Part 1 [LW142] Part 2 [LW143] Part 3 [LW144] Part 4 [LW145] Part 5 [LW146] Part 6 [LW147] Part 7 [LW148] East Bank “Where Chaos Reigns” The combat between the two pharaohs had been bloody, but basically a draw and with the Red Pretender dropping back to his advancing wall of determined infantry, the True Pharaoh quickly marshalled his men to guard the temple and headed towards the camp of the Chariot Guard by himself. There were missiles flying everywhere; from Abnub into the Numidians fleeing on the flood plain; between the ships in the canal quay and their enemies on the shore and from the Guard Chariots as they came hurrying up in support of their exhausted leader. Now due to congestion in both the Blue and Red armies there came a lull in the combat while troops sorted out their formations and their officers rushed around trying to get them motivated again. [Wargaming note: It was just too chaotic and I was fast losing the plot, which was fairly realistic but not easy to record and actually enjoy. So I decided on a “Time Out” to re-arrange both my troops and my notes. Soloist Reason: Troops and horses were blown, shattered and spent!] Back to the Game On the Temple hill the Blue Infantry had retreated behind the substantial walls of the holy place and lent on their shields awaiting the expected attack from the pulsating mass of enemies at the hill’s base. The Blue Pharaoh and his Guard Chariots approached the main gates to the city and he ordered them to remain closed and that all troops outside were to be ordered to rendezvous at “Set’s Bride”, a prominent rock formation at the beginning of the true desert. Messengers were sent to all units to call them to the point where the True Pharaoh would make his stand against the invaders. Survivors of the Blue infantry unit, inappropriately named ‘By Hathor Protected’ streamed into Abnub via the river gate and were immediately seized and thrown into an animal corral to await their fate for their disgraceful defeat and retreat. Soldiers and citizens of the city frantically prepared for an assault from both the east and west banks, which were now firmly in the hands of their bloodthirsty enemies. Sailors from the abandoned merchant vessels also sought sanctuary behind the imposing stone walls of the city, while the crews of the military craft maintained their posts on board their ships. The Red forces on the eastern bank edged slowly along the quayside, where the missile exchanges had halted for a moment and with the Biblical Light Infantry and the Javelinmen thronging at the foot of the Temple hill, the heavier troops plodded on towards the rear of the city. The calm that lay over the area was only interrupted by the sound of the thousands of feet, hooves and chariot wheels, which drown the cries of the wounded and dying from the many and varied sites of conflict. Into the Desert The Blue units fell back mostly in good order but the Blue Border Regiment was streaming in rout having been severely mauled by the Red Numidian warband, [Lone Warrior 143]. About one mile from Abnub the rock formation drew the regiments like a magnet and within the hour all were gathered at its base. It was now that I could establish what I had and had not got in the way of troops and their types, having just been in the thick of the fighting giving the Pretender a real seeing off! In their haste to put as much distance between them and their victorious enemies the Blue Border Regiment had ‘mislaid’ their shields, spears, swords and anything else, which may have constituted a weapon for any further combat. [Wargaming note: I know the ‘rules’ and there are many sets that allow an ‘instant, fully armed and ready to fight rally’, however, I disagree with the whole concept. A man or group of men fleeing for their very lives would not think twice about lightening their load i.e. they would throw their weapons away, in order to increase their mobility. Therefore, if I have a unit that ‘routs,’ then it must be written-off as a combatant unit. If a unit gets ‘pushed back’ that is completely different and although they are on their back foot, literally, they are still holding and using their weapons. Gaming this way can be brutal but I feel it is realistic, so I must accept that in my role as a commander I must do everything within my power to ensure that I do not put my units in such an impossible position.] Back to the Game Egyptian Blue Pharaoh - at the feature known as ‘Set’s Bride’, south of Abnub A Pharaoh in his 2 Horse war chariot. B Border guard regular regiment – a routed rabble, milling around the desert! F Guard 2 Horse Chariots – 100% G Elite 2 Horse Chariots - 100% Temple complex on the hill A1 Pharaoh personal infantry bodyguard. E Infantry guard Abnub Garrison troops – medium quality Citizens – low quality but desperate! H Remains of the beaten regiment of elite infantry, under guard in Abnub – awaiting the “Pharaoh’s pleasure” and no longer a viable unit. Egyptian Red Pharaoh heading south into the desert in pursuit: 1 Pharaoh and personal 2 Horse Chariot bodyguard 6 Biblical Heavy Infantry 7 Assyrian 4 Horse Heavy Chariots 8 Assyrian Heavy Infantry 9 Assyrian Heavy Infantry 10 Assyrian Medium Infantry Slingers 13 Uri of Hatti & his victorious 4 Horse Heavy Chariots Temple complex on the hill 3 Swarm of light infantry javelinmen 5 Biblical LI Abnub East Bank 4 Sea People brigade; positioned to attack the city or support the troops threatening the temple on the hill. 2 Numidian warband disappearing north in small routed groups. West Bank 14 The ‘Reborn of Maat’ Heavy Spearmen ensconced out of arrow range by the city’s west gate. 11 4 Horse Heavy Chariots; had moved down the banks of the Nile in the dark managed to get bogged in and had retreated back to Gebel and moved down the road in the lightening dawn. Situated, now in support of The ‘Reborn of Maat’ Heavy Spearmen. 