OT2022 Round 5

Round 5
C&C Ancients Open Tournament 
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OT2022 Round 5

Game 1
Mark McG (Carthage) 8 Banners
Gonzo (Roman) 7 Banners

Game 2
Gonzo (Carthage) 7 Banners
Mark McG (Roman) 8 Banners

Two games that had desperately close finishes. Always tense when the game sits at 7-7, and to play like thus twice was draining. For both matches I was 4-2 down and made a comeback, the first match I made 5 banners in a row.

The other oddity was the dice lost any sense of average results, it was either famine or feast. On several occasions there were 2 hits of 2 die ranged attacks, and then big misses on more dice hitting 50% each die!

Game 1
GomJabbar (Carthage) 8 Banners
limburger59 (Roman) 5 Banners

My Carthaginian elephants charged into the center early and a First Strike from Lou's heavy infantry eliminated them outright. So much for the rampage I was hoping for. My light infantry then sniped his lines from the trees keeping the Romans at bay until I got a double time which brought my heavy infantry into the battle. However, the Roman heavy and medium infantry made short work of my heavies, eliminating 2 of them. But my Lights kept up a steady barrage, keeping the score about even for most of the game, until I got the warriors involved. They took out a leader and 2 units for the win. I was lucky with a number of my units that went down to 1 block and I was able to retreat them behind my lines to safety. It was a tense game.

Game 2
limburger59 (Carthage) 4 Banners
GomJabbar (Roman) 8 Banners

My Romans had a strong left flank hand and pushed aggressively forward with medium cavalry and light units. Rolls on both sides were pretty lousy. Mine got better as the game progressed but Lou's stayed lousy. I was able to eliminate all the Carthaginian cavalry and Hanno who was sitting on the back row and couldn't retreat. I had 2 cavalry units with only 1 block left and a number of lights with 2 blocks. I was able to keep them mostly alive. Then the elephant charged. Unfortunately Lou blocked the elephants retreat path and I pounced on the elephant with all my weakened light units. I was able to get the elephant to rampage a few times while Lou had no center cards to get the retreat path opened up. The units behind the elephant suffered badly and my units luckily escaped the rampage relatively unscathed. Hasdrudal's heavy infantry unit, who was trampled by elephant for a few turns, was down to 1 block. I then sent my 2 remaining light units on the left against him and got the 1 sword I needed for the win.
As an aside, I think we may have missed a couple of battle backs by elephant. If an elephant rampages and can't retreat, does it get to battle back? I think so. I think the result would still have been a win for Romans but the score might have been closer.

Game 1
Javelinthrower (Rome)  8 Banners
Greg O (Carthage) 5 banners

Initial clash was on the left flank with the Roman cav driving back the Carthage Light cav who were shielding their MC.   The Romans then eliminated both Hanno and his MC.   The Cathaginians warriors attempted to counter on the right with a double time charge but to little effect and they were repulsed.  The Roman MC and leader maintained their push on the left flank but were surrounded and cut down.  The battle then raged in the center and the Romans were victorious.



Game 2
Javelinthrower (Carthage)  6 Banners
Greg O (Rome) 8 banners

This was a battle in the center that went back and forth, remaining quite close.   In the end the Roman MC and leader was able to eliminate two weakened and unsupported aux units on the Carthage baseline to seal the victory.

Game 1

Azzy (Carthagian) 4 Banners

Kartigan (Roman) 8 Banners 

This battle started with a lot of maneuvering as both sides attempted to massage their hand to better suit the battlefield and reposition units while peppering each other with ranged attacks.  After a lot of back and forth missile fire of only minor consequence, Rome struck first, hitting a leaderless Auxilia and scoring the first banner.  Azzy responded with a powerful mounted charge against the fragmented Roman left.  What followed was a series of positively atrocious rolls that led to Carthage scoring 1 banner while losing 2 banners to lucky battle backs!  This was emblematic of what was to follow.  As the lines closed, the dice heavily favored the Romans allowing them to extended their lead to 4-1, and later 5-2.  The Carthaginians fought back stoutly and Azzy recovered well, managing to close the gap to 5-4.  The Romans however, simply could not miss and managed to score three banners in a single turn thanks to some bonus combat and very hot dice, this ended the game 8-4.

Thanks to Azzy for a fun game and playing well in the face of poor luck.     

Game 2

Azzy (Roman) 6 Banners

Kartigan (Carthaginian) 8 Banners 

This game again featured a good deal of slow maneuvering and ranged fire to start.  First melee contact was made by Roman Auxilia advancing on their right and skirmishing with Lights and Slingers in and around the forests.  A Line Command pushed the Carthaginians forward en masse, which led to the Warriors charging into the forward Auxilia.  Their contact broke the Auxilia, getting Carthage on the scoreboard with the first banner.

The Roman Mediums on the right then arrived, destroying the now out-of-position Carthaginian Warriors and evening up the score.  Carthage continued to advance their troops slowly and steadily and managed to get off a nice Darken the Sky that threw 24 dice.  Clashes continued between the sides on both flanks and led to a 3-2 score in favor of Carthage.

After further repositioning to get the lighter troops out of the way, a Double Time from Carthage followed by a Counterattack from Rome led to a massive clash on the Center/Roman Left.  The fighting was fast and furious and many banners were claimed, including Hasdrubal leaving the Carthage Center leaderless!     

With the score tied 4-4 a Mounted Charge from Carthage allowed the Elephants to surge forward on the Roman Right, while Hanno led the cavalry in an attack on the Roman left.  Despite rolling an impressive 5 dice again a Roman Medium with only 2 blocks, the Elephants failed to score any hits!  Luckily for Carthage they took none themselves, and Hanno's attack went much better, scoring Carthage's 5th banner.  

