BatRep: Domyoji 1615 Game #2

On Thursday, I took to the Domyoji battlefield a second time at the head of the Osaka Clan.  My opponent this time was Peter from Grid based Game Wargaming blog.  Peter has already posted an excellent battle recap of our engagement.  Pop over to Peter's blog (Remote game report...) to read his account of the battle. Don't forget to return here! 

As a reminder, the armies drew up for battle as shown in the map below:

Initial deployments

Let's dive straight into the action to discover if I learned anything as Osaka Army CiC after my defeat to Richard (see BatRep: Battle among the Tombs).

Armies arrayed for battle.

The battle opens with Tokugawa (Peter) holding initiative.  Peter moves up Katsushige's Sonae on the right while lobbing arrows into the Osaka archers in the woods.  The archers are disordered from the volleys.  Tokugawa Center moves up to cover the flank of the Tokugawa Right advancing upon Emperor Ingyo's Tomb.

Armies advance.

Activating the Tokugawa Left, Peter cautiously advances Masamune to cover that flank.  Sensing an opportunity, the Osaka Right springs to life.  Kitigawa leads his foot Samurai in a charge into the enemy Ashigaru spearmen.  In the clash, the spearmen are thrown back suffering great losses.  Not wanting to pursue into an awaiting body of fresh foot Samurai, Kitigawa halts.  Wasting no time, Masamune's foot Samurai pitch into Kitigawa's disordered Samurai.  Kitigawa gives ground with Tokugawa Samurai following up in hot pursuit.  Unable to avoid the enemy pursuit, Kitigwa is caught and handled roughly a second time.  A retreat turns to rout as losses are very heavy for the Osaka Samurai.  

Kitigawa's Samurai attack...

and drive back the enemy.

Victory is fleeting.
Masamune's Samurai attack sending Kitgawa reeling back.

Masamune is not finished quite yet.  At the head of his Samurai cavalry, Masamune charges into Kitigawa's Teppo stationed at Ojin's Tomb.  The Teppo fail to get off a volley before the horsemen come crashing into them.  The Teppo are driven back as the horsemen thunder on.  Again, the unfortunate Teppo are caught and scattered by Masamune.  The entire Osaka Right has vanished!  

Masamune leads a charge...

forcing back the enemy.

In pursuit, the Osaka Teppo are vanquished!

Having seen his right quickly swept away, Osaka's CiC, Sanada, orders attacks in the center.  Ashigaru spear attack out of the battle line toward a body of enemy Ashigaru spear.  The enemy is driven back.  The Osaka spearmen do not pursue.  Near Emperor Ingyo's Tomb, on the Osaka Left, Katsushige leads his foot Samurai forward into the Osaka battle line.  Targeting Susukida's foot Samurai, Katsushige crashes into the enemy who are supported by spearmen while his Teppo soften up the enemy spearmen to his front.  Katsushige's attack is bloodily repulsed.  The Tokugawa are put to flight!  

Sanada's Ashigaru drive the enemy back!

Katsushige attacks...

Victorious only moments before in driving back the enemy, the body of Osaka spear finds itself somewhat isolated ahead of the main battle line.  Seizing this opportunity, the Tokugawa counterattack viciously.  Kitigawa's Ashigaru are driven back with great loss.  Tokugawa forces suffer mightily in the clash as well.  These Osaka Ashigaru are forced back upon their supports causing units behind to retire.  Being the only Kitigawa unit still combat effective, Ashigaru spearmen emerge from Emperor Ojin's Tomb to attack these, now wavering enemy Ashigaru. Tadaaki's Ashigaru fall back in the face of this attack.  Kitigawa's Ashigaru fail to pursue letting the wounded enemy slip away, again.   

and is bloodily repulsed while
Tadaaki's spearmen advance upon the exposed enemy.

Sanada's spearmen are drive back upon their supports.

Kitigawa attacks!

