John Doukas Byz His Time

A Headless Body Production

Venue:   An Undisclosed Basement

Event:   Playing a game for the camera 
Players: Phil Gardocki running Thematic Byzantine
              Tom Worden running Samurai
Game System: L'Art de la Guerre, 15mm, 200 points per side.

With a tie against the Burgundians, the Samurai army finds itself in a sudden death bonus round against the Thematic Byzantines. This round being held in the Karaburma field along the Danube river.

John Doukas (Greek: Ἰωάννης Δούκας, romanized: Iōannēs Doúkas; fl. 1155–1181) was a senior Byzantine military commander and diplomat under Manuel I Komnenos, serving in Italy, Hungary, Asia Minor, and the Holy Land. He rose to the rank of sebastos and the office of megas hetaireiarches.

The Forces:
Samurai (list 210)
The Samurai are commanded by Larry-San, the Strategist, his brother Darryl-San the Ordinary and his other brother Darryl-San, also Ordinary.
9 Samurai Swordsmen and Archers, Medium Swordsmen, Bow, Elite  
4 Yari, Medium Spearmen, Mediocre
4 Mounted Samurai, Heavy Cavalry, Bow, Elite  
2 Followers with Bow, Bowmen, Mediocre
Breakpoint of 19

Thematic Byzantine (list 127)  
Commanded by Nikephoros (the younger), Brilliant, Pumaphoros, also Brilliant, and Adidasphoros, the Ordinary, and somewhat Unreliable

12 Thematic Kataphractoi, Medium Cavalry, Impact and Bot
4 Cursors and Alans, Light Cavalry, Bow
3 Skutatoi, Heavy Spearmen, Missile Support, Mediocre
2 Light Infantry, Bow
2 Light Infantry, Sling
1 Light Infantry, Javelin

Breakpoint of 25

The Board:

The picturesque River Danube anchors the Samurai left.  The board started with 2 fields, but a lucky roll removed the huge one in the center of the board.  Leaving the Japanese with only one on their side of the board.  Leaving the only notable pieces of terrain on the Byzantine side.

With not enough room between the river and the field, Larry-San deploys his more mobile, and better command controlled command on the far right.

While the Darryl's deploy with their flanks well secured.

Nikephoros has half the cavalry on the left.

Increasing the font size to 16 points, the descriptions on the field are a bit more legible. 

A sudden cloud covers the sun, as the light fades away.

OK, the auto flash thinks there is enough light on the right side of the table.  But its brown light.  (advertised as "Soft White" on the packaging.  2,700 K is not soft white, at best it's yellow.)

Turn 1:
On the left side of the table is dominated by a couple of 5,000K LED's.  Nice and white.

Byzantine lights take position on the Samurai flank.

While the Kataphractoi take up position just out of bow range.

Ditto on the right side

Samurai advance to missile range.

A broader view of the same part of the field.

The foot Samurai line up to bow range of the Byzantine skirmish line, but are out of charge reach.

Turn 2:

Nikephoros rolls the first of a set of one's leaving him with minimal command points.  The Avars split into two groups.  One to distract, the other to get around the Samurai rear.

Add caption

No subtlety here.  The Byzantines advance behind their lights and are going straight in with lance.

Samurai heavies make a choice which one to chase.

Their archery proves unmatched. 

Having greater numbers and skills, they turn the flank of the Byzantine line.

At the tree of Woe, The score is 12 (out of 25) to 1 (out of 19)

Turn 3:
I really have to get better about screening with Light Cavalry, this is two games in a row where my lancers are disordered by routing lights.

Nikephoros rolls the second of a set of one's leaving him with minimal command points.  So the Avars are left without orders.

Giving him just enough for charges on the Samurai foot, with some support. 

I made a mistake though, I should have brought  in one more undamaged Kataphract to challenge the Samurai horse.  Whether he stands or evades, that is one less support for the foot unit.

But it didn't matter, as Nikephoros (the younger) rolls a six, and plows the Samurai foot unit under!
His example is taken to heart by his men, as two more sixes are rolled against the other Samurai foot.

