ADLG - Game Report 256

Early Imperial Roman (85) vs Late Imperial Roman (87)

On to the final game of the weekend, and my third Roman Civil War against Angelo's Late Romans where I would be defending in the plains. The deployment was as before, and again it made sense of a sort; the right wing Auxilia would be operating along the coastline in the terrain, while the left wing occupied the field with the heavies and supporting Cavalry in the centre. The one issue was that there were insufficient troops to defend this frontage.

We advanced to the front of the terrain on the left and started the advance along the coastline on the right; the gaps are starting to appear.

The gaps on the left are now painfully obvious. And on the right, I have forgotten some harsh lessons learnt in the past; of which more later.

Contact. The initial contact on the left has destroyed the Equites with their Wing Commander and the lights; no more of those wonderful saving throws from the Light Cavalry! While on the right the mal-deployment of the Auxilia along the coastline has forced the enemy to conform to me giving them an overlap!

As a consequence of this poor deployment the Auxilia on the right have been humbled by their later opponents. The later Roman Cavalry have destroyed all my Cavalry and are now at free rein to roll up the Army.

Outcome

A win for the Later Romans by 12 to 25. Giving me 2 losses, 1 win, 1 draw and 1 mutual destruction for the weekend; a result I think easily reflects some errors in army selection.

Lessons Learnt

One of the ways of covering the frontage is to break the line into smaller groups leaving less than a UD between groups. This would have forced the enemy to conform to me and fight without overlaps.

I think picking an early Roman army with 25 units was a success. However, although the order of battle was balanced it lacked flexibility for the terrain. Moreover, neither Auxilia command was sufficiently strong in of itself too much. A better option might be to increase the Auxilia in one command and place the cavalry in their own command.

ADLG - Game Report 255

Early Imperial Roman (85) vs Early Imperial Roman (85)

Sunday beckoned, and after three possible outcomes, could I manage the fourth possible outcome! First test of that would be against Pete's Romans in our Roman Civil war. I was invited to defend in the Plains. And once more I was true to form in my deployment with heavies front and centre with their flanks protected by the Auxilia; which in this battle really made sense!

Clearly the first and most important question was who would reach the hill first in strength (I had no intention of trying to hold it with light troops! However, for my part I was perhaps less concerned as I was well placed to potentially flank the hill. On the right there was little to oppose the Auxilia other than some massed bowmen.

With the seizure of the hill I had already planned to move the main Auxilia command to the right. In the centre the enemy have advanced from their camp. My lights are moving to attack the artillery. On the right the enemy bowmen have retired to the home bank of the gully.

The enemy are now effectively prisoners on their own hill. I have retired the left flank Equites through the valley to provide flank protection. The Artillery are proving distressingly difficult to overrun. On the right the enemy Bowmen are refusing to fall beside the wayside in front of the Auxilia as should be their duty!

Not only are those Bowmen failing to do their duty, they have the temerity to fight back and cause loss on the Auxilia. The Auxilia have contributed a flank attack which has exposed the enemy line of Legionaries. For their part the enemy have realised that merely standing on a hill is not going to win them the battle and are seeking to push the battle their way. In the rear those enemy Artillery have destroyed one of the light units attacking them so the remaining unit has decided to see if it can do any better on the other battery!

The Bowmen have decided not to play ball at all, and have destroyed one of the Auxilia, decisive steps are required. In the centre the combination of Auxilia and Legionaries are now starting to recapture the hill and remove the enemy centre. However, the enemy Artillery is being stubborn.

And the final answer was that the lights could do no better against the second battery and were destroyed! However, a combination of Auxilia and Legionaries have removed the hill and legionaries as a threat. On the right the Wing Commander with the Equites has decided the battle decisively against the Bowmen.

Outcome

An Early Roman Empire victory, well what else could it be in a Civil War, for my army by inflicting 21 and only receiving 17.

Lessons Learnt

Holding the lights on the top of the hill might have delayed the enemy capturing it. This was because they went long pursuing the light troops.

The simple expedient of leaving a weak Auxilia unit on the corner of the plantation paralysed the enemy cataphracts.

ADLG - Game Report 254

Early Imperial Roman (85) vs Pyrrhic (44)

The final game on Saturday, and a game which Colin would win; or at least a Colin, as I was against Colin's Pyrrhic Army. And of course there had to be elephants to contend with. I was gifted the privilege of attacking in the Plains. Once again a similar deployment for the Romans, with the heavies down the middle flanked by the auxilia commands.

The initial goal was to try and punish the Pyrrhic Pikes alongside the gully and pummel them into submission with the artillery; after all Kevin had done the same to my Ptolemaics. On the right I wanted to use the gully to flank the Pikes and elephants. While on the left it was a question of how best to protect the flank of the other two wings whilst protecting oneself from the vicissitudes of the Pyrrhic cavalry.

As the enemy closed, I was forced to send in the Numidian Light Cavalry in against the Pyrrhic General, and they exceeded expectations! However there has been an overall lamentable failure to protect the left flank of the centre.

