A Nurturing of Numidians

A Headless Body Production

Venue: A secluded fire house at the edge of the dark and forbidding Pine Barrens of New Jersey, home of the New Jersey Devil.
Event:  Kozcon ADLG organized by Don Manzer.
Players: Phil Gardocki running Medieval Polish (254)
               Kevin Swanson  running Numidians
Game System: L'Art de la Guerre, 200 points per side.
Scale: 25mm

The Forces:

Medieval Polish: Commanders Larry'ego (Brilliant ), his brother Darrellem (Competent), and his other brother Darrellem (Competent and Unreliable).
4 Winged Hussars, Medium Knight, Impact, elite
2 Followers, Heavy Cavalry, Impact.
4 Medium Cavalry, Crossbow
2 Tartars, Light Cavalry, Bow elite.
2 Lithuanians, Light Cavalry, Javelin
2 Serbian Hussars, Light Cavalry, Impact, elite
2 War Wagons, Crossbow
1 Heavy Spearmen, 1/2 Crossbow
2 Light Infantry, Firearm, 1 elite
Breakpoint...21

Numidians
12 Legions, 8 fake, 4 real.
2 Elephants
6 Light Horse, Javelins
2 LI, Javelins
Breakpoint around 22

Display Conventions: When you see a word bubble like "Ouch!" or "Auć!", this implies a disorder from missiles. Letters in parenthesis represent some value change for the specific unit. For commanders it is s for strategist, b for Brilliant, c for Competent and o for Ordinary, u for unreliable. For troops it is e for Elite, and m for Mediocre. Other abbreviations, Hvy Heavy, XB Crossbow, LB, Longbow, Jav Javelin, 2HW 2 Handed Weapons, B Bow, Kn Knight, HKn Heavy Knight, HC Heavy Cavalry, Md Medium, Sgt Sergeants, LC Light Cavalry, Chr Chariot, Cat Cataphract, Pa Pavise, LI, Light Infantry, HG Hand Gun, FKn Foot Knight, Hvy Spear, Heavy Spearmen.

Inappropriately capitalized words are used to highlight terms that are specific to the game. For example Brilliant, Competent and Ordinary have specific game values for the commanders.

"XX" implies a unit killed in that location on that turn.

Having lost to the evil one last round, I drew his partner in crime. 

The list may be Numidians, but it's more like Roman with Elephants and decent lights.

The Board:

The Numidians win the initiative and elect to defend in the plains.

Deployment: 

The Numidians got out their lawn mowers and weed wackers to make a space exactly 720mm between two fields.  Both fields have ambushes, portraying threatening African wildlife, and one even had actual African elephants as well.  

The Numidian right flank is covered by 3 layers, lights, ambush, and terrain.

The space between the fields are filled with Heavy Sword, Impact.  Yes the Imitation Legionnaires are not as tough as the real thing, but there are a lot of them.  And the center four cohorts are armored, missile support.  I am not going through this line with just 6 lancers. 

Holding the left of this line is also multiple layers of defense with lights, elephants, an ambush and terrain.

Darrelem takes the left with his war wagons.

Larry'ego, the center with his lancers.

Most of the space is taken on the right with 8 units of horse.  6 with missiles.

Here is the plan.  My left will take a position on the hill with the war-wagons.  If the Romans want to come out an play, the war wagons will be +1 and hill.  More importantly, they cost 24 points and will be occupying 36 points

The knights I am going to keep wayyyy back.  Even if the legions come out, they outnumber my horse 12-6, or by another measurement, 48 cohesion points to 18.  Even with furious charge on some of them, but not the center 4, it would be a quick loss. 

So it is on my right I must play.  Run off the Numidian lights, shoot up the elephants, then invest the terrain to harass the Roman left. 

But over all else, be patient.  Most of his army is heavy infantry.  They are not going anywhere fast.

Turn 1:

Darrelem takes the hill.

Larry'ego sends his lights forward.

Darrylem advances mostly as a block.  To better keep command control.

On the Numidian right, their horsemen charge the Polish light foot on the hill.  Who run to the other side of the crest.

The legions hold fast.

So too, the elephants.  The Numidian light horse retreat.

Some of you may think their some missing lights.  Where did they go?  I know I did.  I was peeking around the elephant, checking the rear of the legions, but for nought.  

The answer is in the basing of the lights. There is only one horse per base.  Kevin retreated, then turned them. So in the picture, it looks like 2 light horse facing the Polish line.  But it is actually 4 units facing their elephants.

Turn 2:

The Polish lights return, and with support from the War Wagons and Heavy Spearmen, begin to shoot up the Numidian light horse.

Larry'ego tells his Tatars to let him know if the Romans do anything.

