One little change I decided to make was to remove the option for the attacker to choose where a terrain piece on a roll of “6”, instead on both 5 and 6 the Defender chose. Attacker still got to choose which side they attacked from. Didn’t turn out any better.
GAME ONE
Gary took Pre-Feudal Scots, I took Anglo-Danish.
Pre-Feudal Scots
1x Warband General
2x Warband
6x Spear
1x Light Horse
2x Psiloi
Anglo-Danish
1x Blade General
2x Blade
8x Spear
1x Psiloi
(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)
The dice said the Scots were invading England so I set up some terrain and then set out my army, and then Gary set out his.
Set-up – the Anglo-Danish are on the left, the Scots on the right.
As the Scots had Warband I didn’t want to give them any bad-going that they could potentially mess my stuff up in (and I had no troops that would benefit from bad-going) I picked all gentle hills…. Of course as I just typed that I realized I HAD to have at least ONE piece of bad-going… doh! (It may seem like I’m a cheater, but really I’m just a complete idiot…).
Pretty much the same think, different angle.
I, being the defender, had the first go. I rolled a one. The only thing I’d really wanted to move was the Psiloi, but, because I’m an idiot, I placed it on the other side of a hill more than 400 paces away from my general…
So Gary moved…
Then I rolled another ONE…
Gary moved again…
I rolled ANOTHER ONE!?
Gary moved again and now we had contact!
The Scots Light Horse attacked my flank.
…and was set to flight off the table edge…
Bye-bye Light Horse!
400 paces is pretty far with the new measurements… This will take some time getting used to!
I think I rolled another one for PIPs and then Gary moved his line into contact.
I also cheated again around this point. It specifically says one must use the same die throughout the game and can only replace it if it rolls SIX consecutive ones!? After four turns of 1 PIP I replaced my die (I know, I know… I’m a big, bad cheater… it’s a wonder anyone plays games with me at all).
Another pretty picture of the Scots charging into contact.
I pretty much threw most of them back… Two stuck around for some more..
I finally rolled more than one PIP – moved some guys forward and flanked the Scots.
I like the new 1 base-width = 100 paces.
And that, as they say, was THAT!
GAME TWO
This time I took the Pre-Feudal Scots, and Gary took Anglo-Danish. I also switched up some of the Scots options…
Pre-Feudal Scots
1x Cavalry General
1x Warband
7x Spear
1x Light Horse
2x Psiloi
Anglo-Danish
1x Blade General
2x Blade
8x Spear
1x Psiloi
This time the Anglo-Danish were invading the Kingdom of Alba. Once again I rolled for terrain, Gary chose a side to attack from…
Initial set-up.
So glad I wasn’t fighting Knights. This was actually WORSE than the terrain the Welsh had against the Normans. Seriously – how would anyone fighting a knight-heavy army have any hope of doing at all well in this situation…!?
I’m seriously considering bringing the old terrain placement rules back…
Another pretty picture of the same.
Did I start moving here…? No I think it’s just another pretty picture of my Scots and their pretty plaids..
Okay now we’re underway… I think I rolled six PIPs – it went to my head… that and all that luxurious space to gallop about in… I double-moved the Psiloi on one flank and the same for the Light horse on the other – galloping for the camp. I sent the General off in that general direction as well hoping to give the Light Horse some support – driving off the Psiloi I figured might try to chase after them…
Ooh look! A camp just waiting to be sacked!
Some how I failed to grasp that if I could double move psiloi in my first bound… so could Gary… He rolled two PIPs and did just that!
I thought for sure this spelled doom for my Light Horse, but we tied and they stayed put…
The Scots advanced! I was beginning to wonder if I might make it to the top of that hill before the English did…
The Psiloi and the Light horse tied again – sixes!?
The next bound Gary rolled a one for PIPs again – moved out some spear to help protect the Psiloi from my Cavalry General… and then finally beat my Light Horse.
Bye-bye Light Horse…
You’d think I’d have learned something from Gary’s mistake in the first game….
The next bound the Scots on the left of the line made it to the top of the hill – but just shy of actually making contact!
The English moved into contact – flanking on one end!
Another shot of the first contact – while everything’s still lined up and pretty-like.
Miraculously the Spear flanked by and fighting blade won! Further down the line two other spear destroyed their English opposites!?
On the follow-up turn the Scots surged forward (selectively – trying to isolate bands of English that could be overlapped or flanked)
One was flanked over on the left of the line – on the hill.
The cavalry General charged the Blade that had been treatening the right of the Scottish line.
The English Spear was annihilated.
Unfortunately the Scots Warband in the center was driven from the field of battle!?
On the following bound Gary flanked my General…
…and knocked them out.
Game Over!
That was a little closer. English lost three Scots lost three including the general…
I like the bigger table – with room to move about. I like that things go faster.
I’ve come to the conclusion, however, that I shouldn’t really be commenting on these rules too much (or any comments made should be taken with a grain of salt), because clearly I am a daft twit with no comprehension of how I should go about playing in them first place…
I don’t mind the lack of rear support form Spear and Psiloi – I rarely made use of those anyway… Knights do seem a little powerful (we weren’t using them in this game, but were constantly commenting on “what would we do if these were knights we were fighting!?”). The random terrain could potentially make the battles even MORE one-sided…
Anyway... good fun. I might get in a game with Christian over the weekend. I have some pictures of these new Scots to post and I should get cracking on the Anglo-Saxon Spear…
Great stuff - really enjoyed that!
ReplyDeleteGreat report Tim. it's rare for me to see DBA played in 28mm
ReplyDelete