Two Rounds of Mt Vesuvius

by on March 9, 2024 at 12:00 pm
Posted In: CC:Ancients

After the Incident at Morkedia, Patch and I did our usual round of Commands & Colors: Ancients. Up this time was the start of Spartacus’ slave revolt, with a battle at the foot of Mt Vesuvius from Expansion #2. Spartacus is hitting the Roman camp, so there’s slave units on both sides, with Romans in the middle, with a wall on one side. There’s four Roman camps as well, which can be looted for banners. Two of them are merely occupied by leaders at the start.

I had Spartacus for the first battle, and I started with Order Two Right Left (thanks to the upside-down setup, I just realized I mixed up my right and left flanks in Vassal) to send in two Warriors, who lost four blocks between them doing three hits to a single Aux. Patch Ordered Lights, which he used to occupy his camps and finished off a Warrior. I Ordered Mediums to hit both sides of the Roman camp, finishing off the Aux, and then lost the second Warrior to blocked retreat. I also did a block to an Aux, and two to a Medium, but lost six blocks across three units to do it.

Patch Ordered Three Center to knock out a weak Warrior, and do a block to a Medium, and a block to another Warrior, who “retreated” to a camp Patch had just vacated to man the walls. Clash of Shields got me that Warrior and a weak Medium, who finished off a Medium, forced an Aux off the wall, and did a hit to a Light at a cost of one block. Patch Ordered Lights, got himself into a really compact mass, and finished off my two units at the walls. 3-5

Patch started the second game with Double Time, with a Medium killing a leader (Varinius) and taking a camp, while a Warrior forced an Aux to retreat, advanced, did a hit to a Medium, and was forced to retreat over the wall with two losses. I used Line Command to get a good chunk of the Roman army in motion, supporting my remaining leader, finishing off the Warrior, and trading blocks with Spartacus’ Medium.

Patch Ordered Three Center, sending two units across the abandoned wall, and a Warrior from behind. He knocked out a Medium with a blocked retreat, and did two blocks to a Light. My Order Three Center got a Medium back in the fight, and let me work with two Auxes stationed to one side. First Strike caused the Medium to retreat again before they could try to get Spartacus, while an Aux and Warrior traded three blocks, and my other Aux did a block and forced a retreat.

Clash of Shields ordered four units for Patch, and lost his just retreated Aux as they attacked across the wall. My Light took a hit, Patch finished off an Aux and attacked the Light on momentum, getting three banners—all ignored (leader, support, and camp), and Patch lost the Warrior on a blocked retreat. An Aux was also reduced to one block by taking a hit and three banners, which took him to the baseline. I Ordered One (Mounted Charge) to finish off Spartacus’ Medium, and he evaded to a Warrior. Patch Ordered Two Center, but got no result, while I Ordered Two Left, and advanced over the wall to force a Light to retreat off the board. 5-4

Afterword

The first game saw a really weak hand for me (my starting cards were almost all ‘order two’), and then the dice favored Patch. However, he used the fortified camps and walls well, and ignored a lot of sword hits thanks to them.

One of the annoyances of the slave army is the mix of Warriors and Mediums. Notably, the ‘surrounding’ force has two of them, and they are out of range of the Romans, forcing the units to break up, while already broken into three groups (the units on the ‘regular’ or ‘wall’ side at least are bunched up).

And the usual complaint about “surrounded” or “ambush” scenarios applies here. Forcing the second group of slave units to retreat away from their start, and through the Roman camp messes up what is actually a fairly fun small scenario. The Romans technically have the advantage of defenses, but just don’t have the units to cover everything, and so have to make some hard decisions, while Spartacus is too broken up to use several cards easily.

└ Tags: ,
 Comment 

Two Rounds of Sucro

by on December 11, 2023 at 12:00 pm
Posted In: CC:Ancients

After my failure in Hatten, Patch and I did our standard between-big-games round of Commands & Colors: Ancients. Up this time was the Battle of Sucro from Expansion #3. Pompey gets another crack at Sertorius, with a slightly smaller army, with almost all Mediums. Sertorius has the only Heavies present, and has an extra card. Considering victory is six banners, both sides have large armies.

Patch led off the first game as the Romans with Order Three Left to get a more solid line, I moved up Two Center, and Patch did the same to get a solid line established. Order Lights got me into range, but did no damage, and Leadership any Section let Patch get his left into contact, driving my Lights into the hills with one loss each on a Light and LS. I Counter Attacked, and knocked out a Medium for no losses.

