Biblical Dry Run - Adding The Armies

BOTH players made a sketch map of where their forces - shown below - will be deployed.

My Egyptians

Chariots (Light, Bow, Elite) x 3

Bows (Close-Order Archers, Light Armour, Average) x 2

Spearmen (Biblical Infantry, Light Armour, Average) x 1

Marine Spearmen (Biblical Infantry, Medium Armour, Average) x 1

Sherden (Auxiliary Infantry, Medium Armour, Elite) x 1

Reg's Hebrews

Simeonites and Ephraimites (Auxiliary Infantry, Light Armour, Elite) x 2

Benjaminites (Open-order Infantry, Sling, Light Armour, Average) x 2

Gadites and Issacharites (Open-Order Infantry, Javelin, Light Armour, Average) x 1

Other Tribes (Auxiliary Infantry, Light Armour, Average) x 3

It is at this point that the ambush part of the Early Hebrews' guerrilla-warfare rule comes into effect.

This allows the Hebrew commander to place two units of open-order infantry anywhere on the battlefield after all enemy troops have been deployed.

There is no guidance in Ancient & Medieval Wargaming as to how armies should be deployed, so we agreed a rule that all but open-order troops must be placed in the four central sectors making up each player's half of the battlefield.

That leaves a sector each side that can only have open-order troops at the start of the battle, and you may recall a sector measures 30.5cm across.

We also agreed units must start within 20cm of their side's long edge of the table.

Egyptian Setup

I decided both my units of archers would be well-placed on the hill, but with one facing right in case of an ambush being launched from that direction.

To their left I placed the ordinary spearmen, then the marine spears, the Sherden and finally the three units of chariots, with the Royal Squadron slightly pulled back, again to guard against a quick flank attack from ambush.

Looking at my Egyptians from the Hebrew side of the battlefield

Hebrew Setup

Reg placed his javelinmen in the rough going on the Hebrew left.

He also created two columns of auxiliaries, each behind one of the patches of rocky ground, with elite Simeonites/Ephraimites in the lead, followed by a unit of ordinary auxiliaries, with the other unit of ordinary auxiliaries connecting the columns.

My Egyptian view of the Hebrews, but there is no sign of the Benjaminite slingers

With the main deployment complete, Reg now placed his two units of Benjaminites on the edge of the areas of rocky ground.

Battlefield with both armies deployed

Close-up of where the action is likely to be

We diced to see who would go first, and Reg won 4-3.

As usual I will write up the battle turn by turn.

Biblical Dry Run - Forming The Battlefield

The section of Neil Thomas's biblical rules dedicated to difficult terrain states: "Ancient battles generally involved no more than three types of terrain; specifically hills, rivers and woods."

Thomas later says of terrain: "I would suggest that the battlefield contain no more than three pieces, which can be made up of hills or rivers."

However, in the battle he writes up to illustrate the biblical rules, a refight of the famous clash between Egyptians and Hittites at Kadesh, he includes two rivers, a wood, a city and a fortified camp.

The situation is further complicated by my using a table 6ft x 2ft 6in (183cm x 76cm), which is far bigger than needed for the size of forces involved, but has the advantage of virtually ruling out side-of-table effects interfering with the battle.

My opponent and I have decided that for this battle we will use a modified form of my original Random Terrain Generator, described in my blog in March 2016.

That was designed for battles in mid-18th century Europe, while the following is for the ancient Middle East.

1. Mentally divide the table into 12 sectors, ie two rows of six, each 12in x 15in (30.5cm x 38cm).

2. Roll a die for each sector, a 5 or 6 indicating a terrain piece.

3. If a terrain piece is indicated, roll again: 1-hill, 2-wadi or water feature (usually a stream/river or oasis), 3-trees, 4-rough ground or building(s), 5-Player A's choice, 6-Player's B choice.
If the exact nature and size of the feature cannot be agreed by the players, more dicing will be necessary. This is also a good way to decide the route followed across the table by a river or wadi, which is a riverbed that is dry, except in the rainy season.
Note that on average a battlefield generated under this system will have four terrain features, but a wadi, for example, might well run through several sectors, while still counting as a single feature.

