Although I’ve had the rules for a few years and been an
Ancients players for decades (6th and 7th Edition plus
DBA) it was only yesterday that I had the chance to get my Greeks out and fight
Richard’s Persians using Field of Glory ancient wargame rules.
I hadn’t completed reading the rules (probably only a quarter
of the way in) and Richard hadn’t played them recently so it was interesting to
see the rule book used to the fullest degree. I
would have to say I was very impressed and we were able to work out nearly
everything without too much trouble, however I am now reading them in detail.
The game opened well and my Classical Greeks (all 600 points
of them) marched into battle in three lines.
Once the skirmishing had been resolved, my central Hoplites
came to grips with the Persian Immortals and broke them without too much
trouble. Game over ... or so I thought.
Mopping up on the right met with disaster, the general in
command dying in the fighting. Total collapse
on that flank.
Then in the centre and left, despite some real desperate
fighting, the general there too died an heroic death and all remaining Greeks broke
and fled. This left only some of the
skirmishes to cover the rout. True to
their name, the Persian Immortals rallied and came back to claim victory.
For a first game it was incredibly successful and compared
to my experiences with other rules, had all I liked about them without the
negatives – it felt like a battle.
The Greek miniatures are from my Tin Soldier collection.
