Greetings!
I have just had another great opportunity to play against Steve, a very experienced wargamer, against whose Arab Conquest army I played some time ago. I was very happy to have a re-match as I was looking for another opportunity to learn from Steve and see if I learned lessons from our previous game properly.
This time we upped the armies size to 11,000 but I was again using Britcon version to get prepared for the price increase for the Phalangites.
In addition, Steve was hosting the game as well so I was to play in a comfortable environment without usual crowd present at the store.
Steve decided to use his favorite Arab Conquest army again with a few additions to bring the army to 11,000 points.
Arab Conquest - Army List
Commanders
Army Commander - Talented Professional
Subordinate General 1 - Talented Professional
Subordinate General 2 - Competent Professional
Subordinate General 3 - Mediocre Professional
Camp
Camp - Mobile, Average
TuG's
4 Jund Cavalry, Cavalry, Formed Loose, Average, Protected, Long Spear
4 Jund Cavalry, Cavalry, Formed Loose, Average, Protected, Long Spear
4 City Cavalry, Cavalry, Formed Loose, Superior, Protected, Long Spear
6 Bedouin Cavalry, Cavalry, Formed Flexible, Average, Unprotected, Long Spear, Combat Shy
6 Bedouin Cavalry, Cavalry, Formed Flexible, Average, Unprotected, Long Spear, Combat Shy
6 Jund Infantry, Infantry, Formed Close, Superior, Protected, Shieldwall, Melee Expert, Integral Shooters
6 Jund Infantry, Infantry, Formed Close, Superior, Protected, Shieldwall, Melee Expert, Integral Shooters
6 Jund Infantry, Infantry, Formed Close, Superior, Protected, Shieldwall, Melee Expert, Integral Shooters
6 Jund Infantry, Infantry, Formed Close, Superior, Protected, Shieldwall, Melee Expert, Integral Shooters
6 Jund Infantry, Infantry, Formed Close, Superior, Protected, Shieldwall, Melee Expert, Integral Shooters
4 Asawira, Cavalry, Formed Loose, Superior, Protected, Experienced, Bow
6 Dailami, Average, Drilled Flexible, Average, Protected, Devastating Chargers
SuG's
6 Camel Mounted Scouts, Camelry, Average, Unprotected, Experienced, Bow, Combat Shy
9 Skirmishing Archers, Infantry, Skirmisher, Average, Unprotected, Experienced, Bow, Combat Shy
4 Companions - Cavalry, Drilled Loose, Superior, Protected, Charging Lancer, Melee Expert
Pre-battle
Steve won the roll off an chose the plain terrain with no secure flank as expected. I used my colored cards as best as I could for 4 days and that brought me to the nice terrain with a coast as a secure flank. Unfortunately, I played weak card in the last day and Steve had yellow or red left and brought us back to almost where we started. Lesson learned!
In addition, we ended up with a single piece of terrain on board anyway, as the rough terrain I got was removed when Steven promptly rolled a '6'.
Scouting went in my favor, however, and Steve had to deploy 60% of his army which meant he had to place 9 units. Interestingly, it didn't seem to put him at a disadvantage as he proceeded to deploy all his infantry and skirmishers. I still didn't know which flank his Bedouins would go for!
Deployment
When I deployed my own 9 units I had almost entire army placed too. Because of that I positioned infantry close to the camp with Cretan Archers in between the Phalangites and Thracians behind (I didn't want my Loose infantry to get caught in the open by the cavalry). I also placed both skirmishing cavalry units and line cavalry in the front thinking I may be able to move to either flank as necessary.
In the end I placed my cavalry on the left and put them under Army Commander lead to deal with Asawira. Second Talented General commanded vanguard of the cavalry and I thought I may try to add their weight to shoot at the enemy skirmishers, especially with the help of Cretan Archers. Competent General was to pivot his phalanx to protect the flank from the attack of Bedouins.
Seleucids - Turn 1
Asawira and mounted scouts moved forward to slow down any possible advance by the Seleucids army. They were also supported by the Archers. Seleucids responded by sending their own mounted skirmishers and begun an attempt to outflank the two units of the enemy forces.
At the same time Bedouins started their own outflanking while Phalangites maneuvered to get ready to block enemy cavalry from reaching the camp.
Arabs - Turn 2
Both armies continued their maneuvers. Bedouins reached the extreme flank as planned and Asawira kept slowing down the Seleucids while skillfully avoiding enemy mounted lancers.
Both archer unit groups faced each other as well, preparing for the shooting duel. In addition, Arab cavalry re-positioned and attempted to follow Bedouins but for some reason that advance was quite slow.
Seleucids - Turn 3
On the left flank, Line Cavalry attempted to catch Asawira but it was not successful and Arab mounted units avoided their enemies yet again.
