Kent Clash 2025 - Vijayanagar Day 2
The weekend of the 1st/2nd March saw 12 players gather for the Kent Clash. The theme for the competition was to field any army but that it must contain at least 1 unit of elephants. So this would allow a wide range of quite diverse armies. Also there was a special "Elephant King" prize for the Commander whose army killed the most Elephants.
I decided to take an Indian army, Vijayanagar. Day 1 had seen me score 21 out of a possible 30. To see how I fared on the 2nd day, read on ...
The list I was using:
Once again I was the defender after the initial die roll and we had a Deep water secure flank on my left. Matt placed a couple of Impassable terrain pieces, clearly he was after a narrow battlefield - you don't often see these in games and they're something I usually forget, perhaps I need to look into them more. We had a Wood in the centre of Matt's side of the table and a couple of pieces of Rough Going on my side, but the area where we would clash was open.
I deployed with cavalry on both flanks and the elephants more or less central, with the infantry deployed throughout the line. Matt deployed in a compact formation in the wood (some in ambush) and then between the wood and the secure flank. It looke dlike this:
As my army somewhat overwinged Matt's at each end I advanced and wheeled inwards a little. This was partly to allow my cavalry on the left a bit more room to skirmish in front of his cavalry who were facing them; it would also allow me to mass shooting on my right against his left. In the centre some sort of elephant on elephant action was inevitable.
Things played out more or less as I expected. Matt had some Superior infantry and Skilled shooting archers in ambush which revealed, although he decided not to commit the archers as they would just get into a shooting match with my skirmisher archers which would do him no good at all.
On my left Matt pushed with half his cavalry and my shooting was pretty rubbish. I overcommitted my Superior elephants at this point and they were left with their left flank unsupported.
We had the expected elephant clash in the centre which ended up with my Average elephants fighting 2 of Matt's elephant units, also Average. With the help of a sub-general fighting (Elephant King list rule) I broke one of his and reduced the other to 2 bases but lost my unit, and the general was killed when they broke 😖
My Superior elephants, rather exposed as noted, were unable to pull back (needs a Red card which I didn't get) and so tried their luck against some of Matt's infantry to see of they could break through before being taken in the flank by cavalry. They had a good shot at it, but fell short.
My cavalry on the left continued to shoot badly, and the skirmisher cavalry rolled low on a skirmish move and were destroyed. However, when it came to combat my cavalry knocked big lumps off Matt's - made me wonder if the skirmsigng had been worth it 😂
We ran out of game time a bit after this, however, I finished off the cavalry and took out the reduced elephant unit. I lost the Superior elephants of course, and a swordsman unit next to them who were rudely flattened by Matt's Superior elephants. I almost shot away the infantry Matt had had in ambush, but just missed out - the vagaries of shooting ...
The game ended 9-10 and if we had had the time could have gone either way from there I think.
The final game saw me once again playing Paul Stovell on the top table (I was a tad surprised) - we had been in the same position at Ice & Fire in January. H was using Seleukid - so my 3rd one out of 4 games ...
This time I invaded, mostly because I rolled a Skull on the initial die - not sure it made any real difference. We ended up with a Wood and Rough Going on my left (as a secure flank) with a Forest in my left centre, a piece of Rough Going to my right and some more on Paul's left. I deployed with cavalry on both wings, infantry in the Forest and the elephants to the right of the Forest. Paul had Thracians on his right to hold/contest the terrain pikes backed by his cavalry in the centre (the cavalry placed to redeploy as needed) along with 2 units of scythed chariots, and Galatian cavalry and light horse next to the Rough Going in which were his elephants.
I advanced across the line, although a bit hampered by cards at this stage. Paul moved his central cavalry left and right to be able to pressure boty my flanks. His infantry pushed forward to be, I think, a bastion around which his other troops could fight, and his scythed chariots started to move towards his right as well.
And a bit later after a bit more cagey movement:
I then rather overcommitted an elephant unit (again ...) and Paul carefully and skillfully applied pressure to both my flanks. My over eagerness with the elephants meant that he could bring up his own elephants and so ahd superiority on my right.
The elephants did cause damage on the pikemen, but didn't last long. I did have archers, including Skilled, who were in a position to get up and shoot at the damaged phalanx and so I was in a place to get some revenge. However, with Paul's catafracts and elephants around as well I was on the back foot on this flank.
It was the same on my left with Paul's Companions pushing back my cavalry.
I was really hunting for points by now was pushing in my centre as best I could. However, paul was pulling back as he was going to win on the wings - sensible chap 😎
Like the morning the game ran out of time before much else happened. My shooting at the exposed phalanx was dismal and neither of us could get to grips elsewhere apart from the Companions pinning my left wing cavalry on the table edge and despatching them with extreme prejudice.
We ended up with a 2-9 result - yup, I killed nothing ðŸ˜
On reflection, and chatting to Paul about it, I had deployed too wide and should really have picked one side of the central Forest and deployed there. My unfamiliarity with this style of army showed - but lessons learned (hopefully).
I ended up 6th out of the 12 which I must say i was quite happy with. I did win the "Elephant King" prize though, as I had killed more elephants across my game than anyone else - 13.
Great weekend all round and the theme worked really well IMO. All the lists and results can be found HERE.
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