Naturally, with a an army dominated by chariots, I will be hoping for a largely open battlefield, while my opponent will doubtless want as many terrain features as possible, since all his troops are either auxiliaries or open-order infantry.

We started with the top lefthand corner of the battlefield, where a 5 was rolled, followed by another 5, meaning Player A's choice. We had agreed that Player A was me, and so I chose to leave the sector empty.

In sector two a 6 was rolled, followed, coincidentally, by another 6, giving Reg the choice, and he went for a river.

Subsequent dice throws showed the river bubbling above ground in sector two, before exiting the battlefield via sector one.*

Sectors three and four had no terrain features, but in sector five a 5 followed by a 4 showed rough ground or building(s). We fairly quickly agreed on a patch of rough ground.

Sector six turned out to be featureless, as did all of the bottom row, except for sector 11, where a 5 was rolled, followed by a 1, ie a hill.

The battlefield - looking fairly open

However, the Early Hebrews have a special rule called guerrilla warfare.

Thomas explains: "The Israelites specialised in luring the enemy into unfavourable terrain, where they could be ambushed."

Part one of this rule - I will come to part two later - allows the Hebrew commander to place two pieces of rocky terrain anywhere on the battlefield.

Reg has placed one piece of rocky terrain as an extension of the rocks at the source of the stream/river, and the second between there and the rough ground

Clearly the rules in Ancient & Medieval Wargaming are not intended for 'serious' tournaments - there has to be fairplay between the players, and a quite a bit of sporting give-and-take.

*Here's how we decided that. The first die landed 4, meaning the river flowed left (looking from the near long-edge) to sector one, then a 1 meant it flowed up to leave the battlefield. We then went back to the starting point and rolled again: a 1 would have meant up the table, a 2 would have meant it flowed right into sector 3, a 3 would have meant it flowed down into sector 8, and a 4 would have meant a tributary joined the river from the left. When the die landed 5 or 6, we rolled again, but if that happened three times in a row, it meant the river stopped at that point, which is why we ended with a battlefield containing the source of a river.

Biblical Dry Run - Egyptians v Hebrews

MY 10mm biblical project is very much a long-term one, but having made some progress with painting figures, it is time to get models onto the battlefield.

Accordingly my regular wargaming opponent and I will be matching my New Kingdom Egyptians against my Early Hebrews.

We will be using Neil Thomas's rules, unmodified, from Ancient & Medieval Wargaming.

My Egyptians - three units of chariots, one of Sherden, three of ordinary spearmen, one of marine spearmen, one of marine archers and one of ordinary archers

The bases are the recommended 40mm x 20mm, with each unit consisting of four bases.

But because I am using 10mm figures, rather than 15-20mm, the number of figures per base varies from those recommended in the rules, except for chariotry, which remains at one chariot per base.

Troops                                                                                           Figures per base

Close-Order* Infantry, Biblical Infantry, Close-Order Archers            6

Auxiliary Infantry, Close-Order Cavalry                                             4

Open-Order* Infantry, Open-Order Cavalry                                       3

Chariots                                                                                             1

*Thomas uses the terms Heavy and Light, but I prefer Close-Order and Open-Order as some troops he classifies as Heavy had light armour, despite fighting in close-order, eg Egyptian regular archers. 

Armies in Ancient & Medieval Wargaming consist of eight units, chosen from a list.

Egyptian List

Unit                                                                                                        Number

Chariots (Light, Bow, Elite)                                                                      1-3

Spearmen (Biblical Infantry, Light Armour, Average)                              2-4

Archers (Close-Order Infantry, Light Armour, Average)                          1-2

Sherden (Auxiliary Infantry, Medium Armour, Elite)                                0-1

One unit of spearmen may be upgraded to medium armour.

My Hebrews - two units of Gadite and Issachar javelins, two-and-a-half units of chariots, six units of auxiliary infantry and two units of Benjaminite slingers

Early Hebrew List

Unit                                                                                                                                   Number

Simeonites and Ephraimites (Auxiliary Infantry, Light Armour, Elite)                                1-2

Gadites and Issacharites (Open-Order Infantry, Javelin, Light Armour, Average)             1-2

Benjaminites (Open-order Infantry, Sling, Light Armour, Average)                                    1-2

Other Seven Tribes (Auxiliary Infantry, Light Armour, Average)                                        2-4

Chariots only become available to the Hebrew general from the time of King Solomon.

