Turning the flank - Rome vs Carthage

Another Rome vs Carthage game. Peter took Carthage whilst yours truly took Rome.

This time we tried out a reworked terrain pre-game. No blocks with magnets this time. Just smaller cubes with the army, scout and dummy symbols on them. The dummies had a donkey's head - a herdsman with his flock if you like. I'll give an overview of the amended rules in a future post.

I used an average terrain-dense map for this game. The crossed swords symbol shows where our battle took place.

The two armies meet and get ready to rumble.

Rome on the right, Carthage on the left. Generals and commanders are now customisable: you take blank leader counters and assign any command rating (from 0 to 5) and combat rating (also 0 - 5) that you like. Leaders with better command and combat rating cost more points to buy. In this case we had two average-command armies: 4 commands with one general and 3 commanders.

Peter chose a general with a command rating of 0 whilst I chose one with a command rating of 4. This meant Peter had to deploy his entire army before I deployed mine. That gave me a considerable advantage.

Turn 1. Carthage.

Peter deployed first so moves first, advancing his huge infantry command diagonally to the left in order to be able to engage my army. His MC on the right advance to engage my LI and Auxilia in the wood and scrub.

Turn 1. Rome.

I pull my Auxilia back, setting a trap.

Turn 2. Carthage.

On they come. The MC on my left flank reach the LI but can't shoot them since their basic factor is a 1 vs LI, with a -1 modifier for shooting into scrub, dropping their combat factor to ½, which means they can shoot only during my move (shooters normally shoot twice a turn, in both players' moves).

Turn 2. Rome.

My MC assault the Carthaginian left. My general has a better combat factor than the Carthaginian cavalry commander, winning the fight and - to add salt to the wounds - wounding the commander.

Turn 2. Melee.

Nobody routs yet.

The outfought Carthaginian MC break off after melee (this simulates the fluidity of cavalry vs cavalry combat).

Turn 3. Carthage.

The Numidian LH move up to engage the legions with missile fire, who return the compliment. Meanwhile the MC on my left charge the LI who cannot evade and so must take it on the chin. True Romans, every man! The rest of the infantry line advance.

Turn 3. Rome.

The Roman MC charge again, obliging the Carthaginian MC and Slingers to evade. It's absolutely crucial that I win on this flank.

Meanwhile the legions charge the Numidians in the centre, who naturally evade - but now there's a wall of HI behind them.

Turn 3. Melee.

The LI on my left are close to routing. That's fine - they're bait.

Turn 4. Carthage.

Plenty of missile file but nobody moves.

Turn 4. Rome.

One MC unit charges the Slingers who must - being LI - evade off the battlefield. They count as routed but their loss does not add any panic points for the Carthaginians since everyone expects them to run for it anyway. Panic points are incurred whenever units and leaders are lost. If enough panic points are accumulated, brittle, average and finally resolute units still on the battlefield automatically rout. It's a refinement of the DBA ⅓ gone everybody goes rule.

Turn 4. Melee.

The LI rout. Their loss also doesn't cost the Romans any panic points.

The routed LI are removed and the victorious MC occupy their square - and walk into the trap.

I forgot to photograph Carthage's turn here but no matter.

Turn 5. Carthage.

Peter realises that the MC on my left are in the ZOC of the Auxilia. That means they can't form column and being in ZOC must, if they wish to move, turn 90° to face the Auxilia or face away from them. In either case the MC become disordered, leaving them in no condition to fight the Auxilia. Peter decides to face away from the Auxilia and run for it, incurring disorder as he does so.

Turn 5. Rome.

My MC head for the rear of the Warband and start shooting them up. Time to turn Carthaginian left flank!

No melee at the end of turn 5 so

Turn 6. Carthage.

Peter's MC heads for the other wing to confront my MC.

Turn 6. Rome.

The Roman MC charge the Warband in the rear, disordering them and knocking down their morale, however the Roman commander is wounded!

The legions meanwhile charge the Numidian LH who cannot evade since their own HI is right behind them. The Numidians are hammered in the charge. Notice that the legion unit on the left doesn't move - it has no enemy unit within charge reach and so stays put. The legion unit on the right moves up since its commander is with it, keeping it in command, unlike the stationary unit on the left. The legions are - quite by accident - turning into an oblique line.

The Roman MC break off immediately after the charge. Mounted units can break off from foot units in this manner.

Turn 6. Melee.

The Numidians unsurprisingly are routed.

The triumphant legions occupy their vacated squares.

Turn 7. Carthage.

Before the Carthaginians can do anything, the Roman MC on my right finally shoot the Carthaginian MC to rout.

