DBMM New Zealand : Three games in a week! Posted by Andrew Bennetts, 3 July 2026

When the cat's away........

My darling wife abandoned me this week for a girl's only jaunt to Rarotonga with her sisters. No boys allowed!

So what to do?

Well, set up the gaming table in the living room of course and get some games in!

Monday was Ben with his Syrians plus Crusader friends taking on my Norman Sicilians. Ben has already posted about his 'bad day at the office': Unreliable allies, over enthusiastic Turkomans and truly rubbish combat dice. Enough said.

Wednesday saw Grant come around with his later Aragonese period Sicilians against whom I brought out my Anglo Normans. This game was the very definition of Medieval with both of us alternately rolling outrageously bad and good dice.

Grant's Knights began by riding down my rear supported Bd(S) for fun but then found all sorts of imaginative ways to subsequently fall off their horses. In the mayhem, both our centres broke and my right and his left locked each other up indecisively. To try and break the deadlock we both started feeding to the centre troops from our largely unengaged other flanks. Grant's knights got into action first and proceeded to fall off their horses (see above comment) leaving their general isolated. This worthy then promptly rode down the leading element of my reinforcements, a Bd(S) general with Ps support (also see above)! The final act however saw the general flanked and dragged off his horse, breaking a second command and Grant's army with me on 40%+ losses. A truly epic 16-9 victory!

John Calnan has recently relocated to Auckland and so Thursday saw me visiting to break in his new wargaming room. I took Macedonian Early Successor and John bravely brought out his Later Sargonid Assyrians to take them on. With his infantry wisely perched up a convenient hill most of the action was in the centre with Kn(S) chariots taking my rather thinly spread line of Pk(S). Despite riding down a couple of pikes early, the line held and once the Macedonian elephants got involved things went downhill quickly for John, who was also not helped by a cameo appearance from his flank marching Skythian ally, arriving late and then being dispatched in short order by Macedonian reserves.

Three games in a week plus today spent getting the house respectable for "Herself" returning tomorrow - I need a lie down!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/824840264342234/posts/3351088241717411

The knights of Ben's superb Crusader Ally

Norman Sicilians looking on........

Over enthusiastic Turkomans, looking for and finding trouble!

Some of Grant's very colourful Aragonese period Sicilians

The Anglo- Norman centre of dismounted knights (Bd(S)) with supporting spearmen and archers looks solid.........

The chaos begins. Already holes have been made in the Anglo Norman front line.

Grant's splendid looking Italian mercenaries arrive from his right. As it turned out, more style than substance!

The action evolves against John. In the foreground the Macedonian Pk(O) are reluctant to assault Assyrian Sp(S). Uphill. With a sacred standard wagon (Wwg(S)).

A rather thin line of elite phalangites (Pk(S)) brace themselves for a charge by massed chariots (Kn(S)). Meanwhile Galatian mercenary Wb(S) go looking for trouble elsewhere. In the background, Thracians and Cretans are heading rearwards to guard the baggage from John's tardy Skythians while elephants move forward to help against the chariots.