But we want to field an earlier army in order to use the special guerrilla-warfare rules - more about these later.

The two armies face off before the generals make their selections

As the guest, my regular wargaming opponent (he does not want his name used on this blog, so I will refer to him, if it becomes necessary to use a name, as Reg) gets to pick which army he will command, and he has made the interesting choice of the Hebrews.

We do not know what the terrain will be, except that Hebrews, under the guerrilla-warfare rules, will be able to add two pieces of rocky terrain.

Therefore in my army I am including Sherden, who are the Egyptians' only auxiliary option, as auxiliaries are not affected by rough ground.

My full army: three units of chariots, two of archers, two of spearmen (one formed of marines wearing medium armour) and one of Sherden.

We agreed we would make our choices secretly, and reveal them together.

Reg has gone for the Simeonites and Ephraimites, who form two units of elite auxiliary infantry, Gadite javelinmen, two units of Benjaminite slingers and three units from the other seven tribes, ie average auxiliary infantry.

Felt Right

WALKED to Greenwich yesterday to buy yellow felt from a Hobbycraft store, the idea being to cut it into strips when a wadi (seasonal dry riverbed) is needed for desert terrain.

According to Google Maps, the distance from my home to the shop is 6.7 miles, which made for quite a walk there and back, especially as I managed to get semi-lost on the way.

But I am glad I did walk it, rather than using public transport, not least because after passing through the Greenwich under-Thames foot tunnel (not recommended for claustrophobes), I came upon a branch of Oxfam that I am fairly sure I have not visited before.

It proved to contain quite a treasure trove of secondhand books, but I stopped looking after buying two as my backpack was already fairly heavy.

One book is DH Lawrence's account of various travels in Italy, which was on my long-list of tomes to get.

The other was an impulse buy, The Men Of The North - The Britons Of Southern Scotland, by historian and archaeologist Tim Clarkson.

While many members of the general British public will have heard of the Picts, and most will know at least something of the Vikings, few will realise that the Scoti, after whom north Britain was renamed, came from Ireland.

Fewer still, I imagine, will be aware that Strathclyde was home to people who spoke a form of Old Welsh, and so were more closely related to the Celts of Wales than to the other peoples of north Britain.

Clarkson's book is about the Celtic kingdom of Strathclyde, and other northern political entities of the Ancient Britons.

I am expecting these to make a great pair of entertaining reads

Border Interests

COLIN Thubron's The Amur River - Between Russia And China received high praise from people who should know.

"Top Form - full of insights," was the verdict of Monty Python performer-turned travel writer Michael Palin, while travel writer-turned historian William Dalrymple called the book, published in 2021, "a masterpiece."

Travels on a border separating two historical superpowers

I would not argue with those assessments, and indeed believe the book is up there with Thubron's other classics, Mirror To Damascus, The Hills Of Adonis, Journey Into Cyprus, Among The Russians, Behind The Wall: A Journey Through China, The Silk Road: Beyond The Celestial Kingdom, In Siberia and Shadow Of The Silk Road.
A discordant note on The Amur River was struck by The New York Times, which accused Thubron of failing to make "connections of any sort between the world through which he travels and the one in which we live as if the places he explores exist on some other planet."
But that surely misses the point that readers are quite capable of making their own connections, without having them spoonfed or being told how to think.

By the way, Thurbon fans might spot a glaring omission from my list of his classic travel writings - 2011's To A Mountain In Tibet.

I have seen it in bookshops many times, but somehow mistakenly thought I had it.

Having checked my shelves, I find that is not the case, so writing this short review has helped me in that I have remedied the situation by ordering a copy through Amazon.

Summing Up The Battle Of Columbeira In 3D

NOW I know what it feels like to be on the winning side of a virtual walkover.

To claim victory with two rounds to spare is very unusual for Battles Of Napoleonic Europe - certainly in my experience, although in my first playthrough of this battle I won with a turn to spare, which also is not exactly common.

Part of the success was down to my plan of seizing the largest hill as part of a strong right-hook, and was also due to concentrating my troops in as few activation areas as possible, making command-and-control relatively easy.

