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

DBMM Sassanid vs Late Imperial Roman

Dbmm game today using Sassanids (I am a sucker for punishment) versus Stephen's Late Imperial Roman (with those sodding ArtF). As always the Romans obtained almost perfect terrain set-up as defender. Managed to get my KnX and CvS into his Blade but with rear supports its an uphill struggle. Speaking of which charging uphill into supported AxS was forced upon me but again a tough situation. ArtF pinged away and killed 2 CvS and 1 KnX in addition to usual recoils. With Inept Irregulars every Pip counts. A good game but Persians succumbed 23-2 in end.....................................

iPhone pics again so not great

Romans moving between large wood and rough hill.

My arch nemesis in action with Sassanids advancing toward him

Moorish flank march arrives watched by our biggest fan (groan)    

                                 

DBMM League game

Played league game against David Houston at Tabletop North Club at Boat Club premises in Belfast. Using my Avars against his Christian 'beware for they are Legion' Nubians. Good game but with my usual 'ones' (4 in a row vs BwO shooting) causing losses to my subject Bulgar iLhS. Usual 'do'h !' moment as well as I forgot that LhS now count 2nd rank vs foot in own bound..................
22-3 loss having fought against about half Daves army. He had one Cmd with an ME total equal to my Army breakpoint.

Couple of pics taken with iPhone but in fairly poor lighting

Centre showing gaps in Bulgar line after inital Bow volley......

Unused 'half' of Nubian horde visible behind Daves watch

Dave being dastardly and moving towards my lot..............

DBMM 2 Galatian vs Carthaginian

Another (!!) Dbmm game versus Stephen today using Galatians, essentially to use 3 Scythed Chariots he painted up for me (in exchange for some 10mm Tanks). Faced Cathaginan combined arms which managed to generate almost perfect terrain and then I managed to deploy first. Usual frustration in use of Warband as near impossible to get to grips with anything, anywhere, anytime unless on enemy terms (ie flank contacts, uphill in difficult). Numidian Lh and Cartho Cav did for my right flank Cmd allowing them access to rear of my central Cmd of warriors. Left flank Cav/Chariot Cmd held up by more Numidians and Cartho Spears (now viable advancing into contact compared to v1.0). Several new features of version 2 came to notice (Ps now dont QK Warband and Aux must pursue other foot) AuxS very tough still, especially when uphill on wooded hill !!

Initial deployments Celts on left

Carthaginian Elephants

Galatian right flank

Galatian center with Scythed Chariots to the fore

DBMM 2 Sassanid vs Alan

Dbmm game today versus Stephen (for a wee change) using Sassanid Persian circa 400AD-ish against his Alans.
Good game with massed Alan LhS flooding the wings.
Stephen had great Pip rolls (22 on one turn followed by 20 next !!) meaning he never went Impetuous where he didnt want to and could manouvre really well.
Persians however seldom beat 10 on 4 dice the whole game !
Sabir ally folded quickly allowing LhS onto my Cataphracts who followed soon after................
A 23-2 (I think defeat)
Poor pics as only a mobile phone (forgot camera)

Initial turn Persians on right.

Persian central command with Elephant

s

Alan light horse on the move

Initial turn again

DBMM Version 2

Dbmm Version 2.0 arrived today. 

Excellent something to read and ponder over.

DBMM East Frankish vs Sicilian Norman

Played game today vs Stephen using my Eastern Franks (circa 1090AD) vs his Sicilian Norman of same time frame. 

A good historical match-up of two Irregular armies (not often we play such). 

Yet another good game (Dbmm is certainly fun) made great by the fact that my dice rolls were decent for once. 

My dismounted Swabian Knights (BdO) were able to take a hill held by Arab type Bows and Aux without loss. 

We both ended up with out KnO fighting enemy SpI and  some enemy Knights with the key outcomes being my killing 2 KnO on 6 vs 1 rolls. The losses incurred were enough when combined with -2ME hit from breaking the Bow Cmd to give me a............................wait for it.......................22-3 WIN !!!!!!!! the first in what seems eons.....................
So I award myself the Warlord banner award

DBMM League game

Played League game using Avars against Mark Gibson and his Konstantian Byzantines.
A really good game during which I had truly awful dice rolls for most part (Mark beginning to feel sorry for me it was so bad) but a upturn in fortune allowed me to break a Byz Cmd but not in time to stop my own lot folding for a 18-7 loss. Couple of mistakes made the main one being counting Marks BwX as S when shooting a howler on my part...........