Alans vs later Seleucids

As soon my brand new Alan army was finished, I wanted to test it. The opponent was my friend Stefano, the guy that won the italian champ race. A worthy opponent using Seleucids. The game would be an excellent test.

My army list was knight heavy, with three corps made by a general ILhS, 6 IKnF and 6 ILhS (24ME) and a fourth smaller corps with 7 ILhS. The idea was to present a threat all over the enemy front, forcing the enemy to deploy deep, and using the LhS as screen and outflankers. The IKnF would have done the coup de grace with a coordinated charge. This version of course doesn't manouver very well due the numerous knights fast, but I'm very confident when I use Sarmatians

I was the defender, and used many gentle hill to have a battlefield as open s possible. The Seleucid tried to protect his flanks with some difficult. I choosed an aggressive deployment, not flank marching. The seleucid deployment was classical, with the phalanx in the center and the wings ready to seize the difficult going. My outflanker corps possible outflank was parried by some AxS covering the rear gap to the hellenistic line.

My CiC was deployed in the center, because I wanted to manouver to left or right as needed. My pips allowed me to go to the right to double the knight force there. The seleucid right wing was made by cataphracts, light horse and PsS, and was my best target. The outflankers positioned to fix the enemy left and possibly slow the phalanx. My main attack would be on the right.

The Seleucid higher pip dice was on the right. The army echeloned, with some skirmish starting on the far left. I didn't wait much and charged the enemy on the right, having few pips to manouver the CiC.

The charge was quite unsuccesful, and the seleucid counterattacked.

The first wave losses let me throw in the knights, and this time I attacked a much wider front, while the CiC knights deployed to form a third attack wave. I was also able to spare 2 pips to feign flight.

The fighting on the left escalated to a full corps engagement. The Seleucid right took some casualties that left holes in the lines, because there were few to no reserves.

High pips let the seleucid to avoid a dangerous pursuit, but his situation was not good.

Here we go again. The seleucid was blocked by the feigned flight and this let me attack again. The charge was a disaster for the hellenistic, that lost two more knights. I charged the elephants too that were finally deployed in front. There a turning point was happening

The Selucid made a mistake. Look at the leftermost elephant and his death zone. Now guess the die roll.

This is what happened. 7 ME gone in one combat, corps broken, and 2 ME transmission breaking the now disheartened Seleucid right wing. Murphy's law is terrible.

The right wing after the charge. Seleucid two knights lost bring in disheartening, that became rout with loss trasmission from left routed corps. 25-0

I remember few games where a single strike was so decisive. By the way I think that the Seleucid would have lost the right wing, that was outnumbered and in a bad tactical position, while on the left the combat was much more balanced but not easy for the hellenistic, because I have been able to infiltrate a couple of Lh through the wood to threat the enemy rear. The elephant performance would have been decisive imho.