2PS in the open or in Terrain

[Jeff Franz]

I was wondering if you were fighting a heavy infantry amry against a heavy PS army with almost zero mounted. Would you put down heavy terrain or not as the Infantry or as the PS? Either sides advantages vs. disadvantages.

I kinda think that a pool table approach might be best.

Thoughts,

Jeff

[David Kuijt]

I was wondering if you were fighting a heavy infantry amry against a heavy PS army with almost zero mounted. Would you put down heavy terrain or not as the Infantry or as the PS? Either sides advantages vs. disadvantages.

I kinda think that a pool table approach might be best.

Not at all.

Think of it this way. Your objective is to find a way to trap and kill the Ps. To do that, you need to make a few traps.

A good trap is large enough for several Psilioi to occupy, maybe even as many as 4-6, and most of it is within 3.8" of a battlefield edge. Use one or two such traps, widely spread out (so they can't support one another).

You may also use a gentle hill's crest to break up command control distance, making it even more difficult for the enemy to use more than one of your traps. The more he concentrates his forces on a trap, the easier your victory will be.

Then decide where to attack based upon the use your enemy makes of your traps.

[The Last Conformist]

What sort of heavy foot? Blade can go into BGo v. psiloi and expect to win - pike not so much.

[Bill Sumruld]

Besides the trap aspect, some well placed terrain might help take away a bit of the speed advantage that Ps has. David hinted at some of that with the issue of command and control. Without horse on the board Ps become a very viable manuever element and it would help to take some of that away.

[Jeff Franz]

I was thinking more in line of Sp and Bd. I think as well that the Ps might want to play on a pool table and the heavy fight with "traps".

Jeff

Thanks for your input so far.

[David Kuijt]

I was thinking more in line of Sp and Bd. I think as well that the Ps might want to play on a pool table and the heavy fight with "traps".


Ah, I didn't see you were asking for both sides.

No, the Ps don't want a pool table either. The Ps want to maximize their speed advantage, and to fight part of the enemy force with most of theirs, and if they can do that in bad going, all the better.

So the Ps want steep hills. A huge central steep hill, for certain. And some other terrain in the deployment areas with easy access from the steep hill in the center. The Psiloi will reach the steep hill first, in large numbers, and will be able to hold it against any amount of enemy troops except Bow. Phase two (once the hill is strongly held) involves swooping down both flanks of wherever the enemy foot line is. Use your Ps in column-pairs to pin down the corners with ZOCs, making it more difficult for the enemy foot line to shift sideways in reaction.

[Jeff Franz]

Of course know what your enemy wants is knowing what you do not want!!

I was thinking of the column attack, as Ps, on the first bound if I role well and forceing the slower line to attempt to react to me.

As far as the Bd/Sp side, I was thinking about a column formation in order to not show my plan to early and also to maintain by combat power in one centralized location.

Jeff

[Spanikopites]

I played an absolutely cracking game with Paul Hannah.
Toltecs vs Dog Peeps. Bd vs Ps.

It was pretty open. The Ps triumphed by getting behind the Bd. The BG contests were quite indecisive.

Caused me to re-evaluate board-clutter and mobility.

-S