Darrylem's horse archers continue to advance.

The Numidian light horse charges the hill again.  But this time the Polish hold their ground.  Both sides lose a unit.

The block of imitation legionnaires advance at a half step.  Probably to cover the flank of the elephants that wheeled ever so slightly.

The hope for the Numidians breaking through on their right, and getting a couple of light horse in the Polish rear has failed faster than a Putin end run on Kviv.  

The Numidians are tightening their left flank, to keep their outnumbered lights from being caught or run off.

Turn 3:

Polish lights conform on the Numidian horse.  The Polish spear turn to offer support next turn if needed.

The Polish lancers advance 1 and slide 1.

Patience is really required here.  The Polish right, has yet to loose a single bolt.

Patience has worn out for the Roman commander.  He sends 4 cohorts of his Imitation Legionaries forward to assault the hill.

The remaining cohorts to challenge the Polish heavy horse.

And his elephantry to challenge the Polish horse archers.

3 turns, but not a lot of time spent.  You get that when half your army doesn't move.

The score is 2-3, in favor of the Poles.

Turn 4:

The fight on the hill has yet to be settled.

Darrylem orders one of his wagons to return to the hill.

Finishing his tea, Larry'ego's heavy horse advances 1 and slides 1.

There is a gap here.  I don't know why there is a gap, but I can take advantage of it if it continues.

Serbian Hussars (LH, Impact, Elite) are ordered to charge.  One wins decisively, the other loses just as decisively. 

The Legions continue to advance. 

Missiles fly and score all over the line. 

The score is 7 points towards the Polish break point of 21.
And 7 points towards the Numidian break point of 22.

Turn 5:

One war-wagon sets up on the hill.  Polish archery is proving excellent.

The Polish lancers are lining up for overlaps on the gap.

Note, two Polish light horse are now in the enemies rear.

Numidian javelins are also proving effective.

The Numidian light horse is attriting rapidly. With them gone, the Polish horse archers with be able to maneuver around the elephants.

Kevin is about to find out just how good the war wagons are in hand to hand.

The Romans advanced here to ZOC the Polish line.

The elephants turn on their Lithuanian taunters, sending them fleeing almost to the Numidian camp. 

Turn 6:

On the hill, Darrelem patiently waits. 

To the point of being lackadaisical.  I forgot to put the wagons at "Battle Ready"

Larry'ego holds his horse.  The legions are ZOC'd and not going anywhere.  Either the legions charge, yielding some of their missile support advantages, or we wait till next turn, when some of the Polish will be charging with the help of charging Tatars and Lithuanians in the Roman rear.

At the top of the picture, the Numidian camp is sacked.

With the Serbian Hussars destroyed, and the Lithuanians dedicated elsewhere, the Polish right flank is dedicated to just harassing the Numidian left.

First contact with the legions.  One of the war wagons is badly damaged.

The Romans dedicate a cohort from each block to running of the Polish lights. So the threat to the rear is minimized, but now the numbers are even.

The elephants turn again. 

Turn 7:

The decisive charge is about to happen, steel shot hooves tilting against Roman Scutum and Pila.

The score is 10 points towards the Polish break point of 21
And 16 points towards the Numidian break point of 22

One War Wagon is destroyed, the other remembers to prepare and puts out rakes, shovels and implements of destruction.

Still maintaining control, the Polish lancers charge only the Imitation Legionnaires.  Two cohorts that were weakened by missiles crumble immediately.  The other holds on by a thread.

With minimal command points, comes minimal actions.  Darrylem's was able to charge and support one Numidian light horse, but only because it was within 1 UD for a free charge.

The score is now 11 points towards the Polish break point of 21

To 18 for the Numidians.

One of my failings in this game is I do not really track the losses very well.  Mine, yes, but my opponent, not so much.  I have some idea of course, but in this case, my mind did not really settle on how small the Numidian army was.  My gut was 25 or 28.  Numidians.  Lots of light horse, and lots of medium foot.  Large break point.  I'm thinking I have a ways to go here, and was planning out my knights next move.  My knights were undamaged and had a large gap to maneuver through.

And Kevin asked, "Did you count the camp"?

No I didn't.

To 22 for the Numidians.

And was surprised when he announced his defeat.  But Legions are expensive, I think 48 points for the center 4 cohorts.

What went wrong here?  Well there was an opportunity to make battle ready a wagon, but that might have been a command point shortage problem. 

My horse archer command never did overwhelm their opposing light horse.  I had 8 horse, 6 shooters, against 4 javelin armed lights.  In the end, I killed 3 and disordered the last.  But at a cost of 2 lights, taking 7 turns.  That was truly a poor performance.