A Khalat of Khazars

A Headless Body Production

Venue: Sheraton Music City Hotel
Event: Nashcon 2025
Theme: Open theme, round 5
Players: Phil running Seleucid, list 42
               "Spike" running Khazar
Game System: L'Art de la Guerre, 15mm, 200 points per side.

Nashcon! Home of the one, the only, Parthenon! See original sculpture of Athena, in color! Wonder in awe at the perfectly straight columns! Transit through the Pediments! 

 

The Forces:

According to Wikipedia, the Khazar language truly has been lost to antiquity. There are exactly two sets of documents known to have been written by the Khazars. Written in Hebrew, both are contested as possible fiction.

For the sake of this narrative, the Khazars are commanded by the Javsigr, which is a title, not a name, and who is considered both professional and Brilliant. And by the Spasalar, also a title and who is also considered Brilliant. And the tribesman, al-Larisiya, probably selected the night previous as the winner of a drinking game, and who is considered Ordinary and Included.
Javsigr
    4 Khurasanians, Heavy Cavalry, Bow, Elite
    1 Medium Cavalry, Bow
    2 Light Cavalry, Bow
Spasalar
    2 Khurasanians, Heavy Cavalry, Bow, Elite
    2 Light Cavalry, Bow
    3 Slavs, Medium Sword
    2 more Slavs, Light Infantry, Bow
al-Larisiya
    3 Nobles, Heavy Cavalry, Impact, Elite
    2 Light Cavalry, Bow
Breakpoint with a Fortified camp, 22

The Seleucids are commanded by Larricles, <Τεμπέλης>, a Brilliant. His brother Darricles <Τόλμη>, the Brilliant, and his other brother Darricles <Τόλμη>, the Ordinary.
Larricles, the Brilliant 
    Thrice Pikemen
    An Argyraspid Pikemen Elite
    A Cretans Light infantry bow Elite
    A Slinger Light infantry sling
    A Thureophoroi Medium spearmen
    A Scythed Chariot
Darricles, the Brilliant 
    Thrice Pikemen
    An Argyraspid Pikemen Elite
    A Cretans Light infantry bow Elite
    A Slinger Light infantry sling
    A Thureophoroi Medium spearmen
    A Scythed Chariot 
Darricles, the Ordinary
    A hambone of Cataphracts, 2 Elite
    The Tarentines, Light Cavalry, Javelin
Breakpoint of 19 

 

Display Conventions: When you see a jagged word bubble like "¡Ouch!" or "¡Hazar'a!" or "¡Ωχ!",  this implies a disorder caused by missiles. Letters in parenthesis represent some up or downgrade 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.

Any ambiguity as to what was moved or who is being referred to is to be considered Fog of War and part of the fun. 

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

It's going to be a long weekend here in Nashville. 3 days, 5 games, with a fly in and out. Fortunately, the hotel is within sight of the airport, so that is just a quick hustle. 

Why Seleucids? My fancy is running towards Cataphracts of late, and they have a goodly number, supported by class 'A' Infantry in the form of Pikemen. My basic plan is to keep going forward. No matter what. My flanks protected by an ablative layers of Thureophoroi, and then Scythed Chariots. If favorable terrain shows up, so much the better.

Deployment

The Seleucids won the initiative roll and elected to attack in the Steppes. The only chance a pike army has against a steppes army is to try and pin them on the back of the board.

The overview deployment

The Slavs would make an excellent target, but it is doubtful they will ever leave the terrain.

Their center is Impact cavalry, a good target for the Cataphracts.

Swinging around the Seleucid right is a mass of horse archers.

The overall deployment of the Seleucids has not changed in 5 games.

Turn 1:

The Seleucid Pike Slides right to avoid the brush.

The Cataphracts also Slide right to line up on the Khazar center command

Darricles moves to fill the gap. He calls his Thureophoroi forward to enter the brush, or brushy hill, I don't really remember.

The Khazars have played this game before.Their mobile forces covering the entire map.

Turn 2:

With the nature of this battle being the whole board, I'll just show the over view shots. Close up detail shots when necessary.

The adjacent board.

The Khazars mostly abandon the center. But are falling heavy on the flanks.

The Javsigr sends his lights far and wide.

It may not look it, but officially it is the Seleucids that are the attackers here. I should have defended and gotten the terrain advantage.

Turn 3:

The Seleucids rolled 3 1's for command points this bound. Larricles must have called a Zoom(tm) meeting.

Lower left, an uncontrolled charge by Scythed Chariots meets it's usual end.

Continuing their war of maneuver, the Khazars set up flank assaults on every one of the Seleucid commands.

And as a bonus, a charge on the camp.

The only hand to hand is light horse attempting to push slingers off the hill.

Turn 4:

Back from the Zoom(tm) call, the Seleucid commands manage to face all their threats. Sans one.

Facing the Slavs with a single taxis, the remaining pike are barreling onto the Khazar camp.

Darricles's Cataphracts facing the flank of the Khazar Impact horse.

The Slingers on the hill have the first Seleucid victory.

The Slavs charge. The Seleucid pike just barely hold on.

The Khazar Impact horse want nothing to do with the Cataphracts.

On the hill, the Khazar is done with this lets have a fair fight nonsense and call in their heavy horse.

The Seleucid camp is burning. Their Scythed Chariots are set up for a bit of revenge.

Turn 5:

On the left, Larricles calls in reinforcements against the Slavs, and pressing forward to the camp.

I finally get to use the missile hit Hazar'a!  It is actually Turkish as there is no written Khazar language surviving.

The brothers Darricles continue to put pressure on the Khazar cavalry.

The Khazars turn around, they are ready to fight.

The Slavs split up to assault the Thureophoroi on their flank, and the flank of Larricles's pike.

Their horse goes nose to nose with the Cataphracts. But also has the Seleucid phalanx totally surrounded.

The score is 13 of 19 for the Seleucids

To just 6 of 22 for the Khazars

Turn 6:

Near the camp, the chariots disorder the lights plundering the camp.

While losing a taxis of pike on the left, the remaining Seleucid phalanx continues to advance.

Larricles's personal Pike are in charge reach of the Khazar camp.

Darricles has command problems. Not enough command points to order his Cataphracts to charge the camp. Barely enough to get two of them charging the Khazar heavy horse.

Surrounded, the only choice of Darricles's pike is to charge!

Taking the Seleucid score to 17 of 19

To just 8 for the Khazars.

What I did not hear was the call that this is the last turn. The Khazars are desperate to score those last 2 points. I am not going to get to loot the camp.

On the left, the distressed pike hold on.

On the right, a pike falls for one, but the flanked, disordered pike just became more disordered.

Taking the final score for the Seleucid to 18 to the Khazar's 9. A losing draw.

As a note, in this tournament, I had 3 games end with a score of 18. Which means the army is not a good design, and I did not play it well.

Walking through the convention area was a bit of a surprise. Sunday morning, there was a lot going on. For Historicon, Fall In and Cold Wars, everyone is just packing up to leave. Oft times it is not worth the hotel costs to stay Saturday night.

But these guys are still running.

Age of Sigmar still hammering it out.

Great pics leaving the hote.