Warring States Game to Hail Caesar

I've had my Warring States Hann painted for over a year now and although they are now the veterans of many games of WAB they have never fought against an historical opponent.

I'm really enjoying Hail Caesar at the moment, so I challenged John Grant to bring down his own Chinese to the White Hart last night so that we could have some proper Warring States action.

John has never played Hail Caesar before so I thought it best if we set up with a pair of identical armies and played a simple game.

Each of us had the following forces:

• General: Command 8
• Heavy Infantry with Spears - Standard Unit
• Heavy Infantry with Spears - Standard Unit
• Light Infantry with Crossbow - Standard Unit
• Light Infantry with Swordsmen - Small Unit

• Commander: Command 8
• Heavy Infantry with Spears - Standard Unit
• Heavy Infantry with Spears - Standard Unit
• Light Infantry with Bow - Standard Unit
• Light Infantry with Swordsmen - Small Unit

• Commander: Command 8
• Heavy Chariots with Crossbow - Standard Unit
• Medium Cavalry with Spears - Standard Unit
• Light Cavalry with Bow - Small Unit

Both armies advance cautiously towards each other exchanging desultory missile fire., then John got the first charge in with his chariots against mine on my right flank, I duly counter charged and won the combat, Johns chariots retreated in good order. This continued for several turns with John losing each round of combat, but throwing enough to only fall back. Even though his chariots were eventually shattered, I did not dispose of them until they had fallen back shaken off the table.

Some chariot on chariot action

On my left flank, John launched a unit of swordsmen into my archers, I lost the combat and fell back, time to counter with my spearmen - whoops a double six blunder followed by a '1' my spearmen decide to leave the table!!!

Things start to get worse for me, some nifty shooting followed by poor armour saves and a terrible set of break test dice and I'm removing a unit of swordsmen.

And a unit of swordsmen are removed.

I set up a killer charge in my center, one unit of spears, supported by another unit of spears, a unit of crossbowmen and a unit of swordsmen crash into a unit of Johns spearmen only supported by another unit of spears. Things are looking up.

Not really manage to I lose the combat by 2! I throw my break test and roll a 4 - that is my unit removed. Now I know this sounds like a 'Rimmer Risk story', but then I threw for my supporting units, 4, 3 and 4, so they were are retreating in disorder.

Despite the mild mannered visage John Grant is the Hail Caesar equivalent of Rommel

Things go from bad to worse, his light horse charge mine and I'm soon removing them from the table.

Bye bye Xiong Nu

With his troops free on my left flank he his soon engaging my center in the flank. My swordsmen receive the full force of his division, but, they manage to hold for a few turns before eventually succumbing.

My general looks on as things start to fall apart.

In a coup-de-grace his medium cavalry destroy mine and it is all over, my army is broken and John has not lost a unit.

Here are a few more shots from the game:

Johns cavalry prepare to get stuck in

Things are not going well for my Hann

I reckon I have a chance here, maybe not though