But I have to concede I had far more than my share of luck when it came to dice throwing, particularly in nearly always being able to activate a large proportion of my troops.

My score after three 3D scenarios is 3-0 in my favour. At the same stage of my first run-through, using the book's maps and counters, I was winning 2-1.

Battle Of Columbeira In 3D - Turn Eight

Map

Situation at the start of turn eight

My three activation dice land 5, 3 and 1. I reroll the 5 and 1, getting wildcard 6 and 4 - more than enough to activate my whole army.

In area 3 my forward infantry fire at the artillery, the three dice increased for being next to Sir Arthur Wellesley, and I roll 5, 4 and two 2s, eliminating the one-strength enemy. My rearward infantry advance diagonally left and fire at the French in square. The four dice are decreased for shooting after moving, and for attacking from a stream hex, but increased for the target being in square. I roll 6, 3 and 1, inflicting one hit. My cavalry in area 3, taking care not to become engaged with the French in square, charge the one-strength enemy infantry, rolling 6, 5, two 4s, 3 and 2, eliminating the French unit.

In area 4 Wellesley advances in order to support the area-4 cavalry when they charge the solitary remaining French unit. Their six dice are increased for being on higher ground and for being next to the commander, but decreased by three for the enemy being in square. I roll four 6s and 3, emphatically bringing the battle to a close.

Battle Of Columbeira In 3D - Turn Seven

Map

Situation at the start of turn seven

My three activation dice land 5, 2 and 1. I reroll all three dice, as I am very keen to get a 4, which I do - along with two wildcard 6s! I turn the 6s into 5 and 3, meaning my whole army can be activated.

In area 3 my infantry fire at the French artillery, but roll 3 and two 1s.

In area 4 my lefthand cavalry climb the ridge and charge the guns, the four dice increased for being on higher ground. I roll 6, 4, 3, 2 and 1, destroying a base, but the survivors do not retreat as they are supported by General Delaborde (perhaps I should have attacked him first with my other cavalry, but on the other hand I do not want the French artillery falling back so as to be further from my infantry units). My forward infantry in area 4 advance diagonally left and fire at the right-flank French foot, the four dice decreased for shooting after moving and for attacking while in a stream hex. However I roll 6 and 5, reducing the enemy unit to one-strength. Sir Arthur Wellesley advances one hex diagonally left, so that when my other cavalry in area 4 climb the ridge and charge General Delaborde, Wellesley can give support. That means the cavalry's four dice are increased to 5, and I roll two 6s, two 4s and 1, killing the French commander. My two-strength infantry in area 4 enter Columbeira.

In area 5 both infantry units advance diagonally left.

Normal service has been resumed, with Allied troops advancing and inflicting mayhem

The AI's four activation dice land 6, two 5s and 1. A 5 is rerolled, but not wildcard 6 as the French no longer have their commander. The rerolled 5 becomes another 3.

The French have no troops in areas 1 and 5, but in area 3 the artillery fire at the cavalry riding them down, as it were, the two dice being doubled for shooting at short range. The dice land a miserable 4, 2 and two 1s, and even the retreat result of the 4 is cancelled as the horsemen are adjacent to Sir Arthur Wellesley. The infantry in square want to fire, but cannot do so as their line-of-sight to my cavalry units is blocked, either by the plateau effect of high ground or by friendly troops (the French artillery).

Battle Of Columbeira In 3D - Turn Six

Map

Situation after five turns

My three activation dice land 3 and two 2s. I reroll the 2s, getting 5 and another 3.

Both infantry units in area 5 advance a hex.

In area 3 the infantry fire at the French artillery, rolling 4 and two 2s, but the retreat die is nullified by the guns being next to General Delaborde. I then take a risk with my artillery, advancing them diagonally left into the stream.

The Allied momentum has slowed considerably

The AI's four activation dice land 5, 3 and two 1s. A 1 is rerolled, but becomes another 5.

The French have no troops in areas 1 and 5, but in area 3 their artillery fires at my artillery, the two dice being doubled to four for shooting at short range. The dice land 6, two 5s and 1, easily eliminating my unit, whose men pay the price for my rashness in sending them on a 'suicide' mission. General Delaborde rolls a 4, but cannot move to a hex that is next to more friendly units than the hex on which he currently stands. The infantry in area 3 remain in square.

