This was one of the longest games I can remember playing. It was unusually long for an Optio game - a little over 3 hours (Optio usually takes about 2 hours to play). I thought about splitting the battle report into two parts but decided that since people binge TV series in one sitting they wouldn't mind bingeing a battle report as well. 🤞
Incidentally I forgot to indicate shooting hits with those little red arrows. There was plenty of it: skirmishers, MC, LH, slingers and legions getting their missiles in whenever they had a chance. Should I leave them out in future reports?
Having had a good look at the terrain arrived at in the pregame (see previous post) I decided to try a trick, Hannibal - or better Scipio - style, against my worthy opponent. There were several clumps of woodland near the left of the battlefield. If Peter deployed all of his army to the right of them - a good possibility - I could attempt something I hadn't tried before: a tactical, mid-battle repositioning of my entire army.
Peter chose a general with a command rating of 1. My general had a command rating of 4. I had made him deliberately high in hopes of obliging Peter to deploy most of his army before mine, but his poor general obliged him to deploy his entire army first. When a deployment looks obvious it make sense to use a poor command general and put most or all of your army down as it won't matter where your opponent then puts his. But in this case it didn't work out that way.
With Peter deployed I placed my legions and skirmisher foot in two battle columns - two skirmisher foot units and two legion units per column - screened them with cavalry and deployed my auxilia back in the woods. There was just enough space to accommodate my troops for what I had in mind. Crossing fingers....
Since Peter deployed first he moved first, sending a LH probe forwards and moving up his elephants. He didn't know what I was up to at this point.
Wasting no time, my two columns of legions, screened by cavalry, and light foot marched full speed up the left side of the battlefield. Why charge at fresh air?
Peter moved his elephants across. They would make short work of any Roman trickery, by Baal!
The one Roman column performed a 180 degree wheel and headed back the way it had come (?) whilst the second column continued to forge ahead. That look of puzzlement on Peter's face...
My cavalry meanwhile continued their screening action, engaging the slingers that covered the elephants whilst the general moved up with his troop of MC to keep the Carthaginian MC at bay.
The Skirmisher foot units of the first column form line. Since the legions behind them cannot form a straight line with them they fall out of command and don't move. The second column doubles back. Is Peter beginning to suspect what I'm up to?
My MC rout the Carthaginian slingers and occupy their square. First blood to Rome.
Peter charges my MC with his elephants whilst his LH move up to block their escape. Those MC are toast. Second blood to Carthage.
Peter's elephant occupies the square vacated by the routed Roman horse. My other MC unit heads into the shelter of the wood. My uncommanded legions of the lower column form line and fall back in command again with the skirmisher foot in front of them. Meanwhile the skirmisher foot of the second battle column form line and the legions behind them become out of command.
Peter is beginning to understand my plan, and moves his ellies and LH full speed ahead out of the path of the legions.
The legions of my second line form line and are back in command. I now have a near-complete line of legions and skirmisher foot aimed straight at the flank of Peter's army. My auxilia in the woods below block access to the rear of my army on the one flank whilst my MC stands guard at the other. The legionary steamroller is ready to rumble without having to worry about envelopments. Thank you, thank you, ladies and gentlemen. 😎
Peter keeps moving his elles clear. What does he plan to do with them? (spoiler - he will be using them very effectively).
And on the legions come. The MC on their left gets out of the way and covers the woods.
Ellies are now completely clear. Does Peter plan to use his LH?
My one MC unit vacates the wood to allow the advance of the legions and skirmisher foot that screen them. Meanwhile my other MC unit led by the general enters the woods, ZOCing the Carthaginian MC unit.
My legions only advance half a square. This is because I have overstrained the command limitations of my army. Each army has a limited amount of command points, distributed at the player's discretion among the general and commanders. Cavalry commanders usually get more CPs than infantry, since infantry are expected to just form a line and advance, whilst cavalry execute fancy envelopment manoeuvres.
In this case my legion commanders changed direction twice when doing that doubling-back move in column - it costs a CP each time a commander changes direction - and used up all their CPs. Their command counters - the round thing of the same colour as their command - is placed in the square where they used up their last CP. From then on, infantry commanders can move normally up to 2 squares away from that command counter and then only half a square per turn thereafter, whilst mounted commanders can move normally up to 3 squares away and then only one square per turn thereafter.
From now on the legions will be creeping forwards, replicating the hesitancy of commanders who have been asked to do too much. Optio does not forgive players who try to used their armies as ballet troupes.
Peter doesn't do anything. Doubtlessly formulating a cunning counterstroke.
The legions advance along with the MC that charges its counterpart in the flank.
The Carthaginian MC is battered but alive.
Peter moves his other MC unit towards the centre.
The legions on the left of the line advance whilst those on the right hang back.
The Roman MC occupies the vacated square. The way is now clear for the Roman MC to come out the forest into the Carthaginian rear.
Peter's surviving MC unit and slinger unit turn to face the advancing legions....
....who advance towards them, supported by the MC. The MC unit on the other flank also moves up in support.
Peter's MC charge the Roman skirmisher foot, who evade through the legions. Meanwhile his ellies start to move up.
