HOTT Day in July - Battle 4

And we came down to the wire, well, sort of.

Not being in the running for anything other than the Wooden Spoon, those who were at the top of the ladder were matched up against each other, while the rest of us were paired off to play amongst ourselves.

And so it was that I met Tony's 15mm WWII Germans, as I had in Game 2. We were on a different table this time, however - the one with a BUA in the middle (which was essentially the same as a forest), a couple of woods and a gentle hill.

It transpired that I was the defender this time, so I put out my 'Stronghold' (actually a couple of DBM Baggage elements that I had made some time ago when I was using my Goblins for 100AP DBM) for the first time in four battles, and Tony put away his, again for the first time in four battles,


We closed in on each other...




...while I sent my Beasts around to the right.


Flyers being Flyers, Tony flew them over my line to lurk to the rear of my Goblins. A potentially annoying aggravation...



I threw my army into contact first.

My heroic Hordes hurried into Tony's tremendous Tiger, with some trepidation I might add, and my right most doggies managed to close in on one of his Shooters.


My Riders ran straight into Tony's Magician and another Shooter...nasty, nasty Shooter...


Tony managed to push back my heroic Horde (they're surprisingly resilient little blighters)...


...while I dealt to his surrounded Shooter...


...and Tony's Magician recoiled my Lizards, leaving the other precariously perched on a potential precipice...


In the centre, Tony moved up Rommel, his Hero, to support the Tiger (Behemoth), which had just squished one of my Hordes (still, there's plenty more where they came from - well, that's the idea, at least. In practice, the battle generally ends before any of my re-generated Horde can get back into the fray!), and to support his out-doggied Shooter.


Alas and alak, the out-doggied Shooter survived, bouncing both Beast elements off with nonchalant ease. Bother.

He also moved up his Behemoth, but, as he had no room to conform (the BUA meant that he couldn't slide over his line to match mine...well, in retrospect, I suppose he could have, but then his Hero General could have been caught in the BGo, and the shooter would have had to move across the ZOC of the foremost doggie, and probably into flank contact with the other...it would have been messy...), so no combat was able to take place.


Instead, Tony moved up his Shooter so that, what with the overlap and all, my doggies had a good chance of becoming, well, dog food!


On the other flank, my other Beasts had managed to deal to the Shooter that was exposed at the end of the line, but my Riders had been pushed back to pop behind Tony's Flyers by shooting and magic respectively.

Tony had miss-understood the rules about Flyers in (or not in) contact, else he would have tried to move them into my Riders so that I couldn't recoil. Ah well, we play and learn...


So here was the situation.

We were delicately balanced on my left (what, with his flyers 'n all), I had a fast moving, terrain ignoring element on Tony's open flank on his left, and we were all set for a major punch up in the centre, weighted fairly decisively in Tony's favour.

The next few bounds looked to be interesting...


Right, for it! I roll my own Behemoth into the flank of his Tiger...to just sit there! As his Tiger wasn't in legal combat contact, and had no room to conform, well, there was nothing much either of us could do, until...


...he shot out my Beasts. Then we all had a bit of space to move.


On my left, I urged the Lizard Riders forward, under the German Flyers, and into the fray once more. This time, with the doggies in support. And in support again. 3 to 2 in my favour, with no where for the Magician to recoil.


Huzzah! Can't remember what Tony rolled, but it must have been pretty low for me to win that combat!


Unfortunately, I rolled equally badly in the next combat, and this time came out second best. Bother.


Tony moved a Flyer and the remaining Shooter into the last of my Riders...stink...


...and turned to face my flank contacts with both the Tiger and Rommel. Stink.


A recoil each in the centre...


...and my Lizards managed to bounce both the Shooter and the Flyer! Huzzah!


"Right", thought I, "time to end this. I hope."

I rolled in with my [Blade] General, and, since Tony's ZOCs were all facing the other way, zipped my doggies into the back of his Hero General. 3+1 for me, 6-1-1 for Tony, and nowhere for him to recoil. Roll high!


No, not Tony, me! Roll high me! What made it worse was that since my wolves had nowhere to recoil themselves, they got done! Oh bother it!


In rolled Tony again...


...and that was it. Not only did the Tiger run over the Giant, but my Lizards got shot down to boot! Stink!


Still, it was another good game, and probably the closest one I had all day.

Again, Tony really enjoyed the game, as did I, and, again, that's really what it's all about, isn't it?

Good on ya Tony!

Nick