Third Con MeG Pacto Classical Competition

 

Game One - Palmyrans and Galatians deployed

View from the Palmyran side

Galatian centre and right flank

Palmyran cataphracts, legionaries and auxilia

Paphlagonian infantry advance into the marsh

Zenobia inspires her cataphracts

Galatian centre fights in the marsh

Game Two - Etruscans and Galatians deployed 

Combat on both flanks

Etruscan hoplites advance in the centre

Casualties mount, Galatians plug some gaps

Last weekend Third Con was held at the Canberra Raiders club in Kippax with a range of competitions, including Bolt Action, Saga, Blucher, and the one I'd entered, a 28mm Mortem et Gloriam (MeG) Pacto (4000 points) Classical comp. This was my first MeG comp, I was using Galatians and it proved to be a lot of fun. There were six of us playing, so there were five two hour games over two days, three games on the Saturday and two on Sunday with a break for lunch after the first game.

Game One was against Robert Hooper with his Palmyrans, despite three practice games I made some pretty basic mistakes with my deployment and during the game itself. I was out scouted in every game, in one by 90%! The Galatians advanced but failed to have much of an impact against the Palmyran cataphracts, legionaries and auxilia. They had limited success in the centre but on the right flank failed to drive the Palmyran horse archers from the table, not that it would have made much of a difference. Neither army was broken in the time limit and it was a 10-4 result to Robert.

Game Two was against Leigh with Etruscans, although there weren't too many actual Etruscan figures in his army! After the Pre Battle System for scouting and terrain there was a mountainous secure flank and a couple of low hills where Leigh deployed his heavy infantry. The Galatians attacked on both flanks and advanced in the centre. The Etruscan infantry advanced down off the hill to support the flanks. It  was pretty much level pegging in this game, neither army was broken in the time limit and it was a 10-10 result.

Game Three was against Christian with his Macedonians under Alexander. This was a very compact army with only two commanders, one legendary, the other talented but was brittle, only breaking on the loss of four units (my Galatians break point was nine). The table had a secure coastal flank and a difficult hill. Both armies advanced and the Galatians struggled against the Macedonian pike. Alexander's Companions destroyed the Galatian cavalry and chariots but then were broken in turn by the Galatian warriors. Alexander escaped to fight another day but this was break point for the Macedonians with a 15-10 result for the Galatians.

Game Four on Sunday morning was against Tony with his Late Achaemenid Persians. The table had another secure coastal flank. The Persians made a double move advance. The Galatian cavalry charged the Persian cavalry and managed to survive a few turns before the Galatian warriors charged in to the hoplites. This game was very slow going and when the time limit was up it was a 10-6 result for the Galatians.

Game Five was against Robert Mun with his Spartans under Leonidas. This was a real cracker of a game that went right down to the wire. The Spartans advanced with a double move and soon the Galatian warriors charged in to combat. At this point the Galatians had an incredible run of lucky dice, regularly rolling wounds on black and white dice while the Spartans were failing to hit at all, with their much better green and yellow dice. The carnage continued and saw both centres almost destroyed. In the end the Galatians just managed to break the Spartans 15-10 but it could so easily have gone the other way!

Many thanks to Ken for organising the Third Con event; to Dean and Robert for organising the MeG Pacto comp; and to all the MeG players for the fun games! Overall Robert Mun was the well deserved winner and I was the runner up.

Game Three - Macedonians and Galatians
deployed with a secure coastal flank

Armies advance

Crunch time

Alexander's Companions break
the Galatian cavalry and chariots

Game Four - Late Persians and Galatians deployed
with another secure coastal flank

Late Persians make a double move
Galatian cavalry charge

Galatian warriors charge in to the hoplites

Combat continues

Game Five - Spartans and Galatians deployed

Leonidas' Spartiates in the centre

Spartan right flank

Spartans make a double move

Galatian warriors charge in

The carnage continues

Both centres are almost destroyed