Patch Ordered Mediums, moving up his right, and doing three hits to an Aux on the left. Order Two Left closed up my other flank; Patch Ordered Three Right, and took a hit on his MC for no gain. Line Command got nearly my entire army, and started fights on both flanks, doing a block to a MC, and two to a Medium while taking one block on an Aux. Patch used his Line Command to get his right and center into contact, forcing my weak Aux to run (three banners) after taking a hit and doing another in return. He also did three hits each to two Mediums and two to a Heavy, while they did six blocks total back.

Clash of Shields let me order three units, finishing off a Medium and chasing off another with one block left. Patch Rallied… one block on a Medium, who then did a ranged hit to finish off Perpenna’s Medium (conservation of blocks). Coordinated Attack let me finish of Memmius’ MC, drive off a LS, and do three hits to a Medium while taking two on a Heavy. Order Mediums allowed some reshuffling, and put a fresh Medium into contact (they were getting rare). He finished off a Medium and Heavy with a weak leader-led Medium, did a block to an Aux. Double Time got the rest of my center into action, finishing off the weak Medium and killing Afranius, and then finished off a Medium that had just tried to fall back. 6-2

I started the second game with Order One (Heavy), while Patch Ordered Three Center. Order Lights didn’t do anything (the Romans only have three), while Patch did a hit to a LS with his. Another Order Lights from me still did no damage, but did force a Light and LS to retreat. We then each Ordered Two (respective) Right for no result, and Out Flanked did a pair of hits to my Mediums. I Rallied to get my LS loss back, and he forced a Light to retreat. I followed Patch’s Order Three Right (no effect) with Four Right to do a LS hit. Order Three Center did a Medium hit, but I couldn’t do anything with Order Two Center.

Order Mediums finally got us in contact in the center, destroying a Medium, doing two blocks to another, and killing Pompey. Counter Attack got my line into action, getting me a Medium, and five hits on two others at the cost of one of my Mediums. Patch Ordered Two Center, driving off two Mediums with two hits apiece. Leadership Any Section moved up my left, and Line Command got Patch’s left into action, finishing off a Medium and driving off another with a hit. Inspired Center Leadership finished off a Medium and did two blocks to a Heavy, but cost me a Medium.

Another Line Command kept Patch’s left moving, and did a hit to a Medium, after First Strike finished off one of his. Order Three Center… only ordered two units, but drove off his Heavy with a loss, and Momentum finished it off. Patch Out Flanked to finish off a Medium. 4-6

Afterword

Patch had a good hand in the first game, but the dice were a major disappointment. There was a couple of turns when I feared for my right flank, but then the rest of the battle heated up, and Patch’s opportunity passed.

In the second game, we both started with poor hands and had to spend time just cycling to useful cards. Losing Pompey was especially bad, as he could have made my Counter Attack much more effective. As it was, both of our centers were basically gone at the end.

Its something of a standard smash-em-up fight, but a very enjoyable one, and certainly required some thinking and maneuvering.

└ Tags: ,
 Comment 

Two Rounds of Valentia

by on September 18, 2023 at 12:00 pm
Posted In: CC:Ancients

Patch took a while to come up with a setup for our next Hatten game (and I didn’t do much better), so we returned to Commands & Colors: Ancients, with another Expansion #3 battle. Pompey has caught two of Sertorius’ subordinates away from their commander, and he plans to give them a drubbing. They cooperate in this by refusing to work together; all the Sertorian units that start in their left flank can’t be ordered with any units from outside that set (making Coordinated Attack and the like much less useful), and here they use the Greek blocks to set them apart.

Patch had Pompey the first time, and started with Double Timing his center into contact, eliminating a LS (caught with a solid wall of Mediums and Aux behind it) and doing a block to another, which did one block in return. Leadership Any Section let me bring the main line in, and reduce to Mediums to block each, which were then finished off by Herennius, at the cost of three blocks on an Aux, and one on a Medium. Clash of Shields did two blocks to Herennius and forced him to retreat.

Line Command let me rework the center and bring up my right, with ranged combat doing one block. Order Mediums brought Patch in again, chasing off a LS and losing a weak Medium to battle back after doing one block to an Aux. He also finished off Herennius’s unit and killed him, doing another two blocks to a Medium on momentum. I Ordered Mediums, pulling back a weak Medium, and doing two blocks to a MC in return for one on mine. Mounted Charge saw Patch to more than rearrange his cavalry, and Perperna finally moved with Order Three Left.

