Empire X

ONE thing I think we can all agree on is that games do not have to be complicated to be enjoyable, which is just as well when it comes to Richard Sabin's Empire.

It covers 200 years of ancient history around the Mediterranean in an era famous for what became known as the Macedonian and Punic Wars.

Four of us - myself, my regular miniatures opponent ('Reg') and two of our friends, who are mainly boardgamers, security consultant Richard Johnson and Andy, a serving officer in Britain's armed services - are about to play our 10th session of Empire
Here are the standings (four points for a win, three for coming second, etc) after the previous nine games.

ME

Game One: 3pts (Carthaginians)
Game Two: 3.5pts (Romans)
Game Three: 4pts (Persians)
Game Four: 1pt (Macedonians)

Game Five: 4pts (Persians/Parthians)

Game Six: 2pts (Carthaginians)

Game Seven: 3pts (Romans)

Game Eight: 1pt (Macedonians)

Game Nine: 3pts (Romans)
Total: 24.5pts

ANDY
Game One: 4pts (Macedonians)
Game Two: 3.5pts (Persians/Parthians)
Game Three: 3pts (Romans)
Game Four: 2.5pts (Carthaginians)

Game Five: 2pts (Romans)

Game Six: 4pts (Persians)

Game Seven: 1pt (Macedonians)

Game Eight: 3pts (Carthaginians)

Game Nine: 1pt (Persians/Parthians)
Total: 24pts

RICHARD JOHNSON
Game One: 2pts (Romans)
Game Two: 1pt (Macedonians)
Game Three: 2pts (Carthaginians)
Game Four: 2.5pts (Persians/Parthians)

Game Five: 1pt (Macedonians)

Game Six: 3pts (Romans)

Game Seven: 2pts (Carthaginians)

Game Eight: 4pts (Persians/Parthians)

Game Nine: 4pts (Macedonians)
Total: 21.5pts

REG

Game One: 1pt (Persians/Parthians)
Game Two: 2pts (Carthaginians)
Game Three: 1pt (Macedonians)
Game Four: 4pts (Romans)

Game Five: 3pts (Carthaginians)

Game Six: 1pt (Macedonians)

Game Seven: 4pts (Persians)

Game Eight: 2pts (Romans)

Game Nine: 2pts (Carthaginians)
Total: 20pts

SCORES BY PEOPLES
Persians/Parthians: 28pts

Romans: 25.5pts
Carthaginians: 21.5pts
Macedonians: 15pts

Since there are four peoples, we take it in turn to command each people through a cycle of four games.

This is the second game of the third cycle, and we will draw for peoples as usual, but with the proviso that no one can have the same people as in the last game.

The draw has resulted in me getting the Macedonians (might as well get them out of the way relatively early in the cycle!), Andy the Carthaginians, Reg the Romans, and Richard the Persians, who, depending on how history unfolds, may become Parthians later.

The starting position - as usual I will write up the game as we go along

More Canaanites

MY Pendraken order, as well as giving me enough figures for four units of Canaanite open-order javelinmen, has allowed me to create another unit of Canaanite biblical infantry.

As usual with my 10mm figures, they are best viewed from a distance

I now have six units of specifically Canaanite biblical infantry, and four of open-order javelinmen

Under Neil Thomas's biblical rules in Ancient & Medieval Wargaming, a Canaanite/Philistine army has 2-4 units of chariots (light, bow-armed, elite), 2-4 of spearmen (biblical infantry, light protection, levy), 2-4 units of skirmishers (javelinmen, light protection, open order, levy) and 0-1 of archers (light protection, open order, levy).

A Philistine army has an extra option: up to one unit of guards (biblical infantry, medium armour, average).

"The list is designed to cover states operating in what is now Israel, Palestine, Lebanon and Syria," Thomas states.

He adds: "It can also be used for the armies of the Mitanni, and even the Hammurabic Babylonian armies."

The latter get an addition to their list: 1-2 units of close-order archers (light protection, levy).

My biblical forces now total:

Close-order infantry 17

Open-order archers 15.5

Close-order archers 4

Chariots 12

Camels 9

Open-order slingers 6

Auxiliaries 7

Open-order javelinmen 7

Close-order cavalry 2

Open-order cavalry 12

Close-order infantry with spears and bows 3

Point Taken

WHILE carrying out my biblical stocktake a few weeks ago, I noticed I was somewhat short of open-order javelinmen, having just three units.

Since a Canaanite/Philistine army requires at least two such units under Neil Thomas's rules in Ancient & Medieval Wargaming, and can have as many as four, action was needed.

I accordingly sent an order to Pendraken, which, among its many virtues, is a fast turnaround.

Four new units of light javelinmen

They have joined units of close-order biblical infantry in the Canaanite box

Revised unit totals.

