Thursday, 13 October 2011

Crocus Plain, 352 BC

This game was played a few weeks ago but with my customary inefficiency it has taken me some time to write it up.  The historical battle saw the Macedonian army under Phillip II defeat a Greek force under Onomarchus.  Would history be repeated?  Given that I took Phillip's role while Martin was the man in the Hoplite outfit it seemed unlikely...
My 6mm toys were given an outing for this game.  Most were picked up on ebay last year and are on 6cm wide bases.  Here we see Onomarchus with some of his top hoplites ('toplites'?).
An overview of the field.  This and all other pics (all original full-colour engravings) are as viewed from the artist's vantage point atop a convenient mountain...
Macedonian cavalry surge froward on the right - while my skirmishers run away.
Phil finds himself facing the Greek army alone!
Bloody pikes - I knew they'd never work.
It will be clear from the above - and my apologies for the relative lack of photos - that the battle did not go well for Phil II.  Due to drawing consistently shocking cards I was never able to mount a decent attack and my phalanx - first hoplites then pikemen were soon put to flight.  I expect Phil went home in a rage and killed his son or something. I forget his name - Alexander maybe?
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12 comments:

  1. Tim Gow13 October 2011 at 20:42

    West1871
    They're a lot nice than anything that size has any right to be Rich. But I do like the old 25s too...

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  2. David Crook14 October 2011 at 06:02

    Hi Tim,

    Re picture 3 - is that an early use of a tank trap to stop a marauding phalanx or merely a tile spacer used as a hit marker? ;-)

    The figures look very impressive en masse.

    All the best,

    DC

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  3. Ray Rousell14 October 2011 at 07:38

    Poor Phil, let's hope he didn't go and do his boy in!!!!

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  4. Tim Gow14 October 2011 at 07:45

    David Crook
    It is a hit marker. On the other hand the Greeks didn't use any tanks, so it clearly works in the other role you suggest!

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  5. Tim Gow14 October 2011 at 07:48

    Ray Rousell
    We'll have to wait and see how Macedonian history develops.... I know what my Persians are hoping for!

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  6. Paul15 October 2011 at 10:45

    Tank traps really make the game more attractive to me.

    Nice looking troops, even for 6mm.

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  7. Conrad Kinch15 October 2011 at 18:31

    Comiserations old fruit. Clearly your troops felt the lack of a leader with a shocking Irish accent or Alexander the Bleedin' Deadly as he is also known.

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  8. Al15 October 2011 at 21:43

    Yeah, really well painted for the size of em Tim

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  9. Geordie an Exiled FoG16 October 2011 at 00:15

    Like the look en masse for those formations

    Don't take it too hard losing as Phillip II of the Macedonia, he had his bad days too

    I managed to lose to lose Little Rond Top recently and probably broke the Union :(

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  10. Tim Gow16 October 2011 at 09:59

    Paul
    I know I have to keep your interest somehow! Anyway, Greeks always carry tank traps incase the Persians order those Chieftain MkVs a couple of thousand years early...

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  11. Tim Gow16 October 2011 at 10:01

    Conrad Kinch
    We have subsequently run a game with some of Alexander's successors, but the man himself has yet to appear. I'll give the Irish accent a try when he does.

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  12. Tim Gow16 October 2011 at 10:03

    Geordie
    My Macedonians are confident that their big friends (25s!) will come to their rescue. Glad to hear you took down the bluebellies - I'm always the man in grey in ACW games.

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