ADLG - Game Report 319

Andalusian Arabs (133) vs Tang Dynasty (175)

Thursday's come around quickly when you want to wargame, and once again we were joined at Entoyment from the Wessex chaps. I decided to bring the Andalusian Arabs out to fight Jon's Tang dynasty. I won the initiative and decided to attack in the plains. We deployed with the horse on the right, excellent placement to engage the Tang horse, while the spearmen took their place in the centre facing twice their number of enemy polearms and spears. Hidden in the gully were some javelinmen. Meanwhile the light cavalry had been sent left flanking.

The line will advance! The ambush has been revealed with the intention of sweeping around the enemy infantry line on their right. There are clouds of dust on our left indicating that the light cavalry is on its way!

As the light cavalry make their presence felt and bear down on the enemy camp, the Arab horse has engaged the Tang horse where their impact ability has been beneficial in winning three of the combats. The javelinmen has secured an advantage on the left and with the support of the light cavalry it will give an advantage in the subsequent foot combats.

The enemy camp is ours! The javelinmen have not been able to intervene in the combats as the enemy adroitly manoeuvred a spearman unit to intercept them. However, the Arab light cavalry is posed to join the fight, and not a moment too soon as the Arab spears are under significant pressure. On the right the battle between the Arab and Tang cavalry is playing no favourites.

The Arab horse have won their combats and although wounded they are now poised to attach the open flanks of the enemy spears and pole arms. In the centre the Tang infantry are struggling with a unit caught in bot rear and flank. However, the Tang flank guard destroyed the javelinmen who foolishly decided to stand to defend themselves.

Outcome

An Andalusian Arab victory suffering 23 of 25 casualties, most of which could have been avoided if we had remembered to count the loss of the camp at least two game turns ago!

Lessons Learnt

Don't forget to include the enemy camp in the cohesion losses if you sack it!

Javelinmen can evade when charged, which would have saved two losses. They certainly didn't need to stand

ADLG - Game Report 318

Arab Indians (135) vs Thematic Byzantines (126)

Another Thursday, another day at Entoyment. We were all continuing the momentum with design and redesign of our Kegworth options. For this battle I decided to bring out the Arabs Indians again against Robin's Byzantines. I was invited to defend in the plains. We deployed with the cavalry refused on the left (again) and this time the Elephant moved to the right expecting, and Robin delivering, enemy Horse on that flank.

On the left the light cavalry moved to screen the medium cavalry from the ravages of Byzantine horse archers. While on the right the elephant and his light cavalry are moving to disrupt the horse archers trying to delay the engagement of elephant against Byzantine cavalry.

For once the bowmen on the ends of the line of the spearmen have been effective in causing attrition on the Byzantine cavalry, all of which will significantly reduce the likelihood of their mediocre bow fire proving effective. On the left the light cavalry screening the Hindi medium cavalry has ended behind the enemy's flank, but it is not clear whether this will benefit us or not. However, the elephant is an excellent position!

The Byzantine horse took fright against the elephant and evaded, while on the left the Arab horse at the end of the cavalry line has been successful while the centre has suffered from the Byzantines, but their flank is now exposed.

The Byzantine cavalry has tried to both move away from the edge of the battlefield, but at the same time others are trying to screen he camp from the elephant; will they stand or run away again? In the centre the Arab spearmen are now making short work of their Byzantine foes, and to their left the Arab horse only have one Byzantine cavalry unit to contend with.

The Byzantine cavalry stood against the Elephant and wounded it with their archery and have wounded it further in the subsequent combat. However the Byzantine centre has been broken.

Outcome

An Arab Indian victory losing 14 of 26.

Lessons Learnt

The initial deployment of the elephant could have been improved by putting both swordsmen on the outside flank; one of them didn't contribute anything meaningful to the battle.

The tactic of covering the medium cavalry with the light cavalry worked well, it managed to push the enemy light horse archers so far back they were no longer able to influence the battle.

ADLG - Game Report 317

Arab Indians (135) vs Shatuo Turks (177)

Once more the Arab Indians were challenged to combat, this time by a revised Shatuo Turks list that Kevin had assembled. It is amazing how much effort we are all putting in to build our armies for Kegworth; anyone would think this was the gold standard event for wargaming rather than a meeting of Old Codgers! I was invited to defend in the Plains, and managed to secure a coastline to protect at least one flank. This was likely to be important given that with only two commands deployed Kevin was about to launch a flank attack.

The flank march arrived and we were able through our deployment to meet it with sufficient force. Although the left wing was likely to be under severe pressure, until such time as the foot command was able to wheel to its left!

The Turks decided to mass the wight of their cavalry on our left leaving our four heavy cavalry to face twice that number of medium and heavy horse archers. Away on the left the Indian medium cavalry is trying to force the flank march off the table. While on the right the foot and bows are trying desperately to get into the fight.

In the centre the Elephant and its supports are pinching a hole in the centre of the enemy line. However, their weight is on their right and it continues to greatly outnumber our own horse. At least the bowmen on the right have plenty of targets to engage to cause attrition on the enemy, while the spears try to move to engage, albeit slowly.

The battle has become small engagements with no possibility of either side having meaningful support. The Elephant command is heading for the enemy camp, while the enemy are trying hard to reciprocate the favour on our own camp. The Indian medium cavalry have long since perished on the left flank, destroyed in combat with light horse archers, how degrading for them.

Outcome

A very narrow Indian victory suffering 25 of 26 cohesion hits in the process.

Lessons Learnt

The Indian Medium Cavalry do not offer much benefit other than being cheap!

It would have been better to have the bowmen on the right flank, with their firepower and superior mobility they would have allowed greater pressure to have been applied to the enemy light horse archers.

It was valuable refusing the left flank as it allowed the cavalry to redeploy unhindered.

ADLG - Game Report 316

Andalusian Arabs (133) vs Arab Indians (135)

For my second game it was a pleasure to play Paul P again. This time he would be using his own version of the Arab Indians against my Andalusian Arabs. With my extensive wing of light cavalry, I won the initiative and decided to attack in the plains. I deployed my horse command on the right only to end up facing a mass of spears, which would not be fun to engage with!

Winning the initiative and moving first (and with some exceptional command dice) I was able to manoeuvre the horse command left and the foot command right.

The light cavalry was sent left flanking through the gully, and the horse command moved forward to prevent the enemy reorientating to the threats I presented to them. Another bonus was that my javelinmen were on the left of the line of foot and therefore useful placed, as elephant killers, to engage the elephant.

Somewhat inevitably the enemy horse was caught in the front and flank by my heavy cavalry. The absence of the elephant was due to its demise from charging and then being caught in the front and flank.

The cavalry battle took some time to calculate the result. Not least because it threw up an interesting rule point, which took the collective brains of four of us to work out, about who conformed to whom during the combat! While this was going on the much simpler foot combat of heavy spearmen pushing and shoving each other was now starting, with initial honours going to the enemy.

The cavalry combat only the left flank went one way once we were attacking the front and flank. And unfortunately, the foot combat didn't fare much better for the enemy despite their initial successes in the previous round of combat.

Outcome

An Andalusian victory only losing 8 of 25 cohesion points.

Lessons Learnt

A good example, unfortunately for Paul, of the perils of trying to redeploy when the enemy is too close; a lesson I have learnt many times myself

The game was an excellent refresher on conformation, and contacts in the flank!