EW Second Round 2016 Game Report

EW Second Round 2016 Game Report

Today’s game was my second round game of the Essex Warriors Annual DBM Tournament.

I had elected to use Low Countries because it was a new army, I had not used it in anger before this year and I wanted something totally out of my comfort zone to test my skills and ability.

After my first round victory I was drawn against Tim Myall’s Western Chou.

Our armies are unchanged from the first round games as the tournament follows the usual BHGS format of four rounds but fought over the course of the year rather than over a weekend. This allows players to make full use of the all day Sunday we have to play and means they get to play in a tournament which otherwise most of them would not have the chance to.

Tim’s army consisted of three commands organised thus:

C1 = 23 E/21.5 EE/7.5 D [25% = 5.5 EE] CinC

C2 = 29 E/28 EE/9.5 D [25% = 7 EE] Sub general

C3 = 16 E/15/5 EE/5.5 D [25% = 4 EE] Sub general

Army 68 E/65 EE/32.5 B

My army was as before:

The Low Countries have an Aggression of 0 compared to the Western Chou Ag 3 with both armies being in a Cold Climate. We bother elected to invade in the Summer.

I rolled Ag 0 + 6 = 6 which made me think I was going to be the invader. Tim then rolled Ag 3 + 4 = 7 meaning it was 13.00 hours and with no weather and I was the defender. Because of the way DBM terrain works based on available options on the defenders army list Tim decided not to place any terrain and waited to see what I would do. Being a mainly infantry army I was serious worried about ending up being outflanked on both sides so rolled for a Waterway, successfully and took the mandatory BUA and a 1.5 FE of Rocky RGo.

I placed the WW on my left flank and pushed the BUA out into it as if it was a Quayside. The large RGo area fell into opposite central zone and nicely split the table into two halves. Tim then chose three 0.5 FE of Rocky RGo and diced for their placement. Two fell into my half of the table and the third along Tim’s base line. Due to the tables being over deep we used a boundary road to show where the table finished on Tim’s side.

As the defender I had to place my Baggage elements and Field Fortifications [TF] which gives Tim some clue as to my deployment. Tim then placed his baggage along his rear edge.

Table with baggage and TF laid out

We then wrote out our command deployments. I deployed my CinC’s command across my front to take advantage or its ability to cover from the waterway to the RGo. I then deployed the other two commands adjacent to each other slight to the rear in the centre of my battle line. Tim deployed his smallest command opposite my centre with his CinC’s command to his far left and much to my surprise elected to flank march his largest command,

Here are the armies as deployed before we started the first move.

Tim rolled to proceed and his flank march didn’t arrive – thankfully.

I pushed forward as fast as possible with the aim of taking out his isolated command whilst holding my right flank. 

After I had reach about half way across the table Tim’s flank march diced to arrive meaning I had to reconfigure my plans. I used my highest dice to turn my 3^rd command to protect my open flank and pushed the Planconmen forward to take on his light infantry holding the end of the RGo.

It was at this time my Guildsmen knights started to reach bow range and Reg Kn I are not a good idea opposite bowmen even if they are Irr Bw I.

After losing one knight to bowfire I rearranged the command whilst I dismounted my CinC as a Reg Bd S Kn and threw in my other two knights to try and take out his commands Chariot Reg Kn O general. The first round combat failed and I recoiled drawing his general back into contact with me. 

I was also facing being surrounded on the right flank as Tim pushed in his column of auxilia behind my CinC’s Planconmen It was at this time I double overlapped his smallest commands general and destroyed it. In Tim;s next bound he rolled a 4, 2 & 2 for this PIP’s meaning he was forced to allocate the 4 to his now general less command to stop it breaking. Is game me a small window of life as he moved to break my CinC’s command heavily hampered by the lack of PIP’s.

The next bound he flanked my isolated knights and Planconmen and their losses broke my CinC’s command which started to flee to the rear.

Having looked at the casualty count I realised that I needed to break his smallest command as quickly as possible and charged forward with my 2^nd command and used my four Reg Bw O to take out his end Irr Bw I over the next three turns of shooting to break his command. It was now all to play for and if I managed to get into his baggage I could get enough casualties to be very near to breaking his army. Tim cleverly delayed my command meaning it took me too long to get close enough to take out all of his baggage.

Over on my far right my pikemen were now turned 90 degrees and facing his wall of chariots. I pushed forward to ensure I was able to contact them on my next turn when Tim threw in his chariots. I killed one chariot and recoiled the rest. I then threw in my Planconmen two deep and my pikemen and took out another two chariots. Tim then came back in and took out four pikemen by hard flanking the rear two ranks preventing the whole end block from recoiling. His chariots were still dying in droves and I was half an element from breaking his CinC’s command for at least three turns of combat. I realised that I had to play to win and threw in my remaining troops to try and snatch victory. It failed and only delayed my defeat for one bound of combat. Tim the returned the favour and took the last two casualties to break my second command and with it the whole army and win the game.

Below are the last pictures of the game taken as it developed.

It was a hard fought game and could have ended up as a 7 - 3 victory instead of the 9 - 1 defeat. We are using the BHGS scoring system which meant Tim won 27 – 5.

I was surprised that Tim elected to use his largest command to flank march with as I have a history of them arriving too late to influence the battle. Had it not arrived when it did I feel that I would have had sufficient time to break his smallest command and take out all of his baggage. This would have left me with only needing to take out five other elements from the rest of the army to gain victory.

I learnt a lot more about how to use this army and I am looking forward to fighting Paul Brady and his Feudal English army in the third round.