I thought I’d share a brief account of the adventures of the Timurid B-Team at the Munster competition last weekend. They weren’t quite as successful as Mr Mann’s Globetrotters but I had a lot of fun with them.
The theme was the Crusades, and looking at the permitted lists that meant mostly armies brimming with either Kn or Lh. Basically Book4 but without those glorious BwS or any tedious armies full of stodgy foot. Munster is a ‘fixed terrain’ competition. Generally that means a lot less terrain than usual and placed so neither side has an obvious advantage. Last year I took an army consisting mostly of psiloi and ended up dying horribly on the Irish Steppes. So I was looking for an army that could dominate the Wide Open Spaces of Cork and hold its own against rampaging crusaders and swirling Seljuks.
I settled on Timurid mostly because I could cobble the army together from my generic Muslims (hey, a Ghulam is a Ghulam guys) and I’d also get to wheel out my Ghaznavid elephants (very pretty, but rarely fielded). After some poor recent experiences with unreliable allies, I also liked the idea of a 3rd irregular sub-general. All I had to paint up over Christmas was a Weeping and Wailing Hostage Screen using a lot of leftover civilians from the lead mountain. (If the dbmm forum ever returns I’ll post some pics for those of you who like that sort of thing).
The army was designed around a large central command under a regular sub-general and consisting of lots of regular cavalry and an elephant. Command 2 had the irregular sub-general, with the iLhS and a smidge of iAxO/PsO. Command 3 was another regular sub with a smaller command of regular cavalry and the hostage screen. Timur commanded the reserve elephant and a slightly bigger smidge of iAxO/PsO.
Command 1: 1xCvS(SG); 5xCvS, 6xCvO, 1xiElO =24ME
Command 2: 1xiCvS(SG); 8xiLhS, 2xiAxO, 2xiPsO =16ME
Command 3: 1xCvS(SG); 4xCvS, 4xCvO, 6xiHdI =18ME
Timur: 1xCvS(CinC); 1xiElO; 4xiAxO, 4xiPsO =12ME
Camp: 8 x iBgI
The army had a fairly simple plan, based on the expectation that I would be facing mostly Kn or LhS.
Command 1 was to deploy in two ranks with the CvO in the front and the 2ME troops in the rear. It then closes with the enemy and provokes them into charging it. Many of the CvO are expected perish absorbing the onslaught, but the second line of CvS/El counterattacks to bestow the Peace of Allah unto the Ungodly, who are then (hopefully) double overlapped, quick killed or ‘S’ed to death. Command 2 was there to support the flank of the main force (and never, ever to head off on its own to do something recklessly stupid). Command 3 strings out the hostages to march block the enemy on a refused flank and buy time for Command 1 to find its target. Timur’s job is to push his elephant Somewhere Annoying to the Enemy.
The camp was to be abandoned. Defending it is tiresome for a world-conquering megalomaniac, and one can always acquire more slaves and trinkets.
In all games the high dice went to Command 1, the middle dice to Command 3 and Timur picked up the low dice.
Most of what is related below probably happened, but apologies in advance to my opponents for anything I have mis-remembered, forgotten or unknowingly invented.
Game 1 vs Tom Worden’s Feudal Spanish.
The only terrain feature to play a part in the game was a gentle hill on Tom’s side of the board. The Spanish deployed a large command of KnO and CvO on the hill and on the flat ground to the left, with a Granadine LhO ally beside it on the flank. To the right of them was a mass of irregular Sp and other horrors best avoided. Behind the hill was a huge camp the size of Madrid. I deployed Command 2 on the left and Command 1 in the middle, with Timur behind. Command 3 deployed on the right with the HdI effectively screening off the enemy infantry.
I advanced quickly to line up my large command with Tom’s mounted on the hill and the LhS to line up with the Granadines. Since the Spanish army was so much wider, a gap had opened up between my two forward commands. Timur and his elephant were slowly plodding into the gap but they weren’t there yet. On my right, Command 3 was not yet in position to support an assault on the hill. So I stopped. I couldn’t bring myself to go uphill into the knights with both flanks a-dangle.
Time to do something recklessly stupid and I threw my LhS into the Granadines. Unfortunately, the light horse superior initially failed to make any headway against their ordinary foe. Meanwhile the Spanish heavy infantry very slowly overwhelmed the HdI and began to threaten my right flank. Eventually Timur arrived with his elephant and we were ready to climb the hill. Suddenly, the Granadines fled (helpfully taking some pesky psiloi with them) and my surviving LhS were threatening the rear of the Spanish knights. Fearing what was behind them more than what was in front, the knights charged off the hill into my massed cavalry. Half my CvO succumbed immediately, but the two elephants and five CvS crushed the Infidel as planned, just as time was called. Unfortunately for me, Tom’s army was cleverly constructed, so that taking down both the ally and the large Kn command didn’t break it.15-10 to Timur.
