ANCIENTS VOTING RESULTS:
Favorite Rules - De Bellis Multitudinis

Friendly with my Ostrogothic/Gepid supported Huns versus Knights of St. John...we did a few rules wrong, as it had been several weeks since my last game, but we called it a draw after 3 hours. Next time Attila will guard the baggage with the Gepid Wb(S)... [3 Nov 1999]

The last round of the BHGS competition in Leeds. Due to a lot of bad luck and some poor play I was in last place going into the last round. I was using a Hindu Indian army designed to beat the kinght armies that I expected to be there. Up till this point I had not me a knight army, this tine I did and the Feudal Spanish had no chance and what little they had was not helped by a late arriving flank march. The Hindu Indiand won 10-0 with the loss of 2 and a half elements [25 Sep 1999]

Camapaign game from the Antiquity Campaign I run at the Humberside Wargames Society. I take the part of independent provinces when invaded by players. Yesterday I was Rhoxolani Sarmatians against the player controlled Sarmatians. I lost.... [19 Sep 1999]

DBM Ch'in vs Indians at 400pts, Ch'in spear centre rolled over the Indian centre of Bows and Elephants into the Indian camp whilst Chariots and cavalry of both sides skirmished indecisively. [17 Sep 1999]

Played DBM Late Roman Eastern (me) against Horse Barbarians - I got slaughtered! He used heavy cavalry to punch a hole in my battle line splitting my right flank off from the rest of my army. My knights were on my left flank and they could not really catch his light cav - largely useless. My right flank consisted of cav - he killed these first! and aux supported by psiloi (later died fast); my general was the last to die of cav, whereupon the whole command became demoralized. He sent 5 elements into my rear and they killed by baggages, by which time I had lost one third of my command. I felt quite despondent!

I could use some advice on how to play with a Roman army! [7 Sep 1999]

A DBM match between my Middle Imperial Romans and an Ottoman Turkish army. Although the legionaries annhilated most of the Ottoman's Serbian Knight allies, the Serbian ally general managed to break through the ROman line to cause considerable damage, leading to a loss for my Romans... [29 May 1999]

Malaccan infantry defated Assyrian chariots and veteran infantry while the Malaccan archers and elephants held off and then defeated Assyrian cavalry and light infantry. [23 May 1999]

In our local tournament I deployed Graeco-Bacttrian facing Yuan Chinese. I lost after 3,5 hours. My opponent was superior with experience of years. But I went good too. I wanted to get 1/2 element from his C-in-C command or 1 element from his second command to get the victory. [21 Apr 99]

We played a campainge around the first Punic War. We used DBM for the major battles, an changed version of Tactica for siege and Naumaichae for the sea battles. It was great and lasted 2 weeks. Funny was that Rome was besiegned and conquered in 240BC. [8 Apr 99]

Most recently was a game of DBA. A close game, played nicely and was quick enough not to take up the whole day. [6 Apr 99]

Seleukid vs. Romans I lost. We used DBM rules. [4 Apr 99]

My last Ancients game was Early Imperial Roman vs Marian Roman. It was 400Pts, pre-set terrain. I chose Western Roman with Sarmation Allies and 4 commands. My opponant had 3 commands. Simply I was able to hit my opponants line of blades with the Sarmations which were supported by Light horse, Cavalry and Auxilia infantry. The

Sarmations then proceded to destroy every element which they contacted. I was very lucky with pip and combat die rolls and destroyed 20 elements wich demoralised 2 commands for the lose of 2 Light horse elements. Basically I was very lucky. [4 Apr 99]

the dread Visigoths had the termidity to attack the feudal French forces. The french had them right where they wanted them, when, the visigoth Horse overran the weak French Foot, demorlaizing the entire army. somuch for the power of the pike to ward off mounted attacks. [2 Apr 99]

I played in a DBM tournament. Did not play very well at all and lost all three games. A perfect day! [1 Apr 99]

Polybian Roman (with celtiberian allies) against Later Selucid. DBM A perfect ambush broke my opponents mobile command. His scythed chariots got nowhere against the celtiberian caetrati. A fight for the wood in the centre was bloody and inconclusive (but almost cost me a command).

