DBA out and about/catching up

Gothic Wars and more ... the November/December switch over proved a busy time ...

As well as some late year Championship DBA games, there are updates from the annual Armati outing to Glasgow, Recon in Pudsey and Wargamer in Birmingham all to come.

(Donnington Byzantines and Numidians from Trebian's collection)

Belisarius was back on his horse, toxic Heavy Cavalry and all ... I think Treb needs to play FoG to get the full richness of 'heavy horse archer' combat, but it's always a pleasure when this army takes to the table - a wargames classic.  

(a Gepid army from all over the place confronts the Donnington Byzantines)

Meanwhile, there is a long straight road that leads to the heart of the Empire ...

(Gepids and Sub Roman British meet down a road in Essex ...)...

This little bit of Britannia was dominated by the close terrain ... meeting the Gepids here proved a tactic which did not suit frosty British ...

(the British get drawn into the defile ...)...

But within days, Ragadeseus was trying the same 'break 'em up' tactic

(Watling Street? Ragadeseus takes on the Gepids ...)..

The battle came down to a violent cavalry melee in which those nearest the king fell first ...

(Chariot, Lurkio, Gladiator and Essex warriors from Phil Steele's collection)

All V2.2, this cluster of games really brought home the attractions of the Eastern Front Dark Age period - watch this space for details of next year's invitation.

Meanwhile, another straight road passed Hadrian's Wall and led to Glasgow ...

October 2012 Northamptonshire

Championship battles and local wargames

ARMATI
Of course, I'm sure I don't need to point out the irony in my post header ... as Will and I do battle using his collection of original Minifigs (strip) 15mm figures depicting armies of Late Bronze Age ...

We had agreed to play 2 back-to-back championship games with the same armies just swapping sides.   I understand Will had had a similar pair of games with Championship Organiser Barnsdale just previously.

Suffice to say that whilst the visitors lost the first pairing, I exacted revenge in the second.

(both armies Minifigs 15mm originally painted by Anthony Clipsom from Will Whyler's collection)

The first game was something of a smash and grab raid.  Will had over extended the somewhat more brittle Egyptian army, allowing me to make an attack with my right wing that had every chance to destroying the enemy before all his force could be brought to bear (Armati trans: the Egyptians were BP4, the Hittites BP5 ... from deployment, it was clear that the Egyptians had committed 4 BPs worth of key units on that flank, and without undue risk, I thought I could mount a pretty hefty attack on them without putting (all) five BPs of mine at risk.   As the Egyptians have many more bows in the army - and thus 'outshoot' me, I felt I needed to do this before the arrow storm took its toll) ...

(the marker indicates that the big bow block had 'reserve' status, ready to wheel as required)

Game Two was going to be a challenge ... I now took the Egyptians, which we had proved were the more brittle, and I had demonstrated that they could be taken out with a vigorous attack.   The sandal would now be on the other foot ...

I was determined to get the bow armed foot into play, and set up ready to range them in on where I expected the heart of the enemy force to be.    Meanwhile, varying my tactics, I set up a strong skirmishing force to soften up the Hittite wing on my right before any chariot clash could tangle me up.

(the Egyptian infantry - of whom I had great expectations ...)

On the left, I set up with an uncommitted division of chariots, correctly guessing that there might be some empty desert out there - and planning to ride around the open flank (general trans: we were using deployment screens, so some divination is required when setting up ... however, if there is some open space and you have troops able to respond to it, there can be tactical advantages that emerge).

(the chariot division with the green 'complex move' marker on it is Hittite and has just wiped out the end of the Egyptian infantry line - an enterprise from which they will not return: both units are now trapped as the Egyptian outflankers (top of picture) close in)

This game played pretty much to my script.  Nevertheless, with a lower Army Break Point, the Egyptians were always on the brink of sliding to defeat with every die roll.

The Hittite key units on the 'soften with skirmishers' wing were destroyed, and the two units caught in the flank trap made five.   The Egyptians, though rocking, were only two down, so the battle was won.  

The old warriors had fought well.   The vintage Minifigs didn't do too badly either!

DBA
A few days later, I put out a choice of Eastern Front armies for what I expected to be a couple of DBA games against Ian.   Actually, I had one of my very rare 'long' games ... which we played to a natural conclusion (we were level at 4:4, but Ian eventually won 5 [incl Gen]: 4).

