Preview of Sunday's game.

On Sunday coming we will be having an Ancients game featuring Romans against Britons.

I have laid out the terrain(without any troops on it),and when the "boys" arrive they will be given their commands,and can decide where they want to deploy,hopefully the temperature will be a little less than this.....................

Yes that's 40 degrees-in the garage on Tuesday!!

Brian,Graham and Dave will be the Britons,Malcolm,myself and Paul will be the Romans.

Top photo is the table as the "boys" will see it on arrival,bottom is a view of the settlement called Testiculum!(childish I know but it keeps me amused!) Those ships aren't filled with troops are they??

Top photo shows a general view down the table,bottom shows a couple of friendly fishing vessels!

Hopefully we will have a full turnout,and a good game-roll on Sunday.

Fog on the Rhine.Germans vs Romans.

Last night Graham,Brian and I had an all-tussle,kick and rush type of Ancients game,and it was a "cracker".
I had set the game up as a 4-hander but as only three of us turned up,I took on the role of Roman commander,controlling 2 full legions(not an easy task!!) whilst Brian and Graham took control of two lots of German tribesmen-my objective was to cross the river,the German objective was to stop me-simple but effective!!

This is the table before any movement-Romans on the right,Brian's command to the front of the photo,Graham in the background.

This is Brian's view of the 7th Legion advancing-because some of his troops were behind a barricade,and I had to advance uphill,I put the fighting ability of this legion as "high"-but they still had a hard job of it!!

We're off!! Both Graham and I advanced to contact asap,and,being out-numbered,I was quickly flanked and driven back,but as the main lines contacted,the tussle was much more even,neither side gaining a real advantage early on.On the other flank,Brian and I contented ourselves with some skirmishing,stones,javelins and arrows flying all over the place!!

Skirmishing done,now in with the sword and spear!!-this looked spectacular,and lasted a few moves before my superior training(and generalship?) started to come into play,and the defences eventually fell,and I gained the flank,in the last move!!!

The fight between Graham and I continues!!! but I am aware that he now has "spare" warbands bearing down on my exposed right flank,where two cohorts have fled-oh dear!!

Graham has,indeed, taken advantage of his "spare" warbands,and is giving me hell!!-I think all is lost on this flank(10th Legion too!!)

Two final shots showing my 7th Legion capturing the defences-because I had won one flank and lost the other,a draw was decided to be the fairest result-although it must be said the,theoretically,because I had crossed the river,I had won!!!!!
This was good game,and I enjoyed it,as did Brian and Graham-well done to us all.

Battle of the Danube Defences 101AD.

The American Military have a word that describes last night's game-FUBAR!!!
It has now got to the point,that I am giving up club wargaming for a couple of weeks,to get my enthusiasm and sanity back!!!

Battle of Lokis 422 BC.

Not feeling too grand today,so will make this blog shortish!
Graham,Brian and I played this Greek vs Greek game last night,which resulted in a resounding defeat for the Spartans(ME!!)

Scenario and table lay-out,I was Spartans,Graham was Thebans and Plateans,whilst Brian was Athenians.

Attack and counter-attack across the stream!!

Top photo shows the struggle in the centre,bottom photo shows the struggle on the Spartan right flank(including a cavalry battle!)

My Corinthian allies retiring(it's good being retired!!)-an omen of doom!

Fragmented lines in the centre and right flank-methinks it's all over!!

All is lost for the Spartan cause!!
Despite the brevity of this blog,this was a good game(lasting 13 moves!) and my brilliant plan was thwarted by some terrible dice throws-there's always a next time!!
roll on next Sunday.

Battle of Marathon.

Last night,by way of a change,we re-fought the famous battle of Marathon.
Dave and I were the Persians,and Graham'Paul and Brian were the Greeks.
If I were to be honest,the game was a very short disaster!!-mainly because I had weighted the "adapted" rules too heavily in favour of the Greeks-in fact,apart from the Persian centre,the rest of the Persians didn't stand a chance!!-ho hum.can't win them all!!!

This is how the table looked before any movement,Greeks to the left,Persians to the right.

The initial "clash"-the weakened Greek centre assaults the Persian centre-we tried something a little different as well,using the centre as one unit,the left flank as one unit and the right flank as one unit-so one dice throw decided who won and who lost-again making the game very fast(and short!!)-oh dear!

These two shots show the Greek flanks successfully pushing the Persian flank units back,whilst the Persians continue to push the Greek centre back(as per history!)