Close-order infantry 16

Open-order archers 15.5

Close-order archers 4

Chariots 12

Camels 9

Open-order slingers 6

Auxiliaries 7

Open-order javelinmen 7

Close-order cavalry 2

Open-order cavalry 12

Close-order infantry with spears and bows 3

More About The Mahdi

TWO years ago I read a book that I described as "remarkable," "brilliant" and "about as exciting as such a book can get."

That was Fire And Sword In The Sudan by Rudolf Slatin, an Austrian-born officer who, at the age of 21, was appointed governor of one of the Sudan's regions by General Charles Gordon.

Slatin had, to say the least, an eventful time, pretending to convert to Islam to inspire his troops, and eventually being captured by the so-called Mahdi, experiencing 11 years as a prisoner, before making a daring escape.

A year after that book I read Winston Churchill's The River War - An Historical Account Of The Reconquest Of The Soudan [sic].

As I pointed out, some of the early pages were familiar as they recapped much of Slatin's testimony, but nevertheless I found the book "mostly new, exciting and very entertaining."

And now I have completed a hattrick, thanks to Ten Years' Captivity In The Mahdi's Camp, 1882-1892, by Joseph Ohrwalder and Sir Francis Wingate.

Ohrwalder was an Austrian priest, captured by the Mahdists, who was helped to escape a decade later by Wingate, who held various positions with the Anglo-Egyptian authorities.

Wingate was instrumental in publishing Ohrwalder's account of his ordeal, for which the rest of us can be very grateful, for it is compelling reading.

Not just entertaining, but full of information abut the Mahdist forces - information that should prove useful to anyone interested in wargaming this period

I cannot claim I have ever had a particular interest in British involvement in Sudan (modern practice is to no longer call the country The Sudan, just as Ukraine is no longer called The Ukraine, and just as, surely, The Netherlands will one day be known simply as Netherlands).

In some ways I wish I were more interested, because these three books would make a great starting point for running a campaign.

Ohrwalder's gives much detail that he did not witness first-hand, but came to him from Mahdist troops and from the occasional friendly visitor - often a fellow captive.

But perhaps the most fascinating parts of the book are his tales of life as a prisoner, including how the atmosphere among the Mahdists changed as their fortunes in war rose and fell.

Boxing Clever

AS my collection of 10mm biblical troops grows, I have been looking for ways to store them.

Until recently I have been putting units into transparent plastic bags, and putting these into larger bags, labelled by people, eg Assyrian, Egyptian, Hebrew, etc.

Not a great look, even when, unlike here, tucked away under a table

Accordingly I have been look for a display cabinet or similar, where the miniatures could be on kept upright, not so much to have them on show, but rather to make them easier to access.

Ideally the cabinet would be a mix of glass and wood (or similar), so as to save on dusting - but trying to find what I wanted proved frustrating.

There are curio cabinets and the like, but they tend to be expensive, often require assembling, and, most importantly, are usually designed to hold items considerably taller than 10mm-scale figures.

Then recently, while walking home from Finchley, North London, I did my usual thing of popping into charity shops and into stores of the likes of Poundland and The Works.

Nine times out of 10, I do not find anything I want - actually, 99 times out of 100 is probably nearer the mark.

But on this occasion, in a Ryman, I saw a stack of coloured plastic boxes. They were not exactly what I wanted, but I investigated further at a Ryman nearer home, and then went on the internet.

Amazon, for once, proved very disappointing, my search cluttered with 'sponsored' results that had little or nothing to do with what I was hoping to find.

So I went online to Ryman, and there found a stack of 10 transparent plastic boxes, with internal dimensions of 340x215x75mm (13.4x8.5x3in).

They stack easily, and seem sturdy

The boxes are deeper than I need them be for my figures, although not, as it turns out, for associated stuff, such as buildings.

Egyptians - plenty of room for more recruits

Labelled, and with the lid on - still fairly easy to see what is inside

Hebrews - almost a box full

Midianites - a mix of camelry and open-order infantry

Assyrians - close-order infantry and cavalry

Hittites - including vassal chariotry

Elamites - all archers

Canaanites - definitely more to come

Javelin-armed cavalry - not a common sight in biblical-era armies, but will probably come in handy one day

The armies occupy eight of the 10 boxes

Taking the figures from their plastic bags revealed a few that needed regluing, but that should prove less necessary in future as the miniatures should no longer become entangled with each other.

I used one of the leftover boxes to house bridges and buildings (by no means all of which are suitable for an ancient battlefield)

The final box has odds and ends

The finished stack

Summing Up The Forest Road

ANOTHER exciting Mike Lambo battle, although in the end the victory was rather convincing, even if it was only confirmed in the last turn.

I was aided by lucky dice throws in the attack phase of turn XI, but it was in the movement phase of the turn that an "all-but-impossible" victory, as I described the situation at the end of turn X, became a likely triumph.

