Christmas Game-Plataea 479BC

We had our final game of the year last night and clocked up a 100% turnout!!
As befits this most wonderful time of the year,there were Xmas jumpers and hats,crackers(not us!!) mince pies,hilarious banter and a great game.
Plataea saw a most desperate struggle between Greeks and Persians in history,and it was replicated last night on the wargames table.

This is how the table looked at the start of the game-I had cunningly concealed names in "crackers" and placed them randomly behind each command,so no-one knew what the would be in charge of,and as it turned out Paul,Graham and I were on the Greek side,whilst Dave and Brian were in command of the Persians.

As Graham turned his main contingent of Spartans around to go back and help his mates stuck on the ridge,and Paul moved his Corinthians etc. to assist my Athenians,Dave was putting in a furious attack against my troops!!

Dave's Thebans have made contact with my Athenians-same types fighting is always tense,and this was no exception,the melee swaying back and forth-great stuff.
Meanwhile,in the background you can see that Paul has formed a magnificent line behind me to give full support-I will need it!!

O the other flank,Brian has moved his whole line forward,and,having more troops than Graham,is trying to out-flank him-this is going to be a most heroic struggle.In the gap(mind the gap!) Paul and Dave are battling it out,neither side gaining a real advantage-wonderful wargaming,and nail-biting stuff too!!

Brian's out-flanking move is being held up by slingers,but not for long!-he supported the infantry with light cavalry,putting Graham's Spartans under pressure,and eventually forcing one unit to retire,thus exposing the rest of his line!!!

This shows the struggle between the Spartans and the right-flank Persians-at this critical point in the game,Graham elected to put his commander into the fight,and got him killed!!!-however Spartan pride,and training held up and they stood their ground!!-hurrah!

With light cavalry and infantry behind his lines,it looked as if all was lost on Graham's flank-HOWEVER- good old Graham was up to the challenge,and sent his reserve units over to support his pinned troops,and the flank was stabilised!!-at this point we had to stop for a cup of coffee and a mince pie,because it was so knife-edge!!!

The game resumed,and the Spartans must have really enjoyed the mince pies,because suddenly they started pushing the whole Persian line back-what a reversal of fortunes.-another hurrah!!

With Paul's Corinthians, and their allies pushing Dave's Persians back in the central gap,and my Athenians driving the Thebans back,and Graham winning his flank,it looks all over for the Persians!!

And so it was!Dave and Brian conceded and the Greeks were declared the winners!
By any standards this was a great game,and well played by Paul,Dave,Brian and Graham(and myself?)
It just remains for me to wish you all,on behalf of the Westerhope Wargames Group, a very merry Christmas and a happy and peaceful New Year.