MT02 Results

MT2 Final Game 2: Epic Adrianople C3i20

Travis (Roman) 16 banners, 62 blocks lost

Gonzo (Goth) 13 banners, 64 blocks lost 


Every bit as close as the numbers appear to indicate.  Another great game where my opponent had to deal with me having outstanding options with cards and fantastic rolls, and he still almost pulled it out regardless.After last game, my plan with the Romans was to go all-out toward the center objectives.  (Knowing that most late-era Roman soldiers had  Germanic roots, I consistently encouraged them to fight their hardest in the center so they could capture the “lagers”)  My hope was that their cultural affinity for beer would allow them to outrun the Gothic wings which begin the game packed together at the map’s edge, and are difficult and costly in terms of orders to mobilize.


As Fritigonzo noted early, I was consistently blessed with cards that could order units in the center and keep maximum pressure on the laagers.  After some initial moves and ranged skirmishing, I was able to press an advantage on the right edge of the laagers, which would be a desperate back and forth struggle for the remainder of the game, and the focal point of the battle in my opinion.  For every move one of us made, the other was able to respond, and my lone Warrior earned his post battle lagers with his ability to scatter light units on evades, menace the laager line, and chase down units at maps edge whilst dodging slings and arrows of the Gothic ranged attacks.

A pivotal moment was when a well-planned assault by Gonzigern was punished by a lack of any hits in consecutive rolls, which was the opening the Romans  to play a Clash card, eliminate units, and take two laagers out for a 7-0 lead.  That foothold was crucial to my plan, but in my excitement I had lacked strategic vision as my right wasn’t moving fast enough towards the center, and Gonzatheus had steadily brought up units to make an assault on my densely packed right flank, which had little space to maneuver.  Fortunately, even though I would in my opinion lose the fights on both flanks, I was able to continually either threaten action on the flanks and/or respond to his concentrations on my wings.  

This narration doesn’t do this battle justice, because the next few turns involved several excellent moves by my opponent, who made me pay for my sluggish inability to concentrate units to the center.  Although I was able to move the rest of my center infantry to the laager line, Gonztheus and Gonzphrax were able to gradually whittle away my strength on the flanks, and hold their own in the center despite another Clash card played by the Romans.  The center remained a savage struggle over the laagers, but some desperate 3-card plays by Gonzo scattered the Roman right and threatened the Roman cavalry on the left at the perfect time, and amazingly allowed the Goths to claw their way back from 0-7 to 8-9, but ultimately, the Roman dice were able to exact a high price in some well-planned Gothic moves and push back the Goth right, blunt the Goth left, and continue to pound the center with what units remained in the fight. 

Though I was within a whisker of gaining a camp hex, Gonzigern was too tenacious, and instead, the game was decided by attrition rather than audacious maneuvering.  A sure sign of the desperation of both sides is that I believe we ended the game with hands of 3 and 5, after starting with 7 apiece!  A great risk-reward dynamic in EPICs that I have come to appreciate, though I was a little slow to pick up on initially.

MT2 Final Game 1: Epic Adrianople C3i20

Travis (Goths) 16 banners, 61 blocks lost
Gonzo (Roman) 13 banners, 73 blocks lost

First of all, couple of quick thanks to Mark for organizing, and to Gonzo for walking me through Epics.  He probably didn't realize he was playing such a novice at Epics who would ask for clarification about 1000 times about basic game mechanics.  As you might suspect, we spent some serious time fighting this one out over the course of four different times, and Gonzo was the epitome of patience.  

EPIC Adrianople is a fantastic scenario, and one I would definitely recommend moving forward.  These two games represented my 3rd and 4th times playing Epics, and I now understand the attraction.  Especially in this scenario, which Gonzo and I both agreed has many things to vector simultaneously, many decisions to be made....a very complex battle to fight but evenly constructed and immensely entertaining.  

A quick overview of the scenario, after playing both sides, would seem to indicate that the Roman player is playing against time; if the Gothic player can mobilize his wings, the Romans will be hard-pressed to hold on as the game progresses.  Both sides have options on how to maneuver, with units of all types throughout, and the fixed objective of the laagers/camps in the middle. 

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Game 1

As the Gothic player, my plan was to do what I could to blunt the Roman advance in the middle, long enough for the wings to make the difference.  The middle was held by the Goths by a razor-thin margin, and I was fortunate enough to punch a hole in the Roman infantry early, so that my infantry could man the laagers.  Gonzo brought up his cavalry from the Roman left for a mounted charge, but (as would become a theme throughout both games...) my dice were there when I needed them for sure, even securing ranged hits on the damaged Roman center infantry.

