Warfare 2002

My choice of period at Warfare this year was based pretty much on the same basis as last year - which period has least of my own club members in it? So it was off to the Americ-Indian theme (it actually ended up more of a SE Asia theme) as the lone Reigate representative.

Army choice was relatively simple as I wanted something with El and manoeuvrable infantry and came down to a choice between Khmer and Tamil. After quickly drafting up a couple of lists and taking advice from Graham Briggs (Reigate's odd army expert) Khmer was the choice. My available (dubious) morphing figures also played a part in this choice. The list arrived at was (with a little help from Tim Porters web site):

C-in-C Irr El(O), 2 Irr El(O), 1 Irr El(X), 5 Reg Ax(S), 5 supporting Reg
Ps(O), 2 Reg Bd(F), 4 Irr Ax(O), 1 Reg Ps(O), 4 Reg Ps(I)
Sub Irr El(O), 2 Irr El(O), 6 Reg Ax(S), 4 supporting Reg Ps(O), 2 Reg
Bd(F), 4 Irr Ax(O), 1 Reg Ps(O), 1 Reg Cv(I)
Sub Irr El(O), 2 Irr El(O), 4 Reg Ax(S), 3 supporting Ps(O), 2 Reg Ax(O),
7 Irr Ax(O), 2 Reg Ps(I), 2 Irr Bts(S), 1 Irr Bts(O), 6 Bg

I didn't go for the 2 Reg generals for a number of reasons: i) I've always found PIP swapping between 2 generals of marginal value, ii) I wanted as many El as was possible without crippling the army and iii) I wanted the naval. I went with just the single El(X) as they are stupidly expensive and my experience with LIR indicates that against most opponents who have their wits about them you never get to shoot at anything much anyway (apologies to Phil Jelly are in order here).

I only had 1 practice game with the army where I massacred an Early Vietnamese, so onto the main event.

Game 1 drew me against Roger Greenwood who used Burmese. He invaded down a WW on my right with no weather. The compulsory Wd ended up on his centre base line with 2 patches of RGo next to it on the WW side and 1 piece of RGo on my left flank. I deployed the Bts command next to the WW, then the C-in-C and then the other sub. Roger placed an El(S) general, 22 Bw(I), 2 Cv(I) and 3 Bts(S) next to (and in) the WW, next to them 4 El(S) inc gen, 3 Bd(F), 1 Cv(O), 6 Ax(O), 1 Ps(O) and 4 Ax(I), and lastly 3 El(S) inc gen, 1 Cv(O), 3 Bd(F), 7 Ax(O), 4 Ax(I) and 1 Ps(O). With the armies being quite similar in many ways this is a very cagey game with both of us dancing elements around trying to get the best match ups possible before the fighting proper starts - basically we are both trying to get El opposite Bd(F) , Ax and Ps against El and Bd(F) against Ax. Rogers right is held by a mass of Ax(O) and I manoeuvre my left wing Ax and Bd to attack them through the RGo with an overlap I hope to turn into a flank attack. However, all I manage is a series of push backs. Roger pushes forward with his massed archers and starts to really pressure my right. However, time is called before any commands are broken, but as Roger has had the better of the fighting - his (S) on the El make quite a difference - the score is 15-17 in his favour.

Game 2 draws me Steve Bak using Classical Indian (the theme did not allow the Bw(S), Kn, etc. version BTW). He invaded and provided strong winds in his own face. My compulsory Wd ended up on my left in my half. I chose a load of RGo, which mostly landed in Steve's right sector in front of the Wd, and a BUA which I placed on my right. With no water I placed the now Bts-less command next to the Wd, then the C-in-C and then the other Sub. Steve placed opposite my left his C-in-C of El(O) general, 12 Bw(O), 7 Bd(I), 1 Cv(I), 2 Bd(X), 2 Exp, 2 Hd, 1 Art(I) and 5 Ps in ambush in the RGo, and opposite my centre an ally of El(O) general, 6 WWg(O), 8 Bw(O), 2 Bd(I), 1 Cv(O), 12 Hd(O) and 1 Ps(O). His third command flank marched on my right - the side with the BUA which had Ax(O) and Ps in and the Cv(I) just over 6" from the flank table edge to slow down the flank march I was expecting. Unfortunately the game was not too challenging as Steve in addition to the wind in his face had lousy PIPs (most went to the ally who was planned to be fairly stationary) and the flank march never appeared. His Exp died on contact with my Ax and I pretty much just had to march straight forward to contact. On my right El, Bd and Ps supported Ax(S) made short work of his WWg and Bw whilst on my left the El hit his Bd(I) and the Ax hit the end of his Bw line. 31-1 to me for the loss of 3.5EE.

