Sunday, July 28, 2024

Battle of Ctesiphon 263 AD, at Historicon

Palmyran players ford a branch of the Tigris river with relative ease, as they advance upon the  ancient Sassanid Persian Capital of Ctesiphon in Iran. 

The Sassanid team for game 1 (Thursday AM); To the Strongest! rules, by Simon Miller. 

Armored and Light Cavalry, Camelry, and Elephants get into action on the flanks

The Palmyran center has four solid units of Eastern "Roman" infantry, which the Persians lack a good counter for. 

A lonely elephant mixes it up on the Persian right!

Action on the Persian left; watch out for that Palmyran light cavalry in your backfield!

Action on the right again.

The 2 units of deep Levy (8+ save) look kinda lonely in the center!

View from the Towers of the city...  fortified camps in TtS! terms. 

Light cavalry trying to do what they do best!

One camp taken!  Spearmen have fallen back (with difficulty) to defend the next one!

Roman/Palmyran Auxillia attack the camp; the Spearmen have only one hit left - if they can take the camp, that's 6 VM total and the game!  In the event, the attack is repulsed with the destruction of the Auxilia, but the Palmyrans ultimately prevail!

Game 2, three of the four Palmyran players. This time, the river slows them up a bit., and the Sassanids press forwards aggressively. 

Team Persia in the lead!

Crunch Time!

Cataphracts battle it out. 

Camels and Cavalry and Elephants, oh my!

Light cavalry play cat and mouse. 

The Persian Levy Spearmen again prove to be surprisingly effective, but the rest of the Palmyran infantry is devastated. In the end, a second, very close win for King Odenathus!

20 comments:

  1. Cracking looking game, great looking table and figures.

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  2. Were the games filled with veteran TtS! Players or first timers? Nice looking table.

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    1. about 50/50 new and experienced players, Jon.

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  3. Great looking table and figures and sounds like two excellent games of TtS to boot!

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  4. Great looking game and seems to have gone well (I really really really must give TTS a try !!)

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    1. Thanks, Gary. Yes, you should. Because of the activation mechanism, it plays great solo for a first playtest. That's exactly what I did the first time. 12+ years ago!

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  5. A very entertaining and close game. How is the COVID recovery going?

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    1. It was! Much better - did Telehealth from home starting Weds 7/24, back in the office today for a full day. Residual cough and runny nose, but don't feel sick!

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    2. Good to hear. It took me the best part of a week before I could summon up the energy to put the bins out for collection.

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    3. Worked a half day Day 4, was off Day anyway, and pretty much back to normal day 6. My wife unfortunately caught it, and was worse than I was, but is on the med as well now.

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  6. That's a really cool looking game.

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  7. Splendid looking game, lovely figures and the towers work really well!
    Best Iain

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