Although we forgot to restart the logfile after taking a break, log 1.2 shows Gonzo has regrouped his center for another assault on the weakened Goth laager lines, and that the Goth cavalry have reached the enemy flanks with mixed success.  Gonzo was able to gain a foothold in the laagers and establish a 11-8 lead while pushing back the Gothic right, and at this point things looked dim for the barbarians.

The tide began to turn with a solid Sparty roll which allowed me to engage heavy hitters in all three sections, regaining the laager, reducing the offensive capability of the Roman left, and menacing the Roman right flank while gaining a 13-11 lead....with the aforementioned fortunate dice.  This put the Goths in position to win, namely because there was little danger of the laagers being threatened, and it would take time and space to mount another assault anywhere by the Roman right. 

As expected, Gonzo expertly eliminated the exposed Gothic cavalry on the right, but Gothic cards remained solid, and despite a few misses the necessary banners were gained the next turn by  fortunate rolls for the 16-13 win.  

A very close and thrilling game.  Gave me many ideas for how to fight as the Romans in game 2 by watching how well Gonzo had been able to react to situations as they arose.

was their a block loss count? Mainly for the records.
Final sentence probably should reference the Romans being favoured, at least sounds that way to me.

Semi-Final Game 1
Gonzo (Roman) 12 banners
MK20336 (Alamani) 1 banner

Sorry, thought I had posted this. Roman left cavalry given 2 Cav charges on deal. A Roman LC killed with
Ambush, but after that Roman Cav continued to draw cards such as Move Mounted and Move Hvy and eventually killed all the Allamani Cav.
Alamanni missile fire ineffective. Alamanni Warrior charge was unable to crack Roman line and Roman return and next turn got final banners. Tough game for Michal. Cards and dice favored the Alamanni throughout.

Mark McG wrote: so if I understand Michal's post correctly, Joe won the Barbarian Semi 18 -13 banners cumulative total.
Making the Final, Joe vs Travis
CCA C3i20 EPIC Adrianople (378 AD)

Yes, that is correct. I thought Joe reported 1st game but I see now it is not in the posts.

so if I understand Michal's post correctly, Joe won the Barbarian Semi 18 -13 banners cumulative total.
Making the Final, Joe vs Travis
CCA C3i20 EPIC Adrianople (378 AD)

Adam (Alemanni): 6 banners 51 blocks lost
Travis (Romans): 12 banners, 25 blocks lost

In this scenario, it would seem that the odds are against the Alemanni from the start. During this match, the odds were multiplied by excellent Roman cards and even better dice.

Beginning with a mounted charge to assail the barbarian left, the Romans were able to gain a quick two banner lead. That advantage grew to 6-1 when the dice failed a well-planned Alemanni counter attack, and the Roman cavalry were able to press home their advantage further. The barbarians were able to take advantage of poor Roman decisions to close it to 6-5, but again the dice favored the Apostate, who almost single-handedly did the rest of the damage in the center section, blunting a barbarian attack then leading the infantry to victory.

Enjoyable, but this one would have been very different with equitable dice.

Semifinal Game 2/2

Gonzo (Alemanni): 6 banners 56 blocks lost
mk20336 (Romans): 12 banners, 31 blocks lost

This was my second game with Joe. In my first, calamitous, attempt with Alemanni I was crushed 1-12 (my worst defeat ever, but hard to do anything with abysmal hand through the most of game).

The time has come to see if those Romans are really so over-powered. Having nothing to lose (I really did not assume there will be other result then Joe advancing to finals) I moved quickly forward on all front. A carefully planned attacks on barbarian LCs allowed me to avoid the ambush. The double time in center helped to break the line. Only on the left, in forest, not much action was happening.

The Romans definitely have an edge in that game. The cavalry, assisted by heavy infantry from center, was slowly but steadily grinding Almans to dust. There were of course losses - when you play bold, things happen - but in the end the Imperial army victory was not in doubt.

Thanks to Joe for two enjoyable games!

Semifinal Game 1

Travis (Alemanni): 12 banners 34 blocks lost
dukeadam (Romans): 6 banners, 46 blocks lost

(Argentoratum is a special battle for me personally, as it was my first user-created scenario submission [non-epic version], so I enjoyed the chance to play this one as an Epic battle....which was my first ever foray into the Epic world. I can totally see the attraction to the format, especially as a social in-person game, with sub-commanders, etc.)

