Battle of the Hydaspes, 120 Points L' Art de la Guerre (reduex)

A Headless Body Production

Location:  Regency at Providence Community Center, Phoenixville, Pa
Event:        Providence Gamer's Game Knight
Players:    Phil Gardocki,  playing King Porus
                     Bruce Potter, playing Alexander the Great

Game System: L'Art de la Guerre, about 120 points per side. 

120 point games take about 90 minutes to run, so there was a quick shuffle, from the previous game, and back into the fray go Porus and Alexander.

The Forces:
Classical Indian (list 79)
King Porus, Competent and Prince Porus, Competent
      2 Elephant, Elite
      4 1/2 Medium Swordsmen, 1/2 Bowmen

      4 Heavy Chariots, 2 Elite
      1 Medium Cavalry, Mediocre
   
Breakpoint of 11

Alexandrian the Great (list 40)
King Alexander the Great, Strategist, and Stavros, Brilliant
      2 Thracians, Medium Swordsmen 
      1 Spartan Hypaspist, Heavy Spearman, Elite
      1 Thracian Scout, Light Infantry Javelin
      2 Macedonian Pikemen
      1 Hoplite, Heavy Spearman
      1 Cretan Archer, Light Infantry Bow
      2 Hippakontistai, Light Cavalry Javelin
      2 Scythians, Light Cavalry, Bow
      2 Companians, Heavy Cavalry, Impact, Elite
Breakpoint of 15

The Board

After a beer, and a discussion on what went wrong, Bruce and I had a redo of the previous game.  You gotta love small battles.

Turn 1:
This time, the terrain fell dramatically better for the Indians.  Getting one piece is 100% better than getting none.  The road doesn't count as terrain.

 In this game Stavros's Cavalry is kept on a short leash.

The Indians were somewhat spread out.  Alexander has the advantage being the attacker, and King Porus didn't want to have a hanging flank.

 Turn 1:

The Pike block does a double march, and the light horse redeploys behind the lines.

Prince Porus swings his chariots wide, but holds his elephants back.  (having 2 command points will do that to you.)

King Porus advances and slides left, while sending his chariots on a wide flank as well.

 Turn 2:

Not to be outflanked, the Companions track Prince Porus's chariots.

While the Pike cant their lines to face the divided formations of King Porus.

Faced with near one on one fights, Prince Porus holds his chariots back.

But vectors his elephants in on the Pike block.

King Porus is content to let his archery do the work for now..

 Turn 3:

The Indians have checked the Companions, and are content to let the archers go at it.  It will be 2 full turns before the pike can engage, and that is a lot of shots.

Stavros is not happy with the status quo.  He recalls two of his lights, and charges with his companions.  It was an even fight, with even dice.   Both sides take a disorder.

The Pikemen halt.  They see the (rather obvious) trap if they advance, and they can wait till Stavros's wins, and roll up the Indian flank. 

However theirs hopes are misplaced, as one Companion is destroyed, and the other (with Stavros included) fails to destroy his opponent.

 Turn 4:

Stavros isn't going to give Prince Porus a chance, and disengages from the unfavorable fight, even if it means he must suffer bow fire from the field.

Once again, the corner Hoplite is forced to stand and receive volley after volley of arrows.  And once again, Greek light horse is redeployed in the rear, but this time they have a target, a probing Indian Medium Cavalry (mediocre).

Indian Chariots are impetuous, and so this charge cannot be avoided.  But this time they have support.

While bow fire hasn't proven to be all that effective, there is no reason not to continue with it though.

Mediums charge, Lights evade, until the Lights realize the Mediums are fighting at a zero with two hits left, and the Lights have a javelin.

Not that anyone asked, but the Greeks have 4 points towards their demoralization level of 15, while the Indians are 2 for 11.

Turn 5:

But fortune can change quickly in a small game.  Stavros gets a 6-1 die roll, destroying a chariot, conforms the other, with flank support.

The Greeks have 5 points towards their demoralization level of 15
The Indians have 4 points towards their demoralization level of 11

And a reverse 1-6 dice pairing on the other flank, destroying a Greek Light Horse, disordering another.

The Greeks have 8 points towards their demoralization level of 15
The Indians have 4 points towards their demoralization level of 11

Indian archers take another light horse in the rear, and destroy them.  They had their front edge in contact with the chariots, and so, could not evade.

The Greeks have 10 points towards their demoralization level of 15
The Indians have 4 points towards their demoralization level of 11

On the right flank, the chariots are given the "Weapons Free" order, and run over the Thracians.

The Greeks have 12 points towards their demoralization level of 15
The Indians have 4 points towards their demoralization level of 11

Prince Poro's elephants leave the safety of the field and threaten the right flank of the pike block.  The trap is set!

The Greeks have 12 points towards their demoralization level of 15
The Indians have 6 points towards their demoralization level of 11

And the clock runs out, or the sun sets, or the constables show up inexplicably between the combatants.  The result is a winning draw for the Indians.