ADLG - Game Report 172

Germans – Batavian Revolt (91) vs Sassanid Persian (109)

Round 3, bring on Robert’s Persians. You gotta love all these Cataphracts. My question is why do so many people have so much luck with them but when I use them they die easily? Robert invited me to defend, therefore for once I managed to secure a wood in a relatively favourable position. I also had more room to manoeuvre, should I need it.

One thing I wasn’t going to do was fall into the trap of advancing into the Killing Zone that Robert was setting up on his left in the Plantation – or at least not until the odds were more on my side.

The line of contact saw one of the Cataphracts roll right over the top of my included General with an elite Heavy Swordsmen unit. They survived the contact only for the General to fall on his sword! The Roman and German Cavalry on my left has broken around the end of the Persian line. While on the German right we are certainly indisposed to attacking those bowmen.

Although the Cataphracts had broken the Allied Command we have managed to regroup and supported by the Romans on one side and forcing the Cataphracts to fight into the wood on the other we have held our own. On the right the Germans have advanced out of the wood to engage the Bowmen, but once again the miracle of the Bowmen who can fight like tigers has caused a hit on the Warband.

The Cataphracts are fighting to survive. But on the right those Bowmen have done it again, they flanked the warband and destroyed it. But help is on the way now that they have exposed their flank. On the left the Roman Legionaries supported by the Cavalry are continuing their advance to drive the Persian Medium Cavalry from the table.

On the left the Persian Medium Cavalry continue to withdraw. However the ranks of Persian Spearmen are advancing to battle. We have finally destroyed the Bowman at the edge of the Plantation, and the remainder of them could soon be wrapped up, that is in spite of the losses to the Warbands – I am of course ever hopeful. The battle against the cataphracts continues.

My hopes were not dashed as we have overcome the majority of the Bowmen, and now we can threaten the line of Spearmen behind the wood. One of the Cataphracts has been destroyed by the Light Infantry – go the Lights! While one of the remaining Heavy Warbands is on an uncontrolled rant of its own.

Face off on the left, while in the centre the Persian Spearmen are in some disarray, with losses from both fighting the Light Infantry at the edge of the wood and the Heavy Warband advancing uncontrolled around the flank of the wood looking for an easy target. We have also destroyed the last remaining Cataphract!

Outcome

A win for the Germans by 25 to 24 inflicted on the Persians.

Lessons Learnt

If you can dissipate the effect of the Cataphracts initial contact they can become vulnerable – which is what often happens to them when I use them.

Avoiding the mass bow fire was a sensible strategy!