First and foremost, Adam was a very gracious teacher, as I had multiple questions about what to do. He began the match with a line command that endangered the lead elements of the Germans, but the Germanic dice were extremely fortunate all game long, and soon thereafter the barbarians were able to blunt the advance and score a couple quick banners by playing my own Line Command, which activated 30 (!) units!

The battle soon progressed to a 5-2 advantage for the Alemanni, but with several German units exposed and in danger. The Romans bravely pressed their advantage, but amazing dice rolls from an isolated Aux unit killed a MC and Julian the Apostate himself, which was the first major turning point. The 2nd was the next turn, when the mounted arm of the Alemanni charged their Roman counterparts and gained the perfect dice to eliminate four units, which put the hard-pressed Romans at a massive disadvantage. After another Roman assault the following turn gained 3 banners, the final unit was eliminated for the barbarian victory.

A very fortunate result for the brave barbarians.

Round 4 CCA VV01 Marcianopolis (377 AD)

Michal K (Goths) 5 banners, 10 units lost
jrtracy (Romans) 0 banners, 16 units lost

That one is always a tough thing for Romans. It started with two Light Cavalries on both wings. Then we closed on each other, exchanging a lot of range fire. In the end the Medium barbarian units charged twice, crushing Rome defenses - but not before valiant fight of their leader!

Thanks to JR for arranging the game on short notice and for the fighting spirit despite the odds.

Round 3 Catalaunian Fields Roman right

Jrtracy Roman 3 banners 32 blocks lost
gonzoj Huns 7 banners 25 blocks lost

Fun game with Gonzo today - I opened on the left but rode into trouble as the Huns were able to trap and kill my HBC and leader. I inflicted some sharp hits but Joe was able to scamper away before I could close for kills.

We then fought on the opposite flank with several rounds of give and take. The hills and woods limited dice thrown so it was a drawn out fight. A timely Ambush won the hill battle for the Huns. One Hunnic Warrior went absolutely berserk, killing two units before chasing down Thorismund at the edge of the map and putting him to the sword. My heavy cavalry arrived to finish off the warriors, but they were the true heroes of the day.

Down several banners and without a useful card, I just did what I could with ranged fire, hoping to get lucky. I whittled the Huns down substantially but Joe pulled the vulnerable units so I didn't collect more banners. He finally wrapped things up with multiple attacks against a full strength Warrior that didn't have the sense to flee after the first attack.

Well played game by Gonzo - congrats and good luck!

Round 3 Catalonian Fields Roman right
Jrtracy Roman 3 banners 32 blocks lost
gonzoj Huns 7 banners 25 blocks lost

Turn one Alan HBC on Roman left closes but only does 3 hits to Aux. Huns surround and roll double leader hit and mult banners. Hun MBC crippled and Aux killed. Both sides pull back to range fire on that flank. Next, Hun Warriors use Foot onslaught to surround and kill Roman LC in hills. Roman Warriors come up and engage in fiercly contested hill battle, but Hun ambush card made big difference. Killed 2 warriors and a 1 pt Hun warrior chased and killed leader on back row. It took 3 attacks by Roman HC to finally kill wounded Warrior. Skirmishing now on Roman left. Huns able to kill Warrior before Roman HC could make a difference.
Thanks to JR for fun game, luck just wasn't with him today.

Kudos to Mark on an epic slaughter. I had one brief, shining moment where I rolled all swords and reds in an HC vs HBC tussle but other than that it was a hellscape of Byzantine infantry running for their lives. Good fun - nice sprawling scenario that demands a bit more thought than I put into the initial movements.

Round 1 Utis River
Mark McG (Huns): 9 banners, 18 blocks lost
JR (Byzantines): 2 banners, 40 blocks lost

Having played this scenario before, and generally aware of the value of Heavy Cavalry, I got my cavalry out as quickly as I could, raising havoc on the Byzantine foot. All 9 banners I took were foot, 4 of which were the hapless Auxilia. I am increasingly of the view that Auxilia are mostly worthless, and should score as such.

So the game play pretty much consisted of my Heavy cavalry running amuck in the Byzantine centre, losing 1 HC. When I ran out of cavalry card options, the Warriors came up to support, and I lost one of those as well. Otherwise it was just a slaughter of the Byzantine foot, though they had their moments.

