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Xenophon's Ghost covers military history and wargaming from the ancient period to modern times.

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Arabian Battles

As Sparta fought Kappadokia, Jeff's Arab Conquest army managed to beat my Seleucids twice.  I'll cover both bouts in this bit.  As the day progressed, my attention to photography waned.

Round One

In this battle, terrain didn't affect the results, but you can see there wasn't much on the board.  I played defender and kept the table open in hopes of giving myself some maneuver room.  Of course, the benefit was mutual with these two armies.

Early advances

After moving forward in a more organized manner this time, I launched the kamikaze Scythed Chariot (pardon the historical analogy incongruity).  It failed me.

Here is the plan:  Charge and then jump out at the last minute.

After a few rounds of maneuvering and being shot at, my Knights rashly charged the Bow.  The force included my General, and both were quick killed.  Game over!
Bows QK the General and his Escort - dumb tactical move...

The final disposition of forces is depicted below:  Losses:  Seleucids 3 (with Gen and Sch), Arabs - 0.

End Game

Round Two

I did better in my second round, so there is hope for me as a DBA player.  Trying to be slick, I used a Waterway to limit the terrain when setting up the board.  Unfortunately, it ended up behind me.  I am happy to report that I did manage to avoid recoiling or fleeing into the Mediterranean.



Jeff and I both kept our force basically organized in singular large forces, and I managed to advance forward in a cohesive way.  Once again, I launched the Scythed Chariot early with no effect.  




The battle turned into a slug fest between the two lines, and I think it could have turned out as a victory if my luck had been a bit better.  I managed to win several fights, but the results were not favorable. The Cavalry recoiled, my Knights pursued, and the Seleucid General lost control.  Seleucid Pike losses and recoils in the face of Warbands made the situation worse.



Although I took out one Arab Cavalry, I ended up losing two Pikes and one Cavalry before the final, ugly round.  The coup de main resulted in the Seleucid General and a Psiloi biting the dust.

Final Losses:  Arabs - 1 Seleucids - 6 (Including 1 Sch).  Ouch!

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