Mitanni versus Early New Kingdom Egyptians ADLG Game

 

NKE and Mitanni deployed

Opposite end

Armies advance

Mitanni right flank and centre

Mitanni left flank and centre

NKE right flank and centre

NKE left flank and centre

Armies close

Mitanni Maryannu on the right flank

Maryannu and Canaanite javelinmen on the left

Last Sunday afternoon I played a Mitanni versus recently painted early NKE, ADLG solo game out in the shed. The armies were two corps a side, with the Mitanni having an advantage in chariots, and the NKE an advantage in infantry. The NKE were the attackers and both armies advanced quickly. The Mitanni Maryannu charged on their right flank, hoping their advantage in numbers would tell. Usually we use average dice instead of normal dice for combat but I forgot to do this as I haven'y played an ADLG game for a while. The NKE opted to shoot on their right flank and on the left their bowmen supported the chariots which proved to be decisive. 

The Mitanni infantry were mainly mixed medium swordsmen and bowmen which meant they were effective shooting but only fought in combat as mediocre. Despite this they charged in the centre and with their chariots on the left flank. Here the combat proved tough going for the outnumbered NKE chariots, they did manage to rally a casualty, but it was undecided right up to the end of the game. The infantry slogged it out in the centre with gaps appearing in the Mitanni line. Eventually the Mitanni Maryannu broke on their right flank and their commander was killed. The Mitanni right flank collapsed and the army was on the verge of breaking. 

Mitanni Maryannu charge on their right flank

NKE shoot on their right flank

NKE bowmen support the chariots

Mitanni charge

Chariot combat is level pegging

Mitanni Maryannu are on the verge of breaking

Infantry slog it out

NKE chariots and bowmen win the combat 

Mitanni right flank has collapsed

Combat on the Mitanni left flank undecided but
army is on the verge of breaking

More Early New Kingdom Egyptian Infantry

 

Here are some early New Kingdom Egyptian close-fighters and javelin men that I've just finished painting. They're from 18th Dynasty, part of Thumoses III's army, for my Battle of Megiddo project. The figures are all 15mm Khurasan Miniatures. I now have enough painted figures for a game with this army so will give them a run against my Mitanni soon.

Untrained Carthaginian Elephants

 

Here are some more untrained Carthaginian elephants for the Battle of Zama. The figures are all Agema Miniatures. The sources on the battle, Polybius, Livy and Appian don't mention whether Hannibal's eighty elephants (Polybius XV.11 & Livy XXX.33 ) were barebacked or had towers with crew. Much of Hannibal's army, apart from his Italian veterans, was hastily raised and the assumption is that with such a large number of elephants, more than he had ever fielded before in battle, many of them must have been untrained.

Anyway with these two ellies I have majority of untrained elephants for my planned Epic Command and Colors game of Zama, but still have plenty of Carthaginian and Roman infantry to paint. I painted one of the elephant's ears ochre with a Tanit (chief female deity of Carthage) sign on its forehead as I'd done an earlier one in red and quite liked the look. In the photos below you can see the four Agema elephants are the same basic resin model but the earlier ones have a different metal trunk and tusks and armoured mahout. 

Ilium: A Game of Heroes - Night Mission

 

Sleeping Thracian warriors with
Rhesus' chariot in the centre

Diomedes and Odysseus deployed,
Odysseus is near the chariot

Odysseus escapes in the chariot

On Tuesday morning Craig came over and we played another game of Ilium: A Game of Heroes out in the shed. This time the scenario was a Night Mission with Odysseus and Diomedes raiding the sleeping Thracians (allies of the Trojans) to steal a chariot, from the Thracian king, Rhesus. The scenario is from The Iliad:

Then on they went, through weapons and black blood,
and soon they reached their goal - the Thracian camp.
The men were sleeping, totally exhausted.

The splendid weapons lay beside the sleepers,

set tidily in three rows on the ground.

Each fighter had his chariot beside him,

and a pair of horses. In the middle, Rhesus

slept, with his fine quick horses at his side,

tied by the reins onto the chariot rim.

Homer, The Iliad, Book 10, 585-593 translated by Emily Wilson, pp.240-241, W.W. Norton & Company, New York, 2024

This was a really tough scenario for the Achaeans to actually win as the two heroes were alone, against three sleeping Thracian heroes and their contingents, with a single promachos from each contingent, awake as sentries. These sentries could alert their sleeping companions, who could awake on passing a resolve test and then activate in the next turn. 