Thanks to JR for putting up with a hard lesson on the importance of running the auxilia away in good spirits

Round 4 Marcianopolis

gotigerssc (Goth) 5 banners, 11 blocks lost
dukeadam (Roman) 2 banners, 21 blocks lost

Closer than the score indicates as I had two cavalry units down to one block each. Goths started the battle by attacking with cavalry using 2 Mounted Charges. From there they slowly picked away with light units and the occasional medium cavalry attack until the full strength warriors finally made their way into the fray. Fritigen himself led a warrior unit over broken ground to destroy two auxilia units on the final turn. Tough match for the Romans! Thanks to Adam for a great match.

the Personal Messaging is now turned on, as is the Play History. I've tested the PM and it works, but unsure about the personal play history

How can I reach jtracy, there is no personal mail in Medevial, and I do not have his e-mail

scipio1zama wrote: OK, I reported the game results. Someone tell me, now, HOW to attach the log file. I find no drop-down menu that gives me the option of attaching anything. HELP!

For reasons to do with the software, you can attach files in the Forum, but not when posting messages to the forum from an article

So if you go to your message
www.commandsandcolors.net/medieval/forum...ts.html?start=30#405

and edit it, you can add the Block counts and attach the logfiles

Also, since Alessandro made me moderator, I can delete posts, so I practiced on two of your posts.

Forgot one thing - I (winning Romans) lost 25 blocks; gotigerssc (losing Huns) lost 36 blocks.

OK, I reported the game results. Someone tell me, now, HOW to attach the log file. I find no drop-down menu that gives me the option of attaching anything. HELP!

Mike (scipio1zama) Romans – 7 banners – WON

Justin (gotigerssc) – Huns- 6 banners – lost

The Romans started with a Line Command, advanced their center and left infantry, and retreated an unsupported Hun LB. After several turns of maneuver and flying arrows, a Roman attack with HC/HBC on the right heavily damaged two Hun Aux. A Hun Foot Onslaught by three Warriors against the Roman left eliminated a Roman HI and reduced the other one to 1 block. But a Roman Cry Havoc play saw the Roman HBC on the right eliminate both damaged Hun Aux while the left side of the board saw the Romans eliminate three Hun Warriors, losing 3 blocks from the HC, who endured a First Strike AND an Ambush in successive attacks.

The Huns were down, but not out. A Leadership-inspired Cavalry Charge against the Roman left took out the HC AND its leader Aetius, then the HI, and then the Warrior. The banner count stood at 5-5.
The Roman, in turn, played a Leadership Right card, which also inspired a Cavalry Charge which eliminated a Hun LBC and severely damaged a Hun Aux.

The Hun came right back on that flank with a Leadership card that eliminated the Roman HBC but MISSED the 1-die leader shot at Sangiban. He also got three hits on a Roman LBC – but NOT four.

Now the Roman played a Fire and Close, got a hit on the 1-block Hun Aux and the 7th banner. By that narrow a margin the Romans eked out a victory over the gallant Huns.

Guys if you are using VASSAL ver. 3.4 you might experience some strange behavior with the movement trails. I've just uploaded version 1.6 to the VASSAL module page. It should solve it.

Round 6
toganalper (Goths) 7 banners, 23 blocks lost
stormwalker (Romans) 5 banners, 30 blocks lost

Even though the first push of the Romans came from the left. The Goths were able to push them back to their center line. The cavalry group of the Goths arrived from the right and Attacked the leaderless Roman left with back to back command cards. Most of the battle took place in the Roman right flank. Even though the Roman heavy foot group came for reinforcement. the Goths center also responded with their warriors running to the same place. It was a close battle at the end even though at one point it was 5:1 for the Goths, where the Goths only loss were their leader.


Now with the logfile.

Round 6
toganalper (Goths) 7 banners, 23 blocks lost
stormwalker (Romans) 5 banners, 30 blocks lost

Eventhough the first push of the Romans came from the left. The Goths were able to push them back to their center line. The cavalry group of the Goths arrived from the right and Attackked the leaderless Roman left with back to back command cards. Most of the battle took place in the Roman right flank. Eventhough the Roman heavy foot groupd came for reinforcement. the Goths center also responded with their warriors running to the same place. It was a close battle at the end eventhoug at one point it was 5:1 for the Goths, where the Goths only loss were their leader.

Round 4

EZPickins (Goth) 5 banners, 17 blocks lost
Stormwalker (Rome) 3 banners, 24 blocks lost

The first half of the game was mostly minor skirmishes and ranged fire mostly on the flanks. This all changed when I played inspired center leadership and my warriors charged into melee. Three Roman units died with no losses to the Goth. Counter attack was played and I lost a warrior but he was reduced to the southwest quarter of the map. Over the next several turns I took more losses as I tried to get at his most vulnerable unit. Eventually I succeed to win the game.

Marcin played a great game but it's tough with only three cards.