Richard Lee
05-02-2007, 07:14 PM
Tonight I tried out my latest 15mm matched pair of armies - 1/14c - Early Northern Barbarians 2,000 to 1401 BC against their only official opponents, another 1/14c Early Northern Barbarian army. We only had a couple of games with these. We had spent most of the evening with I/18 Minoans against 1/24a Hittite Empire.
To be honest I had not known what to expect. The armies were identical in composition except for the only possible option. One army had a general's element with 3 warband on and the other had a general's element with 4 warband figures. As well as the warband general each army had 9 elements of bow and 2 of psiloi. There were no mounted and no element was subject to the dreaded bad going combat factor penalty.
To my surprise the games were quick and exciting, if heavily dice dependant. Because combat factors are low (bow are 2 against infantry) it is relatively easy to double with troops of the same kind and good dice roll. In both games the built up area ended up in the attacker's side of the board.
The warband generals were the supertroops of the game. With a combat factor of 3 plus 1 for being a general they had combat factors double anything else. Their main disadvantages, that they could not kill psiloi and could not shoot were relatively unimportant.
An element of bow could defend a built-up area very effectively against other bows. However, set your warband general against a BUA garisoned with bow and you are extremely likely to get in in a few turns, unless you roll a one against their 6.
Once you are in the enemy BUA your pip problems begin. Do you take a chance and vacate the BUA as soon as you are able, risking your opponent retaking it for 6 pips or do you tie up the toughest element of your army and in doing so suffer the general in BUA pip penalty?
Choosing terrean was an advantage because getting a better line than your opponent helped get kills. Overlaps and maximum use of firepower pay dividends.
If you can get your psiloi facing his general then psiloi and the rest of your army are safer. With bows it is often better to hang back and try to riddle the enemy with arrows. Conversely, there is no point in not moving psiloi or warband into close combat against bows that will otherwise shoot them to shreds at their leisure.
Probably not a very common match up but IMO well worth a go if you get an opportunity.:)
To be honest I had not known what to expect. The armies were identical in composition except for the only possible option. One army had a general's element with 3 warband on and the other had a general's element with 4 warband figures. As well as the warband general each army had 9 elements of bow and 2 of psiloi. There were no mounted and no element was subject to the dreaded bad going combat factor penalty.
To my surprise the games were quick and exciting, if heavily dice dependant. Because combat factors are low (bow are 2 against infantry) it is relatively easy to double with troops of the same kind and good dice roll. In both games the built up area ended up in the attacker's side of the board.
The warband generals were the supertroops of the game. With a combat factor of 3 plus 1 for being a general they had combat factors double anything else. Their main disadvantages, that they could not kill psiloi and could not shoot were relatively unimportant.
An element of bow could defend a built-up area very effectively against other bows. However, set your warband general against a BUA garisoned with bow and you are extremely likely to get in in a few turns, unless you roll a one against their 6.
Once you are in the enemy BUA your pip problems begin. Do you take a chance and vacate the BUA as soon as you are able, risking your opponent retaking it for 6 pips or do you tie up the toughest element of your army and in doing so suffer the general in BUA pip penalty?
Choosing terrean was an advantage because getting a better line than your opponent helped get kills. Overlaps and maximum use of firepower pay dividends.
If you can get your psiloi facing his general then psiloi and the rest of your army are safer. With bows it is often better to hang back and try to riddle the enemy with arrows. Conversely, there is no point in not moving psiloi or warband into close combat against bows that will otherwise shoot them to shreds at their leisure.
Probably not a very common match up but IMO well worth a go if you get an opportunity.:)