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Scythians vs Early Medes

My son-in-law and I played two games of Triumph! using my 15mm Scythian and Early Medes armies.

Army Composition

The Scythian army had ten stands of Horsebow and two stands of Elite Cavalry, one of which was the General. The Medes had six Javelin Cavalry, five Light Foot, and one Skirmisher. The Light Foot were able to use the “Supporting Bowmen” battle card, which proved to be very useful against the Scythians.

Situation

The first battle was a Scythian invasion, but the Medes had the tactical advantage and were able to influence the terrain. I commanded the Medes and opted for as much terrain as possible in order to limit Scythian mobility. We ended up with a village, plowed field, and a stream. All these were towards the edges of the board.

The Scythian base edge is at the top of the photo. The Medes are at the bottom edge.



The Scythians set up with their main body in front of the Scythian camp. A column of two Horsebow was on the far side of the stream. The Medes set up with Javelin Cavalry on their left flank and infantry in the center.

The Plans

The Scythian plan was to advance in the center and try to break through the Median infantry while the column crossed the stream and attacked the enemy camp. The Median plan was to overwhelm the Scythian right flank using superior numbers of Javelin Cavalry.

The Battle



View from the Median left flank.



The Scythian main line.



Overview of the Median position showing the Fire Temple and atendant priest. And a LED-light fire in a brazier in the courtyard.



Scythian column on the far side of the stream.



View from behind the Scythian left flank.



The Scythian column with the blue walls of their objective in the distance.



The Scythian line; my son-in-law is always careful to keep a reserve, a habit which I should emulate more often.



The Elite Cavalry are in the center.



These figures are mostly Forged in Battle brand, with some conversions.



The Medes prepare to advance. The deployment photo at the beginning shows almost all the Mede cavalry on the left flank, but since the disadvantaged player gets to set up half his troops after the advantaged player, I actually had two stands (including the general) in reserve to deal with the Scythians who I knew would be crossing the stream.



The Scythian female archer beside the general is a conversion. The top half is from Lurkio and the rest is from Forged in Battle. I added two heads handing from the horse harness using Green Stuff and heads from Peter Pig.



The Scythians crosss the stream.



Both sides advance.



The Median reserve moves to counter the threat crosing the stream.



This is where the Medes plan to win the battle.



First contact, but no breakthrough thanks to the "Supporting Bowmen" battle card which gives the Light Foot and extra +1 versus mounted. At the cost of removing two Skirmisher stands at the beginning.



The stream crossing was uncontested. It would have been better to try to catch them crossing the stream.



Both figures on the Scythian stand on the right were converted to have severed heads in one hand.



The Mede infantry fight well againt the Horsebow, but I then realized the best they can hope for is to make the Scythians evade.



A fatal error is made; the Median general turns to help the infantry by moving to flank the isolated Horsebow.



The Median main effort fails to make headway.



The Scythians can't escape now, but unfortunately for the Medes the Scythians are facing Skirmishers and not the more capable Light Foot.



The Scythians chase away the Median Javelin cavalry and have a clear path to the camp.



The Scythians keep up the pressure in the center.



The Median camp is attacked by Scythian horsemen and quickly taken.



The priest flees the battlefield, closely pursued by the victorious Scythians. The priest is a converted Crom's Anvil figure (now sold by CP Models)

Conclusion

A very good game with plenty of action. I was unfamiliar with how Horsebow operate and was surpised to learn they evaded when "doubled" by Light Foot. I turned my general aside to assist the infantry, which cleared the path for the Scythians to take the camp. My son-in-law made good use of his troops and had a solid and well-executed plan.

Second Battle

We switched sides and played again using the same army composition. My son-in-law commanded the Medes and I took the Scythians.

The Medes had the advantage once again and set out the maximum amount of terrain, the most significant being a stream running perpendicular to the deployment areas and a village, steep hill, and plowed fields in the center. Another steep hill was on the Median base line and did not have any effect.

The Scythian maneuver advantage was significantly reduced by this layout. I did roll a “1” when rolling for tactical advantage and therefore had the option for a flank march, which I took. I set aside four units of Horsebow.

The Mede baseline is on the top in thse photos. The Scythian baseline is on the bottom edge.



Deployment

Most of the Median troops were set up in the center, intending to move past the village and plowed fields in order to keep the Scythians hemmed in. Three stands of Javelin Cavalry were set up beyond the stream.

The Scythians were set up with two stands of Horsebow beyond the stream facing the three Median Javelin Cavalry. The rest were in the center or off the board for the flank march. My plan was to hold back in the center and use my flank march troops to defeat the Median cavalry beyond the stream

The Battle



Mede infantry and cavalry prepare to advance past the village on both sides.



Three stands of Mede cavalry on the far side of the stream.



Rear view of the Median cavalry.



Rear view of the Median center, including the general.



The fire burns bright and pure at the temple. The Scythians will not near this place again!



The Medes beyond the stream are nervous; a large dust cloud is seen off to their right.



The Medes adavnce in the center, taking advantage of the restricted terrain.



The Scythian "general" moves towards the stream so he can better control the flank march. Note: this is actually not the general's stand; I moved the wrong one! I didn't realize it until I reviewed these photos.



The Medes moved to keep the Scythian flank march from entering behind them. So it arrives in front of them, close to the two stands already facing the Medes.



The Scythian "general" crosses the stream to support the action there.



The Scythians prepare to charge.



The Scythian charge is completely sucessful, destroying all three Median cavalry in a single round.



Another view of the rout of the Median cavalry.



The Medes detail a unit of Light Foot to prevent the Scythian "general" from crossing back over.



The Medes are undaunted and continue to push forward in the center.



The Median advance continues.



The Scythians attack the Median line and destroy enough stands to win the game.

Conclusion

Another good game, and very quick. The Scythian flank march was highly effective, getting 12 of the required 16 victory points in a single round. My mistake in mistaking an ordinary Elite Cavalry for the General's Elite Cavalry caused me to declare my victory forfeit after the fact. My son-in-law is a determined opponent and fought the battle until the end.

I'm curious as to why you shorted the Medes 6 points? Two more stands would have blunted the Skythians' advantage.

(Or maybe I missed something? )

Great miniatures and battle reports. Thanks!

“I'm curious as to why you shorted the Medes 6 points? Two more stands would have blunted the Skythians' advantage”

Excellent question! The “Supporting Bowmen” battle card requires that you purchase the bowman stands first. So the Medes actually started with three Skirmisher stands instead of just the one used in this battle. Before the battle started, two of the Skirmisher stands were removed from the board as supporting bowmen. Since each was worth 3 points, the Medes could then support up to six stands of eligible troops, in this case the Light Foot. There were only five light foot so there was a little wastage, but it is an “all or nothing” deal in this situation.

We both hated to give up two stands of Skirmishers, but it seemed like a good choice to get the extra +1 vs Mounted troops when facing an all-cavalry force.

TM -

Very colorful reports! Very cool!

Scythians vs Medes . . . Hmmm.

Thanks for the idea(s).

Cheers,
Chris