Rome vs Carthage again. Definitely new armies next time. But for now....
The terrain pre-game gave us this battlefield. Fairly open which favored Peter's Carthaginian cavalry and Numidian LH. I would need to make a real plan.
Peter chose a general with a command rating of 1 whilst my general had a rating of 4. Command ratings for generals are important. They don't use them for orders as commanders to, but the worse a general is compared to his opponent, the more of his army he has to deploy first: ⅓ if the difference is 1, ⅔ if the difference is 2, and the entire army if the difference is 3 or more - which was the case here.
That game me the opportunity to deploy in consequence of Peter's deployment, and that meant a big advantage. I massed the bulk of my army against Peter's left whilst my Auxilia took on the noble job of sacrificial lambs on my own left.
Peter deployed first so moved first.
Turn 1. Carthage.
Peter naturally advances on my vulnerable left.
Turn 1. Rome.
My Auxilia shake out a line whilst my Legions advance. They are screened by LI who will prevent them taking any missile damage until they are ready to charge the HI in front of them. My MC wait to see what the Carthaginian MC and Numidian LC decide to do.
Turn 2. Carthage.
Peter's MC move up and start a javelin exchange with my LI whilst his Poeni foot and Slingers move up. His Numidian LH are being very coy. What is he up to?
Turn 2. Rome.
Since Peter's MC are now engaged on my left, I waste no more time on my right, advancing my own MC towards Peter's Numidians. I try a new tactic, moving up one unit with the other staying back to counter any outflanking attempt by Peter's light horse.
The Legions meanwhile drive ahead with the Auxilia hanging back. They're there as a flank guard and must survive as long as possible. Notice how one legion advances into the square occuped by a LI - the LI cannot advance in step with the other units since it has Carthaginian MC in front of it. So it stays where it is and lets the Legion catch up with it.
Turn 3. Carthage.
Chaaarge! In go the Carthaginian cavalry, obliging a LI unit to evade straight through a Legion whilst the Auxilia unit must take it on the chin. Peter's general, leading the cavalry charge against the Legion, has a better combat rating than the commander of the legion, so breaks the tied combat and wins the charge combat, knocking a morale interval off the legion. But the commander of the Auxilia unit breaks the tie there and drops the cavalry by a morale interval.
The cavalry break off from the infantry right after the charge. They would not do well in melee combat if they hung around. Meanwhilst the Numidian LH decide to throw caution to the winds, form column and double-move into the Roman rear. Damn! I hadn't anticipated that.
Turn 3. Rome.
Thinking about it, I decide to keep pushing ahead with the Legions whilst my MC form column but stay a respectable distance from Peter's LH. Columns are extremely vulnerable if in the vicinity of enemy units that can attack them.
My Auxilia also advance. They're not going to let the Carthaginian MC sneak around the Legion's left flank into their rear.
The air is now thick with javelins.
Turn 4. Carthage.
Peter's MC charge again. This is how cavalry often operated against infantry: repeated charges and break-offs, never remaining motionless which would allow the infantry to pull the riders off their horses.
Meanwhile Peter's own infantry advance whilst the LH shake out a line and get ready to rear-end the Romans.
The cavalry break off after the charge, one unit passing through a unit of LI.
Turn 4. Rome.
In go the Legions. It's never a good idea to hold them back.
Turn 4. Melee.
Nobody routs.
Turn 5. Carthage.
The Warband close in on the Auxilia whilst the LH charge them in the rear, knocking off a morale interval. Meanwhile the general's MC unit charges a Legion unit, also winning the fight.
The MC break off....
....as do the LH.
Turn 5. Rome.
The Legions in the centre continue to drive ahead. One MC unit rear-ends the Poeni foot (ouch!) whilst another moves up to engage the Numidian LH.
Turn 5. Melee.
No rout yet.
Turn 6. Carthage.
In go the Warband and the LH, routing one Auxilia unit and seriously damaging the other. The Auxilia are doing their involuntary devotio just as planned. The bards will write a decent song in your honour chaps....
The Warband unit occupies the vacated square.
Turn 6. Rome.
The uncommitted MC unit leaves the Auxilia to their fate whilst the uncommanded LI see if they can get somewhere useful. One Legion executes much needed line relief, returning to its highest morale interval.
Turn 6. Melee.
The surviving Auxilia unit and one of the Poeni units fold.
Victorious units occupy the vacated squares.
Turn 7. Carthage.
The Numidian LH get active, one unit obliging some LI to evade (though they still get in their shot)
Turn 7. Rome.
The one Roman MC unit pulls back, ready to protect the Legions from the Numidians whilst the other comes up to see what mischief it can accomplish. Legions charge the Carthaginian MC and LI, driving them back.
Turn 7. Melee.
Nothing much.
Turn 8. Carthage.
MC rear-end a Legion, inflicting an all-grey modifier (firm morale intervals are treated as shaken) on it and winning the charge combat. Normally a unit charged in the rear becomes disordered with all morale intervals suffering a -2 modifier, but in the case of Legions the rear line is able to turn and face the threat, mitigating its effect.
A Numidian LH unit charges some LI, which evades back through Roman MC whilst the Warband, disordered from their about-face manoeuvre earlier (180 degree turns disorder unwieldy units) try to lumber back into the action.
The MC breaks off after the charge.
Turn 8. Rome.
One Legion charges a LI unit off the board. Roman MC move up on the flank of Carthaginian MC, ZOCing them and preventing them from charging the Legion again. The other Roman MC unit charges the Numidian LH who evade. Finally a Legion charges the last Poeni unit in the flank, disordering it.
Turn 8. Melee.
The Poeni unit routs....
....and its square is occupied by the victorious Legion.
At this point Peter called it. His Poeni were gone, his Warband too clumsy to get back into the fight in time and his MC pinned. He still had active Numidians but they weren't strong enough to make a real difference. Game over!