The successful Greek wings turned to catch the Persians in a classic pincer movement-game over!!

One final shot of the table-Graham looks happy!!
To show my disappointment,Brian suggested that I take a "selfie".................

Oh dear,how sad,never mind!!
I then suggested that Brian took a "selfie"...................................

Aaaaaaaagh!!!!
Roll on next Sunday,probably Crusader/El Cid,but who knows??

Romans vs Dacians/Germans.

Last night saw the fabulous five fight this rather impressive Ancients game,pitting two legions against a coalition of Dacians and Germans-and what a game it turned out to be!
Dave,Paul and Graham were in charge of the Romans,whilst I commanded the Dacians and Brian commanded the Germans..........................................

Brian opened the proceedings with a most vigorous attack on Paul's legion,whilst I did a similar thing against the fort(held by Graham) and Dave's legion....................

The fort attack and cavalry attack went well,but my Dacian warbands "bounced" off the first line of Dave's cohorts!!

As more and more Germans cross the stream,Paul is being put under alot of pressure,and is losing officers galore!!-so far so good for the Roman formations though(this was to change!!)

I am holding my line here,but a most disastrous cavalry charge against one of Paul's cohorts brought my intended advance to a standstill!!-Dave's Roman lines are a lesson to us all!

Meanwhile,back at the fort-I have gained access to the fort,and my cavalry are pushing Graham's troops back-hurrah!!-but will this situation last??

Look at those magnificent Roman lines,then Paul went "Hollywood!!"................

With flanks up in the air and lines broken,Brian needed to capitalise on this tactical error,but unfortunately he had suffered too many casualties in previous moves,and was held by Paul's legion-damn it all,man!!!

After my initial warband was forced back out of the fort,I have managed to gain access again,and Graham is giving me a hard time with his auxiliaries,but his cavalry have "gone home" and the flank should have been mine,but Dave transferred a cavalry unit of his to Graham and the Romans held their own(can't touch you for it!!)
In the background you can see my second line of Dacian warbands being slaughtered by Dave's second line of cohorts-oh dear,is this the end??

One final shot,showing Brian's Germans,still fighting but against the odds!!-well done to us all,this was another great game,roll on next Sunday-I will probably be "rolling out" my Plains Indians.
We had a brief discussion about what type of game we will be putting on at Battleground on 24th November at Stockton,but as usual,nothing concrete was resolved-I give up!!!-mainly because I had already told Leon(Pendraken) that we would be doing a WW2 game!-watch this space.................

Battle of Salva River 208BC>

Last night we staged a very exciting Ancients game,Romans against Carthaginians.

Top photo is the scenario,bottom is the table before any movement.
Paul and Brian were the Carthaginian commanders,whilst Graham and I were the Scipio brothers(we commanded more like the Chuckle Brothers(Brother!!))

Opening moves,and Paul and Brian(fresh-faced and tanned from his recent trip to Mablethorpe) move their troops forward-this was going to be fast and furious!

Action!! Graham's flank is right in among it!!-cavalry and infantry,skirmishers all eager to die(too eager?? too soon??)-we got the better of the initial clashes,mainly due to pila,as far as the infantry are concerned-hurrah!

Brian's first line(Celts and Gauls) charged into my Hastati,and a fair old tussle ensued-in the background you can see Graham and Paul are also locked in a Titanic struggle-grand stuff!

Then,disaster struck!!-Graham lost his cavalry,and Paul advanced on his hapless legion,forcing it into a defensive formation!!(note,the lurking Elephant on Graham's left flank of his Princepes)

On my flank,I have driven off the Celts/Gauls but Brian has charged into me with his African infantry-I have turned my Triarii to face the threat from his cavalry and Elephant,so for a while my flank is secure-hurrah!!

This shows the sorry state of Graham's legion(what legion??)-the whole flank has gone-woe is us!!

Whilst my Triarii hold off Brian's Elephant and cavalry,I am moving my un-touched cavalry through a gap,intending to out-flank his African infantry-this move also prompted Paul to move his African infantry into a defensive formation!

There they go,but to no avail!-Paul's cavalry are advancing against my flank,and we have no hope of winning!!

One final shot,my legion was intact(though battered!) and with cavalry about to assault my rear(ooher!!) we called it a night,and a good win for Brian and Paul-well done lads.
Don't know what's happening next week-Graham is on holiday,and Dave seems to have gone AWOL-although he is planning a demo game for Border Reiver(1st September) so hope everything is going ok!!