(Sub Roman British: Gladiator and Peter Pig figures with the odd Essex and Chariot mixed in)

Ian chose the Sub Roman British - so I, somewhat rashly, chose, as their natural enemies, some near contemporary Middle Anglo-Saxons.   I say 'rashly' as these early English are somewhat embarrassed for cavalry, and the British Knight General looks fearsome indeed.

(several boat-loads of Angles, but just a single element with any horse power)

Some near centrally placed marshland meant Ian split his force into a 'spear' anvil and a flank raiding 'mounted' hammer.   His plan was to make me either break up my force so he could crush me with the Spears, or turn my flank should I try to keep together.

(seen from the British side)

Actually, I managed to foil the flank raiders and get them into a tangle in the tight corners between the wood, the marsh and the battlefield edge.

(seen from my side)

Although that had put me ahead, it did leave me slightly undergunned against the infantry unless/until I could get all the troops back in line.   Of course they are mostly infantry and the game was DBA - so that's a big ask.

The good news and the bad news with the Middle Anglo-Saxons is the Warband General and supporting element.  A very good chance of destroying Spearmen, but I could see Ian hovering behind the line with his Knight General.

(the crucial melee, general to general)

The inevitable could not be avoided: I had to put the general into combat to maintain the line.  He destroyed his opponents and followed up into the vulnerable gap ... and the British general then charged in and made the 'quick kill'.

Although I was still ahead at that point (so losing my general did not end the game) I could not get enough Pips to limp over the line and the rampaging British were able to mop the game up.   Appropriately, of course, this Dark Age confrontation was really settled by the two commanders in personal hand-to-hand combat - and you can't argue with that.

A very interesting game - and not the quick bash I was expecting.  We'll play the second game on another occasion.

It'll be Field of Glory before then, for me, however - at the Northern Doubles League ...

See the Society of Ancients at Warfare ...

Why not join in the Championship (it's just ancient warriors like us lot!): Society of Ancients Wargames Championship

21st October, Portsmouth

2012 English DBA Open

A week after SELWG  sees us on the road again, this time to Portsmouth, home of the Royal Navy.    

Congratulations to Tony and Max, whose wedding we had attended the previous evening.   I'm confident we made the trip from Norfolk to Portsmouth faster than even Nelson would have envisaged.

(my Gepids ... mostly Lurkio figures with some Gladiator, Chariot and Old Glory)

I had originally intended to debut a Kushite Egyptian army this year (as I was working on some special decorative features) ... but decided to recycle some of the Eastern Front armies as a way or promoting the 2013 running of the event.    Taking all four - I opted for Gepids and Chris, who has a vast collection had no time to prepare, took the Sub Roman British.

It worked out fine as Richard Pulley had brought Kushites anyway (and I always prefer avoiding duplications) and my Ostrogoths also ended up going out on loan for some friendlies.

('home clash' ... an Eastern Front encounter between Arthur and the Gepids)

As has become normal, the 28mm event was cancelled due to lack of interest, and the 15mm were split into pools of 5 players for a series of 'round robin' matches before the winners of each would progress to a semi-final phase.

Lo and behold, the draw gave us a home match to kick off with ... me vs Chris in the early medieval pool.   A good draw actually, as both of us were a bit rusty and it gave us a warm up round to get our acts together.

In the pool matches my Gepids fought against Sub Roman British, Tuareg, Rajputs, Anglo Irish, and Teutonic Order.    I managed a couple of rounds in the 'un-pooled' Plate ... and encountering Early Burgundian and Marian Roman.

There were a number of great looking armies in use on the day and some attractive encounters:

(Colin's Arabs a caught on camera by Martin Smith.  Click on the pictures)

 

(this wave of Tuareg camel warriors crashed over my Gepid army which they had lured into the desert)

(Chris getting stuck in on the adjacent table)

(another desert clash amongst the sand dunes)

(a great close up shot from the ancients pool courtesy of Martin Smith)

So, a very enjoyable series of games in good company with a number of stylish armies on display.

I did not accumulate sufficient points to be any where near the finals, but got a flukey win over junior Findlay to progress a round in the plate!    A full breakdown of results will follow in due course on Society of Ancients News, but suffice to say that Scott Russell won the Senior final and Findlay Schofield the Junior final:

In addition to their trophies, they won gift prizes kindly donated by Magister Militum.

