An Asset of Alexandrians

A Headless Body Production

Venue: Comfort Suites Downtown Carlisle
Event:        OttoCon, formally known as "the Weekend"
Organizer: Walt Leach
Players:      Phil Gardocki, running Yi Korean
                    Cleo Libel running Alexandrian
Game System: L'Art de la Guerre, 15mm, 200 points per side
 
The Forces:
Alexandrian Macedonian
One Strategist and 2 Competent commanders.
3 Companions, Heavy Cavalry, Impact, Elite
1 Greek Cavalry, Heavy Cavalry
2 Light Horse, one with Javelin, one with bow
5 Pike, one elite
1 Greek Hoplite
2 Peltasts, Medium Spear
2 Thracians, Medium Sword, 2HW
2 Elephants
3 Light Infantry, Javelin
Breakpoint of 22

Yi Korean (list 282)The Koreans are commanded by Kim-Lar-re, the Brilliant, his brother Kim-Dar-el, the Competent, and his other brother Kim-Dar-el, also Competent
6 Pikemen, Mediocre
4 Integrated Artillery
4 Horsemen, Heavy Cavalry Impact, Ordinary
4 Medium Cavalry, Bow
3 Light Cavalry, Bow
5 Light Infantry Bow
Breakpoint of 26

It has been pointed out last week to me that this Yi list is illegal as it does not meet the minimums for "bowmen". Seppeku is not an accepted practice for Koreans, so we are going to have to settle for "I'm sorry, it won't happen again."

This was the first "Weekend" in a couple of years. 2019 was canceled due to the death of our patron, Otto Schmitt, and 2020 by, well, you know... Tracy Johnson had taken up the heavy task to find a new venue for the weekend and selected Comfort Suites in Carlisle, PA.

The rooms were large and clean, and a parking garage out back. Carlisle is a college town, so there are a lot of interesting eateries within walking distance. Including the "Grand Illusion" a magician themed pub, the Gingerbread Man, the Yeti and Yack II (Nepalese cuisine). And the Hamilton, a typical American diner. Owned by a Greek family, serving eggs and scrapple with excellent coffee and Smuckers strawberry jam on very plain white toast. 

There were several reasons I brought the Yi to the table. The first was it was built around Dec, 2019, just before Covid changed the world, and in the interval, v4 came out. The original army was Koyko Korean where the cavalry was mostly Impact (elite, ordinary and mediocre) and the infantry was 1/2 spear and bow.

I have judged that with the foot troops no longer getting missile support, and fighting mediocre, that that army is no longer viable. And the cataphracts available to it are still largely a waste of points.

I remounted the foot as pike. The cavalry I kept the same, but I kept the elite marker (dice) to mark the Impact Heavy Cavalry and differentiate them from the Bow armed Medium Cavalry, which looked impacty.

But the real reason was to test the newly created, "Integral Artillery". I have heard conversations on how many an army should have, if allowed on the MadAxMan's podcast.

There answers varied between 1 and 2. Some said 2 was to many. To me, 1 is only going to give you anecdotal results. From game to game, it is going to do either great, ok, or meh. Nothing you want to base a strategy on. The the argument for 2 was, well, more is more.

I have a scientific mind for this sort of thing, so lets go large. Yi Korean gets 4! The only other army to get 4 is the Ming. The front rank is Pike, Mediocre. Which should beat spear, sword and cavalry, and at 8 points, not cost a lot. So let the experiment be made!

And I had these Roman figures of Ballista mounted on mule cart figures that can represent mobile Hwacha's. Which is a rocket propelled arrow launcher. I have not run these figures in more than a decade, probably not even this millennium ;)

Truth be told, I dreaded this experiment, I kinda knew how it was going to work out. It's a one trick pony with 94 points committed to the center 6 units.

Pointed word bubbles with the word "Ouch!" in them implies a missile hit. "XX" means a unit died on that spot this turn.

The Board:

The Koreans win the initiative and elect to attack in the plains. 

