War & Conquest at Devizes "Attack! 2012"

Scarab supremo Rob Broom took along his War & Conquest "Amphipolis" demo battle to the Devizes Wargames Club show "Attack! 2012", so my wife and I went along to help show off the game, play toy soldiers and generally chat to other gamers about what a great game W&C is.

The first game saw me lead the Spartans whilst Jennifer took command of the Greeks. Now, I forgot to take any pictures (doh!?) so you'll just have to take my word that whilst the Spartans fought like .. err .. Spartans, it was a narrow win for the Greeks! A nail-biting game where victory was held in the balance until the final turn.

Whilst playing we were able to chat to visitors, explaining the rules mechanisms, the background to the game, etc. This is something that I rather enjoy doing and I hope to attend some more shows with Rob (so please do stop by and say "hello").

Game two was a rematch but we swapped sides ... and I remembered my camera!

Above we see the Greeks boldly marching past the city walls, so Brasidas springs his trap and the Spartans march from the gates!

From the Spartan point of view.

A couple of turns in to the game and the Spartans are going on the offensive. On the left I was trying to get my two phalanxes aligned to take on the Spartan veterans together, but in my haste to manouevre them I failed some command tests, so it was only at this point that they managed to get their act together! If the Spartans won the roll off for Strategic Advantage in the next turn then the Greeks would be in real bother.

Here's the situation from above the Greek lines. On the left you can see that the Thracians have despatched a unit of Spartan Hill Tribe allies and are engaging an allied hoplite phalanx in the flank. Ouch!

Both sides used precious Strategy Intervention Points to win the roll off but the Greeks seized the initiative and launched a ferociuos attack on the Spartans. On the left (of the picture) one of the two Greek Hoplite units failed their command test to simultaneously charge an enemy so the other took on the veterans by themselves! Across the battlefield the Greeks attacked with their own veteran hoplites, plus the cavalry thundered in to the Spartan flank. A tense round of combat saw the Greeks victorious and the Spartans routing. They were slaughtered as they ran

Brasidas presides over the carnage! The Spartan veterans were dealing out pain to the Greeks here but they held on and fought back grimly. You can see the shield placed by the Spartan unit to represent their "push and shove" bonus for winning the round of combat.

Another view from above the Greek lines. The Thracians have butchered the unprepared phalanx of allied hoplites and push on to make sure the hill tribes keep running (rallying with enemy units nearby is much harder in W&C)

As you might expect it wasn't long before the remaining Spartans were overwhelmed and put to the sword, giving the Greeks a decisive victory.

So it was two-nil to the Greeks after two splendid games. Several visitors stayed at the table throughout the games providing commentary, offering advice and generally joining in with the good natured banter of wargaming. Many thanks to all of you who visited and asked questions. Perhaps we'll see you at more shows in the future.

Happy gaming!