15mm Wargaming for Fun and Sanity: OAAH. A clash of Martian cavalry!

In February 2020 (if man is still alive) I'm planning to run an Of Armies And Hordes participation game at Beach head in Bournemouth. Here are most of the cavalry I'm planning to use.

This is a small game as I want to play both sides to get the "feel". I started off with just cavalry but 3 units a side wouldn't work. So I added a couple of infantry units. Resisting the temptation to add light flyers and magicians. Next time.

I am beginning to get my Mars together. If you look at the join between the centre and the right hand sphere. Follow it down to Herculus. This is the tip of my Amazonian triangle. The forces are all Splintered Light's excellent Dark Elves.

Splintered light cavalry. 95% done, just harness, saddle cloths, boots & bags. Tail feathers and claws. Eyes, mouths.

Heavy infantry needing more work-.

Now down to Euxinus Lacus. This is the bottom. Close, real close is the Japanese enclave. The locals are RPE Dark Elves with lots of Alternative Armies Sengoku headswaps & bits and Martian Empires mounts.

Left is Styx. This is my lost city, using its remnant dark technology to rob and enslave.

Somewhere in the middle should be Green Martians and nomads.

Elsewhere I have the Regiment and the British.

Do you like my ground scatter? Herbal tea and used cold-infusion tea bags. Not only does it look good - I have the best smelling figures! You would have though the extra firm hold hair spray I use as varnish would have killed it, but no!

Euxinus Lacus

General. 3 3 6 Mounted, Fast, Extra lives3. 119

Medium cavalry, armed with a mix of melee and light crossbows & pistols. These are experienced caravan guards organised by clan. 2 units of 8 = 1,072.

4 3 5 Mounted, Fast, Shoot1, extra lives2.

Lancer cavalry. Heavy cavalry recruited from merchant families. 6 = 408

4 3 6 Fast, Mounted, Fast, Devastating charge, extra lives2.

Guild Crossbow 5 1 5 Shoot 2 (I should have made these drilled)

Guild Spear 4 3 5 Drilled (I forgot to add shieldwall, possibly dropping to Q5)

Herculis

General. 3 4 6 Mounted, Fast, Extra lives3. 125

Heavy cavalry swords. Drawn from yeoman farmers who muster and train or campaign every year.

4 3 5 Mounted, Fast, Drilled, Devastating charge, Extra lives2. 2 units of 6 = 852

Heavy cavalry Lancers drawn from the nobility.

4 4 5 Mounted, Fast, Drilled, Devastating charge, Extra lives2. 1 units of 6 = 600

Heavy Infantry 4 2 6 Slow (-1 scouting) Elan (1^st turn +1 activation)

Crossbow 4 1 5 Shoot2

There's one big difference betwix a horse-delivered and a Martian cavalry charge. Horses are nice, friendly herbivores used to deliver their rider who do most of the work. But martian mounts are pack carnivores. The rider guides and controls them, but then hands on for dear life in a jumbled melee of teeth and razor claws coming at you from all angles.

Game 1 "demi game".

Tony took the Herculis and won the initiative. He started to move, general to the fore- then I got the initiative. Hah.

First I move my lighter cavalry up.

Then my lancers charge the general!

No slouch, that chap.

Now Tony has to do morale-. Most of his forces disappear, which is a result of being on the baseline. We didn't roll on the dead general table! But I think we can safely say he was properly pummeled to pieces.

My cavalry are now in a nice formation.

Tony's upper class twits advance to reclaim the body.

His cavalry hit my reduced lancers.

The remnant are then charged by mine.

They put up a desperate fight but numbers tell.

Seizing the opportunity the heavies advance and cut down my remaining cavalry.

Now they claim the body.

My guild spear advance into contact.

I put a fair bit of work into these and the crossbow, mostly headswaps using AA's Sengoku helmets
& bits. I had to do some quick painting-. There should be 16, not 18.

13 charged by 16. The heavies win, but only 2 remain.

That game took about an hour. So coffee refill and orf we go!

Game 2. Exactly the same. You didn't expect that, did you!

I won the initiative but soon lost it-. I decided on an open battlefield and this outcrop on my flank proved most challenging.

Slam! I lose-.

Tony advances, note general at the rear-.

Lancers clash!

Equal - but as mine attacked, Tony's goes back in disorder.

Tony's centre cavalry sweep around the rock and mine rush to plug the gap.

My remaining lancers are threatened by the crossbow, shielding their opponents.

I move them back.

Now the cavalry clash and I get the better of it - just.

Now its down to the infantry.

Guild and heavies clash. Heavies win and I go back.

Remnant raptors attempt crossbows but get shafted. Phew!

The infantry clash again (a rare occurrence) and mine melt, but put up a good fight.

The I'm alright at the back Herculus general. But with his heavies depleted I have the field. Time taken about 90 minutes.

Game 3 Now we do swapsies.

I start off well.

First clash of cavalry goes my way! Amazing, as I've a decades long history of cavalry under-performing for me! normal service will be resumed.

I win!

There's always one unit that decides "I'm not going anywhere".

Again the clash of lancers, but this time I lose.

That's a big ol' 'ole.

Tony does the unexpected- first he used all the crossbow in one big unit. Ok, hadn't considered that. I'd envisaged both the spear & crossbow as flanking units for the pike-. Must try that, more painting required. Watch this space. Then he shoots & charges my heavies! I lose 1 to shooting and in they go. They do very well, I lose half and they slightly more. but they survive. Crom.

But every threat is an opportunity. My cavalry would not have dared the full contingent of crossbow, but a reduced force in disorder is too good a target to miss!