Game 3 got me Phil Jelly using Hindu Indian that I know has 24 Sp(I) in it - a tough army as I have nothing much to fight Sp with, even (I) graded one. I invade with no weather. I choose a Rv - Sunday morning moment I should have gone for a WW as I know Phil has 4 Bts(I) which my naval should be able to beat. Phil places a large hill with small BUA on his right and an inconsequential hill and Wd go on his base line. Guess where his Sp will be folks! I deploy Bts command next to the Rv (which is paltry in my half Easy in his) then C-in-C and then other Sub. Phil has an ally next to the river of 4 El(O) inc general, 4 Bts(I), 2 Cv(O), 4 Irr Bd(F), 4 Bw(I) and I Hd; next to them in a sub of 1 El(O) gen, 16 Sp(I), 2 Cv(S), 2 Cv(O), 4 Ps(S) and finally the C-in-C of 4 El(O) inc general, 4 Irr Bd(F) 8 Reg Sp(I), 8 Bw(I) and 1 Hd. I'm relieved that the flat ground isn't full of Sp as I have something to attack. On my right I manoeuvre the El opposite his Bd(F) and double rank the Ax(S), whilst the C-in-C's El(X) lines up opposite the ally general and shoots him dead - unfortunately a Ps attack on another, overlapped, El doesn't work and Phil rolls a 2 and the command survives. I slow the Sp centre with a might Cv(I) and Ps(I) and keep them out of the game for nearly 3 hours - helped by a Cv(O) from the ally that Phil manoeuvred to attack the Ps and then ran out of PIPs because the ally-general was dead :-) On my left I played cagey and waited hoping that Phil would bring the juicy Bw(I) off the hill - he didn't but he did bring the El who then retreated rapidly when I killed one with my El general opening a gap next to his C-in-C. I eventually got the ally and was 5 EE into the C-in-C (the El plus the 4 Bd) when time was called. My C-in-C was 0.5EE off breaking but I was in striking distance of the end of his Reg Sp(I) line to have a 3(S) Vs 3(I)combat for his army. Ah, well. 19-13 to me.

This sets up Game 4. As last year, but a different theme, I'm playing Andy Wilcox (using Khmer) and we only really have 2nd place to aim for given the scores of those above us ( we were 3rd and 4th). Again I try a river (if a mistake is good enough to do once why not do it twice - doh!) which is the same as game 3 :-( Andy gets a gentle hill in his centre, one across the Rv and the Wd goes in my left corner. I deploy as above and Andy faces me with a sub by the river of Reg Cv(O) general, 4 Bd(F), 4 Ax(S), 4 Ps(O), % Ps(I), 2 Reg Ax(O), 4 Irr Ax(O) and 2 Cv(O) ambushed behind the hill (I hadn't thought too much about what might be there and had only 2 Ps on that side of the Rv), his centre was C-in-C on El and 3 more El, 8 Ax(S), 8 Ps(O). 1 Ps(I), 5 Ax(O) and his right wing was Reg Cv(O) chariot general, 2 El(O), 1 El(X), 1 Bts(S) and 14 Ax(O). Although by deploying second I had all the right match-ups the hill in the centre screwed up any thought of a rapid attack. We had a game of dancing around on my right each trying to get the best match-ups just like my game with Roger. However, Andy's 2 swapping dice helped him win that and I felt forced to attack with the El facing Ax and Ps - but as started my attacks with an El general against an overlapped Ax I felt reasonably OK. It worked and I'd soon sent 4.5EE back to the box. Andy was pushing on my left with his massed Ax, however, by breaking a ZOC I was able to get a Bd(F) into their flank and killed 4 Ax. Andy was now facing real trouble on both flanks and so made a big push in the centre coming down from the hill. Although the match-ups were fairly even along the line by winning an El into Ps supported Ax combat (destroying me) coupled with a string of
low combat dice rolls he had, in 2 bounds, broken my C-in-C. This was soon coupled with the loss of some Bg - remember those 2 Cv in ambush, guess where they went? Left Andy needing 2.5EE in the last bound to get my army. He got 2 via Bg but then my dice made up for their earlier display and I just held on. 8-24 to Andy who was thus robbed of 2nd place and had to settle for 3rd.

All in all I liked the Khmer and might just give it a run out again. As Roger pointed out it was the nearest thing to a LIR army in the theme, so no wonder I liked it :-)