A couple of weeks ago I had a game with my Seleucids against Tim's very early Book 1 Elamites.
I wanted to try an experimental list which was intended to provide a highly maneuverable strike force, so my army was somewhat unbalanced.
Command 1 (24 ME)
Brilliant C-in-C as Reg Kn (F)
8 Reg (F) Kn (some wedges, most not)
3 Irr LH (F)
Command 2 (21 ME)
Sub as Reg Kn (F)
5 Reg Kn (F) (one wedge, the rest not)
5 Irr Ax (S)
Command 3 (18 ME)
Sub as Reg Pk (S)
3 Reg Pk (S)
4 Reg Pk (O)
4 Reg LH (O)
2 Irr Ps (O)
Command 4 (10 ME)
Sub as Reg Pk (O)
3 Reg Ax (S)
4 Reg Ps (O)
Stratagem: Scouting
The idea was that the first two commands would get good PIPs, allowing the Kn (F) to run where they needed, while the support troops in the other commands would cover the open flank of the first two commands. We-e-ell, it sort of turned out like that.
I was the invader, and weather and time of day played no part in the game.
There was a river on my right flank which curved away to the right table edge on Tim's side of the table. On my left in my deployment zone was a rough hill, and on the left table edge just on Tim's side of the centreline was an orchard. They were the main terrain features, but the important role they played was to close up the table. I suspected that Tim wouldn't have much in the way of mounted, but this terrain prevented me from getting around his flanks - I'd have to take him on up the centre.
On Tim's right was a sub-general's command containing a large block of Irr Bw (I) with a supporting screen of Ps (O) and a couple of Bd (F) in reserve. Some of the Ps were positioned to enter the orchard. In the centre was a Guti ally with a block of Wb (F) screened by a single rank of Bw (I). Next to the Guti ally, the C-in-C controlled a tiny command with a few Bd (F) and a couple of Ps, presumably intended to allow the sub to get the higher PIP dice (though it'd be tricky if there was an unreliable ally). Finally, on Tim's left, facing the river, was an Elamite ally command with more Bw (I), and some Ps around the river.
I deployed C4 on my left, facing the orchard. Next was C1, with C2 next to it. There in a large block were 15 Kn (F), 6 of them wedges. The Irr Ax (S) were a link to C3 which was on my right flank , the LH and Ps (O) hard by the river.
My tactics were to attack hard with the Kn against the Elamite sub and Guti ally commands, figuring that breaking both of them would take the army.
Tim's allies were loyal, but his initial advance was cautious, sending out only a single rank of Bw (I) towards my Kn (F), and Ps to occupy and support the orchard. The Guti Wb were held in place.
I allocated PIP dice in command order, figuring that even the lowest of four PIP dice would provide enough PIPs for C4 to cover the flank of C1.
I swung the LH (F) out to attack some Ps (O), supported by the slower-arriving Ax (S) of C4. However the Elamite Ps proved to be tough fighters. Inboard, the single-ranked Bw shook up my Kn, knocking them out of formation and actually destroying a couple of elements. However, with high PIPs (and a brilliant stroke used to double C2's PIPs one bound, I got the Kn (F) into combat against the Bw. This fight also turned out to be quite tough and it took a couple of turns of drawn combats and even a couple of flee results on the Kn (F) before I started to destroy the Bw.
Over on my right I advanced the infantry more slowly, and kept the LH (O) echeloned even further back. Tim responded by slowly advancing his left flank Elamite ally and the C-in-C's Bd (F), and sending some of its Ps to cross the river behind my flank.
Eventually my Kn broke through the Guti Bw screen and into the Guti Wb, who were no match. The Seleucid Kn (F) sub-general in particular was quite effective, providing wingman bonuses on a couple of occasions.
However on my left things weren't going quite so well. C1 kept taking a trickle of casualties until it became disheartened, with the 2 remaining LH (F) still not having broken through the Elamite sub's Ps screen. But on my right the small phalanx engaged and destroyed a couple of Bd (F) elements of the Elamite C-in-C's command, although I also lost a couple of LH (O) to archery.
Then came a round of disasters, as my C-in-C and a couple of Kn elements in C1 were destroyed, sending the command straight to shattered. But a lot of the work had been done - the Elamite sub and Guti ally commands were both disheartened. In my next bound, even as the few remaining elements of C1 fled, the Kn of C2 broke the Guti command, and the 2ME penalty to nearby commands was sufficient to break the Elamite sub command, and with it the army. Given my losses, probably a 17-8 win to me.
Thanks to Tim for an entertaining game in which my troops were outnumbered about 2 to 1, and early on suffered more casualties than they inflicted. Having lots of PIPs for the two mounted commands was handy - on this occasion not for outmaneuvering my opponent but for allowing large numbers of troops to get into combat in one go despite the line being broken up by the effect of shooting - once the lads got in to close combat the casualty count soon swung back in my favour.
Massed Kn (F) is scary to use against archery of any sort - if Tim had had any number of Bw (O) my army would have been shot to pieces and any remaining Kn getting into combat would have faced a much tougher fight. But having said that, the effect of a mix of wedge and non-wedge Kn was interesting: the wedges not being vulnerable to overlaps made a big difference in close combat as they broke through line after line, but against Cv armies the non-wedge Kn (F) would come into their own. It was also fun having such a maneuverable army: I've used four-command mounted armies with a brilliant general before, and in the right circumstances their ability to exploit open spaces can completely ruin an opponent's plan, sometimes even before he's moved. The price you pay is an army that can be very fragile. Still, it's also lots of fun.