12 ‘Rigid Spears’ disappearing north, in small routed groups, having been surprised by the firepower of the Blue flotilla from the Nile. The Desert Conflict Bit of as misleading sub title in that if you were expecting a tale of massed attacks and mammoth combats, it just did not happen! I, in my demanding role as the True ‘Blue’ Pharaoh, had at my disposal three units of high quality chariots, which are very fast, highly manoeuvrable and are basically mobile missile platforms. The terrain between Abnub and Set’s Bride was hard packed earth with the occasional patch of soft sand and the beginning of the dunes proper, just south of the rocky pinnacle. Excellent terrain for the units I had, but unfortunately they were too few in number to do anything, bar a containing action on the enemy forces. With his infantry in the centre and his wings containing his 4 Horse Heavy Chariots, the Red ‘False’ Pharaoh advanced south into the desert confident in his strength and certain that he would win the day. With the city encased behind him the Pretender marched towards his destiny screened by the Assyrian Medium Infantry Slingers, who were extremely lethal at a fairly good range. Behind these, rows of heavy spearmen trudged with their shields ready for action and their spears resting on their shoulders. To spare their horses, which had had a gruelling morning, the crews of the heavy chariots walked to the rear, ready to jump on at the slightest cause, with only the charioteer in the carriage. The infantry in the center began to stride out and the Red formation began to resemble a bow in appearance, with the flanks slightly refused. Wargaming note: My 15mm men, and horses, are subject to fatigue that affects their marching speed, morale and general overall ability to fight at their best. Accordingly considering the night approach march, the combat that Uri of Hatti had been successful in, I considered that the horses would need to spared as much as possible. Picked up the idea from hearing of how Dick Turpin [buried just up the road in York] used to wait at the top of hills to rob the coaches, because the passengers were obliged to get out and walk up the incline to spare the horses. So the Red horses pulling the heavy chariots got a bit of relief in an historic manner and in order to regain their strength they moved at Heavy Infantry pace minus 1” per turn. They were pulling a heavy vehicle when all said and done! Back to the Game I was now at a Soloist Quandary! Although outnumbered and with no infantry, I had the perfect weapons in my light chariots on nearly perfect terrain to inflict tremendous casualties on the invaders. What would the other ‘Commander’ do, was my problem and I had to mentally divorce myself from the ‘Blue Bias’ and consider the problem from the other guys point of view. I decided that a pursuit would be a logical action in that all the Blue units had either been defeated, locked up behind walls or had disappeared in a dust cloud to the south. Knowing what awaited the Reds, I also gave him the option of halting whenever it was obviously the thing to do. [Needless to say I could have quite easily just marched the Reds to their doom in the hot sands, but I want a fairly balanced game not a one-sided massacre.] The Reds advanced and had just moved into the desert proper when the whirling wheels of the Blue chariots combined with the flying hooves of their horses created a choking dust cloud from out of which flew arrows, straight and true. The slingers stood no chance against the fast moving and infrequently seen chariot archers, who appeared fired and then just as quickly disappeared again. These very effective pinprick attacks gave the Red Pretender no choice but to halt his advance and move back into the green belt, where the dust clouds could not be raised so effectively. A stalemate now ensued with the Reds investing the city but not strong enough or fast enough to have a formal battle in the desert with the Blues, who in turn were too weak to inflict a defeat on their enemies. The solution to both pharaohs’ problems – Reinforcements! More Chariot Saga Part 1 [LW142] Part 2 [LW143] Part 3 [LW144] Part 4 [LW145] Part 5 [LW146] Part 6 [LW147] Part 7 [LW148] Part 8 [LW149] Back to Table of Contents -- Lone Warrior # 149 Back to Lone Warrior List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2005 by Solo Wargamers Association. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. 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