The Warband and Poeni Infantry charge in whilst the surviving MC unit moves up to engage the Roman MC with some missile fire.

Turn 7. Rome.

The other Roman MC unit moves up to support its comrades. Roman pressure is beginning to tell.

Turn 7. Melee.

A Warband unit routs - it was pretty battered from that rear charge by the Roman MC earlier.

The legion occupies the vacated square.

Enough Carthaginian units have been lost for all average units to automatically rout. The surviving MC unit collapses and is lost, along with its commander.

And that raises panic points to the level where resolute units - the Warband and Poeni Foot - rout in turn.  Game over!

This was a quick game, lasting an hour and 15 minutes. It does illustrate the importance of choosing a general with a good command rating so as not to be obliged to put one's entire army down first, leaving the other player the opportunity to deploy in consequence. 

Thanks Peter. We can have a revenge game any time (actually this coming Friday). 😁

Special formations - the infantry wedge and the oblique line

Here's another formation used in Optio. I've tried it a couple of times and it can be effective.

The Infantry Wedge

Some infantry units as indicated in the army lists may form a wedge. The wedge is formed by a single battleline. The infantry wedge is indicated by using the order/disorder counter facing with the oblique line of thick dashes.

Once the battle begins the battleline may advance in wedge. The unit with the general/commander moves forwards first, leaving the rest of the battleline in place.

Once it has advanced two squares ahead of the battleline the two units on either side of it advance to maintain corner-to-corner contact with the lead unit.

Once those units have advanced two squares ahead of the battleline the next two units adjacent to it advance to maintain corner-to-corner contact with the other advanced units. Bases of the individual units in the battleline may be moved forwards and backwards to better replicate the shape of the wedge. All this is shown below.

The infantry battleline may advance in wedge as if a normal battleline with the exception that it may not rotate 180° nor move diagonally. Each unit of the wedge fights normally.

The wedge may form a normal line again by a reverse process. The frontmost unit remains stationary whilst the two units on either side of it advance alongside it. Those units then remain stationary whilst the next two units move up alongside.

The whole point of a wedge is that you concentrate your best troops at the tip. These are the first to engage the enemy and hopefully will have enough time to shatter the centre of the enemy line and then begin to roll up both halves before the enemy has time to engage and break the rest of the wedge.

The Oblique Line

Any unit in the battleline with a leader may be the lead unit. For example, instead of advancing from the centre, the unit on one edge of the line may advance whilst the others form an inclined line next to it. This is an oblique line.

As a matter of interest, the oblique line was the favourite way the late Roman army engaged the enemy, according to Vegetius:

The second and best disposition is the oblique. For although your army consists of few troops, yet good and advantageously posted, it will greatly contribute to your obtaining the victory, notwithstanding the numbers and bravery of the enemy. It is as follows: as the armies are marching up to the attack, your left wing must be kept back at such a distance from the enemy's right as to be out of reach of their darts and arrows. Your right wing must advance obliquely upon the enemy's left, and begin the engagement. And you must endeavor with your best cavalry and infantry to surround the wing with which you are engaged, make it give way and fall upon the enemy in the rear. If they once give ground and the attack is properly seconded, you will undoubtedly gain the victory, while your left wing, which continued at a distance, will remain untouched. - De Re Militari

Special formations - Roman line relief

There are a number of special formations in Optio, namely

• Composite units
• Legionary line relief
• The infantry wedge / oblique line
• The infantry square
• The regular order and close order pike phalanx
• The shieldwall
• The Theban column
• The cavalry rhombus
• The cavalry wedge
• The Macedonian heavy cavalry wedge (yes!)
• Skirmishers supporting elephants
• Skirmishers supporting cavalry
• Dismounting cavalry and chariots
• Stakes and caltrops
• Merging units (experimental)

Here is an extract from the ruleset showing how line relief works for the Republican and Imperial legions, excluding the legion of the Roman kingdom and the late-imperial legion. Check out earlier posts like this one for the basics of the combat mechanism. I'll cover some of the other formations in later posts.

THE EARLY LEGION OF THE ROMAN KINGDOM

The early legion consists of two Roman Hoplite bases and two Heavy Foot bases. The bases are arranged in two lines as below and share a common morale scale. It fights in charge and melee combat as hoplites.

The legion is presumed to have a few skirmishers attached and may shoot as if it has a skirmisher javelin foot unit in a thin line (i.e. one stand per square), with a -1 modifier.

This legion cannot execute line relief.

THE EARLY AND MID-REPUBLICAN LEGION

The Republican Roman legion consists of a unit with 2 Hastati bases and 2 Principes bases. The bases are arranged in two lines as below and share a common combat scale.

