Manlii v Julii Game 6

Game 6 – Byzantine Era 3: Thematic Byzantine

Thematic Byzantine (Gordon 8,400 pts) v Bulgars (Alec 8,000 pts)

Major defence 680 CE (MeG Magna, 25-Jan-2023).

Battlefield Effect: Bulgars: Generals variations 6 - choice of any

With only one Prestige Point at risk if the Bulgars lost and three to gain should they win, together with a Battlefield Effect in favour of the Bulgars, I was happy to let Gordon be the Byzantines even with a 5% superiority over the opposition.

The Plan (penned in advance of the battle)

My MeG Magna army selection for the upcoming battle is as follows:

• Three units of superior quality Boyar nobles armed with bow with the melee expert and shoot and charge characteristics
• Three units of Boyars armed with bow with the melee expert and shoot and charge characteristics.
• Six units of unprotected flexible cavalry armed with bow and short spear

My plan is to use the Bulgar’s superior shooting capability to weaken the Byzantine army before charging in where my units' superior melee skills should ultimately triumph once I've withstood the enemy's superior initial charge capabilities; hopefully a simple plan that will be easy to implement.

The Battle

The Setup

Being largely/totally cavalry armies on both sides neither of us wanted much terrain, we ended up with a couple of good terrain hills that didn't impact on the battle.

Gordon deployed his Byzantine army in a pretty standard deployment of an infantry centre, comprised of Skutatoi and bowmen, and two cavalry wings, both containing a fair amount of the famous Byzantine lance and bow armed Kataphraktoi plus a couple of mercenary horse archers- one Alan, the other Bulgar (Boo!).

I deployed with my flexible bow-armed cavalry in the centre with the task of keeping his infantry busy from a distance as I had no desire to charge into the Skutatoi. I placed my superior noble Boyars on my left and my average quality Boyars on the right. I did add a reserve of an average quality Boyar on the extreme left, which was to have quite an impact on that wing of the battle as you will see.

The situation immediately after setup

The Action

I started by immediately playing the Battlefield Effects chit, with hopes of having a good effect on the upcoming battle. I selected option 1 of the Generals variations choices, thereby making Gordon's floating family nominee C-in-C unable to gift cards during the battle and downgrading him by one command card also.

I started the first move by advancing a double move with my cavalry on the left flank and hung back on the right. Gordon seemed prepared to meet the challenge, coming forward on his right and hanging back on his left. Consequently, it wasn't long before our rapidly advancing cavalry were joined in combat.

My hope was that my superior quality Boyars would be able to withstand the impact of his charging lancers and then that their superior melee skills would see them to victory. 

It was not to be, the Byzantine charge was one of the most effective I've ever experienced on the table-top, they cut through my Boyars in one turn aided by effective pre-combat shooting and several 'Shatters' along the way. I did manage to destroy his SUG of Alans in the charge, as it failed to skirmish away, but otherwise it was already looking like I was heading towards a complete disaaaster darling.

The downside for Gordon was that, being Charging Lancers, after rapidly destroying their opponents, two of his TUGs had to pursue a full move. This left that reserve unit of mine that I mentioned above in perfect position to charge into first one unit's flank and then the second luckily wiping both out in turn. 

Unfortunately its charge was too effective as it also pursued a bit further than was good for it and was flanked in turn by a Byzantine Skutatoi unit and wiped out. Whilst that rather put paid to my thoughts of being able to flank his units instead, considering that only moments before I felt I was staring imminent disaster in the face, I wasn't too unhappy with the result.                                                                              

     Gordon's two Kataphraktoi units can be seen bottom left each bearing one wound marker, my reserve Boyar unit is just about to go in (it's in the bottom left hand side of the picture at an angle). It has lost one base already from the KaB (morale) tests made when my superior boyars disintegrated but luckily it held together sufficiently to do the job.

The two Kataphraktoi have been destroyed and removed and my reserve Boyar unit has completed its move, unfortunately finishing too close to the Byzantine Skutatoi unit that can just be seen on the right bearing the light brown wound marker.

With the mutual destruction of our last remaining cavalry TUGs on that side of the battlefield in the following melee combat phase, due in part to my remaining unit's melee expert characteristic finally bearing fruit, the result was a flank that had become totally denuded of any units of any sort on either side. 

Unfortunately, that took away my best units and left me only one TUG away from army defeat; on top of which as I had gambled on winning on that flank, and I had now lost my best units, my battle plan was in ruins. 

At that point the cavalry wings on our other flank met in combat. My only hope was to get lucky on the dice, however it was not to be and fate rapidly turned up the same result as the other flank - with the aid of a timely 'Shatter' his charging lancers rapidly destroyed one of my Boyar TUGs; taking my army down with it.

The final position, the red Shatter marker pointing like an accusing finger towards the hole in my line showing where my Boyars on that wing were crushed and the battle was ultimately lost by the Bulgars

Despite losing it was a fantastic game; the power of the Charging lancer was amply demonstrated.

Gordon's Comments

Pre-game thinking

The army lists are basically both cavalry. The Byzantines mainly charging lancer, but with a lot of first class charge only. The Bulgars focus on shooting, with an option to upgrade some boyars. My fear was being shot pieces by evading cavalry before I could contact. Not much I could do about it, so decided on two strong cavalry wings and some infantry to place in front of the camp to deal with any breakthough or flank march.

The battle itself

Little terrain. So my deployment was as my pre-game thinking: one slightly weaker flank and a strong right to win the game. I held the weaker flank in the expectation (hope) that my right would win quickly enough to threaten his centre to cause him command problems.

Alec advanced to meet my right flank, which was good. We both hung back on the other flank. My lancers amazed me with a very devastating charge (and some lucky shooting) when, to my surprise, his cavalry stood. However, bad things happened: my lancers pursued as Alec noted and his superiors hung on too long. I was at least able to get my reserve unit, under C-in-C command, to protect what was left of my flank. Despite which melee casualties and the resulting KaB tests destroyed us both.

A little late, but hopeful after the success of my right flank charge, I advanced on his left flank. A successful charge won the game.

Post-game

A stand up fight from the start was not what I expected. I expected a turn of Bulgar evasions and shooting to cause me some losses. I couldn’t do much about that but in the end the charging lancers performed. It could have gone differently as the post-charge combat showed – the advantage was then with his superior boyars. A poorer (more average?) result in the charge phase might have lost me the game, or at least made my left flank more important. But, in that case my two successful units would not have been wiped out in one charge by his reserves. So, anybody’s guess how it might have gone.

An interesting battle that seemed to reflect cavalry combat, apart from the all important mutual total destruction.

The Result

Byzantine win - One Prestige Point to the Julii