Scenario
The play out using the previously posted Scenario and the solo version of my own rules. The key of these is written orders. Something I came to find challenging. 😊 This is also the first engagement of my new Bronze Age Campaign. I’ve decided to take the part of Umma because they were at a slight strategic disadvantage to Lagash.
Layout of the battle field with the five objectives being
the Stele in the centre (of course!) the two ploughed fields each side of the
canal, the central bridge over the canal and the Hamlet to the east.
Terrain
The Onager drawn Chariots cannot enter canals, rough ground
or houses. Skirmishers move through all three with an advantage over Spear.
Initiative
Lagash has the initiative. But Umma must deploy and write
its orders before the Lagash army is random selected and randomly deployed.
Lagash also has the three random tactics it can use.
In this case the Chariot went into reserve.
The Game
Umma
I rolled up a very strong Army for Umma indeed. 2x Light Bow and 4 x Spear.
Orders
Not knowing the strength of the enemy move on their left I
ordered the Bow on my right flank to skirmish towards the Hamlet, to increase its
survivability.
The Red and Blue Spear to hold the Bridge and the Stele. White
spear to advance over the canal to the opposing Ploughed field if unopposed.
Green spear to reserve.
The left flank Light Bow to cross the canal on the far west
and skirmish against enemy.
Lagash
Lagash rolled up 1 Chariot, 2
x Javelin Skirmish groups and x3 Spear.
To me, this was an
embarrassingly inferior army to mine especially for this scenario. But.
One unit of skirmishers headed
to towards the hamlet.
The three spears headed to the objectives before them with the middle one proceeded by a skirmish screen. The Chariots were in reserve.
The Lagash skirmishers score first capture for the game entering the Hamlet on their left flank.
The Umma Light Bow move up to range, even managed a
hit despite the protection.
On Umma's left flank the light Bow have raced ahead and have begun to
cross the canal.
The stele and the second ploughed field have both now been
captured and the Heroic Lagash 2nd Skirmishers begin causing the Blue Spears on the opposite
side of the canal some worrying casualties.
The left flank javelin decided that hiding in the
hamlet won’t work and race out to close the gap. Both sides suffer casualties
but eventually it is too much for the javelins and the survivors run away.
The Left flank Umma Archers score some hits on the advancing
enemy Spear.
They have been too slow though and this allows the White spear time to cross
the canal.
They charge the White spear but being outnumbered even luck is not what’s needed and they are thrown back Shaken.
It's at this point I thought I had the battle won. My first attempt to change the right flank bows orders to capture the hamlet had failed but I’ll move closer to make them.
I had two to one on my left flank and the shaken enemy spear
was taking more casualties from my bow. Next turn they failed their quality
test and routed.
Now was the moment everything changed. The heroic 2nd
Lagash Skirmishers raced to the edge of the ploughed field and shot the White
Spears. They then did it again and the White spears failed their Q test
retreating over the canal. Unfortunately, the overconfident Umma general,
(Me), was over the other side of the battlefield encouraging the Bow to
capture the Hamlet. With no General to encourage them the White Spear then
failed their next Q test so badly they routed from the field.
The chariots now turned up out of reserve and with the heroic 2nd Lagash Skirmishers now ganged up on the Umma left flank Bow. The Bows orders leave them stuck on the wrong side of the canal unless someone charges them and they evade. They are also quickly routed.
The heroic 2nd Lagash skirmishers now cross the
canal, capture the western ploughed field and shoot up the Blue Spears. Look there 6 hits out of 6 dice= 3 kills. Perfect throwing.
The Right Flank Bow enter the Hamlet. Repeated attempts to order them to leave the village and out flank the enemy at the bridge met with failure until it was too late.
Shooting by the heroic 2nd Lagash skirmishers is
so accurate it causes the Bue Spears to become shaken and retreat.
General finally gets his act together, joins the Blues spears
and rallies them. Meanwhile Lagash sends their Spears over the canal which
disputes the Stele.
The turn around from “I’m about to double envelope them and
win” to loosing in few turns has been amazing.
Cue the Green Spears to come out of reserve and charge the enemy
Spear Regiment.
Green wins, pushing the enemy back into the canal and
opening up the Stele for recapture.
The newly rallied Blue Spears charge towards the Heroic 2nd
Lagash Skirmishers to cover the Greens.
The heroic 2nd Lagash Skirmishers throw javelins
at the much reduced Blue regiment with such accuracy that Blue just gives up
and run away.
The last turn Green charges into the western ploughed field.
Bringing an end to the game.
The result is 2 Objectives to 1 with two in contest. Narrow Umma Win.
This game was an extremely exciting one to play. I made many Generalship mistakes. I think orders really add something to it. But the real Heros of the game have to be the Heroic 2nd Lagash Skirmishers. They routed or assisted in the routing 3 enemy regiments without a single loss.