Losing my artillery in the manner that I did is somewhat embarrassing, but the guns were not well-placed to contribute to the battle, and with any luck the French artillery will soon suffer a similar fate

Battle Of Columbeira In 3D - Halfway Verdict

Map

Situation after five turns

The two sides have had starkly contrasting fortunes.

All my units are still on the battlefield, with only one infantry unit suffering the loss of a base.

The French are down to General Delaborde, two units of infantry and one of artillery.

Clearly the odds look massively against the French, although to win I have to eliminate all four surviving enemy units within the next five turns.

How the battle looked after five turns in my first playthrough (green beads mark those French units in square)

At the halfway point in my first playthrough I had lost a unit of infantry, and one of my cavalry units was reduced to two-strength.

The French had five units left, including the commander, although no cavalry or artillery.

I won that battle with a turn to spare, so in my second playthrough, as vlogger Quill18 is wont to say: "What could possibly go wrong?"

Battle Of Columbeira In 3D - Turn Five

Map

Situation at the start of turn five

My activation dice are 3 and two 1s. I reroll the 1s, having the good fortune to get 5 and 4, meaning my whole army can be activated.

In area 3 I advance the artillery.

In area 4 the infantry in Columbeira fire at the French in square, the four dice increased thanks to the enemy's formation. I roll 6, 5, 4, 3 and 2, destroying the target. My rearward infantry advance diagonally left, but I leave the other infantry where they are so as not to get in the way of my cavalry.

In area 5 both cavalry units swing two hexes diagonally left, into the stream, and are followed by Sir Arthur Wellesley. Both infantry units advance.

The French commander suddenly looks vulnerable

The AI's four activation dice land 6, two 4s and 1. Wildcard 6 and a 4 are rerolled, becoming 3 and 2, meaning all French troops can be activated.

In area 2 the infantry roll 6, at last leaving their position and advancing off the hill.

In area 3 the French artillery do not have a target in line-of-sight (guns can only fire along a direct line of hexes, rather than having a continuous arc), and so roll 3, which has no effect. Because Allied cavalry are within three hexes, the infantry form square.

In area 4 General Delaborde rolls 2, which only has an effect after turn six.

Halfway through the battle, and the Allies are rampant

Battle Of Columbeira In 3D - Turn Four

Map

Situation at the start of turn four

My activation dice land 6, 4 and 1. I reroll the 1, but get another 1, and I turn wildcard 6 into a 5.

I start in area 5 by sending my rearward cavalry to charge the nearest French infantry, who may have thought they were safe on high ground. I make them pay for not forming square by rolling 6, two 5s, 4, 3 and 1, eliminating the enemy unit. My forward cavalry charge the one-strength French infantry, who have formed square, which decreases the six dice to three. Nevertheless I roll 6, 5 and 1, and another enemy unit is destroyed. Also in area 5 the Allied infantry units each advance a hex, and Sir Arthur Wellesley advances two hexes to keep up with his cavalry.

In area 4 the middle infantry enter the village and fire at the French directly ahead, the four dice decreased for shooting after moving, and I roll a miserable 2 and two 1s. My two-strength infantry fire at the same target, rolling 5 and two 1s, scoring a hit. My rearward infantry advance diagonally left to the outskirts of Columbeira.

My right hook is having success

The AI's activation dice land 5, 4, 2 and 1.

There are no troops in area 1, and in area 2 the infantry roll 1, which has no effect in this scenario,

In area 4 the two-strength infantry form square and shoot at the nearest Allied cavalry (they prefer shooting at cavalry, rather than infantry, when in square), their two dice decreased for moving. They roll 4, causing my unit to fall back a hex. General Delaborde rolls 4, moving diagonally across the middle hill so he is next to three friendly units.

There are no French troops in area 5, so that activation die is wasted.

End of turn, with the French down to five units, including the commander

Battle Of Columbeira In 3D - Turn Three

Map

Situation at the start of turn three

My three activation dice land 4, 2 and 1. I reroll the 2 and 1, but get a pair of 1s.

