Maurikian Byzantine versus Arab Conquest

A repeat of last week's game, but Olivier now took command of the Arabs in what proved to be an epic battle.

There are some cultivated fields on the left of the Byzantine line representing broken ground.

On the right there is a patch of difficult scrub land.

The Arabs have again been out scouted.

The Arabs prove to be cautious as the Byzantines boldly advance.

Arabs adjust to face the Byzantine light cavalry,

while sending some of their light camelry

on a deep penetration.

Arab slingers make a mess of the Byzantine archers.

A unit of Byzantine cavalry has been turned

to face the threat to the rear.

The Arab commander with his warriors has successfully engaged the enemy.

A further incursion by some Arab camelry has got bogged in the fields.

The Arab commander and his warriors have got the better of some Byzantine cavalry,

but the Arab rear looks to be in peril.

The merry-go-round on the periphery of the battle continues

as the Byzantine light cavalry close in.

The Arab commander and his warriors have carried all before them,

but are now dangerously exposed.

The Byzantines are closing in on the Arab commander and his warriors

who are now well isolated from the rest of their army.

The Byzantine light cavalry take the Arab commander in the rear,

but fail to make much of an impression.

After a fierce fight the Arab commander has beaten off the Byzantine cavalry.

Both sides are regrouping getting ready for the final act.

Each side is just one unit short of breaking.

Arab warriors who have come to their commander's rescue

find themselves in trouble...

The warriors took out a unit of Byzantine cavalry 

before succumbing to a further unit of Byzantine cavalry.

Boths sides break.

A draw!

Arab Conquest versus Maurikian Byzantine

Olivier took command of the Byzantines to face the Arabs.

Out scouted the Arabs deploy with their infantry on the left and light troops on their right.

It is a bare plain with only a small patch of difficult going on the far left.

The Byzantines close in on the Arab wings,

although the Arab camelry swing wide

threatening the Byzantine's left flank.

The mass of Arab wonder where the Byzantines are.

The Arab army as seen by the Byzantines.

The Arab infantry surge forward looking for a target or two,

hoping their archers and light troops can hold the flanks.

The fighting is fierce!

It's in the balance...

But the Byzantine cavalry win the day,

after striking some of the Arab infantry in the rear

who had been left unsupported by their camel mounted brothers.

Danish Vikings versus Anglo-Danish

Two closely matched armies as I fielded some of my Dark Ages figures collection against Dave' s Anglo-Danish.

The Vikings out scouted the Anglo Danes.

There are two villages and two woods.

Both sides advance.

The Vikings have their best troops on their right flank.

The Anglo-Danes have distributed theirs across their front line,

possibly against the injunction that only like heavy foot can form large units.

First blood to the Anglo-Danes who drive off the Viking left wing skirmishers,

but skillfully fall back against the same on the right flank.

After much deliberation in the Anglo-Danish camp, they go for decisive initiative.

It was a close call (a roll of just seven on three dice, but it beat my roll), but they won 

and then charged which was a gamble as they only had a 50% chance of making the distance.

While they had success against the Viking left, they suffered against the Viking right

as the Berserks wiped out one of their units, breaking through their lines.

It was a hard infantry slog, but the Vikings seem to have the better of it.

Both sides have been whittled down, but the Vikings have only lost low-quality troops.

Critically the Viking Berserks are in position to take the Anglo-Danes in the rear.

The Anglo-Danes are done for!

Pre-Islamic Arabs versus New Kingdom Egyptians

It was to be camels versus chariots as my Arabs (Yemenites to be precise) take on Dave's Egyptians.

The Egyptians out scouted the Arabs and deployed on a hill with woods on a flank.

The Arabs surge forward.

The Arabs have the upper hand and feel confident.

The Egyptians use Decisive Initiative and destroy the Arab centre.

It's all over.

Only as their morale broke were the Arabs finally able to rout two of the Egyptian units.

As they say:

A Quick Game
Is
 A Good Game

Later Fatimid Egyptian versus Later Merovingian

This was a companion game to One Sided Miniature Wargaming Discourse: Later Merovingian versus Later Fatimid Egyptian

This time I would run the Egyptians and face the Merovingians played by Phil.  In the club's Basic Impetus competition Phil will be facing Mark B who runs Later Fatimid Egyptians.

The Egyptians were out scouted and face six units of Merovingian heavy cavalry on open terrain.

There are some gentle hills and broken ground on the extreme right of the battlefield.

The Egyptian skirmishers on both wings rush forward to engage the enemy,

the Mamelukes and archers move forward to get in bow range,

but their infantry hang back.

The Merovingians easily clear the Egyptian skirmishers away on both flanks.

Action looks imminent for the Mamelukes who have closed up to face their foe.

While the Egyptians have lost both units of light cavalry,

the Mamelukes have got the better of their opponents

and their infantry has withstood the first charge of the enemy.

The Mamelukes have prevailed,

but their infantry is in trouble.

The Merovingian left flank has been eliminated.

However, the same fate seems about to befall the Egyptian left.

The battle is now in the balance.  

A loss of one more unit will break either side.

Closing in for the kill.

The advantage is with the Egyptians.

Victory for the Fatimids.

New Kingdom Egyptians versus New Kingdom Egyptians

Some of my Carthaginians and Arabs stood in for a New Kingdom Egyptian army to face Karl's New Kingdom Egyptians in a practice game for the club's Basic Impetus competition.  I will refer to my army as the Pseudo Egyptians.

The Pseudo Egyptians out scouted the Egyptians, 

finding them deployed on a range of gentle hills with a wood to their left flank.

The Egyptian chariots on the left flank advanced and suffered for it.

The Pseudo Egyptians shuffled their chariots to their left.

The Egyptians advance their centre.

The Pseudo Egyptians also advance their centre.

The Egyptian chariots move forward and suffer for it.

The first clash goes badly for the Egyptians who either crumble or fail to contact.

It will take a while for the Pseudo Egyptian chariots to rejoin the fight,

but their infantry has carried the centre and the Egyptians flee.