VASSAL Mini-Tournament (MT1)

Round 6
019 Solachon (586 AD) Kardarigan’s Stand

scipio1zama (Sassanid): 3 Banners and 27 blocks lost

Mark McG (Byzantine): 5 Banners and 19 blocks lost

For a 5 banner game, and 11 turns max (give a Scout or 2), this was a long match, and enough to give any Byzantine nightmares. Nothing can be planned here until the initial Command Card draw, and then you have to figure out the whole match plan with those 11 cards.
With an all cavalry force, some Command cards are very limited (Foot Onslaught is an example, and I drew 2 of those). Plus attacking units on a hill with cavalry means generally just 2 attack dice!

The main Byzantine benefit is knowing all your cards from the start. So if you have no Leadership Command cards, those Inspired actions will be Battlefield Actions! You also start with a very high Command level, which trickles away.

The drawbacks are the hill, and the limited time.

In game play my two best cards were Fire & Close and Mounted Charge. I held a Move-Fire Move for the last turn rush to try for the majority hill auto victory. 2 Counterattacks and 2 Foot Onslaughts, and 2 Left Section cards, order Medium and Command Centre were my 11 Command Cards. Command Centre and Order Medium were my first 2 plays to bring most of my units into bow range. Became apparent I wasn't going to win by ranged fire here.

Then used Fire & Close to hit the Right flank, which killed the LBC and LB in the front rank. SHBC and MBC on the hill.
Then the MVP unit stepped forth.. 1 Sassanid AUX scored 3 hits on the SHBC with Clash of Shields. That was enough for the MBC to finish the SHBC up. More on this AUX to tell. The MBC got 2 hits on my MBC, and the other AUX cleaned him up.. 2-2

Action them move to the Left, and the front LB coped a beating, but lingered on 1
Mike then played a Forward, which he drew back, but was what my Counterattack was looking for!
Had a chance here to score 3 banners and win, and I cleaned up 2 one block units (the LB and AUX), but Mr. MVP wouldn't die, beating the average. Down to 1 block (again).
Mike riposte was a Coordinated attack, which the 1 block SHBC survived, the 2 blocks SHBC survived the MBC on the flat using a Battle Bonis (4d), and then the MVP AUX steps up, 2d.. two Red.. SHBC dies, leader (Vitalius) survives 3d to escape..

My Counterattack cleaned the bastard up.. 5-3. Best performance by an AUX I've seen in Medieval. Cleared 6 blocks of SHBC by himself, and survived against the odds in the 2nd last turn. Respect.

Wow, what a performance by AUX!

Round 2, 015 Lazic War (549 AD) Phasis River

mk20336 (Byzantine): 6 banners, 9 blocks lost
Polonus100 (Sassanid): 1 banner, 20 blocks lost

The game started very cautiously on both sides, with some decent shooting by Eastern army. I tried to regroup units on both flanks in order not to neglect any approach. Sassanids had many opportunities to inflict damage with DTS and in general range attacks, but the probability was definitely against them. The game finished 3 Inspired Actions played by me in a row, taking two camps and killing 4 defending units.

Round 5, 018 Solachon (586 AD) Main Battle

mk20336 (Byzantine): 6 banners, 8 blocks lost
scipio1zama (Sassanid): 1 banner, 25 blocks lost

Initial phase of our game was focused on range attacks. In the meantime Byzantine started to concentrate its forces on right wing to - historically - take advantage of much weaker left Persian side. Then one MBC on Persian side was killed. That triggered open counter-attack by Mike, which was met with very timely Ambush, strengthened with Battle Bonus (7d). That killed MBC and leader ind in subsequent turn, Mounted Charge finished the job.

Thanks to Mike for making the time on short notice to play the game!

Round 2: 015 Lazic War (549 AD) Phasis River

g1ul10 (Sassanid): 4 banners, 19 blocks lost
stormwalker (Byzantine): 6 banners, 29 blocks lost

Initially, the Byzantine army tried attacking on the left flank but their attack was repelled with the ranged fire. So Goubazes & Dagisthaeus decided to focus on the camp hexes. But here again the ranged fire and a well-managed regrouping of weakened Sassanid units led to a 3-1 score for the Sassanids. However, the superior numbers of the Byzantine army started to show eventually. Following a risky and a very unlucky attack on a Byzantine LB unit the Sassanids lost their camp hexes.

