hill while Guido's Arabs marched diagonally towards me. All of Guido's frontline superior spearmen have bows so I had to try to use the terrain as much as possible to shield my troops from the arrow onslaught. The northern hill has changed hands several times. First occupied by my lights, then Guido's lights, then the big boys came. The battle for the hill could go either way now.

The Arabs tried to come around both sides of the hill with their spearmen but because I am outnumbered I chose only to meet him on the eastern side. A Roman cataphract impetuously charges the end of the Arab spear line but bounced off disrupted (7% chance of winning!), the other cats pushed the camels back and are threatening the Arab left flank. In the center two Roman cohorts are making headway against two Arab spear units.

Still anyone's game.

Ps I will be away for 5 days so will make a special effort to catch up on Thursday.

Ian

[ianiow]

Combat is well and truly joined. The Arab MF unit on the hill routed by losing over 44% casualties. In the middle the Arab IC rallied a fragged spearman back to disrupted and his buddies all made a good show of staying alive despite taking a beating. The legions crashed into the spearmen almost all the way along the line but the only breakthrough was on the Arab far left flank although the spearman managed to stay alive on 2xskull 45% casualties (dammit!).

[hidde]

Don't have much to add. Shooting will continue and I have no intention to try and catch neither Almughavars nor knights...
because it's impossible

[ianiow]

The Romans try to encircle the Arab left whilst the Arabs try to sweep the Romans off the hill.


The Arab MF gain the top of the hill and look to sweep down onto the defending Romans. But on the other flank the Arab spearmen are in dire staits.


The Arab IC dies and with him the Arab centre and left being to fold. The Romans on the hill miraculously hold their position but Im sure they will be doomed next turn.

[hidde]

Eric looted my camp after the screenshot was taken.
The lone LS cav in the upper right broke-off between my pike and companion...argh! Disrupted LS usualy refuse to rear charge but still not good

[ericdoman1]

Not looking good for me here. It will soon be 21/36 vs 8 or 9/25 I reckon. We are on turn 15. I have 18 missile troops to hidde's 4 and so far in all of my turns of shooting I have not disrupted a single unit of Ander's and have only done double figures three times. Ander's IC would have prob prevented a number of disruptions but it has been irrelevant due to poor shooting

The idea of running and shooting was my main gameplan. Hoping to soften ANder's troops up so they would be below 75% but my shooting has been terrible and so it is looking like the end for me.

[ianiow]

The Arabs finally conquered the hill but from their vantage point all they could see were the corpses of their dead comrades with Romans standing over them. Victory to Palmyria!

[stockwellpete]

The final between Eric and Ian will be starting on Saturday and hopefully they will be able to provide a few screenshots and comments as the match progresses. Good luck chaps!

[stockwellpete]

While we are all anxiously waiting for the first news from the final, here is a picture of a funerary bust of a Palmyran women. We can only hope that Ian doesn't do quite as much cocaine (as she seems to have done) during the course of the final!

[ianiow]

My first dice roll is a '1'. Not the best of starts for the boys from Palmyra. I have chosen Very Open because I don't want Eric's Almughavars to have anything to hide in. Lets see what Eric chooses for a map.

[ianiow]

So here is the lovely map Eric has presented me. Deployment is a no brainer. Eric will have a large skirmish based army like in his QF vs hidde with masses of lights out front, supported by cavalry, supported by knights with MF to dominate terrain. My army is a bulldozer, move towards the weak part of the enemy in tight formation and crush. Sitting on the nice big hill on the left would mean slow death by archers. Capturing and holding the ridge on the right however shows more promise. Of course Eric has calculated that he can get his army there first because I have lots of HF and he has none. But what if I force march my cavalry there first? Would he have a counter for that? Lets try it.

[stockwellpete]

That is one of my battlefield designs, that is! The sunken marshes are a dead giveaway.

[ianiow]

Ok, I've got to the ridge before him. He has sacrificed a few knights for more cheap cav. His plan is to encircle me while shooting me to bits. Will he confront my cav on the ridge or hang back in the valley and shoot me? (nb. mistake number one - not giving my LH skirmish orders).


Ouch. Even odds but 2 hits to nil for Eric. My next obvious move would be to send in the cav and cats but look whats coming up behind - Eric's knights. Ideally I need his knights to charge my bow armed legionaries rather than my cav/cats which I need to chase down his horde of cheap cav and skirmishers.


Gambling, I leave the LH to its fate and pull my mounted troops to the wings. In a fight for the ridge I would need my HF and they are lagging too far behind to aid a cats vs knight battle. Eric would have calculated he would heavily outgun and outclass any cavalry sorte to the ridge. I should have planned for that. (nb. mistake number two - placing a LF next to my right flank cavalry unit).

[ericdoman1]

I thought I had made a mistake with the hill, in that Ian would have reached it first. It would have been touch and go and so I was quite pleased when I had noticed he had pulled away. All of my MF are unprot off spear and it is about 50/50 with my cav being prot or unprot. Thought Ian may have gone with more armoured legions but in hindsight he made the right choice with sup prot.

Once more I have quite a monopoly when it comes to missile troops. Hopefully they will perform better than last round. Some combat (when you see the next screenshot) the Lanciarii advanced to the hill and are fighting Almughavars and cav. I have the upper hand based on more troops but his legions will prob join the melee shortly. 2 vs 0 to me (routed his LH), combo of cav and Almughavars have disrupted both Lanciarii units but two of my cav are in dangerous positions. Some of my knights have reached the hill as well, trying to advance around his left flank and shoot him up as much as possible.

[Jonathan4290]

You guys are doing a great job with these updates. It's actually pretty exciting to see the next turn and track the battle.