Mortal Gods - Tear it down!

My third game of Mortal Gods made use of my nifty new objective markers, and allowed for quite a different feel to my previous two 'body count' scenarios.
I roll a D12 to determine table set up and scenario, because I believe that such things should be left to the will of the gods, and the result was the first set up and the sixth scenario - Tear it Down! This requires each side to advance into their opponents territory and pillage and burn 2 objectives. Well, obviously there was more pillage than burning involved, as it is a bit pointless setting recovered arms on fire...

The tabletop setup

Objective markers around the farm.

The forces arrayed against each other - some happy sheep graze in between.

On their left the Spartans guard the difficult going with their light troops.

I didn't take any more photos until the end of Turn One, and that was a mistake. Things happen so swiftly that within a single turn their can be a whole pile of outcomes. Above sees the aftermath of a battle in the valley where both sides have suffered heavily. Only one Athenian akontistai is left from his group,  the same with one of the Athenian peripoloi (light hoplites), while the Spartan peripoloi have been forced back. Both Lochagoi (commadners) are heavily involved in the action.

On the far side Spartan light units tie up Athenian Peripoloi and a Promachus (hero).

The situation at the overall end of turn one.

At the start of Turn two the Spartan lochagos forces back the Athenians.

He then orders some of his troops forward into the gap.

The Athenian Lochagos meanwhile helps out his remaining Peripolos.

One of the Spartan Akontistai are shattered and driven back.

The hill is looking very clear now - only the Athenian Lochagos holding the centre.

The Spartans begin to move around the flank of the farm. Athenians move closer to the objectives to contest them.

The Athenian Lochagos secures the first objective.

 (I should note here that I played the objectives wrong. I removed them if they were held by a figure within 3" at the end of the turn. I believe that I was meant to leave them in place and try to contest them, which would have made things much harder for the Athenians).

Spartan Peripoloi secure the first objective.

The crazy Akontistes rushes forward and pelts the Athenian Lochagos with javelins - to no effect.

The Spartan Lochagosbusrts through the chickens in the yard and drives off the defending Athenians.

Rather than waste time dealing with the javelin throwing nuisance, the Athenian Lochagos goes to seize another objective. (If I'd been playing it correctly, he really should have tried to take the akontistes out)

Omens were coming into this game. The Athenian promachos had spent much of his time inspiring his troops, but when they were wiped out by the Spartan promachos and some pretty devastating javelin throwing, he went straight into battle. Unfortunately he had to charge the nearest enemy - the akontistai in cover, and not his counterpart, due to the omen in play at that stage.

Spartans have all the objectives, and the Athenians are being driven away from the farm.

The Athenian Lochagos secures the last objective, but if we imagine them still being there, then the Promachos is contesting the last one. Incidentally, that pesky javelin throwing akontistes managed to get 4 wounds on the Athenian Lochagos! Never underestimate your opponent!

Athenian Promachos slicing up light troops, for no good reason...

Between the akontistes and Spartan Promachos, the Athenian leader is removed from the game.

The surviving full Spartan Peripoloi unit tries to remove the Toxotai (archers) who have just been taking a wound off people here and there throughout the game. The archers drive them off!

The battlefield at the end of the game. 

So the Spartans won, hands down. They held all of their objectives uncontested, while the lonely Athenian Lochagos went down in a blaze of glory. The Athenians also suffered more casualties, which is a change from the first two games where the Spartans lost on the body count scenarios.

The game took six turns and lasted 2 and a half hours. I'm referring very little to the book now, most of what happens is quite intuitive. Terrain rules are simple, but tend to be the thing that I look up as they are not constantly in play. I probably should have read the objective rules a little more clearly the first time, but it didn't affect the outcome.

Mortal Gods continues to be an awesome game to play.

Nate