Battle of Stratos - last battle of the Optio campaign

After the previous battle the two embattled Greek city states swore eternal friendship and everlasting peace, though promising to be best friends didn't prevent Doris from losing Potidiana and Cynus to Malis. Peter then double-taxed his three remaining towns (players can't double-tax their capital) and succeeded in raising an army that matched that of Malis.

 

With Ophonahos gloriously dead on the field of battle, his son Mykingdomphoranos took command of the army (his name hinting at his family's origin from the island of Mykonos). Time to lead the host of Doris to glorious victory and wipe out the shame of his father's defeats.

 

The two armies met at the Dorian town of Stratos, not far from the Dorian capital Amphissa. Towns are probably too close together on the campaign map. I'll have to amend that.

 

This would prove the most desperate battle of the campaign with the outcome in doubt until the very last moment.

Since Peter's army had come into the campaign square already occupied by my army, I got to use the battlefield template to slightly adjust the battlefield.

 

And then we set it up.

Then time to deploy the armies. Mykingdomphoranos (Peter) on the left, Attalos (Yours Truly) on the right. Mykingdomphoranos had a better command rating than Attalos, so I started deployment and moved first.

Turn 1. Malis.

I decided on the provisional plan of moving my psiloi up, ultimately to engage and soften Peter's hoplites before my own hoplites engaged, whilst my cavalry moved up on the right to secure that flank.

Turn 1. Doris.

Peter secured control of the woods on his right flank with his peltasts and then began a bold outflanking manoeuvre with his cavalry on his left. This posed a problem for me: if I formed column with my own cavalry to go and meet his horsemen, the latter could form line and ZOC my column, which would then be in the unenviable position of having to form column whilst in ZOC which inflicts disorder on the unit. I would need to think about this.

Turn 2. Malis.

My decision was to leave my right flank hanging and send in the cavalry to assault Peter's left flank, whilst the psiloi moved up at top speed to engage the Dorian hoplites. When in doubt, attack!

Turn 2. Doris.

Peter thought about it for a while, and then decided to pursue his plan of outflanking my infantry with his cavalry. It was now a race.

Turn 3. Malis.

I needed to get my hoplites as far away from Peter's cavalry as possible until my own cavalry could intervene to protect them, so sent them forwards and diagonally. My psiloi moved up and began the softening up process on Peter's hoplites whilst a cavalry unit moved to their rear to help with the process. Meanwhile another cavalry unit moved back towards Peter's horse. I needed to distract them.

Turn 3. Doris.

Peter's cavalry reached the rear of my infantry, formed line, and began to pelt them with javelins. His one psiloi unit moved up to engage my cavalry but could not shoot it this turn since turning 90 degrees disordered it, inflicting a -2 negative modifier that left him scoring a ½ shooting hit - which means it can score one shooting hit only when it is the other player's turn to move (normally shooters shoot twice a turn, during each player's move). So nothing happens for now. My own psiloi however score one shooting hit on the Dorian hoplites.

Turn 4. Malis.

The Malian hoplites move forward whilst the cavalry march double-time to deal with the Dorian cavalry. My plan is to have the cavalry ready to hit Peter's cavalry in the front and flank if they advance to engage my hoplites.

Turn 4. Doris.

Peter's peltasts charge mine, routing them, whilst his psiloi move up to take on my cavalry.

Peter's peltasts occupy the square vacated by my routed troops.

Turn 5. Malis.

The Malian psiloi donate more javelins to the Dorian hoplites, finally dropping their morale by an interval....

.... and then evade through their own hoplites who move up into their squares. Meanwhile, my cavalry finally get to the rear of Peter's cavalry and form line, sending them a generous supply of javelins.

Turn 5. Doris.

The Dorian cavalry move up and start trading javelins with my psiloi, whilst his peltasts move up to supply them with a flank guard. His psiloi unit moves to the flank of my hoplites, but they can't shoot during Peter's move as they are still disordered.

Turn 6. Malis.

My cavalry charge Peter's cavalry in the rear. I expected this to be a slam dunk, but I had miscalculated. First, Peter's cavalry can't evade. My own psiloi can't get out of the way of Peter's horse since they would have to move through their hoplites - straight into Peter's hoplites. But Peter's cavalry can't charge the psiloi as evading units cannot charge. 

So they got rear ended and become disordered. They they turned to face my cavalry - and then I realised I had blundered. My cavalry were shaken, hence a -1 modifier; Peter's cavalry were disordered hence a -2 modifier. But the modifiers left both units inflicting the same combat hit, so a draw. Peter's general Mykingdomphorahos however has a better combat rating than my cavalry commander. He breaks the tie, inflicts a combat hit on my cavalry, who rout. Damn!

But it gets worse. I had now lost 2 peltast bases plus 2 cavalry bases plus the cavalry commander worth 2 points. So 6 points in total. I was one point from reaching my breakpoint of 7 points and losing the entire battle!

Meanwhile my hoplites charge Peter's hoplites. They have the edge now that Peter's heavy foot have lost a morale interval from my psiloi, but they better hurry - things are not going well behind them.

The Dorian cavalry occupy the square vacated by my routed horse whilst my surviving cavalry decides to get the hell out of there.

Turn 6. Doris.

Peter sends one cavalry unit in pursuit of mine whilst his other moves up to engage my psiloi.

Turn 6. Melee

The hoplites grind each other down.

Turn 7. Malis.

My cavalry deploy into line and move up to send a few javelins towards the Dorian cavalry. I need to keep Peter's cavalry busy whilst my hoplites win the battle. With my psiloi also shooting them the cavalry unit shouldn't last too long.

Turn 7. Doris.

Peter's cavalry moves up and forms line, sending long pointy sticks into the rear end of my horse. Peter clearly intends to charge next turn. I need to come up with something, fast.

Turn 7. Melee.

One of the Dorian hoplite units routs!

My victorious hoplite unit moves up to occupy the vacated square.

Turn 8. Malis.

My cavalry turn to face the Dorian cavalry. Otherwise everyone stays where they are.

Turn 8. Doris.

The Dorian cavalry is finally shot to rout. Score is now 6:4.

General Mykingdomphoranos now leads a glorious cavalry charge, scattering my psiloi and slamming into the rear of my hoplites. But at the moment of his triumph a stray javelin finds him and his is killed! Disaster! His loss is worth 4 points, so with the 4 points already lost Peter is at 8 points and the Dorian army routs. Game over!

What might have been....

The final score. This was a narrow victory for me (barely squeaked through to be honest) so I gain only one kudo whilst Peter loses one. But that one kudo lost drops him to -1 and Doris collapses, to be absorbed into Malis as its first step to creating a world empire.

 

Edit: just realised something. When Mykingdomforanos's cavalry slammed into the rear of my hoplites during his last glorious charge, the charge combat was a draw. Light horse (the Greek cav are LH) inflict only an "all grey" modifier when they rear-end an enemy unit, which means all grey (firm) morale intervals become white (shaken). Since the hoplites were already shaken the modifier didn't affect them. 

Basic combat factors are 3 by the hoplites becomes a 2 with the minus modifier, and 2 by the cavalry. Mykingdomphoranos however breaks the draw and scores one morale hit on the hoplites, routing them. That tips my entire army over the edge.

Mykingdomphoranos then dies in his moment of victory and that tips his army over the edge. Result: a draw (rare but not unheard of in Optio). So nobody gains or loses kudos, but since Peter had spent every kudo he had raising his army he has nothing left to rule anything except Amphissa and so the campaign is over anyway. But the bards will immortalise Mykingdomphoranos....