28mm Fantastic Battles - Bacchae vs Swamp Orcs

This week Jim and I got in a game of Fantastic Battles using our bigger toys - 28mm armies on 60mm bases and a 6x4 table. I took my Baccahe out for another spin - actually there first pitched battle at full strength (1000 points), and Jim controlled an army of Swamp Orcs built from miniatures collected over 40 years and painted and based (or sabotted) as an Orctober project - possibly over the last two Orctobers...

The battlefield was littered with rough terrain fields, a swamp, and a couple of woods. I knew that Jim was taking the Ambush strategy, so weighted my left flank for some early game shenanigans in the woods - completely forgetting that the ambush could have been in the fields to my right. Thankfully, my hunch was correct, and a two-company elite unit of angry orcses popped up inside the woods, about 2.5bw in front of my waiting satyrs.

During mishaps, the orcs were clearly keeping bad company resulting in a couple of large units suffering from various orcy diseases. One unit of savage orcs on Jim's right were enthusiastic, but the rest of the line remained in place. While the bulk of the Bacchae were unimpaired by mishaps, my right wing was messed up when the elephant enthusiastically deployed forward, while all the other three units - yakshis, erotes goat chariots and leopards - were late.

The early battle saw action on the wings. To my left, my irregular satyrs took advantage of their forester trait to charge Jim's orc commandos who found themselves struggling in the woods. Pan added a curse (his fearsomeness) to further weaken the orcs, holding them up while the other Bacchae advanced.

On the flank, the elephant impetuously charged forward, leaving the flank commander - Eros, trying to hurry the supporting units forward in its wake.

The massed orcs were hampered somewhat by the terrain which slowed down their own advance. However, seeing my dryads move out into the open on their own (they were preparing to cast entangle in the next turn), Jim sent his chariot recklessly forward, taking the dryads in the flank while the spear-orcs advanced steadily.

However, that exposed the chariot's own flank which was charged by more satyrs; the dryads and the chariot were both destroyed in the initial clash. Meanwhile the maenads took on the spear-armed orcs. 

After being targeted by orcish artillery for several turns, the elephant charged in against the orc's giant. The elephant had already lost much of its resolve, but the dice gods favoured me (not for the last time) and its initial charge brought the giant down to just one Resolve from breaking. And the elephant was dispatched, it fell forward, causing a further hit on the giant which in turn fell backwards, squashing not a few of the orcs to it's rear. All very cinematic!

Back in the woods to my left, the savage orcs joined the battle in the broadleaf . We both rolled around 10 or eleven dice in the ensuing melee, but while I was blessed with five 6s, poor Jim rolled six 1s! The elite orc commandos scattered, while the satyrs remained in play. I don't know how I earned such favour from the dice gods, but I'm sure I'll be punished for it later...

The following turn saw the centaurs charge in to support the satyrs against the savage orcs, while my second unit of satyrs started to wheel in behind the line of orcs with spears.

Those spear-orcs and their maenad foes however fought each other to mutual destruction, leaving an open grassland between the satyrs and a large unit of orcish archers.

The satyrs quickly closed the gap to minimise losses in a shoot-out, while the centaurs and satyrs managed to break the savage orcs and prepared to meet the next green wave - this time orcs with heavy weapons.

But it was all too late for Jim's orcs. Over on the right, the combined power of yakshis. chariots and leopards managed to scatter the orcs opposing them bringing the orcish army to breaking point. It was a fun game with triumph and tragedy for both armies, but in the end, there were a few combats that when my way when I needed them too, and the Bacchae won the day.