FogR or God bless Royal Mail

Door bell just rang to reveal postie at door with........................

He nearly got a hug

Time for these blokes to see light of day again...........

Dbmm League game Avar vs Khazar

Played (last ?) league game with Seamus using my dolled up Avars against his Khazars (versione Regular). Essentially open steppe (4 GHs and 1 BF) and two Regular armies would one thinks lead to a game of high manvouvre but basically we simply had at one another. Down to dice rolls in the end (for once the combats ones were fairly even) but at critical time I managed a mere 6 Pips on 3 dice (Seamus was only rolling 2 Cmd dice at this stage !!) and could not shore up a creaky flank. Avars succumbed 8-17 after breaking 2 smallest enemy commands but losing their two biggest commands. Good stuff. Pics not great as I seemed to be suffering from shaky hand syndrome !

Initial deployments

Avar right flank

Slav subjects in rough ground

Khazar Turk ally (initially unreliable)

Avars on parade

Dbmm league game scheduled for tomorrow night with my Avars to get another outing, as I do like them despite being a tad blunted in Dbmm V2, all these figures are some 20+ years old and have seen a lot of action in their day ! (rulesets come and go but they keep on keeping on).
Slight change to OOB with 18 AxI instead of 12 AxO to boost a command by couple of ME.
No idea what army Seamus is fielding (am sure there is somewhere I could check !).
Put some extra flock on bases (not visible in poor iPhone pics) and hopefully tomorrow morning I may get to re-do spears/lances/bows and suchlike in paler/brighter colour to pretty them up a bit.

The huge and mighty 'host'..................

Regular skirmishers

The Slavs subjects with some '7th Edition' axemen pressed back into service

Sub-general and Nobles

DBMM Hsiung Nu vs Han

Dbmm game trying out a LhF version of Hsiung Nu (I like this army list) versus Stephen's Han again. My Army had 38 LhF 12 CvO 3 CvO Generals 12 PsO 6 BgF (divided into 3 virtually identical Cmds of 26/24/24 ME) with Kang-Chu ally of CvO Gen and 12 more LhF. Han had usual mix of Bow Aux Cav and those sodding ArtO with Hunnic ally. Han invaded (in Spring meaning my horses were due to feel hungry) which left very little terrain choice (a nice aspect of Hsiung Nu). I placed a 2FE GH on his right (giving away a readily defensible posistion but thwarting his placement of 2 SF areas somewhat as these ended on my side (one turned out to be a pest) and a further GH on my side along with a BUA to protect my Army Baggage.
Han deployed first on the hill. I sent my Kang-Chu ally on outflank on my left (having suffered from unreliable ally last game I was wary of keeping on table). I then deployed mainly to my right hoping to envelope Han left.
A cunning plan indeed but not so easy to implement with Irr Pip dicing.
My Ally arrived turn 2 facing the enemy ally. This developed into a stand alone battle (some Han LhF joined in) seeing me rather luckily break the Hunnic Cmd but become disordered then broken myself shortly after.
Meanwhile the Han advanced off their hill against my screen central Cmd whilst my envelopment was attempted. As usual the ArtO managed a couple of kills and more importantly forced a couple of columns of LhF to Flee (I had not realised a whole column would flee with front rank element). Annoying as I neeeded to get into posistion and deploy quickly.
My large envelopment never fully materialsed before time was called (and once my LhF became hungry) with my central Cmd close to breaking trying to hold up the Han.
Charging uphill into Han foot and Cavalry was not going to be easy anyhow with LhF/CvO and I was unable to get fully around behind with anything but 1 Lh element.
A very absorbing game this one. Hsiung Nu were interesting to use although the do lack punch but you do get loads of the buggers ! Might try the LhS version next.
Han as pretty as ever and the ArtO truly hateful.
I do think ArtO are a tad too good in Dbmm as they manouvre too easily in Reg set-up (essentially they can hunt you down) and shoot constantly (only losing shot in their own bound after moving) maybe 3 pips to move rather than 2 and 1 full turn without shooting after moving......aah but its all wishful thinking.........................

Pics taken with iPhone again

Han first turn moving from hill (note Huns on left deploying to meet incoming Kang-Chu flank march)

Hsiung Nu central screening command around BUA and awkward SF

The envelopers (too ambitious for Irregulars ?)

Trying to deploy but too slowly..................

