Saturday, July 6, 2024

Still Sumer Time!

Back to the Sumerian battlefield once again.  In this encounter, the same armies face off as in the earlier clash (Sumer Time) but this time, with a whole new cast of four players.  In today's fight, fought 02 July, Mark and Chris take command of the Blue Army (blue and black dice) while David and Tony pick up the reins to the Red Army (red and green dice).  Player commands are distributed as shown on the battle map below:
Army and Player dispositions

Let's drop right into the action to see how Tuesday's battle unfolded.

As the battle opens, both armies advance to close the distance to bring themselves within missile range.  With skirmishers screening both battle lines, missile fire is ineffective.  Tony leads his red battle car up on the right plugging the gap between his bowmen while David holds back both green and lugal battle cars.  Dust cloud trailing Tony's car shows that it is in motion.  Both armies anchor their lines upon the rocks on one flank and the oasis on the other.
Battle lines close.
Red battle car moves smartly up on the right.
With flanks secure, the battle begins!
Tony gets the battle rocking as he drives his car into the enemy line.  Mark lets loose a volley of arrows as the car closes but missile fire is ineffective.  The battle car reaches the enemy line but the bowmen, with limited support from friendly skirmishers, manage to drive the battle car off in disorder.  Oh my!  Tony's car veers off to return back from whence it began.  The difference this time is Tony exposes a rear to the enemy!
Tony tests the waters...
and finds the going too hazardous.
With his battle car now in motion, Chris launches his blue battle car into the enemy line.  The skirmishers in his path are overrun.  Chris continues in pursuit.  The car's pursuit carries Chris into a position similar to Tony's earlier exploits.  Chris faces massed archers and skirmishers blocking his path to the enemy's rear.  Like we saw with Tony's attack and repulse a few minutes before, Chris' battle car is driven off.  The car clumsily veers off to the right.
Chris attacks with the blue battle car!
Pursuit carries Chris into the enemy line.
Realizing his battle car can get into trouble more quickly than it can get out of it, Chris finds himself in a jam.  Unable to quickly extricate himself from this tight spot, the enemy lends a helping hand.  David brings up his green battle car striking Chris' car in the flank.  Disordered by the impact from his flank, the fight is uneven.  David dispatches Chris' car but fails to pursue.
Counterattack!
Chris' pursuit stopped cold.
With his battle car gone, Chris turns his attention to getting his heavy infantry into the fight.  He sets them in motion toward the enemy line.  The heavy shielded spearmen face a volley of arrows as they close.  Disordered and taking hits from the missile fire, the heavies march on into the enemy line.  Disregarding losses and disorder, Chris' heavy infantry push the enemy aside.  Some break and run.  Chris' heavies continue their pursuit into the enemy's center.  Has the blue spear block outmarched its support?  
Spearmen attack...
and the enemy recoils!
Chris' spearmen are in hot pursuit!
While earlier regretting his decision to attack into the enemy line with his battle car, Tony reconsiders that decision when he sees Chris' spear block dead ahead.  Coming in on the flank, Tony makes an attack.  Again, the defenders drive Tony away!  Tony!  
Tony attacks!
Chris' spear block is not out of danger yet.  David brings up his car to make his attack.  He sees more success than Tony experienced moments before. The clash causes the spearmen to lose half their number.  The remnants of Chris' heavy infantry are driven back.  David pursues!  At this point in the battle, it looks like the Red Army has gained the upper hand.  While the battle rages to his right, what are Mark and his wing doing?  They are advancing methodically up through the palms to bring Tony's right under pressure.  
David crashes into the spear block...
and pursues the vanquished...
as the enemy is driven back.
Mark stealthily moves up through the palms.
With Chris' spearmen falling back, the Blue Lugal moves up to plug the gap and take on the enemy car.  David's car loses the exchange and veers off in retreat.  Blue Lugal pursues.  The Lugal's pursuit carries into the path of Tony's battle car.  Hit from behind, Tony does not have much of a chance.  His car routs away with Chris in pursuit.  Cutting a wide swath through the enemy's battle line, Chris and his Lugal pursue deep into the enemy's rear, scattering skirmishers as he goes.  Blue Army's deep penetration into the enemy has split Red Army's line.  These vigorous actions bring the two Army Breakpoint clocks back into balance.  The problem for both armies now is that both teeter near the breaking point.
Blue Lugal counterattacks!
Tony's car is destroyed as Chris' Lugal rampages on.
Tony caught from behind!
Breaking through, the enemy backfield is open.
The Red Army's battle line is split!
Sensing the time is right, Mark brings his heavy spear block forward to engage the enemy.  In the melee, Tony's spear block is cut down to half size.  The loss of those men is just enough to break the Red Army.  Victory to Chris, Mark, and the Blue Army! 
Mark delivers the coup de grace!
What a bloody and very exciting battle!

