Here I Am

I was away from the computer all day yesterday, hanging out with Mark and his son. We spent the better part of the day at the Battle Bunker playing our usual Epic game. I'm getting better at wargaming, as this time Mark was only able to defeat me on points after four turns, rather than on Victory Conditions after three.

It was a bloody battle for both of us. I made a surprise move with some Terminator Marines at the outset, sending them directly into his backfield, but lost the initiative roll (to see who moves first). He moved his troops out of harm's way before I could activate mine and I just floundered, instead of hammering his flank. I returned the favor later in the game by shooting his Thunderhawk gunship full of troops out of the air. He was depending on them to clear out my troops late in the game, which sorely vexed him.

He also fields a unit called a Warlord Titan, which is an enormous mechanised war engine filled with powerful long-range weapons. I had the great joy of watching this monster stay hemmed in with a small unit of my Scout Marines, the cheapest unit Space Marines have! We once ran a bunch of scenarios to see if it was possible for my Space Marines to kill his Titan, and it wasn't. It was taking me over 1100 - 1300 points of my army just to hammer into submission his 850 point Titan. That didn't kill it, just cripple it for one turn. The point imbalance isn't worth the results, as it leaves me weak on other fronts. So, seeing such a tiny and weak unit stop the biggest unit in the whole Space Marine armory was kinda satisfying. And I made him waste all that firepower on the last turn by making him chase a broken unit of Assault Marines. Hah!

I'm beginning to get the hang of Epic now and really enjoy the sense of commanding an army across the field, making plans and responding to the enemy's moves, having to deal with setbacks and reaping unexpected wins. I'm getting to where I'm internalising the game mechanics (though Mark is kind to put up with my constant questions) and becoming immersed in the experience. Mark is enjoying getting an opponent who can test his skills. We're having fun.

And for the reflexive amongst you who will now chirp "Chickenhawk," I must remind you that checkers and chess are ritualised and abstracted forms of combat as well. Chess was often used to teach strategic thinking to kings, generals and rulers. So save yourself the embarrasment, OK? Sigh....