Thursday, 26 December 2024

Chariots Rampant: Between the Hammer and Anvil at Millawanda...

Despite the usual pre-Christmas chaos engulfing the home front on the Saturday before Xmas, I managed to sneak out for a quick game of Chariots Rampant down Bristol Independent Gaming with Jim...

We decided to play the Hammer and Anvil scenario from the Lion Rampant rulebook, with the Warriors of the Green, a raiding Sea Peoples warband having been cornered by the Hittite Warriors of Tarḫunna... (a slight FUBAR occurred in my mis-reading the Hittite deployment so we ended up playing a scenario similar to one in The Men Who Would Be Kings with the retreating raiders having to punch through defenders - all anvil and no hammer!)


Having seen Hittite spear in their line of retreat, the Warriors of the Green were initially not that keen on advancing which allowed the Hittite warband leader Muwatalli the Merciless to bring up his reinforcements...


The Sea Peoples advance was extremely disjointed with the right flank pushing forward, with the left standing around admiring the desert panorama.


The Mighty Death-Bringers (Lukka warrior infantry) were keen to get home and pushed up with The Thundering Hooves (ox-carts) moving remorselessly forward behind...


On the right The Death Rainers (archers) advanced, supported by The Wind Runners (Tjekker light infantry.


The Mighty Death-Bringers soon came under arrow fire from Muwatalli's The Eye of the Storm (light chariots), three warriors falling dead to the desert floor.


On the Sea Peoples left, The Anvil of Heaven, a Hittite light chariot unit tries to outflank the raiders...


As the bulk of The Warriors of Tarḫunna form a defensive line in the centre.


I'm not sure what Hittite is for "went tits up" but that's what happened next. Muwatalli the Merciless commanding The Eye of the Storm from the front found themselves just within Wild Charge distance of The Mighty Death-Bringers, who charge the chariots, destroying one and causing Muwatalli to flee the battlefield following a failed Courage test!


The units of the Warriors of Tarḫunna all pass their mandatory Courage test following the rout of their general, and prepared for the Sea People onslaught!


The Warriors of the Green pour forward towards the Hittites.


The Thundering Hooves (ox-carts) (the King Tigers of the Biblical Age ;-) ) trundle into The Stalwart Wall (veteran heavy infantry)...


Followed in by The Lightning of the Sand Sea (light chariots) who wipe them out!


The Sea Peoples continue their attack, The Death Rainers (archers) firing into the Hittite spear who are gradually whittled down...


The Anvil of Heaven charge into The Lightning Legs (Tjekker light infantry) forcing them back, but this was a last hurrah for the Hittites as the Sea Peoples archers picked off spear and a chariot, and the leaderless Warriors of Tarḫunna disintegrated.

A bloody victory for Kubaba the Conqueror and his Warriors of the Green, though many were left for dead on the battlefield, and another good game of Chariots Rampant!

1 comment:

  1. Lovely stuff Steve - your Lukka/Sea People are lovely. Are they Redoubt figures?

    One doesn’t generally see much Bronze Age gaming but I think it’s a rather fascinating period. I've got designs on doing some Trojan War era models for Men of Bronze/Chariots Rampant in 2025

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