Byzantium v. Arabs again

 Chris & I delayed our Tarkine rafting trip for a day to allow a wether front to pass, so had a Sunday avfternoon battle using a selection of teh armies used last Tuesday reducing the numbers to about 2/3rds.
Arabs: Chris.
Byzantines: Jim

The Byzantines are on the left.

The Byzantines advanced quickly hoping to break the Arab centre before they could be outflanked by superior numbers.

Contact was made simultaneously all along the line.  The Arabs generally doubled their units to try to counter the better quality of the Byzantines but even so, the Byzantines by using small units in support had an advantage in almost every combat.  The advantges quickly disapeared in an  avalanch of hot dice as the Byzantines won only 2 of 9 combats in the first round.  One Komntaratoi unit broke thru but the rest of the line gradually disintigrated.

The Arabs only lost 2 unts before the Byzantine army failed their army morale test with half their units broken. Chris had a good plan & dice gods so approved of it, it became a crushing victory.

Byzantium v. Arabs

We have stepped another couple of centuries forward this week to pit Byzantium v. Arabs.
Arabs: Mike & Chris
Byzantium: SteveJ & Jim

Byzantines on the left with a symmetrical deployment:  heavy infantry in the centre flanked by medium infantry with archers in support, then cataphracts, then heavy cavalry with light cavalry support.
The arabs have a similar deploymenr, but have weighted their right wing with extra cavalry.

Thye Byzantines advanced quickly on theri right & centre to minimise the effect of the Arab's horse archers. They held their left back a bit where their cavalry was outnumbered.

The combats started on the near flank then quickly extended along the front.

On the near flank the Byzantine cavalry eventually got on top, but at such cost that their victorious cavalry was all shaken & unable to exploit their wins.  But the decisive issue on thsi flank was a gap the Aeabs left in their line between their cavalry & infantry.  They slipped  infnatry thru the gap to swing left to flank the Arab centre,
In the centre, the Arab deployment in two lines held well against the veteran Konaratoi until it was flanked from the left & a single medium infantry unit took out 3 units rolling up theri second line.  On the far flank, a single Byzantine cataphract unit turned the action Byzantium's way by blasting  a hole through the Arab lines taking out 3 enemy units in succession.

The Arabs lost half their units shaken but under our new Army Morale Test could still fight on becasue they had more unshaken units left than the Byzantines.  The Arabs still had a chance of victory if their horse archers could break some of the many shaken Byzantine units, but they lost more units in close combat & lost that advantage to fail the Morale Test first.  

Late Romans v. Goths

Romans: Jim, Steve & Mark.
Goths: Mike & Chris.

The Romans are on the left in the pics.

The Romans have legionaries in the centre with auxilary infantry then cavalry on both flanks.
The Goths have massed their infantry in the centre, in double lines in the middle & cavalry on both flanks.

The Romans advanced both wings while the Goth charged in the centre.

The legionaries are having a rough time in the centre, but the Romans are using theri better command control to manoeuvre to advantage on both flanks.

The Roman centre has collapsed but si has both of the Goth flanks.  The Goths are
counterattacking the near flank & trying to hold off the Roman left. 

The Romans right is bewing driven baway from the centre, but the Goth right has been noutflanked & has collapsed.  

The Goths fail our new army morale test.  Both sides have having lost half their units, but the Romans have more untis left on the field fit to fight (ie unshaken). 

The game a bit unrealistic in that the victoroius Goths would have pursued to pillage the baggage rather than wheel to the flanks, but also the Romans would have given up on losing nearly all their legionaries.  But it was a great game. 

Rome v. Carthage

Carthage: Mike & Steve
Rome: Jim, Mark & Chris

Romans on left: Legion in the centre flanked by allied spearmen.  Right flank medium cav. Left flank heavy cav & peltasts.
Carthos on right: Citizen spearmen in centre with elphants on their left & scutari on their right.  Heavt cav on right flank. Heavy & light cav on left flank.

The Carthos advanced their right. The Romans advanced their centre while pulloing back their left & extending their right further to the right.

On the far flank the Punics cavalry has charged the peltasts & the scutari have charged the legion.  
On the near flank the Roman's allied spearmen supported by triari are preparing to take on the elphants & their cavalry hang back away from those smelly elephants.

On the far flank the Punic cavalry has disposed of the peltasts & turned to deal with the Roman cavalry.
The scurai are slugging it out with spearmen & legionaries. 
The citizens are still hanging back.
The elephents & spearmen are hard at it.
The near flank cavalry are still both hanging back.

Heavy fighting along almost the entire frontwith wins & losses on both sides.

On the far flank the Carthos are finally getting on top.  
In the centre, it is still indecisive.
On the near flank, the elephants have had a win & a loss, but the triari are taking care of the winning elephants.  The Roman cavalry have worked their way around the flank.