The success of the engagement on the left was short lived, as once again the Wing Commander attached to the Equites died in battle leaving the Numidian's to face defeat alone. In the centre a Pike unit has been destroyed but at some cost as the flank of the victor has now been exposed. On the right the battle against the Pachyderms has become fragmented. As such the remaining Roman Equites have been forced to move forward to confront the beasts.

The losses on both sides have climbed significantly, and albeit for some execrable combat results we would have been destroyed each other in battle – it was not (quite) going to be a truly "Pyrrhic victory".

Outcome

A Pyrrhic victory by 22 of 25 to my 25. A win for a Colin, but not the Colin.

Lessons Learnt

I was in two minds as to whether to deploy the heavies on the right next to the coast; on balance that would have made sense as they could have used their artillery to good effect against the Elephants!

ADLG - Game Report 253

Early Imperial Roman (85) vs Patrician Roman (88)

Second game was an all-Roman affair (separated by several hundred of years) against Steve's Patricians. We deployed again with the Legionaries centre and Auxilia left and right, with me attacking in the plains.

From the outset the Patrician Heavy Artillery, started to cause attrition! Given the weight of Patrician Cavalry against the right wing, this wing has been refused.

The Right Wing has retired into the field to defend itself from the Patrician Cavalry. In the centre the Patrician Heavy Artillery are conducting counter-battery fire. On the left the Wing Commander with the Equites has once again entered into combat!

Entered into combat and survived by destroying his opponent! The Patrician centre has decided that now is the time to abandon the high ground.

The combat has become general all along the line, both sides have decided to throw caution to the wind and embrace destiny. For the Patrician's this means exposing their flank to the Roman Left Wing Commander, while in the centre they try to overcome the Legionaries from front and flank. On the right the battle is on a knife edge with both sides suffering but equally capable of breakthroughs and flank attacks.

Once the dust settles there are less Patricians on the left and centre. On the right, however, the Roman Auxilia are now surrounded in the field.

The Roman right barely survives, while the centre is less than healthy, but the left are capable of winning their battle despite the Equites General being struck by heavy artillery.

Outcome

A mutual destruction on the last throw of the dice as time was being called – we had to resolve the throw after all!

Lessons Learnt

The structure of the Army I chose almost dictates the plan, it is not very flexible for what ever the terrain might be.

ADLG - Game Report 252

Early Imperial Roman (85) vs Early Arab (75)

Despite all the planning of what army to choose or not to choose, it does help if one firstly reads (very closely) the eligible armies. In this case I would have found out that the list specifically excluded my preferred option of Batavian Revolt, so in the end I went entirely Roman. I managed to just about get the army up to a manageable size of 25 units with: two similar commands made of Auxilia with cavalry and light supports and a third with Legionaries and artillery.

My first game was against Ian (and thank you for the whisky miniature which went down very well) and his Early Arabs. I was defending in the plains. The Legionaries were in the centre flanked by the Auxilia. Railed against us were the boundless hordes from Arabia, and I do mean boundless!

I decided I need to shorten the line and the left wing Auxilia were moved closer to the centre. In the centre the fire support and lights are already inflicting attrition on the enemy.

In the centre the enemy Light Cavalry are attempting to hold of the cream of the Roman army. On the right the Roman Equites are trying to find an avenue of approach – aka I couldn't decide what to do with them.

The Auxilia on the right have started to envelope the enemy heavy swordsmen, while their Equites colleagues remain stuck in the field. On the left the Wing commander with the Equites could have (should have) done better attacking the enemy cavalry flank; that is not going to turn out well.

Which it didn't as the Left Wing Commander perished leaving the left wing effectively on its own without command. However, on the right the enemy Heavy Swordsmen have been assailed on both flanks by Auxilia and Legionaries.

In spite of the advantageous position on the right the Romans have been unable to translate it into victory; the enemy are stubborn!

Even worse the enemy Heavy Swordsmen are making a break forward as quickly as they can. Elsewhere the enemy centre and right have not been able to gather themselves to take advantage of the Roman General's expiry.

With some recovery the Auxilia and Legionaries have managed to dispose of more enemy Heavy Swordsmen as the day fades into dusk.

Outcome

A draw with the Roman's losing 22 and the Arab's 12 of 22.

Lessons Learnt

I continue to struggle against armies that significantly outnumber me, something to think on.

Perhaps a narrower deployment front would have helped the Romans.

ADLG - Game Report 251

Thracians (63) vs Early Imperial Roman (85)

Emboldened by the last outing of the Thracians, I decided to give them ago against Kevin's Romans; Roma, Roma, Roma! We deployed for the attack in the plains as we had previously, although the terrain was less favourable for the Thracian's to attack.

The Roman's Auxilia have started to move into the centre rather than facing the Thracian warriors. In the centre the space has become congested with the Thracian Cavalry and their Legionaries competing to see who will have the honours for the day!