The Plate competition was won by Richard Pulley's Kushite Egyptians who gave us all a demonstration of how the littoral landing rules work.

The 2012 English DBA Open was also the final round of the SoA UK DBA League, and after some crunching of the numbers, the top positions went to Scott Russell, and, retaining his junior title, Patrick Myers.   Again, a full breakdown will follow on the Society's news page.

Congratulations to all the winners, and many thanks to PAWS for organising and to Magister Militum (DBA Open) and Monarch Books (UK DBA League) for joining in as sponsors ...

(Scott Russell's Open winning Ptolelmaic army - Museum figures painted by Arnaud Marmier)

You can catch up with the Society of Ancients next at Warfare on the 17th and 18th of November.

Society of Ancients UK DBA League

*24/10 edit ... caption on the Arab picture corrected per reader feed back ...

16th September, Norwich

EASTERN FRONT

A beautiful late (Indian) Summer's day saw me driving round in circles in Norwich before bungling into St. Andrews half an hour late.    I found the venue very easily last year, but discovered the penalties of complacency, this: getting straight there last year had been luck not judgement.

(the main hall at Eastern Front)

The wargaming community is nothing if not forgiving and flexible, of course, and we quickly got things back on track (and so the DBA Challenge started at 11.00, not 10.30).

(games and societies at Eastern Front 2012)

Eastern Front is a delightful show in a beautiful regional English city.  The venue is an East Anglian jewel, and you really must visit some time.

(one of the splendid ancient/medieval games at Eastern Front - click on the images to enlarge)

I have appended one of two views of an excellent collection of display and participation games to be found in the main hall - though, inevitably, I spent most of my day in the second hall, Blackfriars, where you would have found the Societies, the DBA and the Bring and Buy.

(what the Society of Ancients was doing at the show)

THE EAST OF ENGLAND DBA CHALLENGE

The DBA Challenge was open to Dark Age armies with a Dux Brittanniae award to the top army which actually fought in England in the 410 to 1066 period.   The duke's award would go to the second placed player if the Champion also qualified.  There was a top newcomer award likewise applied.

(the East of England DBA Challenge)

Sign in and play on the day, we got 7 players involved, which, though modest, I think marks a good starting point and provided us with good natured entertainment all day with comfortable breaks for shopping and lunch.

(Vikings deploying opposite the Anglo-Saxon defenders)

I took along 4 'loaner' armies to back up those who were bringing their own.   Courtesy of the seventh players joining in late on, all these armies got used during the day which was nice.

(my Anglo-Saxons .. New Era Donnington with Gladiator, Chariot, Essex and Lurkio mixed in)

However the main armies used were (III/51) Norman; (III/40) Norse Viking; (II/81) Sub Roman British; (III/24) Middle Anglo Saxon; (II/67) Ostrogothic and (II/71) Gepid.

(Nick's Sub Roman British ... Donnington originals, I believe)

To simplify play and present an authentic challenge we had a choice of fixed boards, with players dicing for sides then rolling aggression to determine the deployment/game start order.   It seemed to work quite well, and meant my felt allergy was not triggered by patches or garish fabric.

(the British are attacked by Norse Viking)

Many of the players were new to tournament play - even relatively new to DBA - so it was a good chance for people to get the rhythms of the game.  As usual when I 'umpire/run' event, I took along the Wadbag bible.   As usual, it wasn't necessary to open it, and the battles went smoothly.

(Generals in personal combat: Duke William takes on the Goths)

Despite a heavy loss to my Anglo-Saxons (Duke William unceremoniously 'mugged' by hard-charging Anglisch spearmen - a 'recoil the support either side and get the guy in the middle' revenge attack for Senlac!) ... the Normans proved the most powerful and versatile army and Richard deservedly won the Challenge.

(two more of the loaner armies I took: Sub-Roma British and Ostrogothic)

A clear Dux Brittanniae title went to Paul's Vikings, just pipping Nick, whose Sub Roman British were the best newcomers.

(those top newcomers consider moving down off their hill)

We reorganised the final round in order to involve a father and son combination in the games and give them a flavour of DBA's quick but engaging take on ancient and medieval warfare. 

(East of England Challenge: Normans clash with British)

Pleasingly, everyone else finished level with one win and one general killed.   Count back would have been 'the game between the players' but with the podium places/special titles awarded, we were happy to leave the remaining players on equal honours.

