Collaborative Campaign Year 13: Part 2

The last post in this series saw Picenia attack and take control of the City State of Sentis, a member of the Cyraenian Pentapolis. In today's episode there is further action in this theatre.

Mark once again takes up the tale... (Text and pictures are © Mark Cordone).

***

The Battle of Cyllene

After the battle of Aphidna, Demetrius, and the Picenians began to consolidate their control of the city state of Sentis.  While this was happening, the rest of the Pentapolis city states met to decide what to do.  With the Therissian's abstaining, the other three cities voted to back the claim of Anaxander, Antonatus's brother, to the throne.  An army under the Kartosian king Doryssus was raised to invade Sentis.  It consisted of some 3000 elite, disciplined Kartosian hoplites, around 100 Herelion armored elphas supported by about 4000 peltasts and archers, and a Cyraenian phalanx of 4000 with 2000 additional cavalry.

Governor Auteus Callosus the Picenian province of Luss had the 5000 disciplined men of the 8th Legion and 2000 Kigali cataphracts.  In addition Demetrius fielded a 4000 man phalanx, 3000 archers and about 2000 unreliable peltasts from Sentis.

On the 4th day of the 11th month of the year of the Hippopotamus the armies met along the coast near the sleepy fishing village of Cyllene.  It was warm and sunny with only a few clouds in the sky as the armies deployed for battle. Auteus deployed his phalanx in the left sector with their flank resting on the beach.  In the center he placed the 8th Legion and on a hill to the right he deployed his archers.  In reserve he had the cataphracts and the unreliable peltasts.

King Doryssus was with his vaunted elite, disaplined hoplites on the left, the elphas were in the center and in the rough ground in front of the hill he had his archers and peltasts.  In reserve were the Cyraenian phalanx and cavalry.  Anaxander was with the horsemen.

The battle began with an archery duel on the right which saw the Herelion's emerge victorious and take possession of the high ground.  They then began to shoot into the flank of the 8th Legion as the elphas advanced.  This was too much for the legionaries, who broke and fled. 

As Auteus tried unsuccessfully to rally them his peltasts briefly retook the hill as the cataphracts charged but were scattered by the elphas.

As this was going on the vaunted Kartos hoplites advanced along the beach only to be routed when their king was killed in the melee.  They could not be rallied but Anaxander took command of the army.  As he did so some very effective shooting from the Sentis peltasts panicked the elphas who stampeded to the rear.  

Keeping his cool, Anaxander sent his reserve phalanx forward on the left.  In the subsequent melee both sides were exhausted but charging with his cavalry up the now wide open center of the field Anaxander broke the enemy who fled pell mell to be mostly slaughtered during the pursuit.

Sentis was retaken, and governor Auteus Callosus was killed trying to rally his shattered army.  Demetrius was captured and quickly tried and executed as Anaxander established himself as tyrant of Sentis.  Thus the Picenian attempt to gain control of Sentis came to an end.

***

Thanks to Mark for another excellent, and beautifully illustrated, battle report, including a Leviathan! Picenia has been thwarted for now.....

Do It YourShelf Toy Railway Layout: update 1

 Since discovering, via Bob Cordery's blogpost, the Budget Model Railways YouTube channel, I have been tinkering with ideas for my modest collection of OO Gauge track and rolling stock. Ideally, I would like a small oval with sidings, but as OO takes up quite a lot of space, I've started with a simple shunting layout and terminus station, to see if I have the aptitude for the job (my model making skills are not great!)

The shelf that's acting as baseboard was from B&Q (about 15Euro) and is approximately 1 metre by 30cm.

The shelf

To cut down the rumble I covered the shelf with some foam board sheets and painted it a pale grey.

Having decided on a track plan (after watching MANY Budget Model Railways (BMR) videos), I soon realised that I needed to widen the shelf a bit! In true BMR style I screwed some batton on to one edge before laying the track.

Batton attached to the top edge, pre-painting

The largest structure that I intend to build is the Station, so I started with that. 

Early work on platform design

The Platform was constructed from corrugated cardboard and foam board.

 The corrugated cardboard came with flatpack furniture from a popular Swedish outlet.

