Pixs may follow; stay tuned.
Hmmm, good start. Arab allies unreliable, most of the army refuses to move on first round. Romans may win this one.
Round two. Arabs still unreliable, but Macedonians are lumbering forward. Romans have already deployed into line, and I'm trying to hold back my limited cavalry rather that throw them into a losing contest with Hellenic lancers.
There is a real danger that Antiochus may be nutcrackered in this, round three. There is a lot of pressure on the Roman line, however.
He's alive; not so King Attalus of Pergamon. :'(
:'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'(
The pictures can tell the sad story....
The pictures can tell the sad story....
The pictures can tell the sad story....
The pictures can tell the sad story....
The pictures can tell the sad story....
The pictures can tell the sad story....
Rematch today. Lee and Mike are commanding the Seleucids. Rainy day and a torrent dividing the field down the middle should help the Roman cause against Hellenistic catapults and superior cavalry.
Let's see if there's another :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( post. X_X
Cheers - Phil ;)
:-bd :-bd :-bd :-bd :-bd :-bd :-bd :-bd :-bd :-bd :-bd :-bd :-bd :-bd :-bd :-bd :-bd :-bd :-bd :-bd
:o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o
Well done, Alexander ! :)
Cheers - Phil
Thanks.
It was a long, hard fight, as the pictures will show, but the constricted frontage let the Romans use all their fancy tricks.
Although outscouted, the Romans were fortunate enough to get a battlefield of half the normal frontage; they (we) attacked during a light rain, intending to reduce the effect of the Seleucid artillery, which was painfully effective last week. A bonus was that the stream you see here was in spate, and very difficult to ford (Seleucids attempting it suffered significant casualties from drowning). But the great advantage was that the limited frontage reduced the effect of the enemy cavalry superiority. In fact, both sides had trouble with cavalry caught in sticky mud when they were required elsewhere.
The architecture is meant to reflect the Hellenic-Asian hybrid culture of the defenders.
The Hellenes sprang a burning pig ambush early on. Too early, in fact, since it disordered our elephants but left them time to rally (the Romans were trying to get better omens, and so were held back, delaying contact). Moral: spring an ambush when you can support any success it has.
The Indians in the centre caused unexpectedly heavy casualties with their shooting when the rain stopped. My legionaries were significantly reduced in melee effect. Indian cavalry crossing the river, however, fell foul of massed Balearic slingers, and were wiped out entirely. The wheels also started falling off the defense when their Arab troops began asking whether the time was right for total Arab commitment to Hellenisation, and went home upon deciding it wasn't.
An alarming elephant charge did little; our front opened ranks in classic style, then turned and hit them in rear while the second rank joined in. Attalus of Pergamon, our second-in-command, also came to the party, since the Pergamene cavalry had been able to contribute little to the battle so far. A few legionaries were flattened by the routing elephants, but professional soldiers accept that there will be some casualties even in victory.
Thracian peltasts had a go too, and succeeded in crossing, but acchieved little but pinning my defensive wing for a few turns. (Note to praetor: the consul needs a new fitness trainer!)
The Italian allies did a fine job holding large numbers on our right, and our tiny elephant force, though the catapults got in one good salvo, kept our left free of cavalry interference. Thus a classic hastati-to-soften-them-up-and principes-to-break-them smashed the Seleucid left wing and sent the phalanx packing.
Is 'ying tong' is a well known Roman victory chant ?
(I'll have that as an ear-worm for the rest of the day, now.....you swine.) ;)
Cheers - Phil :)
To their great humiliation, the argyraspids were unable to get out of square in the centre until the end, when they did and were terminally outflanked. Seleucid morale started to crack, and we were hungry, soan armistice followed.
Lee was a bit shy of joining in with Mike as the Seleucid commander, but after two moves was telling him what to do. I felt a bit sorry for him - he's a very mild-mannered Canadian - but he's married to a Thai as well, so he's probably used to it. He hasn't sent me his photos yet; if he does, I'll post a few, since his approach is interestingly different.
Quote from: Techno on 25 November 2019, 07:21:25 AM
Is 'ying tong' is a well known Roman victory chant ?
(I'll have that as an ear-worm for the rest of the day, now.....you swine.) ;)
Cheers - Phil :)
I was using that as a place-holder while sorting out an oversized photograph. I am sorry, my capitain. (salutes, knocking cardboard helmet over eyes)
=D> =D> =D> =D>
Mike's pix.
More Canadian versions.
And one more.
Roman victory song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nebe1zuEtbc
That's made the ear worm go into overdrive. ;D ;D
Cheers - Phil
There are worse tunes to get stuck in one's head. I've been trying all day to turn off that dam' waltz from Faust (the one Michael Palin cycles around to in the Cycle Tour episode of MPFC).
Quote from: Techno on 25 November 2019, 02:28:49 PM
That's made the ear worm go into overdrive. ;D ;D
may be this will slow it down -
YING TONG YING TONG YING TONG YILLDE I POE !!! :D :D :D :D :D :D :o :o :o :o :o :o
Quote from: ianrs54 on 25 November 2019, 03:58:53 PM
may be this will slow it down - YING TONG YING TONG YING TONG YILLDE I POE !!!
:D :D :D :D :D :D :o :o :o :o :o :o
And there was me always thinking it was 'YIDDLE'! :o :o :o ;D
What a mistake-a to make-a!
Well.....
I thought it was 'tiddle'. :D
Cheers - Phil ;)
Ying Tong Song
The Goons
Tenor: There's a song that I recall
My mother sang to me.
Spriggs (off): Oh! (a sigh)
Tenor: She sang it as she tucked me in
When I was ninety-three.
Spriggs: I diddle, I. Who was that bum?
Bluebottle + Spriggs:
Ying tong ying tong
Ying tong ying tong
Ying tong iddle I po,
Ying tong ying tong
Ying tong ying tong (bluebottle drops behind)
Ying tong iddle I po
Spriggs: Keep lad up. Keep.
Bluebottle: Keep up lad up.
Both: Ying tong ying tong
Ying tong ying tong
Ying tong iddle I po
Spriggs: lad
Both: Ying tong ying tong
Ying tong iddle I po (lad)
Iddle I po (lad)
Ying tong ying tong
Ying tong (Spriggs: iddle) (Bluebottle: ying tong)
Ying tong iddle I po
Ying tong ying tong iddle
Bluebottle (spoken):
Ying tong iddle I po!
(short raspberry, Secombe)
Both: Oh!
Ying tong...
.... and with the tune ... :P