Slitherine

Has anyone used scythe chariots yet and more importantly had any success?

For what they cost they seemed over priced compared to other exotic weapons like elephants.

Used them twice with mild success. Both times vs Romans, in one game they tore into a Legionary BG and took out a base but then the Romans passed the CT. In the second game they did disrupt a Roman BG but failed to get any kills. In each game the game finished shortly after, it was our early games and we spent ages rule checking, so I was not able to exploit any advantage.

A bit like DBM, they can be fun and concentrate the opponent's mind somewhat but value for money ? I'd say spend money on your decent troops first then if you have AP left go for it.

Steve P

They also look really great (well mine do anyway).

So should be used when visual effect and drama are more important than winning!

I plan to try some.
I have the figures and I just got the lists this week.

I'll try BGs of 2 and 4 to see what works. I'll tell ya all about it.
I plan to support them with lots of cavalry.

I used them to great effects .
Scythed chariots are usually not enough to break the ennemy, but if you put them just in front of one of your shock units, you let thelm charge they will at least cause some havoc, some loses . They will either break the ennemy ( unusual ) or cause loss of one step of cohesion or some loses . If the ennemy does not reorganise, you charge the ennemy with your full power in order to hoppefully break him in your turn !

Scythed chariots are, I think, the classic example of troops that will work brilliantly once in a blue moon and disappoint most of the time - just like histpry really.

I suspect that you may be able to use them to worry some opponents, but don't count on it

They cause loses and whern they dissapear, you do not have to test and with 3dice at shock, you have some chance to cause some loses , it is sometimes just enough to help you break your ennemy . Of course, you could choose to buy another more stable unit .

I used them at the zippo and will try latter at Moncheaux . I will keep you informed of how well it went ( it is next week end )

Personlly I think they are gimic weapons that were very little used and even less had any sort of success. Feel it would have been best if they had just been ignored, ok yes they are fun but if you have special rules so you can include scythed chariots I think you should have special rules to include flaming pigs................

I've never seen scythed chariots used so I don't know but could you keep them in reserve and wait for the enemy line to get weakened and then send them crashing in to the line to break them? It seems like mathematically it would be VERY difficult to break an enemy on their own and at that point cost I would rather just purchase something else.

I went to Moncheaux last week and used a group of 4 scythed chariots . First battle was unconclusive but they managed to destroy on base of elite legionnaries . During the second battle , they broke the ennemy center routing 3 units one after another . 3rd battle nothing special but during the 4th battle I used them to destroy ennemy heavy chariotry ( elite ) . So they can be usefull .

bahdahbum wrote:I went to Moncheaux last week and used a group of 4 scythed chariots . First battle was unconclusive but they managed to destroy on base of elite legionnaries . During the second battle , they broke the ennemy center routing 3 units one after another . 3rd battle nothing special but during the 4th battle I used them to destroy ennemy heavy chariotry ( elite ) . So they can be usefull .

Have I missed something ? Aren't they taken off the table after the melee phase of the turn they contact enemy ? How could they take out 3 units one after the other ?

Steve P

You have missed something. They get picked up in the JAP phase if they are in contact with unbroken enemy. So they have impact + melee to slaughter their foes; if they do they get to keep on rolling.

Marc

Tried my first intro game a week ago, my Pontics vs Romans, got too close and he charged my 4 Scy Chariots with his Legonaries, drew with 6 hits each (me on 12d6, him on 8d6). Melee wasn't much better.

Would have to say I'd use them more often than not as they can affect your opponent's action just by being on the table sometimes even they do nothing.


John

vichussar wrote:Tried my first intro game a week ago, my Pontics vs Romans, got too close and he charged my 4 Scy Chariots with his Legonaries, drew with 6 hits each (me on 12d6, him on 8d6). Melee wasn't much better.

Would have to say I'd use them more often than not as they can affect your opponent's action just by being on the table sometimes even they do nothing.


John

He charged you ? How did that happen ? Did you deliberately take a CMT test so that you did not charge impetuously ?

Steve

Fought against Syc Ch last week.

I went out of my way to avoid them, as they kept failing their complex move test they couldn't wheel to hit me.

Watched a friend of mine use scythes against another mate who was playing Romans.

They killed off a base and disrupted a elite BG of legionaires. But they did more than that. The Roman player was so devestated by that that he lost control of the game. He kept on arguing his dissapointment how the chariots dont get to count towards attrition/victory points and yet can do so much devestation. He lost the game in the end as he just didnt recover from that outcome.

Personally I think he gifted that legionaire BG. There was no screen to protect them and no other support near enough to worry the chariots.

Use skirmishers against the scythe. That is their biggest weakness, being shot at. Otherwise, under perfect conditions they will do some serious damage. Im not worried by them at all, if I know someone is using scythes or elephants then I concentrate skirmish power on them until I get an outcome. Elephants are bit harded as they get +1 to sve from shooting in addition to the normal +2. One game, took me two hours to rout an elephant BG and I refused to commit my impact or heavy troops forward until my skirmish line dealt with them.

I do agree with you . Under perfect, even good conditions, schyted chariots can be very effective . You can easely avoid them . So that's the point ! the one who has them has to use them either in reserve for a counter attack, or agressively , but with a screen of his own just to reach the ennemy . Once an elite unit of the ennemy is hit, it can open the way .

I went up against the dreaded scythes last night with my opponent running a Pontic army. He had two BG's with two chariots in each group. Applying my previously stated principal, I focused my skirmishers on the chariots. He had a BG on each wing which he admitted was a mistake. On one side it was pure numbers, I had two skirmishers with 7 dice shooting. Went disrupted and then fragmented in the next shooting phase and then I charged him with my foot bow and he routed.

On the other end had a skirmish screen shoot and disrupt him. He charged into my lance cav while disrupted, lost the combat rolled cohesion and dropped. In melee same result and now fragmented. In the JAP phase removed. The only good rolls he had were the death rolls.

End of lesson.

So if the SCh route as a result of the impact phase or even shooting alone when do they get removed or can they be rallied?! Since they are not in contact with enemy they are not removed in the JAP if there are enough bases left in the BG.
Seems a bit odd if they could be rallied as the drivers, I thought, tended to jump off when it got a bit out of control

stenic wrote:

vichussar wrote:Tried my first intro game a week ago, my Pontics vs Romans, got too close and he charged my 4 Scy Chariots with his Legonaries, drew with 6 hits each (me on 12d6, him on 8d6). Melee wasn't much better.

Would have to say I'd use them more often than not as they can affect your opponent's action just by being on the table sometimes even they do nothing.


John

He charged you ? How did that happen ? Did you deliberately take a CMT test so that you did not charge impetuously ?

Steve

Sry to take so long . My chariots charged his skirmish line and they evaded back thru his Legion while my chariots finished just close enough for them to return the favour.
As this was my first look at Fog we used the Legion charge to to go thru the combat system then finished up shortly after.

BTW I now have my own set of rules and am working my way thru them in my breaks at work. Should do better next time.