Lionia Versus Redia Rematch

 Mat and I played a rematch of our last outdoor game two weeks ago. I put some scenery out last night and spent a couple of hours setting up in the morning. I finished setting up scenery and bringing out troops by 11:30 AM when it started to drizzle! Disheartened, I considered taking everything back inside but took a gamble and the rain did not eventuate. Hooray!

  We each wrote our positions on maps. This time I tried the opposite strategy to last game. Although I had an extra unit from last game I was still outnumbered nearly two to one. I decided to not get caught, this time, over-extended with positions over-run. Instead, my columns were concentrated on my right side facing the Lionian temple, the most valuable objective. Mat began in possession of this and had also the grain silo in his deployment zone. I had none of the objectives in immediate reach but targeted the temple whilst preparing to defend my exposed left flank. The cavalry were supported by light gun and infantry were especially tasked with this.

  Below, Lionian regular cavalry behind (actually based on later modern Abyssinian cavalry and irregular cavalry (converted from Hat ancient Numidians and various HK American Indians, mostly swoppets).

   The temple was defended by archers and shield and spear or sword men. They were out-ranged by my attacking forces that raked them with rifle and machinegun fire. (The temple was made from toy wooden blocks and cake decoration columns).

          Lionians massed around the grainery silo (a 1960s butter cooler my family used at that time when we went camping).

Lionians attempt to turn my left flank but my forces held the line. My cavalry sneaked around their flank and fired from horseback, later charging.

                                                           Lionians charge over the hill.

                 Early Redian deployment. Some of these troops had to be turned to defend the flank.

                                 Redian light infantry in dark green advance on the temple.

  Two elite Redian cavalry charge into the strong elite Lionian White Shield (Zulu) regiment.

  Later in the battle, the Redians are mauled but have held off the Lionians. The Redians who had attacked the temple have swung round to support the other, decimated Redian infantry. The Redian cannon crew lay dead, taken by rifle fire. (The Lionians also lost a cannon crew).

                                           The general can be seen with his staff and favorite bulldog.

    The Lionians took the oasis, unopposed. However, these troops and the cannon did not see action in the battle.

CONCLUSION

The Lionians had the advantage of having objectives to start with and greater numbers. (Three    objectives were worth 5 points and the temple was worth 7). Their three Zulu units counted as elite and some units were especially large. I also obtained only a half point for each unit destroyed. The exceptions were the artillery and regular cavalry that counted for one point each. The Lionian disadvantage was they were not all armed with firearms and those that were fired as militia (-1). Bowmen and rifle troops were also counted as militia in melee. 

  In contrast, all Redian troops all fired as elite (+1 per dice). The three units of cavalry were also counted as elite in combat and the heavy cavalry got an extra bonus.

  My plan basically went as expected. I captured the temple. My troops stayed in close proximity to support each other and minimized their casualties and maximized Lionian ones. The Lionians lost seven units to my one (the cannon). However, the disadvantage was I did not have the time to capture extra objectives. In the end, at conclusion of move 12 Mat had 17 points to my 13. If the game had gone a couple more moves, I could have captured another objective and brought it to a draw. Mat's army was severely reduced by game's end.

  We managed to pack up before dark and the troops were not subjected to rain, (the main possible damage being to card figure bases).

NEXT PROJECT:

I have vowed to really get stuck into organizing the fantasy campaign over the next couple of weeks.

A NOTE ON FIGURES:

You might have noticed that my wargame forces are VERY heterodox. AIP provide a great many troops, but you will also see various conversions from various brands and assorted African, ancient and Arab tribesmen. Most of these are multipurpose and serve in Islamic, medieval and ancient armies as well as various colonial ones. I do have figures specifically converted as modelled on Abyssinian ones, but it would have taken too long to make an army my purely of these hence the multipurpose figures. 

On the Redian side are A call to arms British Zulu war and various AIP British. Then there are the British 'ceremonial' cavalry. One unit is hollow-cast and the other home castings and a few plastic originals of Cherilea British cuirassiers in blue jackets.

 As I wanted the Lionians to have a much larger army to compensate their limited modern weaponry I did not use all my colonial British troops; for example, I didn't use my Highlanders and naval units and a number of line infantry and guardsmen units.

RULES

This time we used Paul Wright's Funny Little Rules with our own additions. For example, we had half moves and firing with penalties of minus one. We used, for the first time, the Mad Minute rule, which enabled a well-trained unit to fire twice, but it then had to roll a dice to see how many rounds of ammunition were left. 

We started with matchsticks firing from cannons but the actual cannon used proved not up to the task, not helped by the wind, so I brought out the nerf gun, which was devastating at close range. My Redians had a light horse artillery piece which could fire twice a move as opposed to the Lionian two field pieces that could fire only every other turn, although their damage to the target was potentially greater.