Game 1
Gileforn - Parthians - 7 banners
SkunkyBeer - Romans - 6 Banners
Game 2
SkunkyBeer - Parthians - 7 banners
Gileforn - Romans - 4 banners
Two wild games. I went into this one cold, and probably should have spent more time acquainting myself with the HCC & LBC. Gileforn was gracious enough to set me straight.
Game 1: The Parthians begin with an order light and a withering file, getting L 6 hits and one banner out of his 12 dice. Looks like this is going to be just an absolute be a good old fashion arse-kicking. I spend my next few turns trying to assemble a line and create a soft middle to tempt the parthians into a foolish charge. Surena does charge, but on my left, and quickie cashes two more banners. The Romans are now in range for the darken the sky they've been trying to set up, and manage to force a retreat on an LBC that has no line, and eliminate the cataphract under Surena, Surena scuttles back to his line (rather ingloriously, but he'll fix that in the AAR). A double-flag from the final unit drive an LBC over the horizon, and we find ourselves tied 3-3, and the Romans start to think they may have a puncher's-chance after all. And then.... the counterattack card comes out - so much for thinking happy thoughts. Luckily, the counter is only minimally successful, and with some fortuitous flags, we have most of our infantry able to activate on a Line command. The center does some exemplary work with their javelins, forcing another unsupported LBC over the horizon. We're actually up 4-3 at this point. The Parthian hetman on the right launches a daring charge on a beleagured MI, who give as good as the they got, but still stand tall. The Romans counter with, force to lead with their 1 block MI, they fall short and finally fall. It's now desparate for the Cataphract, and another MI delivers the final blow. The brave hetman also falls, and the Roman morale peaks, up 6-4. It's finally time for Publius make their advance, and despite a promising start catches thin air. The hetman on the Parthian left now makes a daring advance of his own, trading blows with an MI. This has left him dangerously exposed, and the Romans see the last banner dangling before them. They're able to put 2MI and 2LI in missile range of the 2block cataphract for the final blow. They get one block, and lose an exhausted MI in the process. The Parthians now have a buffet of nearly-spent units to pick from. Their Rally roll wasn't very good, but good enough, and they cash two more banners for the victory.
Game 2 - Another game, wilder than the score would suggest.
The Parthians start with a cautious advance by the HCC + 2LC on their right. Their missile fire achieves little, and the Romans have the opportunity to not only drive them off, but address their broken lines as well. The line command comes out, but other than a general advance, little is achieved. Surena slides into place alongside his right wing captain, setting up some later mischief. On the next turn, they advance, with the leftwing commander aiming for the first an MI and then the MC on the back rank. He achieves a one-hit kill - every game has one or two of these, and the timing is wonderful. He then advances to slam into the MC and gets the flag he was looking for. His compadres, however, fail to keep his line of retreat open. Holding a first-strike made him overly bold, when played, it gets nada. He does manage to slip through the lines while the Romans are cutting up the remains of the Cataphract horse for lunch. (He'll make that sound glorious in the AAR). The Romans left has become a dance of death, and the Parthians make the next move, advancing yet again. What follows is bloody, but Cassius loses the MI under him, and suddenly recalls he left a fire burning in camp, and should go check on it. (He'll fix that in the AAR). The Parthians are now up 4-1 and feeling confident, with a 1 block LI on the back rank waiting to be cashiered. However, the Romans have a center and right spoiling for a fight. A line command activate much of the Roman army, the MI in the center drive most of the Parthians to the back row. A double-time would be devastating, if they have it (the Parthians hold one, not that it does them much good). The Parthians use a well-timed OL to blunt the possibility, tempt the Romans into turning left, and miss the LI that is begging to be eliminated (this will become a common motif in the next few turns). The Romans only give glancing attention to the units on the left, and continue forward. While this accomplishes actual damage, they now have 2MI & 2LI within CC range of 6(!) Parthian Cav with no retreat. However, the Parthians play the darken the sky card they've held for a while, activating 10 units for double-fire. A Parthian shot indeed. We only get one banner from this, but several units are damage, and the promising advance in the center is badly disrupted - however, we again miss the LI on the back row. The Romans now have few choices but to turn left, and this goes quite well, with Crassus eliminating the Surena's cataphract and defeating Surena in single combat. (His heirs will fix this in the AAR). The right wing captain has tired of his men missing that damned LI, and charges for CC. And misses. A coordinated attack has that pesky LI sealing the retreat while an MI comes in for the wet work, while Publius makes a daring advance of his own. The attack on the left works as expected, though the hetman will escape through the lines. (The AAR will be unrecognizable to all who were on the field that day). The Parthians now turn their attention to Publius, killing him and the horses he rode in on.