Game 2 vs Tim Madely’s Later Hungarian.
Two pieces of terrain of interest on the table. A small wood towards the middle of my deployment area and a BUA on Tim’s rear to my left. The Hungarians deployed first, with a command of heavy infantry in the centre, a large command of iKn on the right and a command of LhS/F on the left. Behind the LhS/F was a small reserve command of rKnO. Deploying second, I concentrated all my army on the left half of the table in order to force his large Kn command to spend a lot of pips manoeuvring to meet me. Hopefully I’d be able to crush his LhS/F and mini-Kn command before the bulk of the tin cans could ride to the rescue…
Unfortunately I don’t remember much of this game, probably due to the amount of alcohol that I drank after it. Tim got his massed Kn into the fight before I did much damage to the LhS/F or mini-Kn commands. However, the elephants eventually began to turn the tide and broke the mini-Kn command and the LhS/F. It was a close run thing though, with my LhS disheartened and Command 1 hanging on by the skin of its teeth. 14-11 to Timur.
Game 3 vs Dave Houston’s Lusignan Cypriot.
This was on the same table as the previous game (same terrain and same side of the table). However, this time I had to deploy first. I didn’t want to offset deployment too much, as it would be easy for Dave to box me into the corner. So I deployed much further forward, in front of the wood in the same formation as before. Command 1 in the centre with Timur behind. Command 2 to the left, Command 3 to the right and the hostage screen scattered around the right flank. Dave positioned a large command of Kn slightly to the right of Command 1 and secured the left with a smaller Kn command and lots of PsO in the BUA. Facing Command 3 was a command of Bw and Kn and further to the right, a command of LhS/F and yet more Bw.
As in the previous game, I started to attack on the left, hoping to crush the knight command before the rest of the Cypriots could help them. However as the BUA was occupied this time, I burnt Pips pushing Timur’s AxO/PsO and those from Command 2 as quickly as I could towards the town. Meanwhile Command 1 wheeled slightly to face the bulk of the Cypriot knights at a bit of an angle (that always annoys irregular Kn). The LhS stayed put, as their pips had been used to drive the AxO into the BUA. Command 3 moved to slow down the expected Cypriot infantry redeployment.
The Cypriots began to assemble a large force of knights in front of my Cav but initially held firm with the infantry. The Cypriot LhS/F probed forward, far ahead of its supporting infantry and close to my Command 3. Time, once again to do something recklessly stupid… It looked to me like my LhS/CvS/O could catch the unsupported Cypriot LhS/F and get an easy win... So I threw my eight LhS towards them, together with Command 3 - leaving a large hole in my line. Two turns later my lads were desperately trying to fend off four regular KnS that had popped up out of nowhere alongside a great wodge of BwO. My five remaining LhS were trying to avoid ten enemy light horse who were now fully supported by oodles of BwO. Worse still, three Cypriot LhF had got behind them all and were rummaging in our rear. Not a pleasant experience.
However, the fight for the BUA had gone well. The AxO had roughed up the opposing Psiloi and had begun to threaten the flank of the knights from the BUA. Unfortunately, Command 2 was a whisker away from disheartening and it’s irregular sub-general was now trying to direct a light infantry fight in the difficult going and also save his LhS from disaster on the other side of the table. Even more unfortunately, the Cypriot infantry was swinging into the hole left in my line by Command 3 and onto the flank of my large cavalry command. It all was looking truly, truly horrible…
And then Dave rolled three 1s. The Cypriot LhS/F and infantry commands ground to a halt and his impetuous knights went mental and charged my cavalry. A few of my CvO were ridden down. But the line held…
Allahu Akbar! Pips-a-plenty from the Prophet! The CvO from Command 3 promptly caught and whacked the three LhF threatening their rear, while the CvS despatched an unlucky KnS and a few Turcopoles, rendering the Cypriot LhS/F command disheartened. The second rank of Command 1 then counterattacked the knights and promptly ground the flower of Cypriot chivalry into the dust. Some knights perished doubly overlapped, some succumbed to a hard-flanking from the AxO emerging from the BUA and some suffered a pachydermal demise. The remainder fled, taking with them the Cypriot Lh and the army. 22-3 to Timur.