In area 4 my second-furthest forward infantry fire at the French cavalry, rolling 5 and two 4s, just enough to destroy the enemy unit's final base. The furthest forward infantry enter Columbeira and fire at the enemy diagonally to their right. The four dice are decreased for shooting after moving, but I roll 6, 5 and 2, reducing the enemy to one-strength. The third unit of Allied infantry advances to the edge of the village, and the fourth unit advances diagonally right.

My activation dice were poor, but I have still made progress

The AI's activation dice are two 4s and two 2s. One of each pair is rerolled, becoming two 5s.

In area 2 the infantry roll 3 - no effect, because they already occupy high ground.

In area 4 the infantry cannot immediately fire at my men in Columbeira, thanks to the plateau effect of high ground. Instead they roll 4, advancing to the edge of the hill, from where they can shoot. Their four dice are decreased for firing after moving, and for the target being in cover, but they roll 6 and 4, destroying one base and forcing the survivors to withdraw from the village. They cannot fallback straight, so I choose for them to drop diagonally to their right. General Delaborde rolls 1, which has no effect if thrown before turn seven.

In area 5 the one-strength infantry have to form square as there are Allied cavalry within three hexes, even though the plateau effect of high ground means they cannot shoot at the horsemen. However they can shoot at my furthest forward infantry, although their two dice are decreased for moving, but increased for being on higher ground, and they roll a worthless pair of 3s. The other infantry roll 5, advancing a hex.

The French have had little success so far, but remember they win if they have any troops left on the battlefield at the end of turn 10

Battle Of Columbeira In 3D - Turn Two

Map

Situation at the start of turn two

My three activation dice land 5, 3 and 2. I reroll the 2, which becomes wildcard 6, so by changing it to a 4 I can activate my whole army.

I start in area 4 by advancing the forward infantry, who then fire at the French cavalry, the 3 dice reduced for firing after moving. I roll 6 and 2, causing the enemy to lose a base. The middle infantry also advance and fire at the same target, rolling 6 and 1, meaning the cavalry lose a second base. The rearward infantry advance diagonally into Oak Wood.

In area 3 the infantry advance diagonally right, while the artillery advance straight forward.

In area 5, both Allied cavalry units advance two hexes, as does Sir Arthur Wellesley, while the infantry advance their maximum distance of one hex.

After the Allied half-turn

The AI's activation dice are two 6s and two 5s. All but one 5 are rerolled, becoming 2, 4 and another 5.

In area 2 the infantry roll 3, but in this scenario rolls of 2 and 3 by French infantry only have an effect if the unit is not on high ground.

In area 4 the infantry roll 2, with the same non-effect. General Delaborde rolls 4, which means he stays where he is as he cannot advance to a hex where he is adjacent to more friendly units.

In area 5 the cavalry roll 3, but that only has an effect after turn two - more hesitation by the French! The forward infantry roll 6, advancing a hex, and the same result occurs for the rearward infantry.

The French cavalry's hesitation is likely to cost them dear - more dear, that is, than they have already suffered

Battle Of Columbeira In 3D - Turn One

Map

Battlefield

My three activation dice are two 4s and 3. I reroll a 4, but get another 4.

In area 3 I advance my infantry diagonally right so they are no longer in line-of-sight of the French artillery.

In area 4 I advance all three infantry units.

The AI's four activation dice land 6, two 4s and 1. The 6 and a 4 are rerolled, but become 4 and 1.

There are no French troops in area 1, but in area 4 the infantry roll a 3, which only has an effect if the unit is not already on high ground. General Delaborde rolls a 2, which only has an effect from turn seven.

End of turn - a quiet one in which the Allies have slowly advanced most of their infantry, while the French have stood pat

Battle Of Columbeira In 3D

AT the real Battle of Roliça in 1808 the French commander, General Henri François Delaborde, prepared a second position south of the village of Columbeira.

The idea was to fight a delaying action at Roliça, and then make the main stand on high ground behind Columbeira.

To a certain extent this is what happened, and the two actions are usually treated as one battle, as indeed does Mike Lambo in devising his scenarios for Battles Of Napoleonic Europe.

Scenarios one and two cover the first action, from the Anglo-Portuguese and French perspectives, with scenarios three and four depicting the second action, again from both sides' perspective.

For the sake of convenience, and to reduce possible confusion, I have renamed the second action the Battle of Columbeiro. but I will be fighting it as per the book.

