ADLG - Game Report 216

Achaemenid Persian (64) vs Gauls (88)

Robin invited me to a game, and I decided to go with something completely different. I hadn’t used the Persians for a while and I had recently dusted down and finished additional cavalry units (they were Peter Laing figures, and they had been waiting in the led pile to be finished for about 45 years) so I thought it would be an excellent opportunity to give them an outing. Another reason was that I had not used mixed units swords and bows or spears and bows, and this would be a good starting point.

Robin decided to defend in the Forest, not least because he anticipated that the woods and brush in the centre would be a nice distraction. I placed the Immortals with their cavalry out on the right flank. To their left were two identical commands with Sparaba (Medium Swords and Bows) with supporting light troops and an included Medium Cavalry included General.

We advanced in echelon with the right leading. I was less concerned about the centre as I knew the Gauls would be slowed down passing through the wood in the centre.

Given the slowness of the Gauls in the centre I decided to close up the line on the left of the wood, in order to deliver the maximum possible bow fire and start to attrit the enemy before contact.

As you can see the casualties from bow fire are starting to mount. However, despite the casualties they have inflicted the immortals are in grave peril of being de-immortalised! The Persian horse are doing what they do best which is to sweep around the flanks and cause all sorts of mischief.

It is a case of “would the last Immortal please turn out the light” on the right, and that is despite the success of the Cavalry; what it has achieved is to remove the enemy left as a threat. In the centre the Gauls have made contact and are losing even more casualties while the general in the centre is poised to move down the enemy flank.

The right flank is now protected by an Immortal, and the cavalry. While in the centre the Included Commander as proved his worth as he starts to roll up the Gauls line from their left.

Outcome

A Persian victory by 15 to 28.

Lessons Learnt

A battle of two halves. When the mixed bow units inflict sufficient attrition before contact, then they can possibly win, when they don’t they lose.

A lesson for both Robin and myself to stay out of the woods (or any other difficult terrain) as it can seriously impede your movement.