The Station building was designed as a walk-through affair with access to the Ticket Office being inside the tunnel. As I have mentioned before, I really like the design of the Hornby Dublo trackside buildings of the late 1950s, so my designs are a nod to them.

Station building during construction

View into the tunnel with Ticket Window visible.
On the opposite wall is a door into the Station Master's office.

The imposing clock is a printed shape stuck onto a 1" square mdf base. The windows and doors on this building were from a set made by Wills Kits. 

I've just started making a kiosk to go on the Platform; it's from the old Airfix trackside set, still being produced by Dapol.

Station building and platform on the layout.

The 20mm passenger is from the Airfix Station Accessories set (still produced by Dapol), now almost 70 years old!!

I intend to post more updates as parts of the layout (slowly) get completed.

Irregular Moments

 As a tribute to Ian Kay who is retiring in March, a few photos of some of the many Irregular Miniatures' figures that I have purchased over the years - thanks for all of your hard work and helpful emails Ian.

42mm British Infantry

28mm figures in a Late 19th Century Imaginations Game

28mm Imagination "Colonial" Action

20mm WW1 Belgian Cavalry

10mm Elf "Army"

6mm Gotha Bomber

6mm Oliphant

 

Collaborative Campaign Years 12 & 13

Today I have further action to report from the Collaborative Campaign:

Game Year 12 (The Year of the Horse) was relatively peaceful, however the following year, the Year of the Hippopotamus, witnessed further expansionist move from the Picenian Empire.

Mark Cordone once again takes up the story... (words and images are Mark's intellectual property).

***

Following the disaster at Uliarus, Picenia was forced to make peace, with terms very favorable to the Therissians.  However, in something of a diplomatic coup, the terms were not extended to the rest of the city states of the Pentapolis.  The following year saw relative peace, and the gods smiled upon Picenia with an abundant harvest.  All was not completely peaceful however, as border raids and skirmishes between the province of Luss and the city state of Sentis continued.

The following year, the year of the Hippopotamus, saw things come to a head.   The governor of Luss, Auteus Callosus, was involved along with the younger brother of the tyrant of Sentis (Antonatus) in an assassination plot.  The attempt was unsuccessful, but the initial reports were favorable.  Accordingly Callosus quickly marched his army across the border planning on taking advantage of the situation and surprising and conquering Sentis.  Antonatus sent for aid to oppose the invasion and then gathered his army to block the road to Sentis.

On the 12th day of the 7th month of the year of the Hippopotamus the armies met at the village of Aphidna.  It was a hot, sunny day as the armies deployed for battle.

Callosus deployed the VII legion on his left in the village, the VI legion in the center and his limitari archers on his right.  In reserve he had the VIII legion, and a body of Kigali cataphracts recruited from the Inannu tribes (elite and armored, all other troops were regular).  All in all he had some 20,000 foot and 2,000 horse at his disposal.

Antonatus deployed two of his three phalanx on his left on a hiss, and his right.  His third phalanx was in reserve along with some 2000 cavalry.  In the center he had some 100 ferocious armored elphas ( war elephants) supported by around 2000 peltasts.  All of his troops were regular as well totaling about 19000.

The battle opened with sustained archery by the limitari against the phalanx on the hill.  This eventually goaded them into attacking, but as they made their way down the hill they became disordered and were shot down in great numbers and routed.  Antonatus committed his reserve phalanx to fill the vacancy on his left flank.  They marched forward and routed the Picenian archers, but were in turn routed by the VIII legion coming up from the Picenian reserve.

Antonatus sent his cavalry to stabilize the situation on the left, and rallied his shaken reserve phalanx.  He then launched his fearsome elphas at the center of the Picenian line.  The veterans of the VI legion were unfazed however, and calmly opened lanes for the great beasts to charge through before closing ranks behind them and the cutting down the now surrounded elphas.

The VI legion then turned and outflanked the phalanx in front of the village, putting them to flight.  Antonatus then sent his rallied phalanx forward, but the superbly disciplined legionaries calmly turned and routed them as well.   

Antonatus was killed trying to rally his shattered army and Callosus's victorious legions quickly marched to Sentis. Once there they found the city under the control of Demetrius, Antonatus's brother, who had been freed from prison by his supporters after news of the battle reached the city.  He promptly asked Callosus for protection, and this was quickly granted.

