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Having recently finished of another adventure in Budapest (still writing that up), Patch and I did a round of CC:A last night. This time was more action from the Peloponnesian War with the Battle of Delium. Boeotia uses the orange set, and has one 5-block MH ‘special’ Sacred Band unit (using the ‘usual’ special unit rule of always acting like it has a leader attached—ignore one flag and generates hits on leader rolls). And in the first time in a while there’s cavalry involved as well as lots of MH. Still no heavy units though.

Patch had the Boeotians the first time and started moving parts of his left flank into the main line. I used a couple turns assembling my forces into a single line, when Patch slammed into my left, and lost seven blocks across three units to two for me. I had been planning on starting a general engagement with a Line Command, but went straight to the planned follow-up at this point: Mounted Charge.

I started with the combat between our two weakened leader-units (was contemplating an entirely different order), and Patch used First Strike to kill mine. I still killed his 1-block unit on the next attack, and then weakened three others, and drove them back with banner hits, but lost two blocks when the Sacred Band held its ground.

Patch then followed up with a Counter Attack which wiped out three of my units and killed a leader. I also got five blocks on him, and killed a leader. I used a Coordinated Attack to move up a stranded leader and tried to pick off a couple weak units, but only drove them back. Patch Double Timed his weakened center back into action, and picked off a MH for the win. 2-6

For the second round, I lead off with Out Flanked to tighten up both sides, and managed a very lucky two-hit shot with my slingers. After a turn or two of other small moves, I Ordered Two Right to bring a couple units into contact. We did about equal damage, and Patch used Leadership to reshuffle that end of the line and finish off an Auxilia. I Ordered Mounted to engage the line he had just moved forward, and knocked out a unit and leader, and forced another three hexes back, for a cost of three blocks.

Patch countered with Mounted Charge, which finished off a weak MH, and forced two others back, one with heavy losses. I Out Flanked, and picked off an Aux that Patch had gotten out of the way earlier. He used Order Medium to kill a three-block MH, but only drove a one-block unit back two hexes. I reformed my center, while Patch Ordered Two Left, and tried to cut off my LC, who only took one damage, and then did two banners to rout his LC off the map. I used Leadership on my Left, and a lucky shot from my slingers sent his other LC routing off the map. The main line did three damage to an Aux, and sent him back two hexes while taking a hit on my MC from a First Strike.

Patch Ordered Mediums to engage on the left and right sides of the center, and eliminated a MC while the other evaded away. Patch got my Sacred Band down to one block, but they did heavy damage in return, reducing to units to one block apiece. I tried I Am Spartacus, and got one light and one wild. The Aux I activated moved up finished off one of the weakened units for the win. 6-4

Afterword: Patch got this one on banners, but the first fight was much closer than the score indicates, since the bulk of Patch’s army was in bad shape; I just needed the opportunity to finish them off. I was very happy to finally draw the Mounted Charge instead of Patch in one of these hoplite battles, but the Counter Attack from Patch is what wrecked me. Probably should have used the Line Command first; I was certainly in no shape to use it later. I thought Patch had me for a while in the second battle, but a couple timely banner hits on his LC made things much easier. Patch was holding a Clash of Shields at the end and was looking for a good chance to use it.