"Invincible Bamboo Commander"

[Paul A. Hannah]

Plaudits for David "Macbeth" Lawrence's Sung Chinese, just up in the Eye Candy Gallery. Very colorful army and terrific camp. That really sets an East Asian mood. I like the animated, vignette-like composition to many of the bases, and the very amusing name for the artillery commander. Well done!

[Macbeth]

Many thanks Paul.

I am a big fan of variety amongst my elements, even regulars. They might march in step, but when push comes to shove they don't get to cut and thrust in unison.

As for the artillery - somewhere in one of my Chinese history books there is a reference to "Invincible Bamboo Commander" being the name of a form of Sung Chinese Rocket. Over time I'll dig up the reference and post it.

The Art was crucial to my victories at IWF, Pk really doesn't hold up well under a concentrated barrage.

I am considering re doing this army with more accurate figures as they become available (holding out hope that Outpost will drop down to 15mm its 25mm Sung range, or get my hands on the other range commented as looking like the later Osprey pics), but when I re raised my Pre Feudal Scots for WRG7th with my own painting to replace the pre painted figs - my run of luck with the army stopped.

Cheers

[wscarvie]

Hi all,

I can't find this army in the Eye Candy gallery...which section is it in, please?

Thanks,

Will

[Chris Brantley]

Check the link from the Fanaticus resource page, it's part of the current update. I'll be adding a link from the Armies of the Fanatici page in the next day or two.

[wscarvie]

Ah! Found it. Thanks Chris.

Well done, David. I really like the colorful look, and the camp is VERY cool. Nice job converting a fish tank decoration. Think I'll head around to the local pet store a bit later and see what I might find, too.

Again, nice job. Cheers,

Will

[Macbeth]

Thanks Will,

I have a number of Camps and BUAs gleaned from the fish tank furniture section.

The latest addition is an Easter Island Statue. Time to raise a Polynesian army.

The bonus - whenever they see a wood they'll chop it down for the timber to move and raise a new statue - try hiding in there now Thracians !!! :D ;)

Cheers

[Cremorn]

What a great army. So much emotional investment. I am still amazed that a 2xArt army are the world champions. Yes, I know that the DBA comp was a sideshow at the Worlds, but I also know there were some very good DBA players there that day.

Can you give us some deployment hints? How you fought Kn? How you fought Bd? Is it important that you had 2 not 1?

Cheers,
Richard.

[Macbeth]

Originally posted by Cremorn:
What a great army. So much emotional investment. I am still amazed that a 2xArt army are the world champions.
It came as a surpise to me especially after my first battle

Originally posted by Cremorn:

Can you give us some deployment hints? How you fought Kn? How you fought Bd? Is it important that you had 2 not 1?
The biggest bonus was that the low agression Sung (post 1125) were always the defender. The big deployment trick was to use the swaps to repostition the Art against the most vulnerable enemy.

Against Bd I took a hill, and hoped to break them up - it failed, I was a speed Hump! ;)

Against Kn I presented the Bw & Art and held back the Bd. Here I was lucky that the Kn rode across the face of my "valley of death" to get to my Bd, and were blown away in the process.

It was the Successors that gave me my greatest success - I tried to get my Art to bear on the El, and they countered moving the El, but in the end leaving their Pk standing within the Art arc of fire.

I believe the second Art is important - +4 vs whatever with an overlap at 500 paces becomes frightening - epsecially when they consider that to march on the irritant puts them where the extra support (Cb) can join in.

Cheers

[Cremorn]

On 2xArt,
I know that arty is often maligned as being not a weapon for open battle - they are a siege tool.

It would sound to me like their use by the Sung may actually be a 'historically' valid field weapon? I mean, they really are cannon, aren't they?

The Ming list uses two - are they next on the historic timeline? But them and the Sung seem to be the only big users of rockets. They were perhaps not very reliable?

[xeswop]

Originally posted by Macbeth:
I believe the second Art is important - +4 vs whatever with an overlap at 500 paces becomes frightening - epsecially when they consider that to march on the irritant puts them where the extra support (Cb) can join in.
CheersI have never had success with a Bow and Arty combination vs foot. The bow always ends up closer to the target so the Arty only gives a -1 for support shooting. If the Art is the closer element, then it is vulnerable to close combat.

[Jay Arnold]

Originally posted by Cremorn:
On 2xArt,
It would sound to me like their use by the Sung may actually be a 'historically' valid field weapon? I mean, they really are cannon, aren't they?
PHB ALERT!
I would tend to think the rockets have more of a psychological effect than physical. After all, did not Sun Tzu say "To defeat 100 enemies in combat is not the acme of skill. The defeat the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill."

Great looking army.