In the center, Cretan Archers were clearly winning the shooting duel. When Tartentine Cavalry joined them, it looked like the fate of the Arab Archers is decided.
On the right flank, Bedouins enthusiasm carried them very close to the Phalangites. What they didn't take into account is how maneuverable drilled mounted troops can be. Line Cavalry surprised their enemies by quickly changing the direction of advance and outflanking Bedouins.
Arabs - Turn 4
One unit of Bedouin cavalry is caught and destroyed by Seleucid lancers. The second group escapes for now but is isolated from the rest of the army and help does not seem to be coming either.
In the center Cretan Archers rout their Arab counterparts with another volley of arrows. Only on the left flank Seleucids cannot get rid of the Asawira. It is also due to the fact that Seleucid commanders recklessly pursue their enemies and some of their units are out of their command range.
Seleucids - Turn 5
Jund Cavalry made a mistake of getting into range of Cretan Archers who did not waste time and unleashed another volley. Half of the Arab mounted troops perished and the rest had to retreat quickly.
Seleucids maneuvered on both flanks but the problems with the commands prevented them from executing more efficient moves.
Despite that, it looked like Seleucids temporarily consolidated their positions. As the fickle desert weather started to change rapidly, both armies disengaged to their respective camps. Once again, the fight remained undecided.
After-battle
I would like to thank Steve for another great game and for his hospitality. My apologies for a second round in a row where we did not reach the conclusion of the battle. We discussed the possible outcomes if we played another turn and it seemed to us that it would not bring us closer to the end either. I do hope do improve the speed of play eventually so that each game can be finished in no longer than 3 hours. That is one of the main goals for me for sure.
As in the first game, I learned a lot in this one as well. For example, it was interesting to see how my plan for pre-battle stage was undone with a single card! I guess I need to play the best cards I have till the very end.
Another lesson is that even if I manage to outscout the enemy, I still need a good plan for the army formation. Simply because the opponent may be able to out-deploy me regardless and gain a bit of an advantage like that.
I was nicely surprised by the efficiency of Cretan Archers, as it was the first time when I managed to roll well on green dice. I moved my mounted skirmishers into Cantabrian as well, precisely for that reason but due to poor commanders positioning, I was not able to move these units and get them back into shooting range.
I also learned that I misunderstood the way floating commander works. I thought it is when the commander is not physically attached to any unit. Fortunately, Steve corrected me and I am now trying to envision if such commander is a good option for my army in the future games.
I was definitely happy I prevented outflanking this time and that I even caught Bedouins but I doubt Steve is going to make such a mistake twice. Hence, I need to think about a better deployment. In particular how to counter Asawira as this unit really slows down the advance of my army.
Last but not least, I still don't know how to deal with the Jund Infantry if the Arab Cavalry is still around and threatening the flanks. Hopefully I will come up with some ideas before another game!
Thanks for reading!
SuG's
6 Camel Mounted Scouts, Camelry, Average, Unprotected, Experienced, Bow, Combat Shy
9 Skirmishing Archers, Infantry, Skirmisher, Average, Unprotected, Experienced, Bow, Combat Shy
It looked to me that Steve upgraded some of his units, either with more options such as Integral Shooters or added the numbers, such as in the case of a second unit of Bedouin Cavalry. He also added two skirmishing units, one of Camel Mounted Scouts and one of the Archers. That added a bit to his ranged attacks capabilities.
I knew I should expect Asawira to do the slowing down and harassment maneuvers and Bedouins to perform deep outflanking so I wanted to get to a better terrain if possible. If Steven was a defender, I had to play good cards to change what I expected to be an empty battle field. If he was an invader, I needed to make sure I can stay in the preferred terrain.
However, I also wanted to be prepared for an empty table if necessary.
In general, I was about to face numerically superior army, especially in the context of the breaking point. On paper, Jund Infantry looks to me well equipped to fight against my Phalangites, even in one-on-one combat. Superior and Integral Shooters would make it even in the charge phase, while Superior and Melee Expert would create the same situation in the following melee. Then Shieldwall negates Shove and it means it is more often green vs green. Even with an advantage in the form of 8 bases per TuG, that is not a situation that can favor any side.
The cavalry contingent was numerically comparable but it seemed that Steve's units are more melee orientated. I had a dilemma here because I thought that I may not have enough units to counter the threat from each of the enemy mounted troops at the same time. If my predictions were correct, I would need to deal with Asawira first and then try to at least block and keep Bedouins busy.
At the same time I was concerned with protecting the flanks of the Phalanx so I decided I would deploy closer to the camp with the infantry and be more patient with the advance. If I could deal with Asawira and Bedouins and emerge with cavalry units intact, I could advance against infantry more aggressively. If not, I would try to prevent outflanking and force Steve to maneuver harder to get to favorable positions.