Map for scenario three, where the human commands the Allied troops, which start below the red dashed line

Map converted to my Hexon II battlefield

I have composed the three woods or copses of different trees, so I can refer to them as Three Fir Wood, Big Fir Wood and (right) Oak Wood.

The human, in addition to Sir Arthur Wellesley, receives five units of infantry, two of cavalry and one of artillery.

To win I have to destroy the whole French army, which in the scenario is almost as strong as mine, before the end of turn 10.

I have opted for a strong right hook, my plan being to conquer the main hill and roll up the French army from there

The AI, in addition to General Delaborde, receives five units of infantry and one each of cavalry and artillery.

The AI's setup is semi-randomised, but it too has concentrated troops on the flank with the largest area of high ground

Here is how we setup when I first fought the scenario, using the book's map and counters.

The biggest difference is that in the 3D version I have favoured the right hook much more strongly

In the original playthrough I won what I called "a fairly crushing victory with a turn to spare," although I conceded that the AI "was hampered by bad dice throwing at the crucial activation stage of many turns."

It is nice being gracious in victory - I hope this time I do not have to be generous in defeat.

As usual I will write up the battle turn by turn.

Hoping For A Hat-Trick

I RECENTLY finished reading another great find in a charity shop, Peter Fleming's News From Tartary.

If the author's name sounds vaguely familiar, it is because he was the elder brother of James Bond writer Ian Fleming.

£2.25 from a branch (cannot recall which) of Oxfam

The book tells of Times correspondent Peter Fleming's 3,500-mile journey in 1935 from Peking, as the Chinese city was then known in the West, to Kashmir, accompanied by a female Swiss travel writer-photographer.

Fleming's account is very much a piece of travel writing, but the region they passed through was experiencing turbulent times, not least thanks to what was then a confident Soviet Union and its agents, so there is plenty to interest anyone with an interest in (recent) history.

I enjoyed the book so much that writing this mini-review has prompted me to order two more Fleming travel books via Amazon: Brazilian Adventure, about his part in searching for a missing British adventurer, and One's Company, Fleming's account of traveling to China for The Times.

They have cost me rather more than £2.25, but I have high hopes of another two enjoyable reads.

Summing Up My French Playthrough Of Roliça In 3D -

Another exciting and fluctuating game, the outcome perhaps hinging on the AI's general, Sir Arthur Wellesley, impetuously putting himself in harm's way while encouraging his men to push home their attack.

When he was killed by my sadly depleted, but brave, sharpshooters, who were defending the objective hex, it meant the Allied army no longer had a unit that could move two hexes in a single turn, and that 6s thrown for activation areas would no longer be rerolled.

That proved hugely important in turn nine, when the AI rolled two such 6s and could not move the only Allied unit that might have reached the all-important hex.

In this series I now lead the AI 2-0, whereas at the same stage of my first playthrough of Battles Of Napoleonic Europe we were tied 1-1 - perhaps I am getting the hang of this generalship business!

Roliça In 3D - French Playthrough: Turn Nine

Map

Situation at the start of turn nine

My three activation dice are 5 and two 2s. I reroll a 2 and the 5, getting 1 and wildcard 6, which I turn into a 3.

In area 2 I move General Delaborde forward diagonally right, and then onto the ridge, from where he is exposed but can support my infantry and my cavalry, the latter charging the Allied infantry in the copse. The four dice - my unit is one-strength - are increased for being next to the commander. but decreased for the target being in cover. The gamble seems to have failed, as I roll 4, two 3s and 1, merely pushing the infantry back a hex.

In area 3 my one-strength infantry fire at the Allied infantry straight ahead, the two dice being increased for being on higher ground and for being next to the commander. I roll two 6s, 4 and 2, eliminating the enemy unit.

Only one Allied unit can possibly occupy the objective hex in the two half-turns left to the AI, and to do so it must mount the ridge this half-turn

The AI's activation dice are two 6s, 3 and 2. Since the Allied commander is hors de combat, the wildcard 6s are not rerolled, and since the one Allied unit that can reach the objective hex (marked by a green bead and defended by my remaining infantry), is not in area 3 or 2, it cannot move, and therefore the objective hex cannot be captured by the end of turn 10, and so I have won.