On the far flank the Carthgos are now mopping up the last reisistance.
In the centre the citizens are on the verge of breaking.
On the near flank the elpahnts have been beaten & the Punic cavalry is surrounded

There a flurry of units of both sides being broken & both sides failed their army morale test at the same time, so it was declared a draw.  

The army break test is one of the trickiest rules to get right.  In the last two weeks it has failed to give a satisfactory result.   Some time ago I suggested an alternative test based on the number of unshaken units left on each side after one or both drop to or below half strength but we never came to a decision. 
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Macedonians v. Persians

Persians: Jim, Steve & Mike
Macedonians: PeterM & Mark

Macedonians on far side from their left flank: Mediam cav, peltasts, phalanx, companions.
Persions on near side from thier right flank: Medium cav & horse archers, levy & hop;ites. spahabara, levy & hoplites, medium cav & horse archers. Both sides advance in echelon, leading with their right flanks.

The cavalry on both flanks are in combat.  On this flank, the Persian cavalry is being supported by infantry rurning the companions left flank.

The infantry ghave now come to grips in the centre.
On the far flank, the horse archers support is helping the Persians to get on top.
On the near flank, the infantry support is giving the Persians an edge.

The Persian cavalry are winning on both flanks, but the phalanx is getting on top of the spahabara in the centre.

The Persian centre has collapsed, but the Macedonian cavalry is in deep do on both sides.

Both sides have lost over half their units, so by the rules it's a draw, but we fought on anyway.

After igoring the army morale rule, the Macedonians are doomed as they cannot stop the Persian cavalry destroying the phalanx with bow fire. 

Seleucis v. Antagonis rematch

Antagonis: Jim & Mike
Seleucis: Steve & Chris

Antigonis is on the left.

Seleucis adavnced his whole line, but faster on both flanks,
Antigonis held is position except for sending his Galacian cavalry across the rear of the army from left to right.   He did this both to avoid cavalry fighting elephants & to reinforce his right where Seleucis has put all his cavalry.

On the near flank Antigonis' Greek cavalry with peltast in support held on until the Galacian cavalry arrived. 
On the far flank Antigonis is fighting a delaying action. 
In the centre, Seleucid=s wa relctant to attack the Galacians on the ridge & the small but vteran Antonig phalanx.

On the near flank Seleucis' cavalry is being beaten back.
In the centre Antigonis' phalanx has counterattacked as peltasts outflank the Seleuci phalanx.
On the far flank the Seleucid attack is slow to develop.

The Seleuci cavalry is now totally defeated & the Seleucid phalanx is being rolled up from the flank.
In the centre, the Galacian have charged down the hill to pin the Seleucid phalanx.
On the far flank the Elephants have attacked teh end of the ridge, but the Galacians with peltasts in support are holding the flank.

Antagonis' left has held on as right rolls up the Seleucid line.
Seleucis concedes the battle with half his army broken & the rest doomed to being surrounded.  Antigonis lost just one unit broken.

The armies were similar this week except last Seleucids had a small advantage (1.3%) by having companions.  We swapped the companions for Greek heavy cavaltry thsi week so Antigonis had a small advantage this week.  The advantaged army won both times, but in each case the winner also had the better plan.     

  

 

Ancients: Seleucis v. Antigonis

Seleucids: SteveJ & Chris
Antigonids: Jim & Mark
28mm figs M2M house rules.

Antigonids on near side.
Blind deployment on map with only restriction being phalanxes must straddle the centreline.

Seleucis started with a slow general advance.  Antigonis advanced his right.

Antigonis' attack on the right ran into a shower of hot dice.  His medium cavalry shattered against Peltasts while half his Galatians were stopped by elephants.

Seeing his right was struggling Antigonis attacked on his left. 

Antigonis' counterattack had only mixed success.  On the left end of the line some of his heavy cavalry broke on contact.  Petasts somehow held the line against Companions as his veteran phalanx got on top of half of Seleucis' phalanx. 
On the other flank half the Galacians were broken by elepants & the rest being pinned by half of Seleucis' phalanx tas the elphants wheeled onto their flank.

Antigonis' phalanx is his only winner as Seleucid cavary wraps around his left flank & elepahnts around his right flank.  His army fails army morale & breaks.
 

Sunday school BA

Chris' Soviets v. Jim's Germans: 1250 pts, Key Positions scenario
Soviets mostly Regulars, Germans mostly Veterans.

Pics from German side.
There are 4 objectives: The bridge, the road junction & the ends of the two ridges overlooking the other objectives.
The German's had a clearer run towards most of the objectives than the Soviets & both sides made plans in accordance witht hat.
The German plan was to rush the 3 objectives on the left & hang onto them.
The Soviet plan was to grab the far objective while moving up to a position where they they could engage from cover the Germans on the other objectives where there was no cover & then counterattack.

The Germans gained 3 objectives then lost very high casualties exposed to from Soviet fire down but without cover.  But a German attack by Pioneers down the left bank of the river past the bridge disrupted the Soviet counterattack & a few survivors hung onto each of the objectives to give the Germans a costly victory.