Pumaphoros isn't so lucky, but not bad either.  All his Kataphracts charge.  One is destroyed on contact.  Another bursts through the lines.

The score is 11 to 8!

The Avars are charged off the board.

A blurry shot.  Sorry. 

 Fighting continues.  All of Larry-San's foot forces are destroyed.

Darryl-San destroys 2 more Kataphracts and advance for flank positions.

At 13 of 25 to 10 of 19, the score now is a virtual tie!

 Turn 4:
 

Awake from his nap, Nikephoros pulls off a virtuoso performance.  Surrounding the left end of the Samurai cavalry line, getting his badly shot up Kataphracts out of harms way, and gets his rested lancers ready for another attack.

The remaining Kataphracts fight with renewed vigor.  A Samurai foot command is flanked, another is disordered.  A Yari unit is dispersed on contact!

I didn't think it would be necessary for Adidasphoros to get into the combat, but Pumaphoros needs all the help he can get.
This list has a micro command consisting of a mediocre spear unit and a light, led by an unreliable, ordinary general.  The command costs a total of 8 points.
Its primary function is to give me two larger than normal commands for the Brilliant commanders to fight with.
A secondary function is to place it first, so my opponent doesn't have much information to go on about the other commands.
The third function is to just guard the camp.
The fourth, is to support one of the other commands when they are in trouble.  Such as now.
When you are on Plan 'D', you know you are in trouble. 

And now the score is 12-15!

Outnumbered, Larry-San tries to gain some position.

Fresh targets for Samurai arrows.

The score is now 16-all

 Turn 5:

Nikephoros leads from the front trying to collapse the end cap of the Samurai line, but only manages another level of disorder.

Adidasphoros also leads from the front.  It's disordered Heavy Spear vs LMI, supported, both are mediocre.  And roll a tie!  On the far end, another Samurai foot unit falls, another is confronted.  Off in the rear, the third line Yari (mediocre) defeat the charging Byzantine Kataphracts, causing 2 levels of disorder.

Samurai horse pull an about face, dispersing the Avar lights in their rear.  More on that at the bottom of the battlereport.  Their aid is too late as the end unit collapses under the weight of Byzantine swords.

A over view shot.  Nikephoros and Larry-San are on the left.  The Darryl-San's, Puma/Adidas phoros's on the right.

Adidasphoros is killed!  Samurai archers are still finding targets!

The score is now 18 out of 19 for the Samurai, 20 out of 25 for the Byzantines.

 Turn 6:

The Byzantines only need one point to demoralize the Samurai. The Samurai horse can still evade if charged.  So it's time to open the bow cases and fire.  Samurai Armor is riddled with arrows, but none are harmed.

The final point is here.  On the river, horsemen break contact with the Yari. and the remnants of Adidasphoros's command still holds.  But there is one Samurai foot unit that faces Impact to the front, with flank support and Pumaphoros leading from the front for the win.

So what went right?  On the Byzantine left, proper screening of the Kataphracts with Psiloi (real psiloi, not just the generic name for light infantry) led to a clean charge on Medium Infantry with lancers.  3 six's helped a lot with the impact.  But after that, Nikephoros's command couldn't exploit its advantage much, only gaining 1 more unit before games end.  This command caused 8 points and took 5.  

On the Byzantine right.  Proper screening helped along the rivers edge, but improper screening caused disorder on the center Kataphracts.  On this flank only tenaciousness pulled through.  Half the command was destroyed doing it though.  This command caused 10 points but took 11.

The center command, which normally should not be in combat.  Lost 3 points, but gained 1, the final point of the game!  Posthumously awarding Adidasphoros the MVP of the game!

Rules question.  This happened during the game, And I am not sure how to rule it. 

Situation.  Two Samurai horse are facing the Byzantine Kataphract.  Byzantine lights are engaged in the rear of one of the Samurai horse units.

It is the Samurai's turn.  He turns his supporting unit and charges the Byzantine Lights.

So what happens?  The Lights cannot evade, as they are in frontal contact with the enemy.
It is not a flank charge, as the Samurai are not behind the flank.
It's not a front charge, because there is no front to charge.

In the end, we ruled it as a flank charge.

 Any thoughts?