The legions advance, charging the Carthaginian MC who evade.
Peter's MC get away from the problem area. Actually they shouldn't have moved since they evaded = used up their movement, when I charged them. Evaded units can only reform facing either direction in their player's turn after their evade move. But no matter.
Forward Romans! Forward to glory!
Peter now gets his HI going. The Carthaginian Poeni form column and move double time down the battlefield whilst the warband (who are unwieldy hence can't form column) get out of the way.
On come the legions, charging a slinger unit who cannot evade since there are two units behind him (he could have moved through one unit). The Roman MC get round to the rear of the Poeni column.
Down goes the slinger unit. It doesn't count for victory points. LI and scythed chariots are expected to quit the battlefield early so don't demoralise their army.
The Poeni foot shake out a line. The unit in the ZOC of the legion becomes disordered in doing so. Since the Poeni unit at the end of the battle column could not form a straight line with other units it doesn't form line but does nothing for that turn (representing the momentary confusion of the unit captain who doesn't know what to do and recovers his wits only in the next turn).
Meanwhile the MC charge the skirmisher foot who evade through the legion. The charge slams home into the legion. The MC get shot up by the skirmishers and legionaries but it wins the charge thanks to the inspiring presence of its commander (MC vs legion is a draw in charge but a commander breaks the tie).
I got a bit confused when labelling this photo. It's actually part of the same turn 14 Carthage. The Carthaginian MC breaks off immediately after the charge (cavalry can break off from infantry in the turn they charge and hence avoid melee combat) whilst the warband advance towards the Roman MC in their rear. I'm not redoing these pics all over again so let it slide.
The legions advance, contacting the leftmost Poeni foot unit, whilst the Roman MC get clear of the warband.
Nobody dies but a commander is wounded. This is the unique use of dice in Optio.
The warband are getting their act together.
The Roman MC advances to the flank of the uncommitted Poeni foot unit. The MC had to do a 180 degree rotation so could not charge that turn (when a unit charges it may perform only one diagonal move besides moving straight ahead).
The battle rages....
The uncommanded warband slowly move up. Uncommanded units (not part of a battleline or battle column with a general/commander) can move only 1/2 a square per turn if infantry and 1 square if mounted.
The Roman MC charge a Poeni unit in the flank disordering it.
One Poeni foot unit goes down....
....and the victorious legion occupies its square.
The Carthaginian MC charges the legion again. This is how MC cavalry operated: charging then breaking off, never standing still for a moment which would make the riders vulnerable. The warband continue forming a line.
The Roman MC break off and then a legion charges the now unengaged Poeni foot, disordering it. That foot unit is in trouble. The Romans are steadily rolling up the Carthaginian line.
The Carthaginian MC hadn't broken off from its last charge which meant it meleed the Roman legionaries - and lost. But the legions now expose their flank as they advance into the vacated square. This was Peter's plan - trade two mounted bases for 4 foot ones (once the ellies rout the weakened legionaries).
The ellies duly charge the legion in the flank whilst the warband take up their positions as a support line. Carthage is doing well in responding to the Roman flank drive.
Skirmisher foot move up whilst the Roman MC charge warband in the flank, disordering them. Disorder is a Very Bad Thing, BTW.
Another Poeni foot unit goes down. Carthage has now lost more than 10 stands, enough to tip brittle units over the edge, in this case the ellies, who all rout. The reasoning behind this is that brittle units are prone to decamp if they see too many of their own side take early military retirement. Average units last longer and resolute units last the longest. It's more nuanced than the simple 1/3 army gone game over of other rulesets.
The victorious legion occupies the vacated square. Things are going well for Rome.
Chaaarge! In go the warband against the weakened and exhausted legion (that had already executed line relief earlier in the battle).
And another chaaarge! The MC break off whilst the legion moves in. It's a classic one-two. MC weakens enemy unit then breaks off so legion can finish it off.
Two Poeni foot units go down. Roma aeterna!
The victorious legions occupy the vacated squares.
In go the warband. They sure don't lack for courage.
The MC do a major redeployment, heading towards the other side of the battlefield.
Nobody routs this time....
Not much for Peter to do except fight it out.
The Roman MC move up to engage the Carthaginian LH, whilst a legion charges warband in the flank, disordering it.
The weakened legion on the right flank finally goes down, as does a warband unit.
Victorious units occupy vacated squares.
Peter sends forward his last unengaged warband unit.
The Roman MC charges the LH. A drawn fight (MC vs LH is a draw in the charge and a win for MC in the melee). Meantime a legion forms column to get back into the fight.
Another legion unit goes down. This is beginning to look problematic for Rome.
Victors advance.
Up come the warband....
....as do the legions.
The LH unit is finally routed by the heavier MC.
Who occupy the vacated square....
....and win the game. The Carthaginians have now lost enough stands to rout their remaining average units. This creates a cascading rout sweeping away their resolute units and the entire army runs for it. Game over!
A close win for Rome, that was just 5 points from losing its own average units which would have tipped the entire army over the edge.
Question for the historians: is this degree of tactical manoeuvering by the Romans realistic?
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