Game 4 vs Stephen Brittain’s Alans.
Three terrain features of note on a desert table: a small scrubby hill in my far left flank zone, a very small piece of scrubby flat in the middle of my deployment area and a patch of dunes in the centre of the table. I was defending so expected to deploy and move first. My initial plan was to seize the dunes with Timor’s light infantry and use that to anchor the flank of the Cv as they swung around into the massed LhS. Unfortunately I ended up deploying and moving second, and there was no way I would get to the dunes first… Worse still, my deployment map had placed the bulk of my AxO (Timur’s) in the open opposite the dunes, with two commands between them and the sanctuary of the scrubby hill. Stephen deployed four commands of LhS, a smallish one on my left and two larger ones in the centre forming a wall of LhS three elements deep. Another smallish LhS command deployed out on the right of the table.
I deployed as far back as I could, from left to right – Command 2 with the 2AxO/2PsO giving us a toe-hold on the scrubby hill, then the LhS, then Command 2 in its customary two ranks, then Timur’s Elephant and the light troops, and then Command 3 with the hostages cowering in groups in front the Alan fourth command. There was nowhere to anchor a flank. The infidel was faster, more manoeuvrable and outnumbered the stars in the sky. We’d have to fight our way out of this one.
Stephen took first move, advanced his line and stopped just over 400p away...
Once more Allah smiled unto Timur. Lo! There was a bountiful supply of Pips in the desert. Command 1 boldly advanced towards the central block of Alans. The elephant from Command 1 occupied the small piece of scrubby flat on the right and the crew in the howdah started waving their red umbrella and hurling insults at the Ungodly. Daring then to have a go if they thought they were hard enough… Our LhS raced left, over the scrubby hill to take possession of the flank zone. Into the space they vacated came Command 3, swapping position from the right of Command 1 to its left. Timur was also racing left, whipping his elephant and the AxO mercilessly to get them towards the scrubby hill. All that remained on the right facing two commands of Alans was a fierce looking elephant armed with a red umbrella, two groups of snivelling Cypriot/Hungarian/Spanish hostages and our baggage.
The Alans shrugged and lazily expanded to cover their flank on the left. The tsunami of light horse continued its advance.
On the right, the Alans began to slaughter the first hostage screen…
Command 1 halted. Command 3 drew up alongside with its flank resting on the scrubby hill. But the irregular Command 2 had only a solitary Pip. It was used to expand the AxO/PsO and strengthen our tenuous grip on the hill. But that meant the LhS went recklessly stupid and impetuously charged the Alans. The Alans held the charge with ease. Timur and his elephant continued to plod grimly towards the hill.
On the right, the Alans began to slaughter the second hostage screen…
The enemy charged. Our LhS gave ground on the left, our AxO gave ground on the hill, and our cavalry gave ground in the centre. But the line held. The Alans stared at the elephant with the red umbrella and didn’t enter the scrub.
On the right, the Alans began to slaughter the baggage…
The LhS fight on the left flank flowed back and forth. The Alan light horse were driving the AxO up the hill and would soon be through our line. Timur’s elephant had reached the hill but was not yet in the fight. In a desperate attempt to hold the scrubby hill, CvS were thrown into the gaps but rapidly cut down. It looked grim. And yet…our CvO and CvS were getting the better of the impetuous Alans in the centre, a steady trade of elements in our favour. The red elephant in the scrub was still mesmerising the Alan command in front of him.
On the right, the Alans formed up to charge into our army’s rear…
And it was over! The Alans evaporated in a plague of 1s. The Ungodly perishing against the Righteous in combat after combat . The CvS/CvO in the centre ripped down six LhS in a single turn. Timur’s elephant, charged down the scrubby hill, flattened a LhS, skidded on the blood, and careered into a (briefly) surprised Alan general. The LhS fight on the flank suddenly swung our way and more Alans died like dogs. Two Alan commands broke and rest of the army followed.
All that was protecting our rear from the 14 LhS that had carved their way through the hostages and the baggage was two nervous CvS and a very relieved looking Timur. 23-2 to Timur.
That was it. 74 points was good enough for second place and a trophy. Thanks to my opponents for four really good, fun games. Particularly to Dave and Stephen who were defeated by their own dice rather than any skill on my part. True gentlemen, they even gave me a lift to the airport!
And thanks to Richard for organising an excellent competition. What's the theme for next year?
Dave P.
