Ancients 28mm

Gaming has been very thin on the ground recently due to work commitments and the fact that I moved house and need to  reorganize the hallowed gaming space- there’s been no time to Blog, paint or play!!  That should be remedied soon – there wasn’t even time for my Big Christmas Bash- the first omission in 15 years! Disgraceful! I've managed to squeeze in a few games since December and will get around to adding them all.

 I got a quick ancients game in with Ross with my Republican Romans fighting with his Macedonians- a nice historical match. My Romans proved very adaptable, efficient and aggressive. The same could not be said for my generalship. Ross deployed his pikes in depth- historically correct. I deployed my Romans in checker board- historically correct. I put my cavalry on the flanks....right in front of his elephants. Oh sh*t.
I lost.
Something went wrong!
Besides my haphazard deployment , I committed my legionaries piecemeal and my cavalry got stopped by his bl**dy great elephants. Note to self for next time- don't lose.
Admittedly my Legions put up a good fight but it was my cavalry that took a beating. Ross neutralised my elephants with his light troops but I let my boys down by allowing his cavalry to ride my lights down and then expecting my cavalry to defeat his elephants. Stooopid. A narrow victory for the sage from the eastern suburbs......but I'll kick his ass next time.



My Legions- in the center of the picture my Hastati were pushing the pike block back....but it is at the top of the photo you can see my cavalry being swamped. 



Ross' elephants have smashed my cavalry and now his light troops move in to kill my elephants!

Some tough Legionaries! Holding back 4 times their number!! ( they died)

The main center clash...but it was decided on the wings.

 

 

In a later game we decided to pit his 13th Century AD Mongols against my Achaemenid Persians from the 5th Century BC. Now I can hear the purists screaming 'sacrilege' and 'heresy' and other assorted poo......but it's just a game  people so just relax. I had figured that I had been narrowly beaten in a historical rematch, maybe I had a chance in a completely anachronistic one!  I really though I had a chance against Ross' Mongols, which he refers to as the ‘smelly ones’.  Now smelly or not ,with their good quality light horse and the fact that they whole army carries bows, meant that they were an army to be respected. And who better to show them 'respect' than the army of Xerxes..loads of infantry with bow, and some solid cavalry. all sounded very promising but sadly in the end my army was pulverized by archery and my Immortals and their friends looked like pin cushions. The photos tell the very sad story of a massacre.....Xerxes would be rolling in his grave!

The Mongols on the left and my Persians on the right- Xerxes in his chariot bottom right.

The Mongols deployed in the extreme left and right...and my infantry had to split and go outwards to chase them down.

Mongol light horse in the background, Persians in the foreground.



Mongol swarms.

Watched by Xerxes the Persian cavalry leap forward.

Persian Infantry and Mongol cavalry exchange bow shots.

Main cavalry lines about to clash.

Two turns later......there seems to be a few Persian units missing...dead or fleeing I think!

Persian Cav try to chase down the Mongol light cav.

More gaps in the Persian line....due to the fin stabilising, laser guided, sabot discarding arrows used by the Mongols.

There is only one army left on the table...the Persians are all dead!....pin cushions!!