Milton Keynes Doubles 2004

Despite all the DBMM noise I thought I'd start the 2004 season by getting a battle report done for a DBM competition, so here we go.

The SoA Doubles first round moved venue again this time to Milton Keynes for the "Biblical" period of pre-500BC armies. I always like this round as you get to use and meet armies that aren't necessarily good in more open periods and also the general lack of LH gives a different flavour.

After 3 years of Middle Assyrians we went with Ugaritic with a Syro-Canaanite ally. The army was:

C-in-C: 5 Irr Cv(S) inc. general, 6 Reg Bw(O), 2 Reg Bd(F), 5 Reg Bd(O), 5 Irr Ax(I), 3 Irr Ps(I), 6 Bg;
Sub 1: 3 Irr Cv(S) inc. general, 6 Irr Kn(O), 2 Irr Cv(O), 2 Irr LH(F), 12 Irr Ps(I), 6 Irr Hd(O);
Sub 2: 3 Irr Cv(S) inc. general, 6 Irr Bd(F), 2 Irr Wb(F), 10 Irr Ax(O), 11 Irr Ps(I);
Ally: 1 Irr Cv(S) general, 6 Irr Kn(O), 9 Irr Ax(I), 1 Reg Bd(O), 3 Irr Ps(I), 6 Irr Hd(O), 4 Irr Bts(S), 2 Bg.

The first game pitched us against Saba with Bedouin allies.

We invaded with strong winds blowing from one short edge to the other which had minimal effect on the game and only shifted twice very late on so that it was blowing from behind us. We invaded down a 12" wide WW so our navy would be of some use (PIPs allowing because of the wind) and so that it might stop placement of some of the Saba's many terrain features - this worked as 2 pieces, including a large compulsory, wouldn't fit. We ended up with 2 large scrub pieces in our half and a hill/BUA combo and a piece of scrub on their left. We deployed from the WW the Ally, Sub 1, C-in-C and Sub 2. We faced, from the WW, 2 commands of Bd(F), Cm(O) and filler, the ally of Cm(O) and Ax(O) and then a thrid Cm, Bd and filler command.

Battle plans were not subtle on either side really and by bound 3 we were engaged in a Kn and Bd(O) Vs. Cm and Bd(F) fight from the WW across the next 2.5' of the table. The fight went back and forth with the Bd holding on against the Kn extremely annoyingly even when single ranked. I pulled a couple of naval tricks by landing an Ax(I) element behind a Cm(O) and then shooting at it with the unladen Bts(S) :-) So although we did pretty much get all their fighting troops it took a long time and we didn't have a chance to get at the filler. Added to that we lost the Bd(O) Vs Bd(F) fight and had to cover the gap with the bw(O) and so lost the C-in-C's command. 11-21 in a hard fought, minimal manoeuvre game that was a good fun start to the year.

The second game matched us with a Lydian and Asiatic Greek army.

We again invaded, but with no weather, and again placed a 12" wide WW. The Lydian terrain landed badly for them with a scrub covered hill and an orchard in their central sector and 2 other scrubby hills in our right rear sector so of no use to them. We deployed, from the WW, Ally, Sub 2 and C-in-c with Sub 1 on a flank march. They deployed between the terrain in their centre and the board edge we were flank marching on :-) They had 5 LH between the orchard and the WW which led us to deploy the ally with the Hd(O) and Ax(I) on the 18" line with the Kn behind ready to redeploy if needed. Into their cramped deployment space they squeezed a command of Kn and Ax, the ally's Sp, a Sp,Ax and bits command and the end command was the C-in-C with more Kn, LH and Ax. It was very crowded.

Our flank march rolled a 6 on bound 1and the rest of the army had enough PIPs to move up and apply pressure with the Bd of various sorts and Kn from the ally bearing down on their Irr Sp(O) and the C-in-C's Cv moving to support the flank march. A good poition to be in helped by our opponents woeful PIPs. They did, however, form a line of Kn and LH to await the flank march. When out flank march arrived we had to decide whether to bring our Kn chariots on opposite their Kn(F) - if we did they would recoil off table if they lost when the Kn(F) inevitably charged us. We decided to do so as the Cv chariots should eat the LH and even if the Kn(F) won they would follow up to where we could get them in the flanks. As it was the chariots fought their way onto the table pushing back and killing the Kn(F). Meanwhile the Bd had started to slowly munch the Sp and Kn chariots took out various Kn(F) and Ax(O) who tried to stop them getting in as well - in the end we had 2 chariots into the orchard. It was all over quite quickly as heavy pressure from us and poor combat dice from them broke their army in about 2 1/4 hours. 31-1.

