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Dahomey – African Warrior #18

 
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Todd Kaeser
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 23, 2014 1:54 pm    Post subject: Dahomey – African Warrior #18

Dahomey – African Warrior #18

This is certainly a very interesting list and one I’m going to take in an extreme way. We all know that Derek does that quite often, with excellent results. Balance does not always work and sometime imbalance is better. Mark Stone also likes his shooting 

CinC 2E Reg A/B LHI/LMI Jls,Sh + PA – 174
Sub 2E Reg B LHI/LMI Jls,Sh – 91

3x 4E Mino Spearmen Reg B LMI Jls,B,Sh – 106 (318) get +1 in prep/support shooting, but -1 combat

3x 4E Aja Boatmen Reg C LMI Jls,B,Sh – 90 (270)

4x 6E Bowmen Reg D LMI B ½ Sh – 70 (280)

3x 2E Dutch Mercenaries Reg B LHI/LMI 1HCW,HG ½ Sh – 74 (222) – early modern HG

12E Levy Archers Ir D LI B – 49

4x 2E Spearmen Reg C LMI Jls,Sh ½ 2HCW – 50 (200)

1604
6 scouting

Shooting is what this list is all about. 192 bowmen who are LMI – concentrated bowfire. 48 of which always receive a +1 in prep/support shooting (can you say up 4???) In addition you also are able to fight with 6 of those units with Jls (although the Mino are not great always being -1 in combat). On top of the bowfire you also get 6E of Dutch Mercenaries who have early modern HG allowing them a range of 160p – which is very important to get 2cpf in shooting causing disorder when combined with HG – and they are LHI fronted (and shielded) with 1HCW throughout.

Backing up the army are six 2E units (generals included) who will be able to snake their way through the melees and get onto some flanks/counterpunch. While LMI with 2HCW is not great – it packs a solid punch with the Jls and could actually do some damage to heavier targets. If charging frontally and you win – don’t follow up. If you are fighting frontally with these units you are probably losing already at that point.

There are certainly no “shock” troops here, and that will be a problem vs. Japanese and Macedonians (which armies don’t struggle vs. Macedonians?). Meso American armies with shielded slingers wouldn’t mind this too much, but most armies would have a tough time contending with the quantity of missile fire.

If you don’t like the 2E Spearmen units you could always make your Levy Archers Reg C LMI B ½ Sh – or 1/3 of them HG if you want more shooting and no follow up units except for generals. I guess you could also give 1/3 of your LI HG if you also desire it.

Aja boatmen can also disembark from boats w/o penalties if you have opportunity for boats.

Covering the 40E frontage on an 8x5 table isn’t a problem as you have 27 elements of missile fire (not even counting the huge LI unit which gives you another 6E – albeit poor coverage – hello terrain???)

Another option for counter punch – instead of the Reg Spearmen with 2HCW would be
4x 2E Bandits Ir A/C LMI Jls,Sh – 49 (196) – same cost, but less flexible, but Ir A.

Todd

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Mark Stone
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 5:07 am    Post subject:

This is a pretty interesting list, and one whose nuances would give a lot of opponents in an open tournament format fits. It's a tomato in a rock - paper scissors world."Wait," you say, "what does a tomato do?" Exactly.

Having said that, there are some glaring weaknesses for the opponent who retains his composure to exploit. Missile resistant armies like Romans or Japanese will cut throw this army like a hot knife through butter. The lack of light troops makes it very easy to screen off most of the army and concentrate on one part. Yes, my 500+ points of knights are facing off against just a fraction of that, but they will steamroll what they face, and I have a few hundred points of light troops screening off the rest of your army -- or at least screening it off long enough for my knights to get the job done. And the lack of any mounted troops whatsoever is a big drawback. You must choose your skirmish or wait for a counter options for your entire army before a mounted opponent makes any decisions about what to do. And any of us who have faced Dave Stier know how that story goes: skirmish and you face a waver test or being caught in the rear while evading; counter and you're toast if you fail your counter.

Still, I'd give this list a B to B+ rating. The shooting is merciless, and only the most careful of plans will enable an opponent to make his way forward against it. And one of the great virtues of shooting is that you have many chances to roll up, and fewer consequences for rolling down.
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Todd Kaeser
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 7:36 pm    Post subject:

Agreed.