To be continued....

***

Thanks once again to Mark for the battle report and pictures, and for continuing the storyline. I was sad to see the Elephants being so easily dispatched; perhaps they'll do better next time!

Collaborative Campaign Years 10-11: Part 2

 Continuing the Year of the Snake, another report has arrived regarding the machinations of the Picenian Empire. Words and game images are the intellectual property of Mark Cordone.

***

After finishing the conquest of Luss and the subjugation of the Wend, the Picenian Republic enjoyed several years of peace.  They used this time to consolidate their control over the newly conquered lands, and to maximize their profit. One of the ways they sought to accomplish this was by the imposition of tariffs.  Their traditional 10% tariff was raised to 25%.

Before the conquest Luss had a free trade policy, the kings being content to receive gifts on an annual basis.  These amounted to about 5% annually.  The Pentapolis, and in particular Therissa had a near total monopoly on international trade.  Naturally, this policy upset them greatly.  They resolved to take action to attempt to recover some of their losses. 

A dramatic increase in smuggling operations and clandestine support for the rebels among the Luss became the cornerstone of their new policy.  Accordingly they sent spies to the province of Luss and began to provide information and funds to the resistance led by queen Rionach.  In the late summer of the year of the Snake, the Picenian governor Auteus Callosus learned the particulars of the operation and took swift action.

On the 15th day of the 8th month his forces made their move.  Simultaneous attacks across the entire province rounded up every Therissian national who could be found, more than 5,000 men, women and children in all, and seized all Therissian property throughout the province.  Around 100 Therissians were executed and the rest sold into slavery.  An action the governor profited handsomely from.

Naturally, the Therissians were not happy about this. They sent an embassy to Picenia demanding the return of all of their citizens and property and compensation as well.  The Senates response was harsh and abrupt. They found the petition unwarranted and further declared that the actions of the Therissians constituted an act of war, and promptly declared war themselves.

Therissa is primarily a naval power, and determined to prosecute the war with their fleet, which was second to none.  They would do this via a blockade and raids along the coast.  To accomplish this they need a base of operations off of the coast.  The small island of Uliarus was selected for this.  The town, while not large, was possessed of a fine, large natural harbor.  A fleet of 80 Triremes with a force of some 800 hoplites under the Strategos Menelaos was allocated the task.  They set sail on the ides of the 10th month of the year of the Snake.

Picenian spy's learned of this and the secret target of the fleet and a Picenian fleet was quickly scraped together to intercept and destroy the Therissians.  The fleet totaled some 100 ships, but more than half of them were merchant ships packed with Marines, as were their Triremes.

On the 21st day of the 10th month of the year of the Snake the two fleets met off the coast of Uliarus just a few miles from the town.
I used Dominion of the Oar and Ram to fight the battle. (Mark's Rules that are published in The Fourth Portable Wargame Companion  - Ed.)

The Picenian fleet totaled some 120 ships in 6 squadrons, all classed as regular Marines.  Consul Marcus Valerius Dio deployed his fleet in two lines, each composed of three squadrons.

Menelaos had some 80 ships divided into 4 squadrons.  He matched the Picenian front line with his remaining squadron in reserve.  The Therissian fleet were all classed as elite rams.

The battle opened with the Picenians managing to isolate and destroy the Therissian squadron closest to the shore, but then the superior skill of the Therissian crews came through and they made short work of the Picenian fleet, ramming and sinking nearly 100 Picenian ships with scant further loses of their own. 

More than 12,000 Picenians lost their lives that day, along with their general.

The town quickly fell and the Therissians began work on expanding and improving the fortifications and harbor.

Meanwhile in Picenia Claudius Livius Salinator was appointed dictator and charged with rebuilding the fleet and dealing with the Therissian threat.

***

With a startling lack of success, Picenia has started a new conflict - we do live in interesting times! Thanks to Mark for the report and photos of his wonderfully painted ships.

Collaborative Campaign Years 10-11: Part 1

 The Year of the Goat (Campaign Year 10) saw an unusual calm spread across all lands. The following Year, however, saw business as usual for the Empires of Ziguria and Picenia, with their leaders plotting new ways to expand their territories.

