Seoul Mini-Tourney

Jeff organized a mini DBA 2.2 tourney in Seoul yesterday.  The players and armies were:

• Jeff  - Arab Conquest
• Ian - Kappadokians
• Ryan - Late Spartans, Phokians
• me - Seleucids (c list)

In about three hours, we played eight games total.  I will share photos of the games in the next few posts.  I tried to take photos and play at the same time, so the coverage will be inconsistent.  I also took more shots at the beginning of the session than the end.

It was a great time.  Having had little playing experience with others, Ryan and I both left motivated.  My son is thinking about procuring his own army....leaning towards a Blade-heavy list.  Jeff and Ian are both good sports.  Ian has a lot of DBM experience, so it was interesting to learn about the differences in the rules.

The Winner Is....

Jeff and his Arab Conquest army were unbeatable.  Ian gave him a good run with the Kappadokians in the final game, and the second Arab-Seulicid match could have gone either way, but Jeff was undefeated.

I need a lot of practice with the Hellenistic armies and in using terrain more effectively.  I failed to create a plan that would maximize the strengths of the Seleucid list.  The Arabs and Kappadokians were particularly difficult for me.  The strengths of the Seleucids, namely the Pikes and Elephant, were not very effective against these lighter and faster foes.  Twice I made the error, once fatally, of trying to send a cavalry unit through a narrow gap between a hill and board edge.  Despite those challenges, I had fun playing a new army and enjoying the fruits of my painting effort.  Although it scored no kills for me, the Scythed Chariot was fun to try out.

Game 1 - Arab Conquest vs. Late Spartans

My son Ryan and I are still newbies.  We both understand the rules in general, but there is a a lot of nuance in DBA.  As Jeff noted, Ryan played a tough army for a beginner - Late Spartans.  It consists of nine spear, one cavalry, and one psiloi.  The Arabs were a combined arms group of mounted, warband, and bow.  Warband QK Spear, so Ryan was in for a tough fight.  

Arab Conquest vs. Spartans

As the defender, he laid down a river across the center of the board.  The river ended up as a paltry crossing, and the battle turned into a slugfest along the banks.  If it had been impassable, the game might have been much slower...

The Arab Light Horse made it across and helped in a flanking move.  The game ended quickly with a 0 Arab - 4  Spartan loss result.

Game 2 - Arab Conquest vs Spartan Redux

Absorbed in my own troubles, I didn't snap a photo of Game 2 until the Arabs had seized the high ground and sent Light Horse on to a flank.  Jeff is not a timid player...The Spartan Cavalry is out there by itself on the far right.  Ryan had attempted to run around the bad going to chase the bow, but Jeff moved the bow into the rough.

Ryan ended up fighting in multiple directions with the Light Horse pestering him in the rear.  After losing two Spear, he managed to flank and kill one Warband.

The Light Horse was headed to the camp after disrupting his line.  In the end, the Arab Warbands Quick Killed a total of four Spear.  Result: 1 Arab to 4 Spartan losses

In the next post, I'll share the results of a much slower game: Kappadokians vs. Seleucids.  I lacked a good plan of action, scattering my force.  The dice gods didn't favor Ian for the first half of the game.