Night vision in the scenario was limited to 6" and in our game one of the heroes and their contingent never woke. Odysseus was able to jump in to the chariot and move it towards his side but the sentries alerted their companions who were able to attack the two Achaean heroes. In the end it was a very short game as Diomedes and then Odysseus were overwhelmed. Maybe two Thracian heroes and their contingents rather than three would make for a more balanced scenario? 

Thracian sentries raise the alarm

Diomedes and Odysseus are eventually overwhelmed

Desert Well and Greek/Successor Baggage

 

Here is a desert well and a Greek/Successor baggage stand that I've just finished painting. The well is a nice resin and metal terrain set by Architects of War that I've had for about fifteen years but finally got around to painting for our Ilium Settlement Raid game, which required a well for the scenario. I've got more of their Middle Eastern buildings, an animal enclosure, a ploughed field and another well to paint as well. The Greek/ Successor baggage stand is by Aventine Miniatures. They do a Steppe/Eastern baggage set with more horses which I will use for my Sassanids.

Pataliputra 319 BC - Command and Colors Ancients Game

 

Initial deployment from the Mauryan side

Initial deployment from the Nandan side

Mauryan elephants on the right flank

Nandan elephants attack Mauryan infantry

Last Sunday Rob, Gary, Rick and I met down at the Vikings Club in Lanyon for the Canberra Regional Wargames Group's monthly meeting. We played a Command and Colors Ancients game, the scenario was Pataliputra 319 BC, Mauryan Indians versus Nandan Indians. We diced for sides, Gary and Rick commanded the Nandan forces, Rob and I commanded the Mauryan forces. The scenario had auxilia bow for both sides and these fought in combat as auxilia but used the shooting rules for regular bow infantry. We also increased the block sizes for elephants and heavy chariots from two to three to make them more resilient and the same as all cavalry units.The two sides were fairly evenly matched. 

The Nandans had a slight advantage in infantry, elephants and cavalry, while the Mauryans had a slight advantage in heavy chariots. The Mauryan side moved first and got off to a good start with some effective shooting from the light infantry and auxilia. The Nandans counter attacked the Mauryan infantry with their elephants. It all unravelled fairly quickly for the Nandans. A Clash of Shields card saw further casualties inflicted and soon all the Nandan elephants had been destroyed. They didn't have much luck with cards and dice and never really got on a roll. In the end the Mauryans won very easily 6-1 victory banners with the entire Nandan centre of infantry unused in the game.

Action on the Mauryan left flank

Mauryan shooting proves effective

All the Nandan elephants are destroyed

Last ditch effort with the Nandan light cavalry

Mauryans win easily 6-1

Indian Skirmishers

 

Here are some Indian skirmishers that I've just finished painting. The figures are by 1st Corps and Newline Designs, and those in the photos below are Forest Indians. We have a Maurayan vs Nandan Command and Colors Ancients Pataliputra 319 BC game organised for next Sunday at the Vikings Club, some of them will see action then.

Ilium: A Game of Heroes - Settlement Raid Game

Achaean attackers on the left,
Trojan defenders in the centre,
guarding the well

 

Opposite side

Achaean raiders with two heroes
and their contingents

Trojan defenders attack, the buildings, well and village
notable are objectives for the Achaeans

On Tuesday afternoon Craig came over and we played our second game of Ilium out in the shed. This time the scenario was a settlement raid with Achaean raiders attacking a Trojan village, their objectives were to burn buildings, poison the well in the centre of the village and capture the village notable ( a goat herder with a goat). The Trojans were to prevent this and the usual kleos (renown or glory) applies in the scenario for killing enemy heroes and stripping them of their armour etc. 

The Achaeans got off to a good start and quickly had two buildings burning. The game was level pegging and reinforcements for both sides arrived on the table in turn three. All heroes on both sides were heavily wounded but none were killed. It looked as if the game would be a draw but the Trojans just managed to hang on and win 3-2, as two buildings were undamaged and the well was clean.

Trojan reinforcements turn two,
two buildings are already burning!

Hector dashes ahead to protect the well

Reinforcements for both sides on turn three

All heroes are heavily wounded

Trojans just hang on to win 3-2