FOG KO Cup Rd 1 massina_nz v Sharkall

[massina_nz]

Well this game I’m facing the Moldavians (apparently the first time my opponent has used this army)– good army to choose as it has lots of options and lots of allies, so you can look to get match-ups versus lots of different enemy armies. Flexibility, in army composition is advantageous in an open tournament like this. So the core Moldavian army has lots of MF and multi-purpose cavalry, but could come with knights, and a number of allies to choose form means I could face all kinds of stuff, so really hard to predict.

I myself have gone for the Early Byzantines, The have a good variation in troops, btu nothing of the Killer variety like knights, superior impact foot or elite pikes.

So I go into this match with no real plan, I could face anything, so will need to make my own army choices to suit. In addition I’ve never played 350 points, so this will be new to me. First , up and my favourite choice for the early Byzantines is an Arab ally, as it gives me access to reasonable offensive MF. Next I go for Herul cavalry (because they can dismount) and can use foot spears if terrain looks very open versus an opposition that is probably knight heavy. Then max out on poor lF archers to get my BP level up. And fill the remaining slots with some HF legionnaires. So I have a very mixed army.

BTW this was the army I wanted to take into LOEG last season, but ended up with Armenians, who performed quite well. So probably my main reason why I choose it.

[massina_nz]

I choose a mixed terrain as I have a mixed army, who knows what we might get.

I lose initiative, but I notice that either the enemy doesn’t have a field commander or very few cavalry.

Sharkall and I had a close game in the LOEG (our only game) , although Sharkall did come in fourth to my eighth in Div A Medieval. In my defence I was playing the one-hit-wonders the Catalan Company.



Wow 44 BPs, and of that 44 there’s some pretty impressive troops, fleshed out with a lot of poor MF and LF filler (the MF are carefully placed behind better troops)
The match-up look horrendous for me, and I instantly regret taking protected Heruls instead of my normal choice: Armoured ones, a compromise because of the 350 point limit. With Armoured Herul lancers then I might have gone for victory on my left, but I think I will just advance and delay and send my legions back to hill on the lower right.

I can use the Arabs to threaten on my right. But that may be all they can do.

I need to be careful with my lancers, don’t want them to get too close to prevent anarchy. With two field commanders vs one, I think a few turns of missile fire may help me, as I can get better cohesion tests. Overall I think I have better manoeuvrability, so I should use that if I can.

Pete had asked me to do this AAR because he thought this would be a close match-up. But at first glance, I’m staring at doom. This won’t be a close battle, it will show how you can pick apart an enemy(that being me) piece by piece. It’s rock-paper-scissors, and all I have is paper to play with!

[massina_nz]

There’s a horde of poor LF archers to face, I withdraw, the hill on my right-bottom area of the map is a good place to place my legions, my other troops form a skirmish line.
There is a real danger the enemy can just shoot at me all game, just like that AAR with the awful Teutonic knights, ugh!



Well I can’t be completely defensive, on the right I advance whilst the Moldavians move to the central hill. My MF really need to stay in rough ground. I wonder what happens if we draw, I lose of course. You don’t ever win by being defensive.
At this point my opponent is feeling pretty comfortable, I would be in his position to, he has a reasonable number of quality cavalry and good HF that can easily hold the hill, or screen his archers.

[massina_nz]

Mass retreat on my left, a couple of units are getting isolated. Yet again I screw up when it comes to dispositions, a lot of my army would have been better on the far right of the map

[massina_nz]

One of my units fragments from shooting, and is likely to rout next turn, so my withdrawal on the left was at some cost, but I do have a plan on what to do here. Albeit not a very good one.

[massina_nz]

Well I finally realise that I really am going lose horribly at this point, if I sit on the hill, the Moldavians are just going to shoot me to pieces, and my Arabs really don’t have the terrain to threaten. This game was lost at the start, really regretting not getting Armoured Heruls. Even dismounting them may have been more effective than running away.

[massina_nz]

Well we make the hill, but now we “fight” in the shade (of arrows). The Moldavians can form a firing line interspersed with spearmen and there is nothing I can do. Does anyone like watching paint dry?

[massina_nz]

Defensive position set, we start sanding the wood.<cue more painting references>

[massina_nz]

I'm not a very good defensive player, I can't resist nibbling away. By doing so I've exposed my Arab General and two MF to destruction. I just can't help myslef, I prefer to be on the attack.



Things already look grim on the hill, I'm getting poor cohesion test rolls, and my missiles are vastly ineffective.

[massina_nz]

Well rather than sit on the hill and while away the time, I figure that it's better to take a more positive approach, mainly because I know I will lose more badly if I just stay on the hill, but also because the cut-off time is looming,

[massina_nz]

"Shelltz-butt" the match-ups and numbers are all against me. Can't see me taking the Early Byzantines to an open tournament. Medieval armies are normally better in my experience.

[massina_nz]

The end is near - like a week old deflated balloon about to be poped.

[massina_nz]

And I lose 38/35 to 16/44 - beaten all ends up - very humbling, oh well there is the losers tournament, so at least one more AAR.

[stockwellpete]

Thanks very much for doing the AAR, Craig.