Deployment:

Alexander has deployed his Companions at the point of honor on the right.

But uncharacteristically, he is taking command of the elephantry on the left.

Kim Dar-el takes the position on the Yi left. He is not happy with what he sees. His cavalry is matched 1 for 1. Most of them elites. Their one flank protected by pike, the other covered by bad terrain.

Kim Lar-re is pleased. This is the matchup he has been looking for. An excellent test of the artillery-pike combined arms system.

While Kim Dar-el is not happy facing elephants. His mission is really to just protect the pikes flank, otherwise he has room to maneuver.

Turn 1:

The Yi left move forward one march and hold

Keeping in alignment with the pike that double march.

In v4.0, heavy foot units can now move 3 UD's if they start outside of 4 UD's of the nearest enemy units. In other armies, this would allow legionaries or pike to race across the field 6 or even 9 UD's in the right situation.

But, the integral artillery are not subject to that improvement, and a double move of 4 is all this line can pull off.

On the Korean right, Kim Dar-el's horse make a half move.

And like a well oiled machine, the Companions spread out, covering all the paths the Koreans may have had, AND, protect their pike.

The pike advance and begin to receive rocket assisted arrow fire. The elephantry advance in perfect time with their loose ordered foot troops.

Turn 2:

There is no benefit to early contact. The Korean horse holds and looses arrows.

Like wise the main battle line.

The Korean right opens distance from the elephants.

The Companions charge in mass. Kim Dar-el orders his lancers to countercharge, and his bow armed horse to evade. There are mixed results as one of his cavalry is run down, but the other pulls a minor win, which means the pike will not be flanked next turn.

For this is the ultimate test. Ordinary, but disordered pike vs pike mediocre. The initial blows are looking good for the Koreans

The reason for the units not lining up has to do with the magnets the Macedonian pike are sitting on. It wasn't obvious on the approach, but the magnets were 45x40, and we had them on sideways.

The pikes were 3 inches long and sharp and we gave up trying to fix them.

Supporting the charge down the line, the Elephantry advance.

Turn 3:

Kim Dar-el has a command point failure and can only move one unit.

Their job finished, the Hwacha's withdraw. Hits on both sides from the pike scum.

Kim Dar-el makes a 180 turn and prepares to engage.

On the Korean right, their heavy horse is defeated, leaving their mediums and lights.

The first of taxis of Alexander's pikes has broken

But the Korean pike have 5 of their pike disordered, one about to break itself. And their left flank is exposed.

With little to fear, the elephantry advance.

Turn 4:

Kim Dar-el commit his last troops to fight.

A Korean Pike has routed, 2 others are about to fail.

Like his brother, Kim Dar-el also commits to fight.

Kim Dar-el loses his nerve at the last minute and evades the Companion charge.

The Korean main battle line is now turned on both flanks. 4 pike have been routed.

The elephants charge with their infantry. Once side holds, the other side has a 6-1 die roll fail and is dispersed.

Turn 5:

The Korean left turns and looses one last volley of arrows.

In the center, Korean pike manage to flank a Macedonian taxis and rout it.

On the right, Korean horse is proving their worth and wound an enemy elephant, while turning the flanks of the elephant formation.

The last charge before time is called to a zero-zero call.

The game ends here with a winning draw for one of the players, but the score was 49-46, nothing to brag about, so we'll just call it a draw.

Both players played hard, neither offering or giving quarter.

With this, the great "Korean Grand Battery" experiment draws to a close.

This game gave it it's best chance to succeed, having only "ordinary" pike to shoot at for 3 rounds before contact, and it did not. 28 points not well spent.

You could say the problem is the pike mediocre in the front line, and that is a valid point. But any attempt to enhance the front will weaken the flanks, and as noted earlier, the flanks already are too weak.

The only other list offering 4 integral artillery would be Ming, with 6 Heavy Sword, Polearm in the front. And I don't think they would have fared better here, and bring the command cost up to 100 points even.