And so, onto Chariot Wars, Trojan vs Sea Peoples game week 2. Before I start, I'm obliged to say that we forgot that Warbands only move at half pace if they perform any Manoeuvre including a Wheel during the game which essentially meant that most of some our infantry units were moving way too fast. If I recall, we may have played this at the start of the game but it was forgotten somewhere in the maelstrom.
A view of most of the battlefield as we left it from week one.
It was my turn so, as befitting a Great Trojan Hero, I switched one of the chariot units from bearing right to the left and managing to fit them through a gap between two buildings and starting to threaten the Sea Peoples who were beginning to swarm on the Trojan left flank.
The Trojan unit of Chariot Runners kept, erm, running towards the back table edge. They did need to roll a 5 on 2D6 so I wasn't holding out much hope of the being able to rally.
The Trojan's were to leave one chariot unit on their right flank to face off against the one threatening Sea Peoples chariot unit.
A view from the actual left flank (left side of table) of the Trojans and Sea Peoples as they battle it out and heroes engage.
Another view
And a miracle! After somehow wiping out all the Sea Peoples normal charioteers in the combat, leaving their three characters fighting on foot, chariots destroyed, the Trojan Army General and Hero lose the combat and flee! Very odd.....
The Trojan Army Standard Bearer's re-roll fails to prevent the his flight from the combat! When it comes to the Break Tests the Army Standard Bearer fails his own break test and dashes directly away from the combat stopping approximately less than half an inch of the table edge; less than half an inch more would have been curtains for him!
The resulting mess as the Trojan Heroes, tails between their respective legs, run for it. The Sea Peoples Army General, Hero and Army Standard Bearer stand naked sans chariots! I did say very odd!
The Sea Peoples Army General, Hero and Army Standard Bearer stand goading the large unit of Trojan Spearmen.
Right top sits my Army Standard Bearer, who did rally and turn around. Both units of Trojan Spearmen turn to face the oncoming Warbands. Both units are peppered by missiles from all three of the Sea Peoples bow units and take one or two casualties.
Chariot Runners..... did they rally? That would be a firm no!
Another cunning manoeuvre form the Trojan's as the stout unit of chariots protecting the right flank also move rapidly to the left where they are needed most.
A Trojan unit of Charioteers threatens the flank of the Sheridan Guard.
A unit of Sea Peoples Warband move to threaten the Trojan unit of Charioteers in turn.
Infantry finally face off against infantry after a failed Sea Peoples Warband test.
Crunch!
Another Sea Peoples Warband crashes into the other, rather depleted, Trojan infantry unit, partially on a hill.
Both units of Trojan spearmen, weather the storm of the Warband's charge and survive, one unit standing only thanks to being partially on a hill.
Trojan Chariots crash into the flank of the Warband who, so full of hope, charged last turn. The Warband is run down by the chariots while the spearmen take a test to stand which they pass. The Trojan Chariots run down the fleeing Sea Peoples infantry unit. This has the effect of panicking the Sea Peoples skirmishers and one warband sending units running in all directions.
........only to crash into the front of another Sea Peoples Warband; another combat ensues.
A view of the Trojan left flank- basically where all the action was not taking place. A Sea Peoples Warband turn to face the Trojan Chariots. and, (Oxford comma!) now of all the times they could have chosen, the Trojan Chariot Runners rally, virtually next to the table edge!
My friend's army infringes on the action! The Sea Peoples bowmen begin to rally
The scrap between the depleted unit of Trojan spear and Sea Peoples Warband continue on.
More manoeuvring from the Sea Peoples as they move to their Right Flank (Trojan Left) to support what looks like the final throes of the game.
Trojan units reform to face the enemy.
OK dear reader, it is at this point that I forgot to take any more pictures! I was very much caught up in the game and it simply slipped my mind. What happened did not.
It was suggested by one of our chaps, who will remain nameless, that the Trojan's ought to use their superior ballistic skills surround a Warband and rain holy death down up them. This advice was promptly taken up. The rain of missiles was more like a rain of rubber javelins. The Trojan player, in performing this masterly plan, left the flank of one unit of chariots in the air, was promptly charged by the remaining unit of Sea Peoples chariots who hit hard. Not my best performance on the wargames table! I did pass all my break tests and I think the game was more or less a draw. This might have been down to the table size. We were playing on a 10' by 6' table where armies of the size we were using, 3000 points, are usually played on an 8' by 4' table.
As we play a lot of games on large tables I may well write an article about this at some point.