Many thanks to Giulio for playing!

Hey Mark,
Could not enter them on the site for some reason, so here:

Round 6
EZPickens (Sassanid) 2 banners 23 blocks lost
Gonzo (Byzantines) 5 banners 13 blocks lost

Both sides started with a scout, giving 1 banner to Sassanids. Byzantines closed with MC with SHC/leaders behind and were able to kill the two LB after several rounds. Sassanid missile and melee from their light troops mostly ineffective. A Sassanid Cav chrge out of the hills killed one Byz MC and crippled another, but Byz Counterattack killed the Sassanid MC and SHC attackers and a follow up leadership with mounted charge finished a LBC near the back row. Byzantine hand down to 5 cards, incl a foot onslot and Doubletime. Thanks to John to a good game.

If you can post this for me, thanks.
Joe

Round 3
Viridovilas (Sassanid) 7 banners - 36 blocks lost
RiverWanderer (Byzantines) 6 banners - 32 blocks lost

It was a long and exhausting battle. Early stages of the clash were dominated by light troops and skirmishers that exchanged fire on both wings without causing too much damages. Unfortunately for the Byzantine, however, one of their two Cataphracts was surprised by a storm of arrows and was wiped out. That circumstance didn’t scare the Roman general Daghisteus, that took the momentum and resolutely attacked the Sassanid centre. The Persian army wavered and seemed to the very verge of fleeing the field, when abruptly Chorianes reorganized his remaining forces relocating them at both his wings. At that very moment the Byzantine assault lost strength, while Sassanid conducted one last desperate assault that (with some lucky rolls) allowed Persian to make the day

Round 4
PCScipio42 (Sassanids) 1 banner/24 blocks lost
Gonzo (Byzantines) 7 banners /7 blocks lost
Byzantines had NO right flank cards and Sassanids had NO left flank cards all game. All action around town. Byz HI closed and smashed gate, then ran through the city showing amazing discipline not to stap and loot and smashed 2nd gate, chasing the Sassanid garrison out. Sassanid right and center advance and engage with missile and MI in melee, killing a AUX but losing the MI. The Byz MC had surrounded itself with all AUX and MI by this time. Careful probing by both sides was interrupted by Byz Cav charge with great dice, Killing an MI on flank and forcing LBC to evade to back row and crippling both Sassanid MC and SHBC, although Byz MBC reduced to one. However Gonzo drew just what he needed (which after bad card start, happened all game) and Killed the crippled Sassanid SHBC. A fire and close pinned and killed a Sassanid MI and LBC for the win. Another tough game for the Sassanids in this tourney. Thanks to Forrest for enduring my great cards and dice with aplomb.

Killed the crippled Sassanid SHBC with First Strike

Lazic War (Petra Mountain Passes) Game played 11-19-19
Mike Stanley – won – 5 banners, 15 blocks lost
Travis Taliaferro – lost - 2 banners – 21 blocks lost

Having played this scenario a couple of times before, I anticipated running Sassanid cavalry down the left side of the board for some easy banners. Nope – did not get the cards. Didn’t get close to the cards. I could only move 2 units at a time on my right, so I advanced the MBC and the HBC w/leader. Soon they were engaged with all three of the Byzantine units on that flank and it turned into a real tussle. I got first blood by killing his MI, but my HBC was weakened, and his MBC w/leader took out my MBC and an LBC. I was fortunate to then take out his MBC AND his only leader. My remaining cavalry units on that flank were each down to 2 blocks and they pulled back to safety out of sight of the Byzantine Light Bowmen.

Action now switched to the other flank where a Byzantine Cavalry Charge (albeit with just one MBC unit) quickly got my attention. We went back and forth, but the weight of my leader (and his lack of one) eventually told the tale as I was able to take out a Byzantine MI and Aux for the win.

I would say that both sides had average cards and average die rolls. The Sassanid HC and SHC, and the two leaders, were the margin of victory, as most of the Sassanid Infantry never got into the fray at all.

This was my opponent’s VERY FIRST game of Medieval, and he acquitted himself quite well. (We have met over the Ancients board before and his skills carried over.)

(Travis – I recounted my blocks lost and we both counted wrong – I lost 15 blocks.)