Sunday morning brough a Massagetae invasion aided by Mountain Indians.

Inevitably we defended and failed to get the WW so we chose a large hill with a BUA on it and left the rest of the field empty - although this was clearly a risk we decided that it would also improve our chances of a victory. They placed a piece of boggy ground which ended up beside the BUA. We deployed from our open flank Ally, C-in-C, Sub 1 and Sub 2 who's Ax garrisoned the Hill/BUA. They deployed a LH and Cv(S) command, Indians including both El, a LH and Bw(O) command and then a LH, Ax and Bw command opposite the BUA. We were refused on the open side with Hd facing the table edge (nervously).

We pretty much had to sit back and await them planning to advance when their bows were in shooting range and so forced us. Their command opposite the BUA spent all game manoeuvring to try and get into position to take it which (inevitably) proved completely futile as they were never going to eject 10 Ax(O) uphill in the BUA. On our open flank they sent in the suicide LH to break up the Kn and 6-1ed the one they hit. However, despite this a run of OK to good PIPs and the +1 PIP allowed to the ally under the Doubles rules allowed us to keep the flank in position and so nothing much transpired here either. In the centre they advanced their Bw and Ax(X) and when they got close we advanced all our C-in-C's Bd and Bw(O). We were then hit by a PIP drought from the C-in-C which just crippled our attack and for a long time we had to sit and be shot at - fortunatley losing very little but very frustrating. We had a Bw(O) vs Bw(O) crap shoot which saw us lose 5 Bw(O) and their Indian's all 6 of theirs. In the end we had a few Bd Vs Ax(X) fights that came to nothing and the game ended 16-16. Despite this it was a lot more interesting and fun than a basic description suggests.

Our final game saw us return to the offensive by invading Judah (Later Hebrew) with their Philistine allies.

We rolled thrist so placed a Rv - mind you we'd have done that anyway with our naval force :-) They scattered various bits of RGo only one of which was any use to them being in their flank sector on the flank away from the river. This suited us as we had the better open terrain army. We deployed Ally, Sub 1, C-in-C and then Sub 2, so our right was quite weak in mounted but then again so was their army. They deployed in classic corner sitter manner (but, wait gentle reader, do not castigate them yet) with a Kn, Bw and Ax command on our right, then the ally mostly of Sp(I), then a small Sp(O) and Ax(S) command and finally a Kn, Cm(O), Bw and Ax command with a couple of LH thrown out in front to delay us. We immediately noted one crucial weakness in their line as they had 4 Ax, 2 deep at the end of their Sp(O) filling a gap before their Kn - target.

Basically we advanced our Kn forward as fast as we could and wheeled so as to face their line, ensuring that we had Kn in front of the 2 wide Ax(S) block. Our Bd moved to support the Kn and face off the various Sp whilst the Bw made a large redeployment to face the Cm(O). Our right somewhat held back but we got the Cv(S) into position to contain their Kn should they try and get at out infantry. Despite their corner deployment they cam out to fight us once they saw there was no flank march which they had been worried about. They moved Bw and Ax to the end of their line and advanced relatively quickly. They also managed to get the Cm out of the line where our Bw wer and replce them with more Ax(S), and then we were in with over 2' of combats. The Ax inevitably proved to be the weak spot against out Kn but we also killed 2 dead in close combat with the Bw! The archer also saw off quite a few Kn(O) and soon there was nasty hole in their line and they were a command down. On our right we'd had to let the loopy troops go sponno which atrracted their Kn but we ended up with a very disjointd melee in which our Cv could protect the Bd & Wb and let them get into the Bw and a few bounds later we'd got a second command and with other losses the army. 30-2.

Overall we got 88 points - 28 in old money - and finished 9th=.

Not a bad start to the year.