Three Units Center finished off my weak Aux and forced a LB to evade with a loss. I Ordered Three Center too (but only had two units) to pick off a block at range, and Patch did another Three Center to attack my weak Medium, but my First Strike only did one block before he went down. Move-Fire-Move let me put together a light line, but didn’t cause any damage, and Patch Ordered One (Heavy) to pull his depleted Medium out of the way, but Mounted Charge caught it and finished it off and got a hit on a LS as it evaded. Order One (Inspired Center…!) let my MC take on his 1-block MC, but I missed and lost mine in battle back. 4-6

For the second game, Order Mediums followed by Line Command let me get the center into contact, while Order Lights let Patch rework his line a bit. I managed to take blocks on a LB and LS at range, while knocking out an Aux. Patch tried to repair the damage with Order Three Right and did a block to a Medium, but a second Line Command let me engage in two sections, and destroy a Medium taking two hits on one of mine in return.

Order One (Heavy) pulled a Medium out of danger, but then Double Time let me slam into the formation that was quickly coming apart, and forced Herennius to evade off-board, while taking hits on two Mediums while nearly getting an Aux. Order Four Right let him get behind me, knocking out a Medium and forcing Pompey to evade through an Aux to a new Medium. Order Mediums finished a weak Aux and we traded blocks on a pair of Mediums. Patch’s Order Mediums finished off my weak Medium, traded blocks on another pair, and lost him a Medium after doing two hits. I Counter Attacked to finish off a Medium and Aux after failing to get a LB stuck on the baseline. 6-2

Afterword

It’s a nice scenario. The city makes a nice obstacle, and the special rule really does hold Perpenna immobile. Between that, four cards, and a lighter force (other than Perpenna), the Sertorians have a really tough time, but it’s still fun.

The first go was a hard-fought, tough battle. The second went really fast as I had a lot of great cards (largely drawn as I went), and my dice did well the entire time. I smashed into the line, and kept going without giving Patch any time to do anything.

└ Tags: ,
 Comment 

Two Rounds of Lauron

by on August 25, 2023 at 12:00 pm
Posted In: CC:Ancients

After Unhorsing Patch, we turned to our usual set of Commands & Colors: Ancients while we prepare for the next big thing. This time was the Battle of Lauron from Expansion #3. This is the initial fight between Sertorius and Pompey in Spain, and is certainly a tough fight for Sertorius, as he generally has to rely on lighter units than Pompey, though he does have the only two Heavies on the field. He also has an “ambush” force, though it starts on the board, and is just on the ‘wrong side’ in some hills.

I had Sertorius the first time, and started by Ordering Lights, deploying a bit forward, but could not get any hits with ranged fire. Patch Ordered Mediums, and knocked out an Aux and traded two blocks on a Medium for two on his MC. Double Time allowed my ambushing Warriors to get at the flank that just hit me, finishing off his MC and doing a block to a LB. Order Two Left let Patch do a hit each to a Warrior, Heavy, and the weak Medium, either at range, or forcing them to retreat for no battle back.

Order Four Center let me redeploy to destroy his two forward Mediums, at a cost of one of the Heavies, and two blocks on the other. Order Three Center let Patch trade three hits on an Aux for two on his Medium, while Order Mediums saw a lot of motion from me (especially organizing my right), and let me knock out a Medium, but lost my Warriors on momentum after doing two blocks to another Medium. Then Patch Ordered Mediums and killed a LS with losses and a blocked retreat while doing a block to a MC, and continued with Leadership on his left to drive off my cavalry.

Order Three Center let me finish off a Medium, and do a block to another, at a cost of three blocks on one of mine. Line Command saw Patch break his line apart to engage his center and left, finishing off a LC, and destroying an Aux, but not before First Strike did three blocks to a Medium and killed Afranius (who had actually survived the destruction of at least three different units). He then did three blocks to another Aux, and finished it off with a ranged attack. 6-7

For the second round, Patch led with Inspired Left Leadership to bring the ambush out of the hills and take my flank from the rear, doing two blocks each to a Medium and MC, but nearly losing a Warrior to blocked retreat. I Rallied to bring one block back on both units, and finish off the weak Warrior, losing the MC’s recovered block again. Order Three Left forced my MC to retreat and my LB to evade twice, losing a block along with my Medium who did a block to his Aux. I Ordered Two Right to finish off the Aux.

I shifted to Order Three Left to get a pair of lucky hits on his LB, and Patch Out Flanked to finish off a Medium. Mounted Charge then let him destroy a MC (retreat cut off), and then destroyed a Medium, taking two hits on a MC. Order Two Left let me clean up the mess from that a little and drive off his MC, while a Line Command let Patch bring up his center. Order Three Center did the same for me, and Order Three Left let Patch drive off a Medium with a loss.

