TTS AAR: Hittites versus Timurid
/Plenty of time for another game, so as friend Rob wanted another go with the Timurids, I re-packed the victorious Fanatic Berbers and broke out the Hittites…I wanted to get my new unit of archers and the Gasgan chariots onto the tabletop for the first time.
In order to avoid getting shot to death by all the Timurid mounted archers, my plan was to weight the right flank with my fighting chariots, then win there as I held back my centre and left before turning the successful chariots to take the rest of the Timurids in the flank and rear. Simples!
The battle began with a disaster of epic proportions. Rob used the This Way Effendi stratagem card to drive the Gasgan chariots, a general and a unit of Syrian light chariots back one square and therefore off the table.
No problem, I thought, I’ll just get them back on, needing a 4+, but of course I drew an Ace. Now drawing an Ace when re-entering the table means you lose the units in question, so that meant I was five coins down before we’d even properly started the game!
Since then, however, there has been a discussion on the To The Strongest Facebook group, and it seems that the consensus of opinion is that as the This Way Effendi card affects your troops before they have actually entered the table (it’s all about being led the wrong way before arriving at the battlefield) so the Ace-lose-the-units rule doesn’t actually apply.
That makes sense, and will doubtless be clarified in a later edition of Even Stronger amendments…but it was too late for this game so we went on with the game with the Hittites being down half a command and a third of their coins!
The rest of my plan then unfolded as, er, planned, with the Hittite chariots winning on the right hand side of the field.
Meanwhile, the somewhat reduced Hittites on the left and in the centre were fighting hard to survive until the right hand force could turn and roll up the Timurids.
This proved quite tough, but we did get one moment of success when a unit of Hittite spearmen managed to flank charge and destroy some of the Timurid heavy cavalry.
It was now time for the Hittite chariots on the right and crash into the left flank of the Timurid line…but although I managed the turn okay, I then found myself confronted with obstacles to my path in the form of a unit of Khadesh, a unit of escorted elephants, and rough ground, plus lights in the enemy camp ready to assault the flank of any chariots passing by!
Meanwhile, every Timurid on the other side of the field was closing in on the Hittite camp!
In the end, of course, I just couldn’t get my chariots through the obstacles in time to prevent the Timurids taking my camp, my last three coins and the victory.
Oh, how I missed having the command that had been led astray at the beginning of the game!
But it had been a great game of TTS played in the bet possible spirits, and I have taken a note to check the Facebook group for information on the interpretation of new Even Stronger rules before playing rather than after!
Oh look, the missing gasgan chariots have finally arrived…
