Freezing! Armies before 0AD at Avignon 2019
Sargonid Assyrian vs Carthaginian
Game 1 Sargonid Assyrian vs Galatian
Game 2 Sargonid Assyrian vs Carthaginian
Game 3 Sargonid Assyrian vs Ugaritic
Game 4 Sargonid Assyrian vs Kushan
Game 5 Sargonid Assyrian vs Alexander The Great
For a first event in France suddenly I find myself fairly high up the leaderboard... admittedly the Assyrians have not quite been firing on all cylinders what with the Medium Foot command collapsing against Galatian cavalry in fairly short order in Game 1, but even so a win is a win.
After a cheese and dried local meat (and wine... and other weird spirits) based early lunch it was then onto the second game where I would be pitched against The Baron Hubert and a Carthaginian army, in another chance to test out my extensive French speaking skills... fortunately the swimming pool was closed this late in the year though.
Del Boy Speaks French Again!
The lists for the Sargonid Assyrian and Carthaginian from this game, as well as all the other lists from the games at Avignon can be seen here in the L'Art de la Guerre Wiki.
Carthaginians have a huge variety of options, depending which of Hannibal or his predecessors campaigns the force is based around.
Either way a solid core of spearmen, some Inferior African elephants and a gallic infantry force either heavy or medium in footprint are likely to appear in a army list which can often flatter to deceive.
Looking to maximise the mobility of my army I had again taken not much terrain.
Hubertibal had narrowed the table successfully in rolling for a Waterway, which suggested that he would have Heavy Foot - who promptly appeared in the middle of an army with its almost obligatory Elephant and MF command on my right and the thin Cavalry gruel on the left.
Meeting Hannibal
Facing the Gauls next to the Coastline were a line of Supported Heavy Infantry, extended to the shoreline with Elite Heavy Cavalry Guardsmen who would fear the enemy elephants but relish battle against the Gallic Medium foot.
The Supported foot and lone Assyrian Javelinman were in theory a good foil to the Carthaginian elephant Corps but dancing elephants can often be tricky beasts to track down - and Hubertibal was a past master at pachyderm choreography.
Learning French With Eddie
Assyria had a definite edge on the left - the Carthaginian empire had failed utterly to develop archery as a skill and so the combo of Heavy Chariots, mixed shooty foot and the odd spare Cavalryman looked like a potent force with which to pressurize the half-hearted and undercooked small North African originated cavalry wing facing them across the table.