One element I hoped I could use to advantage is shooting. With Cretan Archers and two units of skirmishing Cavalry that can go into Cantabrian, I hoped green dice would produce some effects. First in eliminating enemy skirmishers and next in inflicting some damage before inevitable melee.
That was the plan, let's see if I managed to accomplish that! Before it, here are the details of the army list I used:
I knew I should expect Asawira to do the slowing down and harassment maneuvers and Bedouins to perform deep outflanking so I wanted to get to a better terrain if possible. If Steven was a defender, I had to play good cards to change what I expected to be an empty battle field. If he was an invader, I needed to make sure I can stay in the preferred terrain.
However, I also wanted to be prepared for an empty table if necessary.
In general, I was about to face numerically superior army, especially in the context of the breaking point. On paper, Jund Infantry looks to me well equipped to fight against my Phalangites, even in one-on-one combat. Superior and Integral Shooters would make it even in the charge phase, while Superior and Melee Expert would create the same situation in the following melee. Then Shieldwall negates Shove and it means it is more often green vs green. Even with an advantage in the form of 8 bases per TuG, that is not a situation that can favor any side.
The cavalry contingent was numerically comparable but it seemed that Steve's units are more melee orientated. I had a dilemma here because I thought that I may not have enough units to counter the threat from each of the enemy mounted troops at the same time. If my predictions were correct, I would need to deal with Asawira first and then try to at least block and keep Bedouins busy.
At the same time I was concerned with protecting the flanks of the Phalanx so I decided I would deploy closer to the camp with the infantry and be more patient with the advance. If I could deal with Asawira and Bedouins and emerge with cavalry units intact, I could advance against infantry more aggressively. If not, I would try to prevent outflanking and force Steve to maneuver harder to get to favorable positions.
One element I hoped I could use to advantage is shooting. With Cretan Archers and two units of skirmishing Cavalry that can go into Cantabrian, I hoped green dice would produce some effects. First in eliminating enemy skirmishers and next in inflicting some damage before inevitable melee.
That was the plan, let's see if I managed to accomplish that! Before it, here are the details of the army list I used:
Seleucids - Army List
Commanders
Army Commander - Talented Professional
Subordinate General 1 - Talented Professional
Subordinate General 2 - Competent Professional
Subordinate General 3 - Mediocre Professional
Subordinate General 3 - Mediocre Professional
Camp
Camp - Average, Protected
TuGs
8 Argyraspides - Infantry, Drilled Close, Superior, Protected, Pike, Shove
8 Phalangites - Infantry, Drilled Close, Average, Protected, Pike, Shove
8 Phalangites - Infantry, Drilled Close, Average, Protected, Pike, Shove
8 Phalangites - Infantry, Drilled Close, Average, Protected, Pike, Shove
6 Thracians - Infantry, Formed Loose, Average, Protected, Devastating Charger, Melee Expert
4 Companions - Cavalry, Drilled Loose, Superior, Protected, Charging Lancer, Melee Expert
4 Line Cavalry - Cavalry, Drilled Loose, Average, Protected, Charging Lancer, Melee Expert
4 Line Cavalry - Cavalry, Drilled Loose, Average, Protected, Charging Lancer, Melee Expert
4 Line Cavalry - Cavalry, Drilled Loose, Average, Protected, Charging Lancer, Melee Expert
SuG's
6 Tarentine Cavalry - Cavalry, Skirmisher, Average, Protected, Javelin, Experienced, Cantabrian
6 Horse Archers - Cavalry, Skirmisher, Average, Unprotected, Bow, Experienced, Cantabrian
9 Cretan Archers - Infantry, Skirmisher, Average, Unproteced, Bow, Skilled, Combat Shy6 Horse Archers - Cavalry, Skirmisher, Average, Unprotected, Bow, Experienced, Cantabrian
Pre-battle
Steve won the roll off an chose the plain terrain with no secure flank as expected. I used my colored cards as best as I could for 4 days and that brought me to the nice terrain with a coast as a secure flank. Unfortunately, I played weak card in the last day and Steve had yellow or red left and brought us back to almost where we started. Lesson learned!
In addition, we ended up with a single piece of terrain on board anyway, as the rough terrain I got was removed when Steven promptly rolled a '6'.
Scouting went in my favor, however, and Steve had to deploy 60% of his army which meant he had to place 9 units. Interestingly, it didn't seem to put him at a disadvantage as he proceeded to deploy all his infantry and skirmishers. I still didn't know which flank his Bedouins would go for!
