ITC Book 1 Competition report

sorry to take so long to write. I did the German version first. It was really
great to see how they repeated every posting from Lorenzo to keep everyone at
home up to date!

Anyway, here are some impressions from the book 1 period.

I had entered my Ugarite list. This army has four commands:
1) the CinC (r CvS), 5 reg CvS Chariots, 6 reg BdO, 6 irr BdO
2) a SG (reg CvS), 8 irr AxO, 8 irr PsO
3) a SG (reg CvS), 8 irr CvO, 8 irr PsI
4) an Ally (reg KnO), 3 reg KnO, 4 irr CvO, 2 irr AxI, some PsI and PsO
no baggage. All Cv and Kn are chariots. This makes this army fairly maneuvrable
but it is fragile. The CinC always gets the highest dice initially, just in case
he has to wake up the Ally.

i knew that this army is good for a quick victory and for a quick defeat. So
when we met a week beforew Milano, I tried to practice some defencive measures
to save a few points in case something goes wrong. My basic idea however is to
choose my side and rush for it, retreating on the other side.

On to the games...

1. Game
-------
Saturday morning I faced Maurizio Cisotto, from team "the Wild Bunch", playing
Neo Babylonian. Ugarite attacked Babylon in winter. The Babylonians do have more
Knights than I have, therefore I tried to avoid a chariot battle in the open.

Maurizio had to deploy first. His left flank was protected by a large rough and
his baseline was cut off by a smaller rough. He placed spear O next to the Rough
and then continued his line with several columns of knights, cavalry and two
groups of irr BwI.

I decided to avoid all this an just feint an attack in the center (by my ally),
attack his spear with my blades running through the rough, but most of all race
my Auxilia and Psiloi to his baseline to threaten his baggage, the irregular
cavalry was to close the gap between them and the Rough going. His right flank
would end facing nobody. You do not re-deploy irregular bow that fast...

The plan was not perfect: my Ally refused to participate. My feigned attack
never took place. This left Maurizio with the chance to re-deploy knights
against my right hook. His spear survived my attack being protected by hidden
obstacles. I outpaced his knights and sacked his baggage. He killed a few of my
knights and blades (and Psiloi too...), I killed some knights and a few bow. But
losses where not decisive with both armies have some troops coming in truely
late (my ally, his bows). 12:13 for Babylon, both players exhausted - he because
of PIP draining distance between his knight generals and the rest of his troops
- I because of fighting knights with Psiloi, Auxilia and Cavalry.


2. Game
-------
Saturday afternoon I faced Richard Darby from team "Old Contemptibles", he
commanded later Mycene (including a brillant Achilles). Mycne attacked Ugarite
in Spring. I tried to slow down the expected spears, warband and chariots with a
lot of terrain. A double rough on my right (but well forward), a BUA in the
center suited this idea.

The plan: attack on my left with my ally and the cavalry while holding the
spears and any pseudo Hollywood heros with warbands near the rough with my
infantry.

The plan was plain bullshXYZ. The Ally was unreliable and would not wake up for
several bounds! I did not try every turn (because of low PIPs), so the ally just
came to action in the middle of the game. But the nobody was there anymore to
fight on that flank. So I defended against Achilles charge against the rough
with blades and psiloi. After some pushing I started to kill warbands and
blades. Just that they kept on coming! Richard pulled in chariots and dismounted
to become blades faster than I could chop them down. Only when at some spots he
ran out of blades I felt a chance of victory. But my position was still to
defensive to force a victory. 15:20, very well played by Richard!


3. Game
-------
Sunday morning we where drawn against "The Good, The Bad, The Bold & the Ugly".
Jim Gibson, playing sea peoples was my opponent. The sea peoples attacked
Ugarite in spring (a very bad pseudo-historical omen...)

I had to deploy first. Mainly I deploy well back anchoring some pisloi on dunes
to my left drwing a line from there to a BUA in the center. But everybody
deployed well back. In emergency I would just run behind the BUA and attack on
the right. Nice to have no baggage. Then Jim deployed the sea peoples. Opposite
my left flank there was a thin line of psiloi in the dunes, then masses of
Blades F, Blades O, Blades F again, Psiloi, some chariots. What a massive line.
I had a slight suspicion of evil stratagems (just because he asked this "how
many AP do I see" question), but I was not sure where the trap was.

I decided to attack the dunes on my left with my psiloi and pull the CvO
chariots directly behind, just in case this was a trap. It was a trap and it was
good. Many of his blades had been just exaggerated army size phantoms, while 8
Bd(F) where hidden at the beginning of the dunes before those psiloi of his. I
saw this very late, so he killed a few psiloi and spent more, but here came my
chariots to assist! He commanded two psiloi to block the chariots and it took me
three attacks to ride down these psiloi I!! Ok he drew in a third one, but still
that was no brillant chariot performance.

On the other flank, Jim conquered the BUA. My psiloi and auxilia tried to "die
slowly". Just in the center my blades and chariots felt comfortable. But I was
not able to kill enough se people to threaten their army in any way. Versus the
end I was much more nervous than Jim. 11:14 for Jim.


4. Game
-------
Sunday afternoon everybody was eager to chase us from first place. "La piccola
armata" from Turino got the chance. Riccardo Marchesi, commanding New Kingdom
Egyptian, planned to burn down Ugarite to reach a top 3 position for his team.

The (inert) pharao attacked Ugarite with an impressing large army in spring. His
half of the table was fairly free, I had dunes and a wood on my left, a big dune
on my far right and a BUA in the center. I deployed cavalry on the far left
(psiloi in the dunes), then the ally (also his psiloi in the dunes), the CinC
placed well behind the BUA, but in a way that he could advance on the side of
the BUA, the Auxilia and Psiloi ready to defend the BUA. Everybody well backward
to re-deploy if needed. The pharao deployed very central, all troops kept
together. Riccardo was apparently waiting for something... the missing baggage
making him suspicious.

Ah lets attack! Cavalry rushing foreward at the left table edge, the ally a bit
inward forming a line angled versus the egyptians, blades advancing near the
BUA, the CvS closing the gap towards the blades. Psiloi and auxilia try to hold
the BUA. Riccardo attacks the BUA with force, but versus my left he only builds
up a defensive position and leaves all maneuver to me. my chariots bounce off on
the first attack, but the second one is good. The first egyptians leave their
chariots and run. I just keep on the pressure to break his two commands on that
flank. On my right I have no PIPs and no luck. The egyptians sack the BUA and
race their chariots around the village. At the end there are some egyptian
chariots in my back. But somehow this is no problem if you do not have baggage
and enough psiloi to keep them busy.

And in the center I had no chance to get him. My blade's attack was lame, he
even had a feigned flight to slow me further. I just did not break through.
14:11 at the end.


Conclusion
----------
> the location is superb!
> organization was also super, very timely for Milano ;-))
> Few discussions on rules, but all resolved either by re-reading or by short
discussion and some translations.
> my opponents where very sportsmen like. No hiding in any corners, I think in
team competitions there are some careful moves but nobody refused battle.
> cool team: ambitious but not fanatic. some discussion but no team orders.

Thanks to All!!