Nick's NKE Nickling Phil's Nike

A Headless Body Production

Venue: Lancaster County Convention Center.
Event: Historicon!
Players: Phil Gardocki running Nikephorian Byzantine (Nike)
              Nicolas Begue running New Kingdom Egyptian (NKE)
Game System: L'Art de la Guerre, 25mm, 200 points per side.

I'm not sure how many ways I can put together alliterations for Nike, NKE or Nick. A Nictation of Nikephorians?

It was Thursday, the day before the L'Art de la Guerre tournaments start at Historicon, and Nick asked for a warm up game.  I was fresh off an All's Quiet on the Martin Front game and another game playing the Orcs at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, and was looking for a closer for the evening.  So I broke out the Nikephorians against his borrowed New Kingdom Egyptians.

The Forces: 

New Kingdom Egyptian
Their commanders names are lost to history.
6 "Light" Chariots, Armor, Bow, some or all Elite
14 Various Medium or Light Medium Infantry. Some with bows, some with 2HW, some Mediocre.
1 Light Horse, Bow, Mediocre
3 Light Infantry
Breakpoint of 24

Nikephorian Byzantine(list 127)
Commanded by the Sneaker brothers! The brilliant Nikephoros, the unequally brilliant Pumaphoros, and their ordinary and unreliable sibling, Adidiasphoros
4 Tagmata, Kataphractoi, Heavy Cavalry Bow, Impact, Elite
4 Prokoursatores, Light Cavalry, Bow
5 Varangians, Heavy Swordsmen, 2HW, one Elite
5 Skutatoi, ½ Heavy Spearmen ½ Bowmen
4 Psiloi, Light Infantry, Bows or Slings
Breakpoint of 22

Conventions:

When you see a word bubble "Ouch!", or "Heus! or "痛い!", this implies a disorder from missiles. "XX" represents a recently routed unit. 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.

The Board:

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

Deployment:

The NKE had the benefit of most of the terrain on the board. Their deployment was foot on the left and right.

Chariots in the center.

The NKE army was borrowed, and did not have all the figures on the list, so some substitutions were called into play.

A note on the naming convention "Light" as applied as a descriptor to the word Chariot. If the chariot is armored, it is in all intents and purposes, "Heavy Cavalry".

The Byzantines deploy with their heavy horse on the left

Their Mercenaries in the center, and hidden behind the hill, 4 elements of Skutatoi

Turn 1:

The NKE start with a general advance.

Their Chariots double march in the center.

Their foot force on the left also double march.

The Byzantines advance their horse, and arrows fly!

In the center, the Psiloi advance, just to keep the mobile units of the NKE to 1 move next turn.

Ditto on the right.

Nikephoros intends to turn the flank of the NKE foot on his side and work over the medium foot with his elite Tagmata. The rest of the Nikephorians intend to delay contact and let that engagement mature.

On a nearby floor, the Trojan war was being readied.

Turn 2:

Divining Nikephoros's intentions, the NKE redeploy 2 chariots behind the lines.

And swerve his remaining mobile elements to form a holding attack.

On their left, the NKE charge off the Psiloi.

The Byzantine horse set up their attacks.

Relying on their Skutatoi to hold off the sweeping chariots.

Approaching the top of the hill, the Skutatoi loose arrows.

The verbal taunts require some explanation. 3 of the "Varangian" elements are figures from the King Arthur and the Holy Grail collection supplied by Hayland, Wargame Terrain. On the right are the Knights that say Neet sharing a base with the French. Next center is Sir Robin ("the Brave") with his minstrels. King Arthur is in the center element as the Elite and Armored Varangian.

The story goes like this. Arthur and his knights are on a quest to the Holy Lands to seek the Holy Grail. The Byzantine emperor knows a good deal when he sees one and offers to "escort" Arthur through the heathen Turks. Even giving him the point of honor in the center of the army.

Turn 3:

The flanking chariots extend and advance.

That is new in V4. In V3, a group had to be stationary to extend.

It looks like the Skutatoi was given a mission beyond it's abilities.

The NKE receive motivational words and rally.

The ground shakes with iron shod hooves. A Tagmata destroys his foe and is on the flank of the stalled Chariots.

The poor Skutatoi continues to trade arrows with 3 chariots.

The battle on the hill is just a wait and see.

Turn 4:

The NKE Counter attack! The flanked Tagmata holds its ground.

In the center, the Skutatoi flank guard is dispersed.

More kind words, more missile hits removed.

The Skuts on the hill might as well be armed with nerf guns.

All are really paying attention to the Byzantine left. A chariot is destroyed! But overall, the foot is holding it's ground.

Along the road has been a fight between two Psiloi and a Light Cavalry (m) and a damaged LI, bow. True to fashion, the Psiloi are losing.

Turn 5:

A Tagmata is destroyed. NKE reinforcements arrive.

The other flank guard is a Varangian (not British). The Chariots charge, but he holds.

It is getting late, and both Nick and I are tired. We also have a considerable audience.

Helpful advice is tendered and against Nick's better judgement, they convince him to charge up the hill.

The Skutatoi, so ineffective in shooting, are Mediocre in hand to hand. The hill offers them some benefit, but not enough. 6 fights, we each win 3.

The Chariot near the gully is routed, along with the Medium Infantry sent to help. But a Tagmata is in a bad position and will be destroyed next bound.

The center is weakening.

Two Byzantine foot flee the board, including, not surprising, one was Sir Robin.

At this time I called a concession. I was exhausted and a fair drive ahead of me. The score was 19 (of 22) to 15 (of 24). The NKE had 1 point for sure in his turn, and a potential for 3 more for the win, depending on the dice. The Nike had 5 points for certain, 4 being the camp, and 6 more possible. Nicholas was also exhausted, and we were willing to call it a winning draw for the NKE.