While this was the first game for these fellas to try their hands at running battle cars and Sumerian armies, tactics evolved as the battle wore on.  I reckon they all have a much better idea of how to handle these unwieldy cars when we next return to this period.     

Again, the battle saw much ebb and flow throughout with victory only settled with Mark's final attack in a spear-on-spear fight to the death.  Watching the players jockey for position while bringing their battle cars into the fight was tremendous fun.  Attempting to extricate the cars from harm was even more fun to watch.  Play was fast and furious with the contest lasting about two-and-a-half hours.

My condolences to David and Tony in defeat but, really, everyone played an excellent game. 

Good fun and thank you!

58 comments:

  1. Sure does look like a lot a fun, Jonathan. Wish it was
    Sum(m)er time here...it's been cold and wet the last couple of days!

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    1. It sure was fun! No chilly weather here. Probably near record highs this coming week.

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  2. Another good looking run out for the Sumerians Jon 👍

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    1. Thanks, Matt! The game produced another dynamic fight.

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  3. "Sumer breeze, makes me feel fine..
    Blowing through those chariots in my mind....."

    Sounds like finely balanced game......

    Neil

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    1. I like it! I certainly have not heard Seals & Crofts in a very, very long time.

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  4. Another interesting report and a very enjoyable one too, the battle cars seem to take some getting used to but can create a fair bit of mayhem and destruction!

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    1. Glad you found the account both interesting and enjoyable! The battle cars are fun to watch in action.

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  5. Looks like a lot of action in that game, Jonathan.

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  6. A very fun read and of course lovely looking game Jonathan!

    Christopher

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  7. This really is such an attractive looking collection Jon, particularly the battle cars!
    They do seem to be a weapon that takes some thought on how best to employ them, but can be pretty devastating if things go well!

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    1. Thanks, Keith! I am fond of this collection as well. The battle cars add an extra dynamic into the game and provide many a tense moment.

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  8. Another great looking game Jonathan

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  9. A very dynamic game there, most entertaining.



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  10. Yet another exemplary battle report on a fascinating era. Seems more "Biblical" than "Age of the chariot" (since the mounted combat platforms are called "battle cars").

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    1. Ed, you are most kind. I think of this period as pre-Biblical or proto-chariot.

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  11. Great looking game and fun report Jonathan!
    Once I read that "Tony was caught from behind!" I knew that he was buggered 😂

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    1. Thank you very much! Watching the battle unfold was quite fun. Tony made note that his battle car performed below expectations.

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  12. That certainly seemed to be a close game which could have gone either way. I really must give Basic Impetus a look through.

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    1. The game was very close, with first one army ahead of the curve before falling back behind the curve. I recommend BI for a good, quick game.

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  13. Bloody and exciting: just what we want from our games! I just wish we could get some of your Summer weather here as it's cool and wet yet again:(. At least it will speed up my 1:1 painting schedule!

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    1. Exactly what I want to see on the table especially if fortunes can turn the game around in a flash. I wish I could send some of our heat your way!

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  14. Another close match and final victory to the same side as before. I enjoyed the report and seeing this action unfold again.
    Were these the events that persuaded Abraham's father that it was time to leave Ur?
    Stephen

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    1. Glad you enjoyed the report, Stephen! It was another rip-roaring game with non-stop action. Perhaps these were the events contributing to the migration from Ur? Who can deny that they were not?