When we ran out of time, his C-in-C was attempting to take on an entire command almost single handed. A few more turns would probably have resulted in a 9-1 victory. [31 Mar 99]

Subject:Wodenstag Ritter and Band of Brothers

Wodenstag Ritter met last Wednesday night at Jim Cocran’s new DBM center. Boy, Jim nice wargaming room, but just wait until your wife finds out that you remodeled your basement for DBM. I’ll keep silent for some more figures.

We had The ElephantSlayer Jim Cocran, Stormin Sam Salley, DeLaude Mike Barnes, Chris Cluckey as William Le’basturd, and myself play Stormin Normans vs Anglo-Saxons (Anglo-Danish list) at 400 pts. This was not Senlac hill, but nevertheless historical oppenents. Sam Salley, a friend of Mike’s, learned his name Stormin Sam by playing an excellent game. The battle terrain was largely open with a marsh on the right of the Anglo-Saxon lines, a road down the middle, a enclosed field to the left of the Normans.

Chris was the C-in-C in the center with 13 Irr-KN(F). Stormin Sam had the left flank with 6 irr-KN(F)s and the infantry (X-bow, PS, SP) with BP of 9. I had Bishop OTTO and 6 irr-KN(F)s and the Breton Ally all on the right flank. The Anglo-Saxons line covered the whole field from the left of the marsh all to the left border. The right flank of the Anglo-Saxons beyond the marsh was covered by Viking Allies mostly IRR-BD(F). Poor, Sam, was left facing Vikings and Saxon Huscarls, until Chirs covered some the blades.

The Normen plan was to charge straight with the KN, no dismounting, but if they had it would be as Irr-SP(O). The Bretons on the right were to try get around the left flank of the Saxon Fyrd. Stormin Sam charged the Vikings with his KNs, the rest of the KNs moved forward until 200P outside of the Saxon lines. The Bretons were slow in trying to turn the left, allowing the Saxons to deploy all the Fyrd across the field. Bishop (me) had lots of pips, but could not use them, due to waiting for the Bretons to get into position. Wm Lebastuar covered the center and most of the Saxon blades.

The Saxon king Harold Godswine (Jim) and Erwin (Mike) moved forward trying to close with the KNs. Sam, as the Norman subgeneral Raymond, faced the Vikings and also King Harold’s mercenary Norman KN and Huscarls mounted as Cv(I). The CV(I) and Bd(F) popped two KNs of Stormin Sam’s. On the Left the Breton ally general died to the Fyrd SP(O) just before Bishop Ottos KNs hit the Fyrd, however the Bretons rallied to stay in the battle. Bishop Otto plowed into the left Saxon Flank, but within a hour Bretons broke fled the field without slaying any of the Fyrd. Bishop Otto later became a hero and slaughtered 4 stands of Fyrd, but he died surrouned by Fyrd. At this point we had two dead generals and one demoralized command.

On our right, a cheer went up, Stomin Sam has slaying vikings and Saxon huscarls. William was slaying traitous Norman Kn and mounted Huscarls, Cv(I). Another, cheer has heard from the Normans as Willy slayed the false King Harold Godswine.

The death of the false King was too much for the Saxon center and they started to flee the field. Jim had lost a total of 8 elements and could not rally the command. Then disaster struck the Normans as the “soon to be King” William was killed by the lowly knaven Huscarls. The Normans were staring defeat and death in the face, we had only one element to go before the Norman army was defeated. The Normans need 9 elements to defeat the Saxons and we had lost three of our four generals..

A loud cheer was heard from Mike as he proclaimed his general King of England. But Stormin Sam was not done. Stormin Sam proclaimed, “ Once more my dear Friends, Once more into the beach my Band of Brothers”. He was able to destory two more Vikings units, demoralizing that command. And suddenly the battle was over with the Saxon army fleeing the Field of Honor. Sam’s general Sir Raymond was proclaimed king on the battle field and the Norman conquest of England began. Lessons learned. 1. Do not crow before all your chickens are hatched. 2. With a large C-in-C command do not lead with the C-in-C, but use him as a reserve. 3. To the victor goes the right to write the battle report. [30 Mar 99]

DBM tourney in Hattisburg, MS. Played as a alternate with Marian Romans. Two 9-1 victorys vs Teutionic and Latter Assyrians. The dice were on my side in both games as my Auxila (S) killed 5 stands of Knights (S)for the day. Unbelievable! [30 Mar 99]