DBA 3.0 - EIR vs Early Germans

Good morning,

Yesterday, at around lunch time, Young Stan popped around for a quick game of DBA with his newly completed II/47d [Other Batavin or Cherusci] Early Germans.

• 1 x General (Cv)
• 2 x Heroes with long spears (4Wb)
• 7 x Warriors (3Wb)
• 2 x Skirmishers (Ps)

So I, naturally, brought out my II/56 Early Imperial Romans.

• 1 x General on horseback (Cv)
• 1 x Equites (Cv)
• 4 x Legionaries (4Bd)
• 3 x Auxiliary pedites (4Ax)
• 1 x Archers (Ps)
• 1 x Numidian (LH)
• 1 x Lancers (3Kn)

My Wromans had already invaded Lower Germany, so the natives launched a counter attack. (Stan was the aggressor, I, the defender).

Being a bit tricksy, I send forth my Numidians to the other flank.

Very...

...very...

...very...

...slowly.

All while Stan had very poor pip dice and could only send forth his skirmishers into the wood.

And then out of the wood.

Umm...numerically speaking...

...that doesn't look fair!

So I pull the general out of the line to move him over yonder.

All while my Numidians (and my Equites and Lancers on the other side of the river) slog through their respective patches of bad going.

First contact.

Whew!

Aww, stink!

Stink indeed!

I, rather impetuously in hindsight, send forth my Auxila to catch the corner of an isolated Warband...

...while my mounted finally make progress.

The Long Spears conform to me (since I've got the bigger group)...

...for a nul result.

Still...

...huzzah!

Alas...

...aww stink!

Stink indeed.

Thankfully the rest of his hairy mob haven't had the pips to advance. And my eastern mounted column were finally making headway north.

Next bound...

Huzzah!

Stan redresses his line...

...and I sneak in my general to face his.

I redress my own line, and turn in my eastern mounted elements to threaten the German's flank.

And so it begins...

I manage to push back the initial shove...

...and follow up.

And here's where things go south for me.

One pip! One! There they are, all ready to cross the river to wreak havoc, and...one pip! So I move in my general to shore up the Legionaries' line...

...to no avail.

Stink!

Next bound...

Stink, stink, stink!

Blimmin Warband quick killing Blades!

And that was the end of that. Well played Stan, well played.

Still, it was a great game, and it was wonderful to have the ancients back on the table again. I do so enjoy DBA.

Thanks for the game Stan,

Nick

DBA 3 - Marians vs Early Germans

...or how to lose with Warband...

Good evening,

Last DBA game of the weekend, and I was down 4 nil. Hmmm...

Anyway, Stan and I had time for another game, so, since my armies were still in the car from the previous games at Mark's, and since Stan was reading Sue Barker's Introduction to Ancient Wargaming, we thought to recreate the example battle from the book.

II/47d Cherusci Army

• Cav General
• 9 Warband
• 2 Skirmishers

...commanded by me, and...

II/49 Marian Roman

• Blade General
• 7 Legionaries
• 1 Greek Cav
• 1 Illyrian Light Horse
• 2 Psiloi

...commanded by Stan.

I was the aggressor, so Stan set up the terrain as per the book (the waterway on my right was represented simply by shrinking the battlefield a touch on that flank), set out his chaps and I deployed mine with the intention of ignoring most of his Blades and scurrying over the steep hill to loot his camp.

What was I thinking?!

Oh, right, that.

Hmmm...

Yes, that's the book. That one right there.

The long red line of death comes marching forward (I really need to finish painting that Blade General - it's the first time he's taken the field), while I send forward my skirmishers to buy my warband some time.

Contact!

First combat...

...and those dratted legionaries push me back.

The Wromans close up ranks...

...and I push forward.

Drats!

And again, Stan straightens his line.

I try to bolster my ranks, and push forward on the left.

Huzzah!

That's pretty British, isn't it? Let's try...Freudenruf!

Alas and alak, Stan runs over his mobile reserves.

Rather than waiting around, I press my luck.

Charge! Verlangen!

Bother. Or Belästigung. Warband don't really like horses.

Stan presses forward, well, everywhere.

Belästigung.

My Skirmishers run. One of them even runs off camera, bottom right.

Another recoil for the seemingly ineffectual Warband.

I wonder what ineffectual is in German...unwirksam. Unwirksam warband.

I push forward myself...

...unwirksam-ly.

Stan then piles on the pressure.

Belästigung.

And that was the end of that.

Five games of DBA within 24 hours, and...yeah, well...ummm...a good time was had by all!

Thanks boys,

Nick