A Roman Mounted Charge managed to take out Hanno's cavalry, but lost one of theirs on an unlucky battleback going 3/3!  The Elephants and Hampsicora on the Roman Right then picked up another banner and pushed the Romans back.  On the final turn, the Roman Heavy Infantry surged forward to attempt to finish the Elephants.  They managed to provoke a Rampage and due to the Elephants blocked retreat path they scored a banner on some unfortunate Carthage Auxilia, but the battleback and Rampage from the Elephants was enough to score Carthage their 8th and final banner.

This was a good and interesting game, but Azzy's dice were again unkind at critical moments.    

Renaud (rjvonline) Carthage - 8 banners
vs
Tomek Rome - 5 banners


A tense game. I never got DT, but got decent cards to snipe at the enemy line that got Line Command 3x (once a CA of my own Line Command), so his line moved towards mine at a good clip, but took hits on the way. My elephant attack caused some MI block losses, but then died. My left flank attack with the warriors was initially successful, but then an unlucky roll (and maybe a risky bet...) exposed them and they were eventually wiped. The game was tied at 4-4, but I had the edge in blocks eliminated, although no real opportunity to take advantage. Finally, Tomek double-timed against my center, but by that time I had consolidated my heavies, centered on Hasdrubal's units. None of them died, and their battle back killed two principes (MI) units and weakened his triarii (HI) unit under Torquatus, bringing me to 7-5. He tried to go for 3 points, if all the stars lined up, with a Clash of Shields against Hasdrubal, but the stars did not line up, Hasdrubal's unit survived with 1 block, and Hasdrubal himself was unscathed. On the battleback, Tomek's triarii were wiped, though Torquatus survived. 8-5.

BrentS Carthage - 6 banners
vs
Mark B (RiverWanderer) Rome - 8 banners

A bloody fight, with melees on both flanks, leaders falling on both sides and a short-lived appearance of Elephants. In the final moments, Torquatus led a heavy infantry unit in double-time to sacrifice itself itself in return for a banner and denting a Cathaginian warrior unit. I Am Spartacus just about delivered to allow the follow up attack which secured the laurels for Rome.

Thanks to Brent - a tense game where some Roman light units were lucky to escape the banner track, which might have made the difference.

 

kwofford (Roman) 5 banners
Boredbeyondbelief (Carthaginian) 8 banners 

Battle opened with a charge from the cavalry on the roman left, an impulsive move that cost the Romans a leader.  The Carthaginians replied with an initial cautious advance of their left into the terrain.  The Romans responded and got the worst of the skirmish, and responded with a bold double time bringing them into contact with the slowly advancing Carthaginian main line.  After a mildly effective shock, the Carthaginians counterattacked the double time and crushed the Roman center.  With the Carthaginians well ahead in the banner race, the dead heavy and medium infantry piled high in the center, the battle collapsed into a swirling skirmish as both lines fed light and medium troops from the flanks into the center. A bold (re: suicidal) charge of the last Roman cavalry unit was cut down and the battle was over. 

Boredbeyondbelief (Roman) 4 banners
dwofford (Carthaginian) 8 banners  

The second battle opened with a swirling cavalry melee on the Roman left.  After the death of all the medium cavalry, the Carthaginian elephant corps charged the Roman center. Despite being driven back several times, the elephants attacked the Roman line again and again, succeeding in penetrating deeply and finishing off several medium and heavy Roman infantry units.  Meanwhile, the Roman auxillae retreated from a hail of projectiles from the Carthaginian right.  The Carthaginian line used a couple of line commands to advance on the Roman center and left, felling a leader and following up on Stampy’s strong early work.  The Romans desperately counterattacked, but the last unit fell to a Carthaginian Clash of Shields between the auxilae. It was a great pair of battles, and closely decided by the luckiest elephant unit I have ever had in a game.


 

 Game 1
EZPickins (Roman) 4 banners
DanieleC (Carthaginian) 8 banners

 The battle starts with a skirmish between the Carthaginians slingers and the Romans Auxilia supported by the light Infantry. This last some turns until the Roman decide to break the tie and advance with his Medium in the center and the Cavalry on his left where they face a Carthaginian mounted charge in response. When the dust is settle the Roman Cavalry is defeated along with his leader costing to the Carthaginians one Light Cavalry (1-3). Carthage as well advance with its line and the clash starts. Far from their Leader the Romans suffer and fall under the hits of the Carthaginians Veterans lead by Hasdrubal (3-6).  The last banners come from the Roman left where two Auxilia fall under the charge of the Hanno Cavalry (4-.

Game 2
DanieleC (Roman) 6 banners
EZPickins (Carthaginian) 8 banners

Same start as Game 1. Lights skirmishing all along the battlefield, but with an important difference, Carthaginians slingers occupy the woods in front of the Roman being a real trouble. Feeling good with the support of his slingers Hasdrubal decide to drive his Veterans together with the Elephants against the Roman line. The surprise effect is devastating and Romans falls like flies until Torquatus can reorganize the legions and counterattack. Overwhelmed in numbers the Carthaginians cannot resist. The attack has been dammed, but at what cost! (2-4). With Hasdrubal defeated and rescued by an Auxilia unit the initiative passes now to Hanno and his Cavalry. The Attack at the Roman right flank is brutal (2-7), but the momentum does not last until the end and some unfortunate dice allow the Roman to survive, retaliate and capture another two banners before capitulate (6-.

Thanks to John for those tense battles, unfortunately the Dice Gods where not with him when most needed.

Wish him all the best for the next rounds.Daniele