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  15. Really enjoyed this battle report. It would be fun to mix up this crew and the vwc crew for some games…
    Alan Tradgardland

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    1. Great! The game was another exciting contest enhanced by the players' responses and interactions. We can mix the different groups up in another sometime. We have done it once before, remember?

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  16. The battle cars are a bit like firing off a missile - you have to choose the right moment and the right position to do it from. My moment never really came in this game (apart from the very end) but Chris Tony and Dave sure provided plenty of entertainment to make up for that. I really enjoy playing this period.

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    1. Mark, running battle cars around the battlefield is great fun to watch. I enjoy playing this period too since the action is so dynamic. We will have another round soon with a different scenario.

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    2. Chris was fighting us both pretty successfully single-handed - sorry you weren't able to get into action so much! It was an interesting game - and great fun.

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    3. I still give Mark credit for delivering the coup de grace.

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  17. The battle report is dramatic and gives a good overview on the occurrences of the day. Nice job once again on the AAR. I have no experience with chariots/battle cars but could follow the flow well.

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    1. Joe, happy to see that the report produces a reasonable representation of proto-chariot warfare. Doubly good to see that you could follow the BatRep!

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  18. Nice looking game. I too would struggle on an ancients battlefield in knowing what to do or when being unfamiliar with the whole genre.
    You’d have to explain everything as something else. 😀

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    1. Thanks, Stew! I am sure you would catch on quickly and would soon be driving your battle cars willy-nilly across the battlefield.

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  19. I haven't been online in a while- and getting back to reading blogs- it doesn't get better then Sumerians! Love your collection and great AAR.

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  20. Another splendid taste of Sumer Jonathan…

    All the best. Aly

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  21. In the Sumer time, when the weather was high....that was a cracking game to take part in. Those battles carts are deadly but have the turning circle of a supertanker. Good to finally repay David for that rampaging run by his Romans. Not that I bear grudges. ;-)

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    1. Chris, this was a very fun game with plenty of action. Your rampage with your battle car cutting through the enemy line was a beautiful thing. Well, for you and mark, anyway! Good that you have evened the score with David.

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    2. all's fair in love and war... it was fun, even when Chris's battle cart was on the rampage!

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    3. All is fair in love and war, indeed.

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  22. Jonathan, another great post. I was contemplating Summerians but after seeing the work needed on those cloaks I am not so sure - buy I do love the carts. Richard

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    1. Thanks, Richard! The cloaks are easy to paint. Take it from me.

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  23. Just read the report, I didn't want to get any inside info for our game on Monday. Looks like it kinda went the same way. These rules are brutal!!

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    1. I am not sure that reading the BatReps beforehand would have offered up any inside information. With two evenly matched armies, you expect the battle to play out similarly. You all played a good game and it was fun to watch you come to grips with the battle cars.

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  24. Sorry I am rather late, but anyway many thanks Jon for another great game! Those Battle Carts are quite something - the rule regarding how they manoeuvre when 'bouncing off' enemy units after an unsuccessful charge gave everyone lots of think about and plenty of enjoyment. With equally-matched armies and no experience with the armies, we didn't really have anything worthy of being called a 'plan', it was all rather 'let's see how it goes', but that was still fun. The big charges were unleashed when players saw an opportunity, and the dice decided the outcomes... All great stuff, anyway!

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    1. Never too late, David! You were one of the protagonists. Glad you enjoyed the chaos of the game. I certainly thought it was a fun and exciting. Thanks for joining into the action. Learning that battle cars get into trouble easier than getting out is a vital lesson.

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  25. Finally I managed to look into the comments. I love the number of photos in your reports. The warfare of the period is not easy to research - but your armies are looking excellent.

    Please write if you have interest for more informations of Parma.

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    1. Thank you! When I get back to WAS and Parma, I will be sure to reach out. Thank you for the offer of help!

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  26. Wonderful reading! Love the period!

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