Spartans strike back!

With the daughter enjoying her first game of Mortal Gods and giving her old man a bit of a hiding, it was time for a rematch. This time I allowed her to pick her force from the cards, and she surprised me with a large quantity of light troops. Would this be another Sphacteria? We would see, because I went for a hoplite heavy Spartan force.

The scenario involved securing an objective and having it in hand at the end of turn 5. We randomly decided deployment and ended up in opposing triangles with the apex on the objective. Things looked ready to become a nasty killing zone in the centre.

The two sides deployed. The Athenians right next to the objective, the Spartans one charge move away!

Seen from the Athenian side of the table, this should have been a simple snatch and run, with missile troops providing cover.

Athenian Peripoloi prepare to pick up the objective.

By the end of the first turn we have a pile in situation. The Athenian Lochagos is trapped behind his own troops, and sits idle as the Spartan heroes deal death.

Seen from the perspective of the relatively unengaged Athenian light troops, it is hard to fathom who is winning in the temple ruins.

By the end of turn 2 the Athenian hoplites have been evicted, the peripoloi are defeated and their lochagos has been sent to Hades. The Spartan rolling in this turn was exceptional

The Spartan Helot Akontistai have suffered badly, but have occupied the attention of the Athenian Promachos.

By the end of Turn four the Athenians are in real trouble, and the Spartan promachos is making off with the objective.

'Catch me if you can!'

The Aiodos did pretty much nothing all game...

The Spartan hoplites suffered a couple of hits which an early omen card was able to shake off for them.

The end of turn 5 sees the Athenians barely holding on and no chance of capturing the objective.

'Molon labe!'

So the Spartans gained their revenge for their previous defeat. Talking about it afterwards I said that it was probably always going to be a tough ask for a light infantry force to win with this objective and this deployment, but getting the Athenian Lochagos trapped was also a bit of a mistake that didn't help.
Another battle is on the cards soon.

Nate