Deployment
 |
| Seleucids vs Arab Conquest |
 |
| Deployment of the Armies |
In the end I placed my cavalry on the left and put them under Army Commander lead to deal with Asawira. Second Talented General commanded vanguard of the cavalry and I thought I may try to add their weight to shoot at the enemy skirmishers, especially with the help of Cretan Archers. Competent General was to pivot his phalanx to protect the flank from the attack of Bedouins.
Seleucids - Turn 1
 |
| Turn 1 - Sequence of Actions |
 |
| Tarentine Cavalry vs Asawira |
Asawira and mounted scouts moved forward to slow down any possible advance by the Seleucids army. They were also supported by the Archers. Seleucids responded by sending their own mounted skirmishers and begun an attempt to outflank the two units of the enemy forces.
At the same time Bedouins started their own outflanking while Phalangites maneuvered to get ready to block enemy cavalry from reaching the camp.
 |
| Seleucids expand the battle line |
Arabs - Turn 2
 |
| Turn 2 - Sequence of Actions |
 |
| Bedouins on the flank as planned |
Both armies continued their maneuvers. Bedouins reached the extreme flank as planned and Asawira kept slowing down the Seleucids while skillfully avoiding enemy mounted lancers.
Both archer unit groups faced each other as well, preparing for the shooting duel. In addition, Arab cavalry re-positioned and attempted to follow Bedouins but for some reason that advance was quite slow.
Seleucids - Turn 3
 |
| Turn 3 - Sequence of Actions |
 |
| Cretan Archers are winning the shooting duel |
On the left flank, Line Cavalry attempted to catch Asawira but it was not successful and Arab mounted units avoided their enemies yet again.
In the center, Cretan Archers were clearly winning the shooting duel. When Tartentine Cavalry joined them, it looked like the fate of the Arab Archers is decided.
On the right flank, Bedouins enthusiasm carried them very close to the Phalangites. What they didn't take into account is how maneuverable drilled mounted troops can be. Line Cavalry surprised their enemies by quickly changing the direction of advance and outflanking Bedouins.
 |
| Bedouins got into trouble. |
Arabs - Turn 4
 |
| Turn 4 - Sequence of Actions |
 |
| Jund Infantry finally moves towards the enemy. |
One unit of Bedouin cavalry is caught and destroyed by Seleucid lancers. The second group escapes for now but is isolated from the rest of the army and help does not seem to be coming either.
In the center Cretan Archers rout their Arab counterparts with another volley of arrows. Only on the left flank Seleucids cannot get rid of the Asawira. It is also due to the fact that Seleucid commanders recklessly pursue their enemies and some of their units are out of their command range.
 |
| Seleucid Camp is safe for now. |
Seleucids - Turn 5
 |
| Turn 5 - Sequence of Actions |
 |
| Cretan Archers ready to shoot at Jund Cavalry. |
Jund Cavalry made a mistake of getting into range of Cretan Archers who did not waste time and unleashed another volley. Half of the Arab mounted troops perished and the rest had to retreat quickly.
Seleucids maneuvered on both flanks but the problems with the commands prevented them from executing more efficient moves.
Despite that, it looked like Seleucids temporarily consolidated their positions. As the fickle desert weather started to change rapidly, both armies disengaged to their respective camps. Once again, the fight remained undecided.
After-battle
I would like to thank Steve for another great game and for his hospitality. My apologies for a second round in a row where we did not reach the conclusion of the battle. We discussed the possible outcomes if we played another turn and it seemed to us that it would not bring us closer to the end either. I do hope do improve the speed of play eventually so that each game can be finished in no longer than 3 hours. That is one of the main goals for me for sure.
As in the first game, I learned a lot in this one as well. For example, it was interesting to see how my plan for pre-battle stage was undone with a single card! I guess I need to play the best cards I have till the very end.
Another lesson is that even if I manage to outscout the enemy, I still need a good plan for the army formation. Simply because the opponent may be able to out-deploy me regardless and gain a bit of an advantage like that.
I was nicely surprised by the efficiency of Cretan Archers, as it was the first time when I managed to roll well on green dice. I moved my mounted skirmishers into Cantabrian as well, precisely for that reason but due to poor commanders positioning, I was not able to move these units and get them back into shooting range.
I also learned that I misunderstood the way floating commander works. I thought it is when the commander is not physically attached to any unit. Fortunately, Steve corrected me and I am now trying to envision if such commander is a good option for my army in the future games.
I was definitely happy I prevented outflanking this time and that I even caught Bedouins but I doubt Steve is going to make such a mistake twice. Hence, I need to think about a better deployment. In particular how to counter Asawira as this unit really slows down the advance of my army.
Last but not least, I still don't know how to deal with the Jund Infantry if the Arab Cavalry is still around and threatening the flanks. Hopefully I will come up with some ideas before another game!
Thanks for reading!
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