So Day 2 dawned, raining and overcast. Canberra not at its wintry best.
With two clear wins on day one, I was waiting for a good spanking to bring me back to earth. Game 3 - vs Lawrence Greaves, with Sung Chinese.
Seen from my left, the Sung Bow (X) with supporting Cavalry (S) are holding out handily vs the Sui Catapahracts, the Sui LH are coming round in support - but that's not a good match-up. The situation is very confused on my right, but numbers and quality favour the Sui. Good early manouevre let me fall on the flank of his bowmen & cavalry there, and destroy them.
The Sui burst though on my right, and the writing is on the wall for the Sung in the longer term, although still very tight at this stage, with his 'Dare to Die' troops getting into my bowmen and artillery. My cataphract command was finally to be broken after it took out the opposing general. Final result, the centre held out long enough for me to pick up the couple I need to break his army. 19-6 to the Sui.
Game 4 - vs Karl Hamlyn, Later Muslim Indian. Karl is an excellent player, being top ranked going into this competition.
To be honest this was a game where the number of extreme dice splits was ludicrous. Karl was the first victim, as some Bw(O) worked their way round to the pink bit (rough hill) in the foreground, and after a couple of test shots managed to 6-1 his Cv(S) general, further fighting managing to finally break this command.
Meanwhile in the centre, my Cataphracts danced in front of his elephants and Bd(F), while the artillery manouvered to try and get a shot.. never happened. Second ridiculous dice split, My cataphract general is killed one on one vs an Indian Blade, (factors 5(G) - 4, dice split... 1-6, the cataphracts count inferior versus Blades, so adjusted dice score 5-10). The remaining cataphracts are trying to kill Cv(S) to get the last element required for game, and lose another to a 1-5 result, my cataphract command is gone, but I am still otherwise looking good.
I have enveloped his left, and need to destroy one more Cv(S) to break his army, my first shot - at 3 to -1 (unable to recoil) fails with a 1-6 roll. He makes a charge into my bow on my left and kills one.. now it is starting to get very tense. I charge back into the rear, front and both flanks of his surrounded Cavalryman - the odds are again 3 to -1, and with a 1-5 - we stick. (I also had two 4-1 shots as well in this time with my Cv General vs double overlapped Indian cavalry, and failed both). Now Karl makes the Hail Mary charge again, against the Bw(O) at the end of the line… at 4-4 I roll a 5, and Karl rolls a 6.. my army is broken. I can still break him back if I win the combat against the surrounded Cavalry… another 1-6 Karl’s way and the game is over… 16-9 to Karl.
Dave Turner (Tibetan) vs Anton Verster (Mongol)
Dave Quilty's Mongols vs Karl
Fortress Greaves - vs Michael Stone's Hsiung-Nu
Lawrence didn't hide in his fortress, pressing Michael back and eventually winning 25-0
John Garvey's very pretty Moluccan Malay vs Anton Verster's Mongols.
And again - this time Round 3 vs Michael Stone's Hsiung-Nu.
The final count is below, and John Garvey won the door prize draw of a DBA Mirliton Communal Italian army.
