How combat works in Optio - Infantry 1

Combat in Optio is deterministic except for die throws for generals/commanders engaged in the fighting to see if they are wounded or not. But deterministic doesn't mean predictable. Here are a couple of examples of an engagement between an average-quality mid-Republican legion and some Gallic warband. In the first example the legion engages a deep line of warband; in the second it engages two deep lines.

I created these examples from a VASSAL module for Optio.

FIRST EXAMPLE

Turn 1. Rome.

A legion has moved up adjacent to a deep line of Gallic warband. A deep line has 4 stands in a 2x2 configuration. The legion is not a deep line but two separate lines that occupy the same square. Physically representing three lines would be unnecessarily cumbersome - three lines and a line of velites would be worse. Two lines IMHO are enough to implement the line relief mechanism that gives the legion its durability.

The legion starts by shooting up the warband. Legions have the same missile capability as skirmisher class units, meaning they score one shooting hit on armoured targets and two on unarmoured. A warband is unarmoured so gets two hits. The first shooting hit is shown by a green arrow, the second by a yellow arrow, the third by an orange arrow and the fourth by a red arrow. When a unit has received four shooting hits it loses one morale interval.

Turn 1. Gaul.

The warband charge the legion. Before they close, the Romans throw their pila, scoring another two shooting hits and dropping the warband's morale by one interval.

Despite the loss of an interval the Gauls' morale is still firm. In the charge the warband score 3 combat hits to the Romans' 2. The lesser number is subtracted from the greater and the loser's morale drops by that many intervals. In this case the legion's units lose one morale interval. 

Commanders and generals always take part in the charge even if they don't help the unit (they can abstain from combat if their unit is charged but then don't benefit the unit with their combat modifiers). In this case the Gallic commander would help his men only if charge combat was drawn, breaking the tie by adding an extra combat it. Here, the Gallic charge factor is superior to the Roman one so the Gallic commander adds nothing. But since he led by example he must throw a die to see if he is wounded. A 6 would injure him, but he comes out of it without a scratch.

Turn 2. Melee.

Melee combat is drawn, so both sides lose a morale interval. Everyone is now shaken and the Gallic commander again throws a die to check his health. If a commander was committed in the charge he is committed for the rest of the fight, i.e. for every subsequent morale combat, and must continue to take his chances until his unit has won or is routed.

Turn 2. Rome.

The legion executes line relief: the hastati and principes swop places and the Romans' morale returns to top firm. This shows that a fresh line has been committed to the fight and the shaken hastati pulled back.

Turn 2. Gaul.

The Gauls can't do anything since they are locked in combat, so straight to...

Turn 2. Melee.

The warband units are shaken, but since they are in a deep line their shaken interval is treated as firm and they fight the Romans on equal terms (depth allows the highest shaken interval - only - to fight as firm). But this doesn't save them. Drawn combat in melee means that both sides lose a morale interval. The Romans drop a firm interval but the warband drop below their lowest interval and rout. Short and savage.

The Gallic commander throws a die and survives unscathed but since his entire command has routed he is removed along with them and is counted as lost.

SECOND EXAMPLE

This next example is more interesting. A legion faces two deep lines of warband. Who will win? (don't cheat and scroll to the end) Hint: it's not obvious.

Turn 1. Rome.

The velites donate free pila to the warband, knocking them for two shooting hits.

Turn 1. Gaul.

The warband charge and continue to serve as human pincushions, losing a morale interval...

...but get their revenge when their charge slams home, knocking a morale interval off the Romans.

Turn 1. Melee.

Both sides are now shaken.

Turn 2. Rome.

Line relief time.

Turn 2. Gaul.

Nothing much they can do, and so to...

Turn 2. Melee.

The warband are deployed in depth, but that only means a drawn fight in melee, meaning they and the Romans both lose morale, which tips the Gauls over the edge.

When a unit routs, all adjacent enemy units including diagonally adjacent get a morale boost of one interval. Things are going swimmingly for the Romans.

The routed warband units are removed and the legion units occupy their squares.

Turn 3. Rome.

Time to shoot up the second line of Gauls.

Turn 3. Gaul.

The Gauls charge and, well, we know what happens.

The charge slams home. Ouch!

Turn 3. Melee.

Everyone becomes shaken.

Turn 4. Rome.

The Romans can't do line relief again - there aren't any triarii as the two lines assume the function of the historical three.

Turn 4. Gaul.

Nothing happening here, so on to...

Turn 4. Melee.

The legion unit on the left faces a warband unit that, though shaken, fights as firm thanks to its depth. Shaken inflicts a -1 modifier and the legion unit's 2 hits drop to 1, vs the warband's 2 hits, and the legion unit loses a morale interval. The legion unit on the right has a commander who is able to do the same job as a unit in depth - upgrade the highest shaken interval to firm. This is how commanders and generals help in melee combat. The Roman and Gallic unit draw the melee, both drop an interval - and the Gauls rout.

To rub salt in the wounds, the Gallic commander is injured! (if you zoom in you'll see he's covered with blood - this is a PG16 post)

The legions units get a morale boost from the routed warband unit.

The routed Gauls are removed and the victorious legion unit occupies their square.

Turn 5. Rome.

The unengaged legion units turns 90 degrees to face the surviving warband. Turning 90 degrees in line severely disorders the unit (shown here by the figures becoming higgledy-piggledy). The unit could have formed a column and turned towards the warband whilst retaining its order, but it knows what's coming and hasn't a moment to lose.

Turn 5. Gaul.

Obviously nothing, so

Turn 5. Melee.

The engaged legion unit is shaken, but the warband unit's depth boosts its shaken interval to firm, winning the melee, and the legion unit drops an interval. It is now close to routing.

Turn 6. Rome.

The legion unit charges, inflicting severe disorder on the warband unit. Flank charges disorder the charged unit but there is no resolution of charge combat, unlike rear charges that inflict disorder and then immediately resolve charge combat. We'll skip the Turn 6 Gaul heading.

Turn 6. Melee.

The Gauls suffer a -2 modifier for being disordered. The -2 modifier actually leaves them inflicting one combat hit on the Romans (every two minus modifiers halve a combat factor; a -1 modifier drops it to a number somewhere between full and half, rounded off). The Romans are shaken so score one combat hit back - a drawn fight. 

If a unit would rout from combat but all the units fighting it would also rout, then it doesn't rout and its morale is set at the lowest shaken interval. Here however the Roman unit on the flank of the warband is nowhere near routing. In the case of the legion unit fighting the warband from the front, all the units fighting it - i.e. the warband unit - rout, so it doesn't rout. From the warband unit's perspective however, all the units fighting it do not rout, so it must itself rout. A very narrow victory for the Romans.

If the free legion unit had formed column instead of just turning to the left, what would have happened? It forms column and turns to face the warband in turn 5. Columns can't charge so it forms line in turn 6. It still can't charge since any formation change precludes charging. In melee at the end of turn 6 the warband rout the engaged legion unit and their morale increases to firm. They occupy the square vacated by the routed legion unit so the other legion unit can't charge them (no such thing as a diagonal charge). This leaves the warband ahead of the game though I'm still not sure if Gaul finally wins.

I'll do some more examples of combat in future posts. But this one covered quite a bit.