A legion unit contacted by enemy units on two or more sides or a legion unit with disorder may not execute line relief.

The legion is presumed to have Velites attached and may shoot as if it has two skirmisher javelin stands in a normal line.

This legion may not form a column.

Line Relief

At the player’s choice, during his move or during melee combat, the unit may execute line relief. 

The Hastati and Principes lines swop places. The Hastati cannot retire during an enemy charge unless the charge combat result would rout the legion. The unit’s morale is raised to the highest firm (grey) interval. Line relief may be executed only once in a game.

Later legions in this period under the command of Scipio

Africanus or another exceptional Roman general may split the Velites off to form separate units, deploying two Velites stands per legion. The Hastati and Principes remain together as a single unit and may execute line relief.  They may not perform missile combat.

The detached Velites may form column. Hastati and Principes may form column whether the Velites are with them or not.

THE MARIAN LEGION

The Marian legion unit consists of four legionary bases arranged into two rows of two bases each. The front row bases must be distinguishable from the rear row bases by some identifiable mark.

The legion may shoot into the square in front of it as if it has a skirmisher line of normal depth, i.e. two javelin skirmisher foot stands per legion, before and after line relief. To execute line relief, the two rows of bases are swopped, at which point the morale scale of the unit is returned to the highest firm interval. Line relief may take place only once.

The Marian legion may form a column. It may reform its 1 x 4 column into a 2 x 2 line as per the normal rules for columns.

The first row cannot be withdrawn during an enemy charge unless the charge combat would cause the unit to rout. They may be withdrawn during melee only if the melee combat outcome would cause the unit to rout.

A legion unit contacted by enemy units on two or more sides and a legion unit with disorder may not execute line relief.

THE  EARLY AND MID IMPERIAL LEGION

The early and mid imperial legion functions exactly like the Marian legion.

THE  LATE IMPERIAL LEGION

The late imperial legion cannot execute line relief. It is a composite unit of two lines with legionaries in the front line and missile troops in the rear line. It may still perform missile combat.

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Line relief means that the legion has more morale intervals than pretty much any opponent it faces. A typical foot unit has 2 firm and 2 shaken morale intervals, written as 2-2. Elite units will have 3-2. The legion, with line relief, effectively has 4-2.

Line relief can however be prevented by flank and rear attacks, so encircling a legion is a good way of beating it as Hannibal worked out. One has also to keep in mind that line relief is effective only if the legion has an equal combat factor against its opponent. In Optio, if two opposing units hit each other in melee with the same combat factor - always 2 for drawn fights, then both units lose a morale interval. This means that the unit with more morale intervals will ultimately win melee combat. 

If, however, the legion squares off against the pike phalanx it is in trouble. The phalanx, provided it is deep enough, will score 3 melee hits against the legion's 2. 

That means the legion will lose one morale interval in each melee whilst the phalanx will lose nothing. Ultimately the legion will be routed unless it can do something to bring the phalanx's combat factor down. It doesn't take much to disrupt a phalanx - it is very susceptible to less-than-perfect terrain and flank and rear attacks. The Roman commander will have to get creative!

Last look at the last stand

Peter likes cracking problems and getting the Franks to beat Syagrius has been an ongoing problem. So we had another go at it, Peter commanding the Franks, yours truly the Romans. 

In this game we tried another feature of Optio  - the ability to fit two units into a single battlefield square. I do everything I can to minimise the really bad disproportion between unit width and depth that is endemic to Ancients gaming. Units are far too deep for their width, creating such absurdities as flank attacks being as effective as rear attacks. Making units as compact in depth as possible is one way of mitigating this problem.

Anyhow, the terrain pre-game produced this battlefield:

Which was set up on the gaming table:

Armies were then deployed. We created customised generals and commanders for this game (players write command and combat numbers on the general/commander counters) and Syagrius turned out to have a slightly better command rating than Clovis, so Peter began deploying first. He went with all his Warriors in deep lines with two Warrior units per square, in effect two thick lines of Warriors. His plan was to crush my infantry with sheer weight of numbers. 

I deployed my troops as strongly as possible: Legions in front to bear the brunt of the Frankish attack, backed by archers and poorer quality troops in reserve. Bucellarii on the flanks deployed in depth and using the hill slope advantage on the left flank. My hope was to overwhelm his numerically inferior cavalry with my own, then rear-end the Frankish infantry.

Having deployed first, Peter moved first, so

Turn 1. Clovis.

Holding back his regular Warriors, Peter advances his Household Warriors and Cavalry.

Turn 1. Syagrius.

I advance my entire line, the point being to give the Bucellarii on my left the upslope benefit.

