Sundiata vs The Irish

A new army needs a debut game, and since Sundiata is now sharing a box with the Tuatha De Danaan, it seemed as sensible a game as any.

The Malians defended against an Irish invasion.

Sundiata had  1 x Hero General, 2 x Knights, 1 x Cleric, 2 x Riders, 2 x Spears, 2 x Shooters and 1 x Lurker

The Irish, under Lugh, had 1 x Hero General, 1 x Hero, 1 x Magician, 2 x Warband, 4 x Hordes

All of the bad going ended up on one side of the board (I used my randomised terrain placement), and the Irish opted to attack from the other edge, forcing Sundiata's heavily mounted force onto a narrow frontage that the Irish Heroes and Knights could exploit whilst avoiding being outflanked by the Riders.

Of course the Irish plan also required a rapid advance. Which they did.

First blood to the Malians, as their archers cut down an Irish Warband.

The Irish charge, their Heroes to the fore.

The Irish Magicians avenge the fallen Warband, destroying some of Sundiata's Shooters.

The Malians are pushed back by the furious persistence of the Irish assault.

The Magicians are ambushed by Lurkers ...

... and flee to the other end of the line.

The Irish press home their attack. Sundiata had chances to exploit their open right flank, but PIP rolls of 1 prevented it happening.

Some of Sundiata's horsemen are routed.

Sundiata himself enters the fray, against Irish Hordes. The Hordes actually represent good-quality warriors that could be healed or resurrected by means of a magic cauldron.

The Malian Spears are next to fall, to an Irish chariot attack.

Lugh destroys an element of Sundiata's Knights.

The Irish chariots pushed through the gap they had created, and kept up the attack.

Sundiata himself fell, forced to recoil into one of his own Rider elements.

The battlefield at the end. On the right the Magicians had worked their way back to the Lurkers, and forced them to flee.

Malian losses - Their Hero general, a Knight, a Rider, two Spears, a Shooter and a Lurker.

Irish losses were both of their Warband and a Horde.

Not a promising debut for Sundiata's army, but really it was down to two PIP rolls of '1' at key moments, preventing the chance to exploit weaknesses in the Irish position. The game was really a head-to-head slog, and the ability to exploit an opening when it appears is key in those kind of games.