DBMM Forum
General Category => Battle Reports => Topic started by: lorenzomele on March 03, 2010, 09:44:43 AM
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I like Dacians. A battle versus a nomad army was the right test for them to
check some new rules: interaction mounted vs weak wall of crap foot, wb
performance now that they were utterly nerfed vs Knights, MtC and skirmishers.
My army list was this one:
C1 CiC CvI, 36WbF, 8PsS, 8PsO
C2 SG WbF, 15BdF, 1LhO
C3 SG LhO, 4LhO, 4PsO
C4 AG Sarmation KnF, 7KnF
C5 6BgI
Every element is irregular.
Ambush plus 11PF and a gate to fortify a BUA
The plan was place as much terrain as possible to protect flanks and cover the
approach to the enemy, put a BUA on a 1/2 FE rough hill to be placed in the most
useful spot possible, and support the CiC corps attack with ambush and sally
from BUAf.
I was the defender and choosed my side edge to place terrain rolling 5. My
opponent cleverly choosed the same edge, hoping to clutter my half of the table
and have open fields in his half.
The trick worked.
There was a big wood in the right corner of my deployment area with an HS beside
of its left.
The BUAf landed in the middle of the table, a bit to my left side.
The left wing was full of bad terrain, except an avenue of 25 cm on the left of
the bua and back of it, leading to the rear of the right portion of the rable.
The half table where hsiung nu would deploy was completely bare. No terrain at
all.
I put my Sarmations in ambush in the right wood, then deployed 5 PsS supported
by 5 PsO in the skirmish sector, and the 36 wbf in 3 lines, with the left flank
protected by the BUAf
Inside it the BdF fast on the walls, with the surplus and the LhO ambushed in
column inside the city near the gate, that was oriented towards the enemy lines.
Last the small LhO corps on the left of the BUA, having the task to slow and
delay enemy and avoid he could force a way to the rear of the main command.
Southern Hsiung Nu was completely mounted, no Ax.
There was a wall of 16 KnX facing my wbf, belonging to three corps. LhS were on
both wings and back the center in good numbers.
Looking at the opponent and the terrain the situation was difficult. I decided
to advance forward and engage in the open, wanting to test the rules.
In a tournament environment I would be more prudent.
My opponent plan was to engage the LhS and deliver with the KnX the coup de
grace.
Hsiung Nu had great pips with center and left, but not with the right corps.
This delayed the action of the LhS on the right wing that lost some time to deploy and advance.
Under pressure I proceded to withdraw my LhO decoy corps, for the hsiung nu transferred the
LhS reserve from the center to the left pushing hard to envelop me. This created
a gap in front of the BUAf, exposing the end of the line of KnX near the BUAf. I duly proceded to sally out with a
BdF group. The goal was to envelop the cataphracts and then charge them frontally.
The idea was good, but pips didn't help, with abysimal rolls of mine and
exceptional activations of the nomads.
In 4 turn he redeployed back the LhS, attacked my hapless BdF from 3 sides and
crushed the corps.
This eased the pressure on my LhO that charged back the small LhS covering force
and aided by PsO infiltration killed a couple of elements pushing back the
enemy.
The left flank was safe but at the price of a corps.
While this happened, the Hsiung Nu tries to deliver a second blow advancing with a
12 LhS group on the right, looking for my supported Ps in open terrain. His plan
was crush them, and roll the flank of the wb mass while attacking my front with
cataphract.
The LhS, plagued by low pips, arrived at charge reach of dacian ps with a
formation that gave just 1 overlap, but without being properly deployed.
Many elements where still in the rear lines or in column of march.
I sprang the ambush and with 2 straigh moves (3 pips) charged the enemy with
sarmations. I contacted 4 Lhs with an overlap on the right to my advantage.
The Hsiung Nu was surprised and lost 3 Lh on the fist contact, with more
elements fleeing. The wing was in disarray and I proceded to destoy it with
useful Ps support. This costed me 3 Kn. The sarmation corps was disheartned, but I
killed enough LhS to broke the right hsiung nu corps.
The Hsiung Nu player was fast to react, and his LhS reserve was recalled from
the left to the right to cover the exposed wing of cataphract of the 2 surviving corps.
The metal monster advanced, and were charged by the mass of the dacian.
On the first contact, where I had an overlap, I proceded to kill (6-1) 2 knX.
After a pause to buy a beer to my dazed opponent :) the carnage began. Im my
charge and KnX countercharge I lost 19 WbF and Ps. I was 1,5 ME from rout in the
center, while my opponent lost 8 ME out of a BP of 9.
I did my second charge disheartened and when the dust settled I was 0,5ME from
breaking, routing the enemy center command thanks to a desperate attack from my
CiC CvI that killed (6-1) an enemy cataphract general.
I lost more than 40% of the army, 2 corps disheartened and one broken. 15-10.
A great game, with low pip for me and better combat rolls.
Comments:
-WbF are crap vs Kn. I don't understand why they lost the bonus when charging in
deep formation vs enemy Kn. Has PB forgotten it when changing the supported wb
CF from -1 to enemy to +1 to self?
-Marching to contact proved decisive on the right. The knowledge of it made us
behave with prudence when Lh engaged on the left, looking for better tactical
positions to discourage enemy attacks.
-Ps in the open proved to be helpless and very vulnerable to Lh. Thinking to
Alexander victory versus Skythians and the aggressive use made of his light
troops I have some doubts this can be represented.
-The reintroduction of mounted overlap was a sea of pain for my fast troops, but
probably is correct in such a way, otherwise ordinary foot would risk nothing.
-The game was fun!
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Lorenzo,
how did you feel about KnF to LHS fights? Did that feel ok?
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1.1 has made the fight more balanced. KnF can really do a lot of damage in their bound, and disrupt the enemy formation. The Lh better speed was compensated by the march to contact allowing Kn to fight LH with no CF malus.
This gave an advantage to the first charger and imho gives more dynamic to the game. Of course tactical position is still very important, as, the presence of reserves.