In this game any units of the same command can attach themselves to a battleline either in front or behind and move with it, so the Levy and Garrison troops move with the main line as they are in command with it.

Turn 2. Clovis.

Peter brings up his Warriors in line with the rest of his army.

Turn 2. Syagrius.

My infantry stand fast whilst my cavalry move up to engage the Frankish horse.

Turn 3. Clovis.

The Frankish cav charge my LH who choose the better part of valour and evade. Meanwhile the Frankish foot continue to advance and come in range of my Archers supporting the Legions.

Turn 3. Syagrius.

I stay put, except for my LH reforming after their previous evade move and my MC forming line from column. The Archers continue their donation of kebab sticks to the Franks.

Turn 4. Clovis.

The Frankish infantry approach the Roman line and the air is thick with weighted darts, arrows, franciscas and angons. The Frankish MC try sneaking between the Breton LH and the Roman infantry line. A risky move....

Turn 4. Syagrius.

The Breton LH moved to intercept the head of the Frankish MC column whilst the Roman MC cautiously approaches its rear. For the infantry the missile exchange continues to be fast and furious.

Turn 5. Clovis.

The Frankish cavalry escape the trap - seems this is all cat-and-mouse to buy time - whilst the Frankish foot charge the length of the Roman battleline. Franks are brutal in the charge and the Romans all lose morale.

Turn 5. Syagrius.

Whilst the infantry battle rages, the Roman LH and MC move up to try and box in the Frankish horse.

Turn 5. Melee.

Nobody routs yet.

At this point we paused the game (having started late that evening). I took close up photos of everything and set up the game a few days later at my place. The camera's viewpoint is from the other end of the battlefield, so Franks are now on the left and Romans on the right.

Turn 6. Clovis.

The Frankish cavalry again evade the Roman trap and head for the rear of their troops. Meanwhile a Frankish Warrior unit is routed by Roman Archer missile fire.

Turn 6. Syagrius.

The Roman MC and LH continue their attempts to box in the Frankish cavalry.

Turn 6. Melee.

Nobody routs, but units on both sides are getting worn down.

Turn 7. Clovis.

The Frankish cavalry form line, ready to engage either the Breton LH or Syagrius' personal MC guard.

Turn 7. Syagrius.

Challenge accepted. The Roman mounted units close in on the Frankish horse and javelins fly through the air.

Turn 7. Melee.

A bad moment for the Franks. Their Household Warriors and two units of regular Warriors rout. Ouch!

The victorious Romans occupy the squares vacated by the routed Household Warriors.

Turn 8. Clovis.

The second line of Frankish Warriors charges in.

Turn 8. Syagrius.

And the Roman cavalry charge their Frankish counterparts. One unit of Frankish cavalry is able to evade; the other is not and is routed on the spot. Meanwhile the Legion and Bucellarii unit on the Roman left move up to envelope the Frankish right.

Syagrius' guard MC occupies the vacated square. With the loss of the Frankish cavalry unit, the threshold is reached for average units to rout and the surviving Frankish MC quits the field. All Frankish infantry units are resolute so they stay the course.

Turn 8. Melee.

The Bucellarii and Warrior unit on the extreme right of the Roman line inflict a mutual rout on each other. In this case neither unit routs but they break off from each other, their morale now at the lowest interval. They won't be able to charge each other until their morale is raised higher (which can happen only if a neighbouring enemy unit routs). Essentially they are exhausted and have taken time off for elevenses.

Turn 9. Clovis.

Here we see the implementation of the bursting through rule. Impetuous units may burst through friendly units in front of them in order to engage enemy units. This can happen only if the unit being burst through is not engaged with the enemy unit. The Warrior unit in the second line bursts through the exhausted Warrior unit in front of it and starts donating franciscas to the Bucellarii unit whose situation is now problematic to say the least.

Turn 9. Syagrius.

The Legion unit on the Roman left charges the Warrior unit in the flank, disordering it. The cavalry move up, ready to charge the Warriors in the rear.

Turn 9. Melee.

Another Warrior units routs but a Legion unit also routs. Will the Franks pull a rabbit out of the hat?

Sadly, no. Whilst victorious units occupy vacated squares the rest of the Frankish army works out that enough Frankish stands are routed to push resolute units over the edge, and the entire Frankish army decamps. Game over!

Peter's impression (also mine) is that the Romans are a tad too potent in quality of legions and overall firepower. If and when we get around to these armies again, I'll experiment with reducing the morale of the Legions (they weren't after all the quality of Caesar's veterans) and possibly removing the archers.

Playing time overall was just over two hours. Seems to be a constant with Optio.