Year 11 (the Year of the Snake) sees Xeroz, King of Kings, all tremble before his name, once again attempting to subjugate the ancient land of Pylonia... (text and photos are the intellectual property of Martin Smith and are posted with my thanks for his input)

***

 The Second Battle of Raphan 

Over the past six years Zigura’s King of Kings Xeroz’ incursions into Pylonia had met with unexpectedly strong resistance. For such a decadent state the Pylonians, under their despotic God-King Hipohap XXXVI, had proven a tough nut to crack, and had sent the battered remnants of two Ziguran Royal Armies fleeing homewards. 

But still coveting the resources Pylonia might afford, Xeroz now reenlisted the services of his retired Master of Horse, General Mahariz. A decade ago this wily old commander had quashed the rebellion of Toshibaz, the King’s brother, and had also captured Pylonian territory through victory at the Battle of the Ypokos River, in the Year of the Pot Bellied Pig (Year 3). His objective, he was informed, was to take the coastal province of Raphan, held for Hipohap by Governor Hepu. 

After a few months of preparation the Master of Horse dutifully set out westwards, at the head of yet another Ziguran Royal Army, with the cream of the horse-riding nobility leading the advance. Yet secretly he prayed to Taran that this would be his last campaign…but would the god listen to a mere mortal?

Meanwhile, in Raphan, information from Governor Hepu’s well chosen spies in Zigura flowed steadily west along the trade routes to the astute Pylonian, who made his preparations to stop the Zigurans in their tracks. Picking a battlefield near the Ziguran border, Governor Hepu summoned the levies and the few regulars under his command and marched out. Deploying across the coast road, anchoring his line on a swathe of sand dunes, he patiently awaited the Zigurans, having devised a cunning plan involving the Cyraenian mercenary spearmen in his service…

Soon a clear night saw the two armies awaiting dawn within a few bowshots of each other, sleeping in their assigned positions, for fear of surprise. With the glow of dawn behind him, and mist clinging to the shoreline, Mahariz gave the signal, and the Ziguran forces lurched forwards. The sun, he calculated, would soon be in the Pylonians’ eyes, hindering his enemy while aiding his own troops. 

Inland the Ziguran mounted nobility led off on the left, with the Regulars following in the centre  and the Ziguran Militia advancing astride the coast road.

First contact was on the left, where the Ziguran noble cavalry hurled themselves upon the densely packed Pylonian levies. These initially resisted well, but then began to become disorganised, while their light cavalry supports delayed their Ziguran opposite numbers with admirable zeal. Overseen by Mahariz in person, the Ziguran Regulars of the centre now joined the fray, but were hindered by sand dunes, much as Governor Hepu had planned, though eventually the Pylonian right began to falter.

Nearer the coast the Ziguran Militia made good progress, and assaulted the Pylonian left, in a slow grinding clash. But behind them the shoreline mist cleared to reveal Cyraenian boats disgorging armoured spearmen onto the beach - Hepu’s plan for his mercenaries was thus revealed as they slowly, steadily advanced towards the Ziguran baggage train. Mahariz despatched skirmishers to stall the Cyraenians, but the bronze-clad spearmen proved unstoppable and fought their way into the Ziguran camp, causing consternation in nearby Ziguran ranks.

Mahariz’ attention was, however, focussed on a group of heavy chariots which, led by Governor Hepu himself, were breaking up parts of the Militia’s advancing line. Undaunted, the old Ziguran general moved to confront his opposite number and a swirling clash of chariotry ensued, in which Mahariz’ earlier prayer to Taran was answered: this would indeed be his last campaign, as, in the dust and confusion, he fell to a hurled javelin.

Word of the death of the much-loved Master of Horse and loss of the baggage train soon spread, and Ziguran resolve crumbled, units turning to run from the exhausted but jubilant Pylonians. 

Yet again a Royal Army of Zigura had failed to defeat the indefatigable Governor of the Pylonian border province, whose clever use of seaborne mercenaries had paid off, and saved Raphan from the covetous Xeroz and his subjects.

The Victor

The passing of Mahariz

***

Be careful what you wish for is today's "Thought for the Day" . Another failure for Xeroz; will his throne be threatened?

Thanks again to Martin for another cracking report - looks like that was a fun game.