Line Command let me re-engage on that flank, destroying a Medium at the cost of my weak Medium. Order Lights cost me a block in my line, and drove off my LB. Leadership Any Section got my Center engaged, destroying a heavy and Aux, while taking two hits on a Medium. Order Two Center let Patch do two hits each to a pair of Mediums, while taking two hits on an Aux. Clash of Shields killed a Warrior and drove off his LS, but I lost a Medium to a First Strike. Order Two Center finished off another Medium and nearly got another. With only scattered units in the center, my turn did nothing, and Patch finished off the weak Medium with a Double Time. 6-7

Afterword

Both battles were really close and down to the wire. Patch had an initial advantage the first time, but I had caught up, and nearly won just before he did (not great odds, but certainly possible).

Once again, the ‘ambushes’ have trouble in CC:A, since you end up retreating the ‘wrong way’. However, the on-the-board version here seems to help, and the ability of the Warriors to go two if they will attack makes it a fairly easy force to use. The walled city of Lauron makes for an interesting obstacle, and kept to much from happening on that side of the board.

└ Tags: ,
 Comment 

Two Rounds of Baetis River

by on June 26, 2023 at 12:00 pm
Posted In: CC:Ancients

After escaping a supernova, Patch and I did our regular round of Commands & Colors: Ancients, this time playing the Battle of Baetis River from Expansion #3. Along with the Marian Legions rule (for both sides), there’s a fordable river, and a good number of troops on both sides, though Sertorius’ are distinctly lighter.

I had Sertorius first, and led with Order Three Right, doing no damage with ranged combat. Patch played Double Time to crash into my line, forcing a Light to evade with a loss, and doing two blocks each to two more Lights, who did one block in return. I Ordered Lights to try and get a little room, and forced a Medium and LB to retreat. Patch Ordered Mediums to keep his drive going, finished off a Light, knocked out a Heavy, and reduced the other Heavy to two blocks.

Left Leadership let me counterattack, taking out a Medium for one loss on an Aux. Patch Out Flanked to damage an Aux, but took three hits to a Warrior in return. I Ordered Four Left, but merely drove off the Warriors. Patch Ordered Mediums again, closing in the center to finish off the Heavy and kill Sertorius and an Aux, but lost his Warriors in return. Order Three Left let me reorganize the survivors but no more, and Patch Ordered Two Right to trade blocks between an Aux and a Warrior.

I Out Flanked to drive his Warriors away and do a block to a LB, Patch had Center Leadership to drive one of my Lights to the baseline and I crawled away with a Line Command that did a block to his LS (retreated into the baseline), and Patch came back with Order Lights which nearly destroyed a LC. I Counter Attacked, reducing his LB to one block. Patch Counter Attacked for no more effect than driving a LS to the baseline. I then Ordered Lights to drive him back with one loss to a LS. Patch Move-Fire-Moved to finish off my weak Aux. 2-6

Patch started round 2 with Order Two Center to open up his formation with two Lights getting into javelin range, and doing a block to a Warrior. I Ordered Lights to drive off a LS. Patch did the same, and drove back my left flank and did another block to the same Warriors. Line Command put me in contact with the two advanced Lights, one of which evaded with losses and the other was wiped out (Patch didn’t evade with him, probably wanting a path for the Heavies).

Move-Fire-Move let Patch do two hits to a Medium… killing the attached leader, before shuffling his lights to one side. Order Mediums let me drive off some Lights (one down to one block), and Inspired Center Leadership let Patch get his Heavies into action, driving off my Warriors with two banners, and destroying a Medium outright. I Counter-Attacked to do damage to a Light, destroy a Heavy, and do two blocks to the other, but lost a Medium. Patch Ordered Three Center to finish off a Medium, and reduced a Warrior to one block. I Ordered Four Center to finish off an evading Light and the second Heavy.

Patch Ordered Two Center to send Sertorius to an Aux (his third command), I Ordered Two Right for no result while Patch Counter Attacked(!) to finish off my Warriors. I Ordered Three Center to charge Sertorius, driving him off with two losses. Patch Ordered Four Right trouble my weak flank without result, and I returned the favor with Order Two Left. Mounted Charge cost one of my Mediums two blocks, but Patch’s MC lost a block and retreated while he lost his LC outright. Order Lights let me pull back the left, and Order Three Right let Patch do another block to my LS and force my Medium to retreat. Two Center let me charge after Sertorius again, this time finishing off the Aux. 6-5

Afterword

The Romans have a tough time here with Sertorius going first and having one higher command. However, they have a good number of Mediums which start only two hexes away from the main Sertorian line. An early Double Time can be real trouble for them. Sertorius’ line isn’t as heavy, so he needs a bit of finesse here, and some time to make it work.

Patch had good luck (at least better than mine) for almost the entire match. I got some real luck right at the end to get that win after hovering at five banners for too long. I have seen Mounted Charge decide things too often, so this was a double surprise for me. Overall, this goes to Patch, and I can blame some of it on some really bad ranged die rolls and losing Sertorius early.

└ Tags: ,
 Comment