I will have to say that the new setup rules and preset terrain make it much tougher to have lights screen off a section of the battle.

This amount of shooting would be tough to screen off for an extended period of time.

Yes, concentrated mounted, especially K could go through a section of this army. One would then hope that after the break through you'd have enough followup units (see 2E units) to swarm the point. Those K would be tired and/or disordered and much less effective at that point.

Tomato eh? Interesting.

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Todd Kaeser
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 24, 2014 7:40 pm    Post subject:

Romans???? We don't see them that often on the battlefield.

Early/Marian or other Testudo options would be shooting resistant indeed, but they don't exist in tournament formats.

Late Roman would have a difficult time with the amount of shooting. Even dense Legions with an overlap here and there would be foreced to halt or get disordered with a lucky shot and then what? They typically have very little reach in their army. Auxillia fight just as well as the majority of the army. Typically they also only have a unit or two of EHC and that is regular as well and they won't be able to punch that hole unless lucky. Rest of the army could be shot up holding the line.

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PostPosted: Sat Jan 25, 2014 5:55 pm    Post subject:

Cute. The HG are probably important; in some ways it's too bad that those are also some of your best combat units. [160p HG? What is going on in African Warrior? Smile] Will die easily to anything MesoAmerican and may struggle against barbarian armies. Harder to shield off a section because of the weight of bowfire everywhere but I think unlikely to be a tournament winner b/c no shock or reach; more of a spoiler.
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 30, 2014 12:14 am    Post subject: Platooning Lights against shooting

The tactic to resist shooting with lights in Warrior is 'platooning'...take one unit in skirmish up to get blasted...it falls away disordered, move the 2nd unit up in skirmish to get blasted...it falls away disordered...BUT the 1st unit is now ready again and in skirmish to get blasted...again.

Given Bound 1 ends up with troops in position this platooning can cause the lights to last a good 7 more turns! Most battles would be over before your lights end up exhausted (given the opponent has ONLY shooting with which to drive them off).

Opposing platooning of this sort requires some cavalry, typically, to run down or chase off at least one of the light units.
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Matt Kollmer
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 31, 2014 10:24 pm    Post subject:

I think the other issue with this is that with only 6 SP, youll get outscouted...so likely up to 240p from the center line which will give the opponent space...something I think this army wants to deny its opponent while it screens parts or the army away while striking another area.
I do like this list though, be fun to try out
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Matt Kollmer
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 31, 2014 10:24 pm    Post subject:

I think the other issue with this is that with only 6 SP, youll get outscouted...so likely up to 240p from the center line which will give the opponent space...something I think this army wants to deny its opponent while it screens parts or the army away while striking another area.
I do like this list though, be fun to try out
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Matt Kollmer
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 31, 2014 10:25 pm    Post subject:

I think the other issue with this is that with only 6 SP, youll get outscouted...so likely up to 240p from the center line which will give the opponent space...something I think this army wants to deny its opponent while it screens parts or the army away while striking another area.
I do like this list though, be fun to try out
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 09, 2021 5:49 pm    Post subject:

More reviving old posts...

We actually saw Derek take this...but the Mino (they of +1 shooting) were all HG...so he could skirmish and fire 12@5 BEFORE die rolls!

Romans fear that...pike fear that...if need be, Reg B LMI LTS,HG,Sh can stand to receive mounted firing 8@3 in support.

However...folks can avoid the Mino and fight the rest of the army, which while not bad, is certainly not great.
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lilroblis
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 13, 2021 1:55 pm    Post subject: Dahomey

I run it very differently - Mino, mercenaries - Reg B LTS.D,sh and allied EHC/HC plus some lights and it is is very tough - why take c class when you can take B class?
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 13, 2021 4:47 pm    Post subject: Re: Dahomey

lilroblis wrote:
I run it very differently - Mino, mercenaries - Reg B LTS.D,sh and allied EHC/HC plus some lights and it is is very tough - why take c class when you can take B class?


I'd agree...taking the lancers (Oyo Ally?) is probably necessary...to have lancers and a few more scouting points.

No real need to try to cover the entire table...given the terrain we see.

Derek did, as he often does, use a lot of little 2E Reg C LI units...I'm not sure whether I would do that. I do use 'some' such, but usually no more than 4, ever.
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