Having repulsed Katsushige's attack earlier, Susukida leads his own foot Samurai forward into battle against the now exposed right flank of Tadaaki's Teppo. Unable to stand up to the charging Samurai, the Teppo are put to flight.  Crashing back through their own lines, these Teppo carry away their supports.  Susukida chases the Teppo in hot pursuit.  Exhausted from their efforts, Susukida's Samurai are unable to extinguish the enemy.  Susukida retires to recover.  What an opportunity lost!  The battle lines are fracturing as combat begins to devolve into a series of local contests.

Susukida attacks driving the enemy before him...

but falls back having put the enemy to flight.

State of the battle.

With holes opening up on the Tokugawa Right, Sanada refocuses on the enemy units still holding the Tokugawa Center.  Susukida's Ashigaru advance to contact with the enemy.  Defeated in melee, the enemy turns about and heads for the Ishigawa River!  Again, the Osaka fail to pursue!  Come on, guys!

Osaka spearmen drive the enemy back!

To steady his center, Tadamasa leads his Samurai cavalry forward from the ford.  Their target? Susukida's now exposed Samurai foot.  In the initial clash, Susukida is forced to retire back to the Osaka battle line.  Under orders to not pursue the fleeing enemy, Tadamasa's cavalry obey.  

Tadamasa forces Susushige back!

Even with Susukida's Samurai driven back and the Tokugawa Center looking more stabilized, Osaka spearmen attack from near Ojin's tomb and into the enemy.  Already weakened from fighting before, Tadaaki's lead Ashigaru spear are scattered.  Following up in pursuit, Kitigawa's Ashigaru crash into the rear of a second Tadaaki Ashigaru.  These spearmen are, likewise, dispatched.  One more pursuit will take these twice victorious Ashigaru into the last of Tadaaki's fleeing Ashigaru who find themselves trapped against the river.  Alas, a clean sweep of the Tokugawa Center is not to be.  The Osaka spearmen fail to pursue.  Success here could have spelled victory for the Osaka! 

Kitigawa attacks...

and attacks but cannot put the final stake into Tokugawa heart.

Seeing his center disappear and his army disintegrating, Tadamasa takes matters into his own hands.  Charging into Susukida's Samurai, the Osaka Samurai are forced back.  Following up in pursuit, Susukida and his Samurai are destroyed.  With Susukida dead on the field, Sanada brings his Samurai cavalry forward to plug the gap.  His attack against Tadamasa is repulsed!  Tadamasa does not counterattack.  As Tadamasa gives his Samurai horsemen a breather to recover, Sanada strikes again!  For Sanada, the result is the same.  He and his horsemen are repulsed and put to flight.  This time, Tadamasa pursues.  His pursuit carries him into the rear of the nearby Teppo.  These Teppo have no chance.  They are cutdown from the threat to their rear.  The loss of these Teppo is enough to push the Osaka Army over the breaking point.  Victory to the Tokugawa and Peter!  History repeats, itself, again.    

Tadamasa charges and cuts down Susukida.

Sanada counterattacks and is repulsed...

State of the battle.

Sanada redoubles his effort, but the result is the same!

Tadamama's pursuit carries him into enemy Teppo.
Teppo are dispatched with ease.

Osaka breaks!
Tokugawa victory!

Congratulations, Peter, on an outstanding victory!  That was a much closer contest than the Army Breakpoint Clocks show.  A quick glance at the Butcher's Bill illustrates the closeness of battle.  Both armies saw one leader fall.  Great game and a most enjoyable and satisfying contest.

Butcher's Bill

What did I learn from replaying the scenario at the head of the Osaka Army a second time?  Well, perhaps, not much since I fell to the wily Tokugawa again!  Peter ripped apart my right in astonishingly quick fashion.  At that point, I figured this might be a quick game.  That result was not to be, however.  My Osaka turned the battle around by putting to flight a large part of the Tokugawa Left and Center.  I came close, very close to taking the Tokugawa Army to its breaking point.  Close but not close enough.  I also need to learn how to condense my battle reports like Peter has done!

This game was filled with tension and drama as was Game #1 with Richard.  I walk away convinced that the Osaka can win this battle.  They came very close this time.  Game duration was about two hours.

Thanks, Peter, for an excellent game!  Great fun!