Solitaire Pt.2

Here is part 2!

The Ptolemaics advance the Phalanx and (stupidly) move the light horse back; the general pauses, and the auxiliaries join the line in bad going. The Romans complete the wheel with one end against the hills, and the left flank capped with the cavalry. The Roman general moves up. Nothing on the far right flank at this point.

Two bounds later. The light horse pulls back to the table edge, hoping the infantry will break the Romans. Multiple recoils on both sides in combat. The Ptolemaics win their right flank, the Romans win their right flank. The Roman column on the left expands into bad going. What are they up to?

Disaster for the Romans! The Ptolemaics break the center of the legionaries! The standards stay in the fray however, with all others recoiling.

The Romans are not giving up though! The blades in bad going make an about-face towards the Ptolemaic flank. The other blades reform the line, while the ROman cavalry pulls back, waiting for its opportunity. The Roman general is not paying attention to where his line is…he thinks he’s keeping the auxiliaries from flanking what is left of his line.

A slightly blurry shot. The light horse is recoiled off the board edge-the blade is within striking distance of the camp! The other blade in bad going tries to tie up the Ptolemaic advance, to no avail, as the phalanx moves ahead anyways. As noted before, a Roman blade recoils into the Roman general and is destroyed. The far Roman right moves forward with plans to strike the mounted from the bad going.

The Roman general orders a withdrawal on the left as the blades head towards the Ptolemaic camp. The Roman right advances with the psiloi inching towards the bad going. The Ptolemaics suffer pip-lock. If the Romans take the camp, they will be victorious.

Two bounds later and it is over. The Ptolemaics fight like mad men and cause the Roman cavalry to flee from the battle (dice scores above: 6-1) while refusing to engage the Roman right.

So close, yet so far…

Solitaire Pt. 1

Last night I was really itching for a game, so, inspired by Will’s post over at Fanaticus, I decided to play a game of solitaire. I’ve been wanting to use my Marians (II/49.) since I haven’t used them since Historicon, and it’s been even longer since using them in standard DBA. I wanted a good heavy infantry fight, so I picked Ptolemaic II/20. (c) as the other army. Ptolemaic’s won the terrain, placing a waterway, 3 woods, and a steep hill (Yes, I forgot about the waterway for some reason and put too many optional features).

Each feature was set up to accommodate the Ptolemaic plan to deploy a wing of mounted and a main battle line four base widths wide. The Romans ended up with the waterway to their rear. Unfortunately though, when you play solitaire you have the ability to read the other general’s mind. Knowing that the Romans would block the littoral landing, the Ptolemaics deployed as normal.

King Ptolemy deployed his pikes two deep, with his blades on the flanks in a position to wheel between the terrain features. The psiloi deployed in the woods to slow the advance of the Romans, and the light horse protected the lane that led to the camp. The elephant, knight, and auxiliaries deployed on the far right to punch a hole in the Roman right flank. The Romans did the best they could, given the terrain. They set up a force to refuse the right flank (triplet of blade w/psiloi support), and formed a battle line on the left to challenge the pikes (five blade+psiloi+cavalry).

Another view of the Ptolemaic line and their beautifully painted camp!

 

 

For the first few bounds the main battle lines lumbered towards each other, while the opposite flanks stayed static. The Romans pushed out towards the board edge and sent the psiloi out in front of the lines, while the Ptolemaics began to wheel, confident that the mounted could protect their vulnerable flank.

 

Slow and steady…the next Roman bound.

 

Finally getting some pips, the Ptolemaic battle-plan springs to life. The light horse and psiloi move up to arrest the Roman advance, while the phalanx continues its wheel. The mounted wing also advances. King Ptolemy decides to go and aid the mounted wing.

About two bounds later. The Romans challenge the Ptolemaic psiloi and send a column of blades to block the light horse. The Roman line wheels to meet the phalanx.

 

The psiloi battle is quick and bloody. To the Roman commander’s chagrin, he realizes that he left his psiloi no avenue of retreat (doh!).

 

The Roman psiloi are quickly avenged however, when the Ptolemaic psiloi is trampled by the Roman cavalry. Other movement: the column of blade moves closer to the light horse, and the Ptolemaic auxiliaries break off and head into the hills to support the phalanx. The Roman line continues to wheel.

 

To be continued…

I Have a New Friend

And it is called Renaissance Ink: Brown Ink Wash. Now I know I said not to bother with inks in my Newbie guide, but I’ll have to change that, these actually work. I’ll give a full review later, but it’s already a favorite–it’s perfect. I will be using it to paint my Classical Indians. Many thanks to Jay Wirth! Jay sent me some samples and I was excited to start trying them out. Details soon!