Stephen was the invader and had the tactical advantage.
There were only two pieces of terrain: a gentle hill and a village. Both played no part in the battle.
I set up 24 points worth of Heavy Foot in the center. Stephen set up his Spartans with Heavy Foot in the center, His Elite Foot on his right, and Horde on his left. I then placed the rest of my army, opposing his Elite Foot with two Skirmishers and his Horde with my Rabble and Javelin Cavalry:
The initial plans were:
Sparta - Advance the Heavy Foot to engage the Athenian center. Use the Elite Foot to wheel into the Athenian line and roll them up. The Horde were to delay the enemy as long as possible on the other flank.
Athens - Delay the Elite Foot with Skirmishers while the Rabble and Javelin Cavalry went after the Hordes first then turned to help in the main fight.
Stephen's very nice Old Glory brand Spartans.
Horde looking suitably chaotic!
My Old Glory/Xyston troops in battle array with their motley array of equipment and shield decorations.
Stephen's battle line approaches without delay.
Very nicely-done Lambdas on these shields.
Athenian Javelin Cavalry dart out towards the Hordes.
The Spartans advance relentlessly.
The clash of spear and shield begins.
The Skirmishers engage the Spartan general and his Elite Foot.
The Skirmishers were defeated many times by the Elite Foot, but could only be made to fall back or evade. They would then return to engage again. This prevented the Elite Foot from turning into the Athenian flank during the battle.
It is not clear from this photo, but the Javelin Cavalry were able to turn in front of the slow-moving horde and engage the end of the Spartan line. This caused the loss of two Spartan stands. The Athenian hoplites opposing them moved on to engage the Horde.
There was an exhausting back and forth in the center.
The Horde resisted to the end.
The loss of the Hordes opened the way to the Spartan camp.
The camp was captured.
The final score as 20 - 4; the Spartans lost two Heavy Foot when they were outflanked, two Hordes, and the camp. The Athenians lost a Heavy foot in the struggle in the center.
Conclusion: A great game in a new venue here in Rockwall County. Stephen is an excellent player and we had a great time discussing the tactics we were both using and exploring new ways to use the troops. Lets hope this will lead to more Triumph! games in this area!
