Greeks Go Mad in Switzerland Part 2
Game 2 - vs Paolo Paglianti using list #25, Middle Assyrian, 882BC from the Italian A team.
Paolo set up with a river (Thank you very much I thought!) and I threw down some inconsequential hills just because I had to.
For deployment I think long and hard, and come up with a daring, innovative, exciting and adventurous plan. I will line all my troops up in a line and march forwards, whilst one command does a flank march ("Plan A").
Paolo has fairly weak pip dice to lurch forwards in an aggressive manner,
however the most dangerous part of his army, the Knights, are paralyzed with
fear by the prospect of the flank march, and go for the "single LH goes
forward whilst we think what to do" gambit. I think I've seen this
somewhere before.....what's the best plan ? 
Well. as it turns out, the best plan is to roll a 6 with the flank marching command and see it arrive almost immediately. Ho Ho Ho ! The Assyrian chariots are in pandemonium - supported spears to the front, their own auxilia bearing down on them from the flank as they are pushed back by my main spear line - and three cheeky Thracians making a dash for the baggage along the baseline !
How good is this looking now? We have neutralized the chariots, we are almost in the baggage, and all that stands between us and total victory is a measly 12 Bd (F) - who are facing nearly 50 spears !! What could possibly go wrong ?
Well,
lets start with 2 Bd (F) blowing away 4 spearmen right in the middle of my spear
line ! All of a sudden my "invulnerable CinC's command of 32.5 elements
starts to look extremely vulnerable - fear of flanks being exposed means I am
prevented from pushing forwards on either flank, and instead pips are being
spent throwing Psiloi into the front of Blades, and hoping to avoid contact
until I have more crap reserves to throw into the fray.
Over on the left the Assyrian command inevitably collapses, and the Thracians are halted on their run to the baggage by the odd demoralized knight using it's pips to menace them - they too go down, and its all a bit scary ! At the same time the poor quality Cv (I) have crept across the river, and are threatening my Thessalian screen - surely I can take them on - surely not as it turns out - Thessalians die like, well, LH (O) against better troops I suppose, and all of a sudden my right flank command is getting scarily close to it's break point as well - we could be totaled !!
As the end of the game nears, it al gets horribly frantic - both sides are near to total collapse - can Paolo get his Kn general through the gap in the center his blades have punched before I can turn his left flank and finish them off? Can I make a dash for the baggage - or can the LH (I) hold them off ?
In the end it comes down to a game of skill - I have 2 attempts to flee a LH (I) off table through the baggage with auxilia and spears going downhill at them, and Paolo has a chance of nailing my CinC-s command by putting a knight general over a single ranked spearman.
Both fail - but it is a 2-1 to me.... but we are both a single element from total defeat !
Phew!
