L'Art De La Guerre - two games vs Sassanids

Two games of LADG today against Stephen who had a newly painted Sassanid army to try out.

So I selected my Maurikian Byzantines and Avars to give them an outing

First up was the Byzantines and this was a very close game which the 'Roman/Greeks' lost narrowly with just 4 difference in losses upon reaching their 19 loss level.

I did get decent terrain to help me in this one but the Elephant supported by Elite Dailami proved my undoing.

Second game was more the usual affair with my Avars suffering a horrendous turn of losses that they never recovered from and hitting their 21 loss level pretty quickly.

Terrain was far from kind in this one.

Two more enjoyable games with this excellent set of rules that easily allows two games in a days play a factor not to be sniffed at.

Byzantine clash

Avars take their turn

L’art De La Guerre - Maurkian Byzantines up twice

Being a masochist of sorts I decided to try my Maurikian Byzantines with LADG today. 

Two games managed again first against Arab Conquest and the second against late Sassanid, so historical match-ups.

I find the Byzantines rather impotent and difficult to organise effectively but both good games.

The Arabs are a nightmare with the solid line of heavy infantry swordsmen to which I have no real answer. I used a Bedouin Ally which is cheap and did sterling service. I held my Skutatoi and bowmen back in center straddling a hill as no match for Arab foot and tried attacking with my mounted on my left. I had excellent shooting dice it must be said but this just does not do enough damage before my mounted have to fight.

As expected the elite Boukellari held their own but the ordinary Defensorses and Hun lights succumbed too quickly leaving my elites to be flanked and overwhelmed. A couple of poor evades rolls saw me lose some light infantry which are costly hits to army and a deluge of disordering hits saw my army morale plummet and break. 

Second game against Sassanids was a completely different affair with lots of ‘micro’ manoeuvring and swirling combats. I did not use the Arabs this time fielding a couple of Optimates (elite lancers) and Cursorses (LC bow) in their stead. I even managed to catch a group of evading Sassanid heavy cavalry in the rear with my own cavalry but failed to kill them off and again my lesser cavalry was mauled by a marauding elephant and my army morale collapsed.

L'Art De La Guerre - two games with Maurikian Byzantines

Played LADG at Stephens today having brought along my Maurikian Byzantine which have not been used in a long while.

Managed two games with Stephen firstly fielding an Arab Conquest horde (a whopping 27 elements) and then a later Sassanid army.

Against the Arabs the compact Byzantines (22 elements of which 8 are light types) struggled as tough to deal with a wall of heavy infantry and needing to inflict 27 victory points is a big ask.

They did manage to inflict 17 but had succumbed to own losses at that stage.

Second game against Sassanids with Stephen using pseudo figures (but is contemplating painting up a army which is very doable in LADG).

This was a much more even affair as Persians also 22 elements and Byzantines able to manouvre a tad better as not wall to wall enemy.

Byzantine mounted do not shoot as well (counting as mediocre) as Persian types but do have impact so fairly even match up overall.

The shooting hits from Persian bows did tell in the end however as enough to tip Byzantines over their tipping point before suffering same, but another close game.