On the Thracian left the Roman cavalry have moved to pin and disrupt the advance of the Thracian warriors, while their Auxilia occupy the gully. In the centre the Thracian light cavalry are buying time with their lives as they are forced to engage the Roman legionaries.

The Thracian warriors on the right in the field are suffering from the attentions of Roman lights. They are unwilling to engage because of the Cavalry threat. The Thracian Cavalry have been forced to commit against the Roman Legionary line, much against their better judgement. While the Thracian Legionaries have yet to engage anyone!

The Thracian left has been damaged by the Roman heavy cavalry. While on the right the Thracian Cavalry are not faring well against the combined attentions of legionaries and Catafracti.

The Thracian left has been stabilised for the moment. In the centre the opposing legionaries have engaged, but the results of the clash clearly favour Rome. On the right the Thracian Cavalry are trying to at least hold their own.

Despite the positive results on the Thracian left the centre ad right have both failed miserably.

Outcome

A Roman victory by 14 to 27.

Lessons Learnt

In hindsight committing the Cavalry in the centre was big mistake, they would have been better advised to move around the field supported by the Thracian warriors occupying the field.

Although the army has promise, it would not be present at Warfare.

ADLG - Game Report 250

Thracians (63) vs Armenian (130)

As an alternative I thought it would be useful to explore the use of Thracians, aka Odryssians clients of Rome, for Warfare. The Army was one I had used before with a large Roman contingent. Robin's Armenian Cavalry army would be a significant test for the Thracian Medium infantry armed with Rhompia! With the threat of cavalry, and with the Thracians attacking in the Plains, we opted for a lot of terrain. Hence when it came for deployment, we made sure that the infantry had lost of terrain to retire to. The main Thracian force was on the extreme left of the line, with the Legionaries in the centre and the cavalry out on the right.

We advanced into the terrain, with half the legionaries forming a flank guard. The Cavalry were held back; waiting for the opportunity to pounce.

The Armenian light infantry have moved forward to contest the terrain features. On the right the Thracian Cavalry have formed line ready to charge the Armenians.

The Armenians decided to evade from the Thracian Cavalry charge! On the Thracian left the Armenian's are laying down a significant weight of arrows. However, the Thracians seem undaunted and are manoeuvring to apply pressure to their right.

The second time the Armenian's evaded they were caught with their pants down by the Thracian Cavalry and are soon to perish for that tardy evade. On the Thracian left the remainder of the Armenian horse archers continue to evade and seem woefully unwilling to engage in combat against the Thracians.

Outcome

A Thracian win by 9 to 27.

Lessons Learnt

There is a 22% chance that evading medium cavalry will be caught by their opposing Cavalry. The answer is do you feel lucky punk?

ADLG - Game Report 249

German (91) vs Early Imperial Roman (85)

It was time to start preparing for Warfare. I had narrowed down the army selection to one of three, Early Imperial Romans, Germans Batavian revolt (of more later), and Odrysians (Thracians). For this battle I wanted to try the Batavians, so I loaned my 15mm Early Imperials to Kevin for a run through; he would be using the Romans at Warfare – Roma, Roma, Roma!

I was gifted the opportunity to attack in the plains, and duly set up Roman's centre, Warbands on the right and Cavalry and warbands on the left.

On the left the German Cavalry moved around the marsh with their flank secured by the Warbands, who were getting their feet wet in the marsh. The Romans moved to support the Warband to their right. The counter this the enemy started to move their forces to their left.

The German Cavalry have now emerged from behind the marsh and are in a good position to start to threaten the enemy right. On the German right and centre we have started to wheel left to draw the enemy on to us.

Rather than reorientate to threat of the German Cavalry to their right rear the Roman's have pressed on to engage the flank of the German centre and are focusing in on the weaker medium swordsmen. If they are successful, they can work their way along the German line. The Roman artillery has already started to cause attrition on the centre. On the right the Roman's have decided not to wait for the German attack and have boldly, if unwisely, decided to attack the warbands!

As the sun breaks through, the Germans on the right have defeated the Roman left wing. In the centre both sides of legionaries are committed to the fight. Albeit that the Romans were forced to commit on of their units to protect their flank from the German cavalry. However, this has only been partially effective as the German Cavalry has penetrated the line and has hit one of the Roman Cavalry units in the rear.

The battle between the legionaries continues to the death, with the Roman's seeming to gain the upper hand over the turncoats supporting the Batavians. However, on the German left the Cavalry are poised to enter the Roman rear and destroy the artillery, despite the hand of Mars trying to wield some protection!

In the centre the Roman's continue to butcher the turncoats, but enough are hanging on to buy time for the German Cavalry, who are now free to attack the enemy in the rear after destroying the artillery.

Outcome

A win for the Batavian Revolt by 24 to 21.

Lessons Learnt

Agressive use of the German Cavalry was essential to be able to attack the Roman flank and rear.

A harsh lesson for Kevin on why Roman's should received warbands at the halt and not charge into them.