(Armies arrayed: the Gepids - Essex commanders, mostly Lurkio and Chariot cavalry behind Chariot infantry)

This was a lot of fun, and well worth the effort, I think.   Watch out for news of Norwich next year: if all things stay similar, I would be more than happy to run this again (and with a little more notice and publicity, maybe more of you will want to make the trip east and join in ..)..

(a new Dux Brittanniae 'Barker Marker' I made up for the event)

(I may have to keep this clear of prising fingers: it has an obvious 'sub-text'!)

Society of Ancients UK DBA League Pages

See the Shows North stand next at Derby where we will be running games of Call it Qids, a simple participation game based on Ramesses's exploits at the battle of Kadesh.

midweek, September, Northamptonshire

The SOCIETY OF ANCIENTS CHAMPIONSHIP

DBA EVENINGS
The UK League (and original plan for Eastern Front) had generated some interest in DBA so we set up some local evenings around a Society Championship theme ...
(Society of Ancients UK DBA League)
(The Society of Ancients Championship)
Graham has shared some of his thinking with his blog readers (Graham's DBA thread) ... so I thought I add some pictures to flesh the topic out a little ...

(Graham's Normans and Saxons on his custom DBA board)

(My Sub Romans take the field - Graham's Normans stacked up off table in the background)

We played some games around a Saxon theme ... Graham's Saxons and Normans, my Old Saxons and Sub Romans.

I occasionally add the odd grumpy comment on this blog, so can I do so now? Given that the Angles that invaded Eastern England in the Sub Roman period gave us our name and language and survives in the regional name of part of Eastern England (England, English, East Anglia etc.), couldn't DBA use that name on one of the lists?

As 'Old English' doesn't really mean 'Anglo-Saxon English', and 'Early English' is a term for post-Romanesque architecture, I've coined the term 'Invasion English'. But I don't mind how it is framed. 'Angelfolc' ... ? Tribal Anglian?

Second, given that the thing the Angles, Saxons, Friesians et al did in this period was turn up in boats (up the rivers of Eastern England for example - but back home in South Denmark, they are islanders and estuary people I think), shouldn't there be a Littoral option?

Either way, my 'Invasion English' have a boat for a camp.

Back to the pictures ...

(a complete change from England's South East: the Axumite war in Arabia)

I also threw my Axumites and Arabs into the mix. They look so completely different. Elephants, Camels, Sand Dunes and Oases ... a fair number of the rules the Normans and Saxons never use (so a good extra for some of our beginners ...)

(a Sabaean princess leads the Axumite army)

I have to say these two armies are not that great on their own (being respectively useless against infantry or cavalry heavy armies if the enemy is random/open). Against each other they have given us a number of exciting and unpredictable games ...

We also had some Romans and Carthaginians from Chris and Patrick (I was so engrossed in an Arabian encounter I didn't pause to get any pictures of them - which leaves scope for future coverage) ...

The Invasion English ('Old Saxon') were originally morphed from some Goths and Varangians, but I recently bought some new figures to replace the morphed-in 'ringers'. Shopping around, I have to say 'New Era' Donnington's latest Norman and Saxon figures really do fit the bill.

(Old Saxon by name, East Anglian by nature: the Saxon shore is raided)

(Saxon general's element with windsock wyvern - fabulous New Era Donningtons)

I don't think I need pen a review of the Saxon command pack figures: the picture came out well and speaks for itself. Separate shields and weapons in 'drill your own' fists (the way I like it, but, nevertheless, they are 'some assembly required' figures) they are nicely-sized modern collector 15s.

For all that, they don't beat the Sub Romans. Well, not so far.

I notice the Sub Romans are losing a mounted element in the latest proposed (V3) army lists ... (Book II V3 list proposals) ... is this just a move to tone them down? Or has the thinking changed significantly?

(last men standing .... Arthur's cavalry eliminating a line of Saxon warbands)

It should be added the we are not particularly 'scientific' or practiced players, and everone has had a mix of victories and defeats (that doesn't happen with all ancients games when we play): DBA can be quite a leveller.

So far, 30 or so members have entered the Championship this year (mostly a game or two into their campaign). We are just coming to the last quarter of the season and there is till time for a significant cluster of games with everything to play for (no player is way out in front) ...

So far just over half the games have been FoG, the rest mostly DBA.

Members can join in by sending the results of their games with other members (max 2 games between any 2 members) through the website.

Participating is that easy.