Classical & Roman in Limerick 2018
Han Chinese vs Graeco-Bactrian
Game 1 Han Chinese vs Carthaginian
Game 2 Han Chinese vs Sea Peoples
Game 3 Han Chinese vs Achaemenid Persian
Game 4 Han Chinese vs Ptolemaic
Game 5 Han Chinese vs Graeco-Bactrian
By now the weather was steaming, and we were all also steaming into the final game of the weekend against the unlikely backdrop of an England football team beating someone comprehensively whilst no-one in the venue watched at all...
To round out the set of classical armies, the Han dodged the Romans and instead went closer to home in the shape of a Graeco-Bactrian force which had in it's armoury both Elephants and a large number of Companions and Cataphracts. The lists for the Han Chinese and Graeco-Bactrian from this game, as well as all the other lists from the games at Limerick can be seen here in the L'Art de la Guerre Wiki.
The terrain was rather cluttered, with fields and uneven areas narrowing the amount of open ground available to the Bactrians and making it seemingly inevitable that their mounted wing would be on my left and their pikes down the middle. In anticipation of this the Han army set up with its vulnerable Medium troops on the right poised to sweep through the terrain and wheel in on the flanks of where the pike block inevitable would be whilst the heavier foot held firm (hopefully) in the centre.
This of course left the rather small Chariot command with the task of holding the left flank of the Chinese army - and having seen the veritable tide of heavy metal facing them they soon realised that this could be a challenge indeed..
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The opposite flank was almost the opposite, with more Chinese troops than you could shake an Irish stick at greatly outnumbering and out-wide-ing (eh?) the Bactrians. Clouds of Chinese skirmishers rolled forward to unleash an ineffective hail of arrows and crossbow bolts at the thin Bactrian skirmish screen protecting their deadly elephants. |
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With such a metal-clad horde descending on them the Chinese Chariots had already worked out that they wouldn't be doing much winning this afternoon, and instead their role was to hang on as long as possible and try and draw the Bactrian Cataphracts out to the edge of the table so that when the Chariots (inevitably) went down the Bactrians may find themselves still too far away from the centre to add much more to the overall battle.
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The opposite flank was almost the opposite, with more Chinese troops than you could shake an Irish stick at greatly outnumbering and out-wide-ing (eh?) the Bactrians. Clouds of Chinese skirmishers rolled forward to unleash an ineffective hail of arrows and crossbow bolts at the thin Bactrian skirmish screen protecting their deadly elephants. |
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The Bactrians were suitably single-minded and drove forward at a pace. Spare cavalry swung out to the edge of the table in a successful attempt to keep the Chinese LH honest and prevent them sneaking round the back of the onrushing Bactrian line. This looked like a game in which the Levy Horde would need to be well and truly chained to the ground as well, as the Bactrian line of horse was proving to be so wide that it could deal with the Chariots and attack the Chinese centre simultaneously.
Graeco Bactrian History
The opposite flank was seeing Bactrians dance and skirmish furiously - however this sort of tactic is probably best left to their Light Horse in normal circumstances, so to see Elephants and Peltasts also attempting it was a bemusing sight indeed for the onrushing Chinese infantry
The Han Chariotry were looking to form a battle line to receive the imminent Bactrian charge but the sheer numbers of enemy forces had already started to overwhelm them as Bactrian horsemen inched round the flanks of the somewhat limited Chinese left wing command.
As the streets of Limerick filled with laughter for the festival of Mrs Doyle's fried Potatoes, the Bactrians went in, impressing the Chinese at close quarters with their excellent painting quality. The Han General could see that only bad things would happen on this flank, and had pushed the levy infantry forwards in a vain attempt to save the main battle line of infantry from being clattered, at least for a couple more turns.
L'Art de la Guerre hint - ADLG games are fast and brutal, and often will be decided inside 7-9 turns. Delaying the enemy from contacting your Heavy Troops in a disadvantageous matchup, even for a turn or two, can make all the difference between them being alive or wiped out by the time the game reaches its end phase
The Bactrians were clearly in a hurry and barely paused for breath as they rode straight over half of the levy, and inflicted a multitude of casualties on the rest of the Bactrian line as well. The Han Halberdiers were not best pleased..
Multitude of Casualties
In a flash the rest of the levy evaporated too, but the Han Chariot-borne General was apparently made of sterner stuff - he burst through the line of Bactrians and started to give everyone on both sides a headache as to how best to either deal with, or exploit this happening.
Fantastic...
