DBA Hoplite Campaign - Spring 479 B.C. - Thessalian Move

Well, it has been a long time since the last move is this campaign, but no, it is not dead.

Sorry for the lack of graphics, but my main computer won't boot so I cannot get to my nice graphics tools; I am stuck on a $200 Netbook until I get the other fixed.

The Thessalians, having freshly recruited replacements for last year's campaigning, and hearing that the Thracians have less of a stomach for fighting this year (they are down three elements) have attacked Potidaea.

The battle was fought far away away from the city (there was no BUA on the board) in the wooded hills on the approach to the city. The board had two steep hills and two woods, pretty much a symmetrical board. The Thracians were defending.

The Thessalian light cavalry made a sweeping attack around their left flank, heading for the Thracian camp. With high PIP rolls Ira made an attack on the camp on the third turn, but was unable to overrun it for three straight combats; on the fourth he succeeded. (And this was his LH General, by the way.)

Meanwhile the Thracians had moved back their Peltasts (Auxilia and Psiloi), plus move a Light Horse unit completely into the rear of the attacking Thessalian horde and slowly choked them off, racking up one, two, and then three kills. The Light Horse General, seeing that his escape route was closing, made a mighty dash and roared away with Thracian women and gold as booty. (Ira rolled six PIP and used four of them to escape.)

The battle at that point was 3-0 for the Thracians (they had re-taken their camp, denying the Thessalians the 2 VP) and Ira was stuck with a dilemma: how to take out four elements when I had Peltasts and a lot of Bad Going terrain. (Although I had knocked out 3xLH, I started the game down 1xLH, 1xAx, and 1xPs, so we were both sitting even at nine elements.) His only choice: march his hoplites up a steep hill and attack the peltasts waiting at the top for him. So with 3xSp and 2xPs on the flanks in support, he attacked 3xAx.

At first the battles looked good. I recoiled my two end elements (that were overlapped), leaving the third combat with a double overlap against me. Nonetheless, the Thracian peltasts held the line and recoiled the hoplites. On the Thracian turn, with only two PIPs, one peltast element charged back in and with each side having one overlap, the Thracians got a 6-1 roll, doubling the hoplites, and ending the battle.

The Thracians won 4-0, forcing the Thessalians to retreat their army back to Mount Olympus.

Athens: 4 prestige; reserves: 3x4Sp, 1x2LH, 1x3Ax

Sparta: 7 prestige; reserves: 4x4Sp

Thessaly: 5 prestige; reserves: 3x2LH, 1x4Sp

Thrace: 5 prestige; reserves: 1x2Ps, 1x3Ax, 1x2LH

The Thessalian prestige rose because they were the first to sack the enemy's camp. (It does not require that you remain in possession at the end of the game.)

Ira and I rolled for the order of the Summer moves and it is: Athens, Sparta, Thessaly, and Thrace.

Hmmmm....