Eric's Soul Exchange (or Probability is Only a Theory)

After a rather patchy attendance record of late I've managed to get down to the club two weeks running.  Last week was a 15mm Spanish Civil War game using the TooFatLardies' Triumph of the Will rules and Bronze Mike's lovely figures and this week was a 15mm Ancients outing which is part of an ongoing campaign (the first game of which I played which is an indication of my infrequent visits).

Anyway one of the chaps, Eric the Spy, has a bit of a reputation with the dice.  So much so, in fact, it has been widely suggested that he sold his soul to Satan in exchange for this gift.  Well, last week Eric was on the Nationalist side with me and Jonathan defending a village against a Republican counter attack.  Eric and Jonathan were nicely emplaced in the substantial village buildings and were being frontally assaulted across the open by Crazy Dave.  We all thought this was simply a diversion to take our attention away from their flanking attack, fronted by the redoubtable Iron Mike.  But then Crazy started to exhibit dice skills that made Eric's pale into insignificance.  Of course it was immediately suggested that Eric has franchised his arrangement with Beelzebub and that Crazy was the first applicant!

In any case, Crazy stormed across the open ground and kicked poor Jonathan clear out of his buildings and secured the front of the village.  It was then a battle between the satanically influence dice as Eric was determined to throw Crazy back out again.

Meanwhile I had moved from my reserve position, nice and safe behind the village (ideal for any self respecting Nationalist commander) to cover the flank facing Iron Mike's onslaught.  Things looked touch and go for a little while but then reinforcements arrived in Iron's flank and gave him something to think about!  In the end the Republican assault faltered and we were victorious but looking at the probability of some of Crazy and Eric's rolls was an object lesson that each time you roll the probability is exactly the same irrespective of how many previous good or bad rolls you've had!

Given that both Crazy and Eric were in evidence this week and on opposing sides once again (this time I was a Carthaginian - actually Italian and Spanish mercenaries fighting for them - alongside Crazy) I expected a real rematch.  Whilst there was some evidence of some pretty amazing rolling but nothing compared to the previous week (maybe the Dark Lord was otherwise occupied?).  Yet again I was facing a flank attack from Iron though and things went a little differently this time (probably because Jonathan had sent all our light troops off to support the siege) - fun nonetheless.