Photos from my game today with Gary Lewis and his experimental Iphkratian Athenian army. These photos all of the positions at set up. Missing from the photo is a large Athenian flank march on Gary’s left consisting of 10 or so cavalry (O) and a 16 or so Psiloi mostly (S).
My Ptolemaic forces similarly had a small cavalry ambush behind the forward hill on my right.
Ptolemaic forces managed to successfully defend the delta against Athenian adventurism.
We both felt I had better dice on average over the game.
Gary put down the river to stop my pike and blade phalanx running over his hoplite phalanx. This succeeded. Both phalanx spent the game eyeballing each other over the river.
However, as defender I felt morally comfortable with waiting on my side of the river for the Athenians to cross.
Gary’s flank march came on immediately with a six in the first turn (Wasting a brilliantly stroke to improve the flank marching dice).
I hadn’t been thinking of a flank march but I had thought Gary might march around my right so I deployed a small march halting force of two Ax (O) and two Ps (O). This small force achieved its purpose in an unexpected way, tying up a lot of Gary’s force and ultimately my right wing held out losing one light horse and the four elements across the river.
Gary had expected me to do one of two things. Either to defend against a flank march on my left or to put a larger force across the river. If either occurred his flank march would have likely paid.
As it was my small ambush was more successful. With the absent 3 Cv (O) and 2 LH (O) my left looked stretched and flankable. This tempted Gary to send across a pair of Thracian Ax.
Then I deployed my ambush and hit them with the LH. This caused the large Psiloi force to cross in support and attack uphill into my Ax (S) and Ps (S) and they began to die (more than the usual number of 1s didn’t help).
I then threw in knights and cavalry and this caused Iphikrates to send his fast pike across. Over time I ground this wing down and finally shattered it and Iphikartes died in the river having used a brilliant stroke to power up and kill a Legionnaire base.
Gary did get cavalry and hoplites across around the bend in the river were my vulnerable hinge was. My Legionnaires killed 3 or so hoplites.
We called the game there.
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| Athenian fast pikes and hoplites. |
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| The gods of Olympus look on at the Athenian (from left to right) Psiloi, Iphikratian Peltasts (Fast pike), and hoplites. |
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| Gary survey’s the job ahead. |
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| Josh Barton took this nice photo of the game. In the foreground the Athenian Psiloi are across the river. The Iphikratian Peltast and hoplites face off my pike and Legionnaires. In the distance the Athenian flank march has arrived. |
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| My right wing with its forlorn hope march stoppers across the river and a line of mostly Bd (I) Imitation Legionnaires and a ballista behind the river. The two terrain areas are rocky ground. Gary’s flank march arrived arrived here in the first turn. In the distance is the gentle hill my cavalry ambush is hiding behind. Over lunch Gary told me his cunning plan had the terrain obliged. I’m going to keep quite on that so he can spring on one of you (-: |
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