ACROPOLIS MAY 2024 The miraculous sunday

So in the morning , after some good drinking, I was to face my most dreaded opponent. Emperor Ioannis Later Northern Song, full of crossbows that could should my unprotected infantry to death .

It's also the time I learned about the growing legend of my incredible luck. No one wanted to face me. That would help me in an unexpected way as my last opponents will seem to be "paralyzed" , centered on defence and forget to pu pressure .

His highness the emperor of the Song dynasty .

I will admit I outscouted him a bit which will help me

I went as defender as I wanted as much cover as possible. The brown area is a forest, there are 2 woods and facing the forest a mountain .As you can see the Song army went for a very defensive deployment and I not very subtly planned to attack the defensive position on my left and delay on my right . Ioannis had 30 points as did I so the winner might be the one to claim the top of the podium.

The song army was composed of many 6 bases mixed TUGs PA and crossbow so a very tough nut to crack for unprotected infantry and some knights .

The song had even some artillery but such a deployment has weaknesses

I will always wonder why he did deploy such a force in the hills facing a forest . 4 TUGS

It was a very tense game so sorry there are gaps . he did go and put some pressure but cover was protecting me .

He was redeploying to face my intended attack that was slowed down either because I was too cautious or for one commander some turns doing the max with black and white cards ( not whisky ) . My attack force is composed exclusively of SUP, DC and CL knights . His pA would cancel the CL but not the DC and the SUP . I had a legendary general and so hoped for a skull somewhere and planned for quick breakthrough thanks to be SUP, melee expert and FARM . Well that was the intended plan.

The supporting infantry is lagging thanks to black and white damnation

Here no more pictures as the game was very tense . What happened is that I had to charge without infantry support . result were mitigated. My infantry managed to come to the rescue and finaly the Song infantry started to crumble when his started loosing his first line . He came to the rescue of his line but while placing his outflanking force forgot who would be next phasing player and I had a small 4 bases UG of AV CL who charged first and killed one of his outflanking TUGS ( 4 red dice, 4 skulls ..again ) and which ran into another outflanking TUG that would die without being able to kill one of my 2 bases UG . He needed a wound but faile 2 or 3 times on white dice.

Still his shooting did hurt a lot . I lost an alumghavar TUG, one AV knights TUG and two other almughavar TUGS were near dying as well being only 5 and 6 strong due to shooting .

The fact that I managed to run over the Song camp and break it at charge finished his army just in time or he might have finished me .

So in the end 15-4 . the legend of my luck would continue but I only had luck three times. Once by winning the initiative and going defender. Once by outscouting him ,once with the desperate charge to save my flank . Ioannis was rather unlucky but the story was that I stole my opponent's luck .

So next I was to face George and his Komnenan army

He managed to win initiative and did choose to defend, he got the terrain I wanted but I was lucky enough to have a small wood in the middle and that wood would shape the battle.

I was also outscouted by 90 %

So I deployed rather defensively with 2 almughavars under a competent general facing the woods. The legendary with the military orders and taking command of one of the almughavars to their right. A competent leader for my average and SUP cavalry that was supported by another almughavar TUG

And a flanking protecting the jinetes and an average knight unit .

 I will admit the komnenan deployment was puzzling me .

So skilled shooters coming to me and some petcheneg skirmishing cavalry ( Cantabrian )

He went for the woods with some hillmen and some SUP Manichean DC

But I decided to go for his flank as I would have 3 UGs vs his lone UG and go in the woods with 24 bases of almughavars vs his 18 bases of loose order infantry albeit 6 being sup .

My drilled military order knights did fall back .

Till I decided to go for it as my outflanking move was bear where I wanted it . I will always wonder why those petcheneg were not there to contest my obvious move .

The arrows do point the way of the charge. George had not been prudent and I was close to his skirmishing cavalry.

His vadrariots were unlucky but also skirmishing was a very dangerous tactic to use

The charge vs the petcheneg would have dramatic results as his shooting even on green would fail and I would catch both UGs .

I had charge in the woods engaging his hillmen , not the mad Manichaeans

I won everywhere and most of his TUGs being outflanked, more importantly being called away for private matters, my opponent decided to concede the game so 15-0

And so I won the tournament

Next time I must try a more beatable army .

The Belgian MEG Prophet and Antoine