Cilician Gates 39 BC - Command & Colors Ancients Game

Parthians on the left, Romans on the right on the foot hills of the Cilician Gates

Opposite end of the table with Roman deserters under Labienus in their camp

Parthian cataphracts in the centre

Parthian horse archers

Parthian commander Pacorus and cataphracts

Roman legionaries, Cretan archers and Roman camp

Roman right flank

Romans advance off the hill and attack the cataphracts

Both sides suffer casualties

Last Friday afternoon out in the shed I played a solo Command and Colors Ancients game. The scenario was the Cilician Gates, which was the main pass through the Taurus Mountains in Anatolia, with the Romans taking on the Parthians. The Romans under Publius Ventidius Baussus were pursuing Roman deserters led by Quintus Labienus who had joined the Parthians. In the battle Parthian cavalry under Pacorus arrived and immediately launched an attack, without waiting for Labienus, on the Romans deployed on the heights.

In my game the Parthians were a little more circumspect in their approach and tried to wear the Romans down with missile fire and lure them down off the hill. Under the terrain rules in CCA a unit fighting an opponent uphill only has two dice, so the cataphracts would have been fighting on equal terms with the Roman light infantry, a risky proposition! I used the Parthian shot special rule for horse archers in this game which was introduced in Command and Colors Medieval, evading light bow cavalry can shoot with two dice. I limited it to one dice for this game but will probably use two in future as you only have a one in six chance of hitting, although you also have the same chance of causing a retreat.

The Romans attacked early in the game moving down off the hill but the Parthian cataphracts had the best of it destroying a legionary unit and killing the commander. The Romans were forced to regroup on the hill and then launched another attack playing an Order Medium Troops card. This attack was more successful and the Parthians were forced to retreat, the Romans were slowly but surely wearing the cataphracts down. The Parthians played a Double Time card and the Roman deserters emerged from their camp to attack the Gallic cavalry who evaded. A last ditch effort by Pacorus and his cataphracts to seal the game almost paid off but Ventidius with his veterans and the aid of the Gallic cavalry put and end to it with a hard fought 6-5 victory points.

Romans regroup on the hill

Romans play an Order Medium Troops card and attack

Parthians are forced to retreat

Roman legionaries are wearing the cataphracts down

Roman deserters play a Double Time card but the Gallic cavalry evade

Pacorus attacks with the Parthian cataphracts

The Gallic cavalry finish off the cataphracts

Pacorus evades the Romans but has lost the battle 5-6 victory points