Winning streak ends

It was a beautiful day yesterday until the rain started around 1500 hrs, but I was looking forward to my WAC bash at the club so even that did not dampen my spirits. It was another outing for the Thunderbolts but at a lowly 2,000 points, this army does not perform at its best at that level, I would think 3,000 is optimum but 2,500 is a fair number, so it was more like what I had to leave behind rather than what I would bring to the field.

I was up against Ryan's Seleucid's again and I found out how tough those big 32 man phalanx's were last time so I wanted an edge, I wanted veteran cohorts with heavy armour but had to settle for three normal cohorts with only one having heavy armour, still excellent fighters but numbers were against me if the combats turned into slogs. I backed them up with light cavalry, Lanciarii, Contarii and archers, I had points left so took a bolt shooter. Yes it looks like a siege engine to those of you with sharp eyes, but I bought the wrong ones and was not throwing them in the bin, besides they frighten people

My plan was to break the enemy flanks before taking on the pikemen, but I knew I might not get the time as Ryan would not be so cautious this time around. I won most of the initiative rolls in the first half of the game and as there was a nice hill to the front of Cohors I with the heavy armour I ran and took it, I then sent the auxiliaries and light cavalry forward to sort out the enemy left while holding my left and centre back.

 I had mixed results on my right, the cavalry fled but came back later, while the Lanciarii destroyed the slingers, but instead of then menacing the pike block they had to come back and help the horse archers with the javelinmen. On the left my bolt shooter was making life more than difficult for some Seleucid horse, and although they tried to ride the artillery down they failed and paid the price as my archers joined in to wipe them out. Time was running out and I noticed the two pike blocks make some slight adjustments to their lines, I had an idea Ryan was going try and flank Cohors I but it was a dodgy move if so, so I moved up Cohors II and charged Cohors I downhill. I didn't do well in the melee, although I won every time I could not do enough damage to cause a rout and Ryan kept making his morale throws and I was losing the numbers game. Cohors II was charged and although they bravely held for a few turns they were beat and fled. 

Over on the left it was time to throw in my Contarii, again they did well but couldn't break the enemy, and the loss of several men to archery beforehand meant they too would lose out in numbers. I began to regret not giving them bucklers. When the Contarii had been dispersed the bolt shooter and archers took over and destroyed the remaining victorious Seleucid horse. As we finished the last turn I had the Lanciarii poised to flank the troublesome pikes while Ryan's successful pike unit was too far away to intercede for a couple of moves at least, my horse archers had come good at last and routed the javelinmen. We called it a draw as neither of us had accomplished our objectives and the battle still had a long way to go.

A disgruntled Twelfth marched home. It had taken me too long to destroy the enemy flanks and I needed to put flank pressure on the pike blocks, they are also very tough for a normal cohort to break, not impossible but you need some luck. My heavy armour was a boon as I managed to save most of the hits on me however my boys were pathetic at converting hits to kills, even with hitting the pike block in the flank it would have been a close run thing to defeat it before the other came to the rescue. Our other two units glared at each other over a small marsh, Ryan couldn't get to me and I wasn't going to him. My bolt shooter was man of the match, I think it failed to hit only once and it was instrumental in the demise of the enemy cavalry. A good game and I look forward to the next one.

Elsewhere in the club, the monthly big D&D bash, Muskets and Tomahawks and a boardgame.