ADLG - Game Report 263

Seleucid (42) vs Classical Indians (79)

The week after Brixham a select group of us convened at Entoyment for a round-robin number of games. The goal here was to try and perfect our army selections for our next competitions. For myself it was for Akra Leukra VI in Alicante. I had decided I needed to prove to myself that I could find a Seleucid army that would work.

So, with this in mind the first game was against Kevin's Indians, which he was planning to use (in 28mm) at Beachhead. I was invited to defend in the plains, where we placed our two Pike commands in the centre and on the right, with the Cataphract command on the left.

In order to ensure that each command could support each other the commands were moved to the left. This had the unhelpful benefit of exposing my camp to the enemy.

We managed at least to link the left and centre, but we were forced to bring the right wing into line of battle sooner than we would have wished.

Consequently, on the right the Thureophoroi were sent out to delay and provide some flank protection. On the left the Cataphract command has exceeded expectations.

The threat on the left has been neutralised. While in the centre the only remaining threat is from the Elephants. Out of picture to the right the enemy are advancing on the Seleucid camp.

With the threat in the centre effectively neutralised their now remains one major Indian command to be of concern. Would there be sufficient command and control to reorientate to the threat emerging on our right. Of course, remembering that I was now suffering because my camp had already been taken, and I need to destroy as many Indians as quickly as I could without suffering any more losses.

Unfortunately, as always, when one needs adequate command to exploit a situation, command goes missing! At least the Greek pike phalanxes were able to wheel sufficiently to avoid being taken in the flank. While on the Greek left the Cataphracts are oddly quiet and failing to mop up the enemy right wing.

At last Greek left has worked out that it might be possible to chase the enemy of the battlefield. While in the centre the Greek line has been partially re-established. The Imitation legionaries have made an ill-advised move into the field.

This ill-advised move led to the Legionaries being destroyed. To compound this the sole surviving Elephant has destroyed a Pike Phalanx, and then has moved on to attack the Argyraspides in front while they were hit in flank by Indian medium troops.

Outcome

Seleucid lost by 23 to the Indian's 21 of 24 – a battle that on balance the Greek's should have won. Isn't all down to "should have" or "could have"?

Lessons Learnt

A lack of aggression meant that the need to urgently drive the Indian right from the battlefield in order to release the Greeks to the rest of the battle was lost.

The rash move of the legionaries into the field was a newbie error.

A failure to protect the flank of the legionaries meant that they were lost from being attacked in the front and on the flank.

We shall draw a veil over where the camp was placed leading to its capture; an error that I had made in previous battles.