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But, much as the painting quality on the opposite flank was drawing in the cameramen from both Bactria TV and 24-Hour-Han-News there was still some quite interesting stuff happening elsewhere. The Elephants had run out of room and pips to scoot backwards, and the Han had - finally - managed to get their lone Javelinman unit into one of the Elephants as well. Chinese horsemen were now close to making a flanking charge as well. |
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The Bactrian cavalry command, shocked by the hole punched into their line by the Han General, concentrated their forces and efforts to crush the sole surviving chariot. This flank was now Bactrias'. |
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Inspired by the proud Celtic spirit of Father Dougal's Guinness-drenched Black and white pudding, the colourful Phalanx was now also in combat against China's finest heavy infantry - and was doing exceptionally well as well, as the Heavy Halberdiers picked up markers of all three flavours in the grinding combat. Even with their magical Halberd abilities this number of hits made life rather difficult - and potentially rather short lived - for these guys.
The only hope for salvation for the Halberdiers lay now in a quick success for the Medium Foot command against the Elephants protecting the flank of the Pikes. And this was starting well - the Elephants had taken 2 hits out of three already. |
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And as that battle went on, the width of the Han infantry formation was coming into its' own - while the Elephants were being dragged down the Han still had a spare 3-wide mixed formation of sword/crossbow infantry who were free to drive straight for the baggage, shooting any LH or infantry they met on the way.
Chinese Crossbows
The Han Chariot was gone - the race was now on as to whether the Bactrians could reform and roll up the Han from the left, or if the Han could run over the Elephants, swing into the flank of the pike and also drive on to capture the baggage
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The Pike Phalanx had spotted this too, and were redoubling their efforts to finish off the Han halberdiers before their Elephant collapsed. The Han General was urging his men on to hang in there. |
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The Bactrians had the advantage of being on horses as they rode quickly to the rescue of their pikemen. They impressive horsemen had no need for subterfuge or disguises in rushing upon the hapless Chinese, as the field was bare of all Chinse troops for miles around! |
The game was now really shaping up into a clear pattern, with both armies stacking their right flanks and overrunning the enemy left wing. Who would get there quicker ?
I hear you're a racist now Father..?
The Han had tucked their baggage away in a corner of their deployment zone, and conscious of the threat of the enemy mounted had detached a light crossbow unit to just stand in the way if the horsemen made a dash across the backfield.
The Bactrians had won the race to influence the central battle as they steamed into the flank of the Chinese heavy infantry.
But only by a moment in time, as the last Elephant finally went down under a flurry of Javelins and a flank attack. With this, and the baggage the game was done... the Han had won out by the narrowest of margins.
The Result is a "Father Ted" - a final round win for the Han in Ireland, and a Bishop Brennan for the Bactrians as they are roundly kicked up the arse by the team from China!
Read on for the post match summaries from the Generals involved, as well as another episode of legendary expert analysis from Hannibal
Post Match Summary from the Han Chinese Commander
The Greeks from the East had great stuff
Nellies, Pikes, Cats - and all of it tough
They won on their right
But out left, lost that fight
And their baggage went 'fore they'd killed enough
Hannibal's Post Match Analysis
My lord, you were lucky in this one - your left flank was completely overrun here with a very predictable and massive attack by the enemy horsemen which you had no real answer to - and it's not as if this army you were facing isn't known, or possibly even defined by its cavalry wing !
Yet again you sneaked this by the skin of your teeth by making ahome run for the enemy baggage - whether that indeed tipped the game in your favour, or whether instead the paper-thin forces you had protecting (laughably using that term) on your left flank were just so pathetic that their loss did little to dent the overall morale of your army I do not know, but either way you were fortunate indeed that your right hook landed a bigger blow than your opponents.
A second place finish in Irelands first tournament ever is however not to be sneezed at, and instead is somethng to be celebrated with drink, drink, derink on the way home, and possibly a successful bit of Waterwheel shopping and a casual Keith Duffy sighting as well.
Top of the mornin' to you and your fried breakfasts, a warm thanks to the gracious hosts in the Emerald Isle and looking forward to a better compiled army in a more rain-swept typical Irish summer next year when I am sure we will return to Conclave yet again !
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You may also like....
Game 1 Han Chinese vs Carthaginian
Game 2 Han Chinese vs Sea Peoples
Game 3 Han Chinese vs Achaemenid Persian
Game 4 Han Chinese vs Ptolemaic
Game 5 Han Chinese vs Graeco-Bactrian
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