Allies slug it out in their own private war

Hsiung Nu screening Cmd under pressure

DBMM Kushan vs Han Chinese

Another Dbmm game against Stephen. He bought and painted a Han Chinese army which is very pretty (did I just type that !?) but which he threatens to sell on Ebay.
I said he should use it first and so.................
I selected Kushan from around 50AD to face the Han, with a Skythian ally (I borrowed some figs to use these a fatal mistake !) 4 Elephants with KnX and lots of LhF some psO and AxO comprised my army.
Things did not auger well when set-up forced me to deploy first but move second due to Han gaining a night attack (albeit moonless with only 80p moves). I deployed fairly compactly and did use Scouting successfully which (theoretically) allowed me to move at night as well. HOWEVER.......... Ally of course went unreliable and my Pips where truly awful throughout the seemingly endless night. Han had cunningly set up massed against my left flank and had great night-time Pips allowing them to get right into face of my virtually immobile flank (try wheeling/moving inept troops at night at 80p with rolls of 1 or 2 !). Of course Elephants watched sun come up and enemy bolt-shooters letting loose. 'Ally' staunchly refused to answer my CiCs call (12 Pips wasted in course of game trying to get the sod into action).
Inevitably (I feel like Mr Anderson from Matrix every game !) my left flank broke and the Skythians then sprung into life against me, how dare they !!!
Stephen now had 5 Cmds against my remaining 2 (I was a mere 2 ME from defeat) and had utter gall to use Skythians to charge into rear of my KnX !!!
Abject and total defeat soon followed with me killing only 3 Lh which were in fact from the turncoats so not a single Han element killed !!!!!!!!!!
Frustrating but fun and very 'like what you read in history books'.
Irregulars really need to use flank attacks, delayed commands, concealed commands to counter a fully regular army and not just at night.
Despite the trauma it was a fun game and only Dbmm can generate such a situation which I really like but I can see how 'competition only' players would baulk at this scenario.

Was of course very generous of me to let the Han win so completely in order not to get sold, I do hope they appreciate my efforts on their behalf .  

Kushan deployment (note 'sleeper agents' to fore) 

Han deployment

The 'pretty' boys

More posers.....er.....posing along with my all time favourite Artillery.......and some sort of secret weapons on hill.

  

The 'turncoats' 3 KnF wedges & 8 LhF deployed forward seemed a good idea

Elephant Cmd (note superb Pip dice)

No Elephants now left in front of Artillery, I wonder why...............

CiC & his Cataphracts manage to move forward before being treacherously charged

by the Skythians.

Left flank surrounded with some Lh & Kn trying vainly to shore it up

 

I know just how he feels....................

DBMM Teutonic Order vs HYW English

Dbmm game (just for a change) yesterday with Stephen (just for a change) using his brothers Teutonic army to give a reasonable opponnent for his Hundred Years War English (was going to be War Of Roses but he preferred the HYW). I really liked the Teutons (sort of suit my style) but those bloody Longbows are fearsome (I hate shooters in Dbmm if you havent noticed). Bad dice didnt help but they simply blew away a group of Sp/SpI. With shooting every turn its inevitable that they will have good sucess combined with their S status. Only 1 KnS fell to shooting but so much else did it made little difference. Teuton CIC managed a charge with 3 elements (2 other shot back out of charge range) which did break a line of bow but so many behind its too slow to acheive a Break of a Cmd. I dont really have any Book 4 Armies (I can morph my Norman into Early Crusader) and Teutons are definately candidates for becoming one.

English deployment compact and beju

Teutonic array 

Deadly Gattling Guns (or Longbows if you prefer)

Overview of set-up from behind English (note Sea edge on right)

Later in game with Teutonic spears bravely (ie stupidly) advancing and KnS forming to charge near centre lead buy CiC.

Same from behind English lines

LhO about to charge BwS..................

Again with English KnO moving to left flank.

DBMM Maurikian Byzantine vs Abbassid

Dbmm v2 game using Maurikian Byzantine (with Heraclius as brilliant General) versus Stephens Abbassids. A very enjoyable game (despite usual awful result) with a charge by the Byzantine Kavallori lead by Heraclius (using brilliant stroke) which worked killing two 'b******d' ArtO and couple Sp/Bw but as usual the 'big wedge' is unwieldy and gets outflanked eventually. Nomad ally outflanked on Abbassid right but rolling a 6 on first attempt made a brilliant stroke and flank attack stratagem tad redundant !

Half decent photos this time as camera to hand





Overview of initial turn

Battle for dune (brown bit) forming

Abbassid CvS form to face Nomad outflank

Heraclius forms up for charge with his mates

The b*****ds and supports