Having been gven the opportunity to play at the Ladywood "not a competition" event, I decided to try out the "Spears are broken in DBMM" theory using a later hoplite Greek Athenian army. I had used hoplite armies in a couple of friendly club games before, in near-historical matchups, and had found that in practice they are not as bad as they look on paper. However, in an open event including many seasoned competition players with finely honed army designs, things might be different.
My list was:
CinC Irr Sp(O)
17 Irr Sp(O)
3 Reg Cv(O)
3 Reg Ps(S)
5 Reg Ps(O)
2 Irr Bg(O)
32 ME
Sub 1 Reg Cv(O)
14 Irr Sp(O)
3 Reg Cv(O)
4 Reg Ps(S)
5 Reg Ps(O)
5 Reg Ax(O)
2 Irr Bg(O)
32 ME
Sub 2 Reg Cv(O)
16 Irr Sp(O)
3 Reg Cv(O)
8 Reg Ps(O)
1 Irr Ps(I)
2 Irr Bg(I)
31.5 ME
The first game was against Graham Edwards with Khitan Liao
I thought I was probably doomed, as the regular commands would dance around me and concentrate Cv(S) and/or knights against any vulnerable spot. However, I thought if I invade in summer there would be a chance of getting a night attack in and closing him down before he could manoeuvre. 2 drawn aggression rolls later, I found myself invading in winter. At least I was able to place two steep hills in fairly useful places on an otherwise open table. My opponent placed a gentle hill in the light troops zone on the centreline to my right.
Then we rolled deployment dice and found deployment would be complete during dawn and after three bounds my army would be dazzled by the rising sun for a further 6 bounds.
I decided to counter this disadvantage by deploying two commands facing inwards more than 45 degrees away from into the sun. Although this meant my flanks were pointing towards the enemy, they were to some extent protected by the two steep hills. The CinC was deployed facing forward on a flank where, deploying second, I could see that there would be no immediate threats.
The Khitan army had a mongol ally command of 16 Irr LH(S) plus a Cv general opposite my sub 1 on my left, a centre of 8 Cv(S) and 4 LH(F), and a command of 8 Cv(O), 3 Cv(S) and 4 LH(F) mainly opposite my sub 2 with the LH ready to occupy the gentle hill . There was also a scattering of Hd(I) and a regular baggage command.
In the opening stages, the ally came forward to attack my left and the Cv(S) from the centre came behind the ally to support the attack. The LH on the other flank occupied the gentle hill. I had poor pips and had to advance Sub 2?s hoplites. Sub 1 marched a column of light foot towards the safety of a steep hill. The Mongols came in against my light troops but didn?t kill many initially. I had an opportunity to flank a Mongol LH with a Ps and hit the front with my general. I killed the LH, but had underestimated the move range of the Cv(S) behind, which attacked my general. Luckily I won the combat and was able to pull back. However this general spent the rest of the game trying to avoid being caught by Cv(S). While more light troops fell to the Mongol attacks, the hoplites with a few cavalry in support proved more than a match for them. By the end of the game five were spent and five destroyed. Unfortunately I needed to kill 6 to dishearten the command or kill and spend 11 to break it.
On the other flank my CinC advanced his hoplite column with a view to coming round behind the enemy Cv(O) block, while the psiloi and cavalry closed in on the LH (F) on the hill. They decided to stand and fight, but were outflanked and on the shady side of the hill, so my attacks were not affected by dazzle. Before long they were all destroyed. By this time the hoplite column had advanced into contact with a Hd(I) which refused to die until the end of the game.
In the centre, both of us were wary about coming forwards, but eventually we both did, resulting in a confused multi-directional melee.
The enemy cavalry had the better of this, but not enough to do significant damage by the time limit. My opponent was using a borrowed, unfamiliar army and we both still need to look quite a lot up in the rules, so we didn?t get many bounds in. At the end the Mongols were on their last legs, my left command was severely outflanked by Cv(S), but the Khitan?s Cv(O) command had taken a lot of damage and I had 4 cavalry in the centre with a big emty space in front of them.
