More Sundiata

After Sundiata's win over the Elves the other day, I kept him out on the gaming table, and played a couple more games, one yesterday and the other this morning.

His first opponent was the Army of Wonderland.

They defended their magnificent House of Cards. In case anyone thinks that I assemble this before each game, I don't. It's all done with glue and trickery. Mostly glue.

(It is actually in two parts, though. so it fits in the box.)

Like the Elves, Wonderland presents their opponents with a wall of spears.

The battle opened with Sundiata's hunters ambushing Wonderland's flock of giant flamingos. The flamingos prevailed.

With their flanks protected by a wood and a village, the Queen of Hearts was content to leave her army where it was, obliging Sundiata to advance and attack.

However the griffin and mock turtle threatened the Malian flank.

The cavalry sent to deal with them were routed.

Sundiata charged.

His knights broke through a block of playing-card soldiers.

The results were less good elsewhere. Sundiata pushed back teh Queen of Hearts, but his troops were otherwise repulsed along the line, with some losses.

Alice took on the victorious knights, and destroyed them.

Sundiata was now isolated and surrounded. But he won, driving back his opponents!

His archers entered the village and finished off the flamingos.

Sundiata now had the Queen of Hears driven back against her stronghold, but now she fended him off. Both generals had come within a roll of destruction and saved the day.

The griot Bala Faseke took on Alice, and defeated her.

And with his flanks secure, Sundiata charged in again, driving the Queen of Hearts into her own stronghold. Another win for the Malians.

It was a close game. The initial Malian attack went very badly, and wonderland very much had the upper-hand for a couple of turns, driving back the main Malian line and inflicting some heavy casualties. But the army's two personalities, Sundiata and Bala Faseke, took out their opposite numbers, The Queen of Hearts and Alice, to even the score and pick up the win.

The second game saw Sundiata on the offensive again, facing William Walker's filibuster army.

Walker and his henchmen. Or advisors.

Once again Sundiata was obliged to attack.

An epic charge but knights never gets old. And, in this case, they were charging vulnerable warband.

Unfortunately in solid ranks with flank support the warband were able to fend off the knights, destroying one element, and leaving Sundiata's flank vulnerable.

And that was it really. Sundiata was isolated and killed. A pretty short game.

Sometimes that bold frontal charge just doesn't pay off.