DBMM Yuan Chinese vs Samurai

Played another Dbmm game at Stephens as he had yet another army he wanted to try this time Samurai (and very pretty it was too). I having as late as this so borrowed a Yuan Mongol/Chinese army as a near contemporary. Samurai used Pallisades (ie Temporary Fortifications) which we have not used before and it took us a bit of head scratching to work out rules for them as sort of strewn throughout rules. We made a couple of mistakes early on, main one being that whilst a destroyed TF counts as difficult going the winner advances beyond rather than into/upon this difficult going which makes sense, when combined with loser recoil base width not depth but took us a few reading to realise this. Another fun game of Dbmm



'Auld' iPhone pics (ie a bit ropey)

DBMM Maurikian Byzantine vs Islamic Berber

Busy busy week but managed to get a Dbmm game in with Stephen.
Very little prep time (ie none) so we just picked a Book 3 army each to use and abuse.
I selected my Maurikian Byzantine (a glutton for punishment) and Stephen arrived at chez Barr with Islamic Berbers.
Another fun game ensued as I mass charged the Berbers hoping to pin them back and break through their massed lines.
My Kavallori 'wedges' as ever led by two Generals in front line failed again as ever to break through the spears.
Sadly my supporting Skutatoi foot were decimated by the Berber foot opening a gap that I could not fill (my Pip dice were awful this game averaging 5 or less each turn on 3 dice !!).
With terrain I could (indeed should) have adopted a defensive posture as I had two difficult hills on each flank...................but.......................its just not in my genes..........................


My excuse is I needed a quick game as I had to head off to work for the evening :-)

Both armies deployed note the Byzantine position nicely anchored on two hills

Psiloi on one of the difficult hills

Khazar contingent in march mode

Worms-eye view of Byzantine line

Kavallori massed in center

The Berbers (Herbet Lom is in there somewhere)

Byzantines initiate proceedings

Berbers await (El Cid contingent hug rear edge)

Kavallori up the Berber gullets

Mexican stand-off on my leftKavallori impact spear line

Charged blunted with some 'wedges' repulsed

Byzantine foot in trouble

Byzantine Knights in diffs as well

DBMM Polybian Roman vs Selecuid

A miniatures game today huzzah !! Stephen brought his Selecuids (mainly as he has several newly painted figures in particular some KnF Wedges) and I fielded my Romans for a historical type match-up (always my favourite). A really good game ensued even though I got absolutely no terrain on my half of table whilst invading Selecuid lands !!
Successors deployed first and I tried to make things awkward by deploying at an angle but being regular he was able to wheel easily. First sign of trouble for Latins came as their Spainish Allies on their right flank went unreliable (bloody Greek gold no doubt). However this meant Stephen could not approach them too closely or they would 'activate' so they were a sort of human terrain piece. It took several turns to get them into fray. Phalanx advanced in center which I held up with Velites before a straight clash between the Pikes and my Legionaries. Successors had a block of Cataphracts on my left which I faced with my lowly Roman and Italian Cavalry (did mean I got to initiate charge). The Wedges were on my right facing the Spainish (mostly auxilia) and a group of Legionaries I managed to redeploy. Initial clash saw my Legions bloody Greek nose with loss of couple of Pike and Auxilia. But following turn I lost a couple of Blade and Auxilia elements. Key loss was a blade in middle of a line leaving gap for pike to exploit as second rank reserves were off facing the wedges. My cavalry charged the Cataphracts but my General failed to kill opposing element despite my managing an overlap ! A couple of turns of indecisive combats were suddenly followed by a complete collapse on Roman side as my Legions were disheartened then broken and whole army folded. Still a great game that could have gone either way. The Selecuids are a nice balance of tough foot, Auxilia types and good punch with the Cataphtracts and the Wedges (who never count overlaps against any by light horse). Romans as ever outclassed in mounted arm but Legions are fun to use.

Selecuid deployment

Romans on featureless plain !

Successors wheel

Romans advance to meet the Phalanx

Phalanx 

Romans deploy to their right to face the wedges

Clash of arms !!

The end as Roman lines are punctured and shattered

Another game planned for next Saturday and my choice of game but oh what to play !!??
Maurice SYW ? IABSM WW2 ? Spearhead WW2 ? Lasalle/FOGN ? FOGR ? or ??????

DBMM Sassanid versus Late Roman

Another Dbmm game at Stephens as practice for him for local Celtic Cup competition on Sunday (which I cant attend due to working- boo hoo).
He is (possibly) using his Late Romans so I fielded my Sassanid Persian for a contemporary match-up. Two quite evenly matched armies these in Dbmm.
A really good game helped by my Irregulars getting fairly good Pip dice rolls for once and the Roman Regulars fairly poor rolls.
Terrain pretty much perfect for the Romans mind you and so I decided to flank march on my right with my Hun Ally command.
They threw a six first turn so arrived on second ! not my usual fate with flank attacks.
They caused Romans several problems but were broken by tough Roman Auxilia.
However on opposite flank I managed to break the Moorish allied command (another bunch of mainly Light Horse).
The B@~+$"d Roman artillery mounted on wagons (of which there were 4) did not cause many casualties (1 KnX) but did disrupt my lines badly meaning I could not get a solid charge at his Legionnaries.
A dust up between my AuxS and more Roman AuxS (with advantage of hill) saw my chaps cut down almost to a man.
I had in one turn two enemy Generals hard flanked and failed to kill either !!
We had to end as midnight came upon us (too much pre-game waffling) and game undecided but looking like Romans might gain upper hand.
After so many games of Dbmm we amazed ourselves by discovering a rule we had been doing wrong all along regarding Pip costs of moving Inept troops less than full move straight ahead.
We always costed a single element move short as 2 pips but somehow realised that the +1 only counts for Groups moves in this instance.

Some fairly ropey iPhone pics as not great lighting

Sassanid deployment

Romans opposite

Romans on one hill.....................

And on another..............

The valley defenders with those annoying ArtF

Persian Cataphracts line up in centre

Persian left with couple of Pachyderms

Right wing supports Cataphracts

Moorish allies of the Romans

Asavaran (Clibinarii) lined up

Cataphracts being disorganized by Artillery

Struggle for hill

Moors about to get clobbered

Huns arrive

And get right into trouble