Milan Game 3
Game 3 saw me take on Peter's Portuguese (medieval variety). This was a heavy metal army served up after a night eating large quantities of maggots, meal worms and boiled testicles in a rich tomato sauce:
Peter's army was here .
There are 2 options for you to view this game - either by traditional methods involving a mix of text and pictures, or via a new interactive video viewpoint being trialed exclusively on this site.
READ ON for the TRADITIONAL view
Click HERE for a Non-interactive Video Summary
Terrain-wise I again defended (yawn) but this time all the orchards fell out of the useful zone. I had also chosen a few bits of RGo, hopefully to provide a home for my bowmen - but only one fell where it was likely to play a part in the game - right down the middle.
I again selected my first list - maybe a mistake, as my second choice was theoretically better against knights, but I felt the better maneuverability of the increased number of chariots might be useful. A more visually attractive look at deployment is here - as you can see, I really didn't have such a clear plan as in my previous two games, possibly down to the terrain, and possibly down to the 2am finish the night before.
The Portuguese started by rushing a block of bowmen into the rough going, with a small Bw (S) and Kn (S) command on their left, and a big Kn (O) and (S) punch on their right.
 |
My micro-command was hoping to getr at some LH as they exposed a flank coming past the orchard, but it was not to be, as the Portlies held back here as they deployed out the bowmen two deep and advanced instead on my left. |
I quickly decided the bowmen in the rough going were the most juicy target on the table - the knights could not come into the rough, and so there was a micro-battle to be had, pivotal to the entire table, but also totally separate. I charged forward with 2 commands worth of fast blades, hoping to set up a series of 3 vs 3 combats in the rough with the bowmen. My fast status would of course be a disadvantage, but with 2 pip dice vs one, and with the bowmen dying 2 at a time I though the odds were with me.
As the battle was joined in the middle, my blades got in, but were initially repulsed. And then repulsed again. Peters dice were rolling consistently well. In fact, they were rolling consistently "5".
 |
To either side of this bit of blasted heath, bowmen
were targeting knights, attempting to break up their formation before
they could roll the dice to dismount.
|
On my right, the micro command girded its loins, and decided to try and take on the bowmen whilst they sat temptingly two deep.
It was risky, but with the battle in the middle becoming bogged down it was a chance to create a breakthrough. We charged in, throwing pip dice at the assault - but again, we were repulsed, as Peter rolled a string of 5's ...
In the centre we carried on plugging away. By now we had had 4 or 5 bounds of combat - but the bowmen were yet to even recoil! My game-winning strategy was looking rather sad, as instead of holding both wings and driving through the middle I was instead collapsing on both flanks and being held in the centre! The knights were starting to dismount, and bear down on my hapless infantry all over the field.
Finally the bowmen crumbled -
at last! But by now my flanks were being stove in, and I had suffered serious
casualties across the park. After a late flurry of low-probability attacks, all
repulsed by rolls of "5", we were forced to settle for just the CinC's
command and a 7-3 defeat, the coup-de-grace being administered with yet another
roll of the magic number by the jubilant Portly Geezers 
Match Analysis: I didn't have a clear plan here, and also failed to anticipate the makeup of deployment of the enemy army - and both showed in the end result. My advantages in maneuverability were negated by the Portuguese lack of willingness to attack recklessly and advance out of a strong position on my right, and ultimately I had no-where to hide on my left. The mitigating factor in my defence is that the central battle, at 3-3 on a 4 element frontage should probably have swung my way sooner but any plan that involves winning some 3-3 combats isn't going to impress the judges when they are looking to score you for artistic merit. But Peter did roll a lot of "5"'s !!!!!
