“ The swiftness of our horsemen, coupled with the accuracy of our arrows, make us formidable even when outnumbered.”

Didioticos I 250 BC

Some players are a joy to play. Others can be a challenge. Sid is well known in our club, if not notorious, for he knows the To the Strongest ruleset intimately. Perhaps he is the only one who knows the rules, some might say. Alexandrians would give a good fight against my Bactrians he said. Pyrrhus would be interesting! He chose an army “ guaranteed” to skewer me; the dreaded Parthians!

The table bowed beneath the weight of heavy metal. Sid had invested heavily in the lords of the steppe! Elite armoured “ kettlemen” supported by hordes of light nomads horse! What to do?

I had my Iranian heavy cavalry of course. They weren’t scared of an archery duel with nomads but would have to avoid the Cataphracts until they had been worn down. My phalanx would have to buy me time…

I knew Sid would be as aggressive as Peter Ryding was with this killer army. My first mistake was to think that I had entrenchments! These were limited to the camp so my right wing Iranian lancers would face the juggernaut without any cover.

So the plan was for my right to fall back, shooting all the while, as my left tried to discomfort the Parthian vanguard!

But the Parthians were not faint hearted, the main body trundled forward to roll me up. Cataphracts have to avoid moving two hexes or risk disruption.

My own light horse were not up to the job, they fell like a bogus insurance claimant, retreat was the only answer…

No it can’t! The Parthians pushed through my rightwing and forced a couple of units of table..

But before the right wing was completely lost, our luck changed! With their commander slain, the Iranian lancers perked up! Not wishing to fight nasty Cataphracts or smelly camels, they decided without orders to burst through the Parthian lights and make for the enemy’s camp!

The two Parthian wings had both wrought devastation but just because troops leave the table, doesn’t mean they cannot come back! Iranian lancers and Bactrian horse archers returned to the field behind the Parthian heavy cavalry and surrounded the mobile pin- cushions!

The Bactrians had been on the back foot all game but Fortune was on our side. The breakthrough to Sid’s camp and the return of my horse had saved me! But the cavalry is supposed to arrive in the nick of time isn’t it???

My thanks to my gallant opponent Sid and I hope to see you all next weekend at Firestorm Games and To the Smallest TtS 15 mm tourney.

Best

Michael Ferres