Some takes from this scenario:

1. I probably should have used the Roman discretion of buying specific units, even though they cost a little more, so as to have spearmen with which to counter the Dacian cavalry.

2. The AI, having five cavalry units - one short of the maximum allowed in any scenario - gave the battle a very different feel from the first scenario.

3. Perhaps I played too conservatively at first. But on the other hand the need early on was to survive the Dacian mounted onslaught.

4. Infantry move slowly, and I failed to properly take into consideration how my slow advance early on would leave all dismounted units struggling to reach the victory zone.

5. Units generally retreat rather than get destroyed, but this changes dramatically when units are surrounded, or are nearly so, and have no avenue of retreat, as the impetuous Dacian cavalry found to their cost.

My score against the AI is 2-0, and I am eagerly looking forward to fighting the third scenario in Commander - Romans v Dacians

The Forest Road - Turn XII

To win I must have at least three Roman units in the red-lined sector at the top of the map at the end of this turn

The start-of-turn-event die is a 4, which allows me to give any non-mounted Roman unit a bonus move, as long as it is in command range and unengaged. I move the Praetorians forward a hex.

I begin the movement-phase proper by advancing all archer units.

My rearward cavalry advance diagonally right, and then forward, entering the 'endzone', as do the Praetorians and the legionaries, and finally my commander, at which point I call a halt.

A Roman triumph

The Forest Road - Turn XI: Attack Phase

A lot rides on this half-turn

My extreme-right archers shoot at the Dacian archers, needing 7+, but with a -1 modifier, thanks to the Dacians being engaged with my leading cavalry. I roll exactly the 6 required, which destroys the enemy unit as its only possible retreat hex is adjacent to a Roman unit.

The archers next to my commander shoot at the Dacian cavalry straight ahead, needing 9+. I roll 11, sending the cavalry off the battlefield.

My archers in the trees, adjacent to the other Dacian cavalry, shoot at the horsemen, also needing 9+. There is a +1 modifier for being engaged, but a -1 for help from the Praetorians. I roll 11 again, destroying the cavalry as they have no hexes into which they can retreat.

Victory is assured, but I will play out the last turn just to be 100% certain

The Forest Road - Turn XI

Situation after 10 turns

The start-of-turn-event die lands as a 5, meaning I can swop any two adjacent units that are in command range and not engaged in combat. I take the chance to exchange my rearward cavalry with the left-flank archers.

I start the movement phase by advancing all three of my archer units. But the Dacian archers, with targets in range and line of sight, are happy to stay put.

My right-flank cavalry advance two hexes, and charge-attack the warriors, needing 6+. I roll 8, which forces the warriors off the map, and my men occupy the vacated hex, which just happens to be in the red-lined sector, inside of which I must have three Roman units at the end of the next turn.

My left-flank cavalry advance and charge-attack the right-flank Dacian cavalry, needing 8+, but with a -1 thanks to supporting legionaries. I again roll 8, which forces the enemy unit back to the edge of the battlefield, and I advance my men into the vacated hex.

The Dacians that just retreated advance one hex diagonally to their left.*

Next up are my legionaries, who advance a hex, and I send my commander leftwards into the big wood, but he can travel no further as entering trees ends his movement phase.

The falxmen want to withdraw diagonally to their left, which would take them off the battlefield, and units cannot do this voluntarily as it would eliminate them, so the falxmen remain where they are.

Victory is suddenly looking distinctly possible

*A rules-breach by me. Because the Dacian unit had already retreated this turn, it should not have been able to move.

The Forest Road - Turn X: Attack Phase

All of my units, except for the commander, have a target

I start with the right-flank archers, who shoot at their Dacian opposite numbers, requiring 7+, but I roll 4. I do not want to shoot with my other archers on the right, but the archers on the left shoot at the Dacian cavalry to their front, needing 9+, but with two -1 modifiers for supporting friends. I roll 2.

The Dacian archers shoot back at my right-flank archers, but roll 3.

My right-flank cavalry attack the warriors, needing 6+. There is a +1 for attacking into trees, but two -1s for help from friends, and I roll 6, forcing the warriors to retreat two hexes.

My left-flank cavalry attack the right-flank Dacian cavalry, needing 8+, but with a -1 modifier thanks to supporting legionaries. However, I roll 4.

The right-flank Dacian cavalry attack the legionaries, needing 7+, but with a -1 for attacking into trees, which makes all the difference as the dice total 7.

The left-flank Dacian cavalry attack my horsemen they are in contact with, the 8+ reduced by one, thanks to support from the other Dacian horsemen.. The AI rolls exactly 7, forcing my men back two hexes, which puts them four hexes from the red-lined sector at the top of the map.

The Praetorians counterattack the victorious Dacians, needing 8+, but roll 6, which is not enough despite a -1 modifier from the commander.

Finally, my legion attacks the other Dacian cavalry, needing 9+, but rolling 8.

With just two turns to go, victory looks all-but-impossible