Lake Trasimene 217 BC - Command and Colors Ancients Game

 

Initial deployment from the
Roman side along the Lake

From the Carthaginian side

Numidian cavalry skirmish on
the Carthaginian right flank

Last Tuesday afternoon I played another solo Command and Colors Ancients game out in the shed. The scenario was Lake Trasimene 217 BC, Hannibal's famous ambush of the consul Flaminius and his Roman army. The Carthaginians had six command cards, while the Romans start with two but this is increased to three, then four in their second and third turns. The Carthaginians had a good hand of cards, including two Double Time cards, but this did not play out as expected! They played the first Double Time card on the right flank and the Gallic warriors charged in to combat. The Romans fought back well and at the end of their turn had destroyed two Gallic warrior units.

The Carthaginians played the second Double Time card on their left flank attacking with their heavy and medium infantry, led by Hannibal himself. This time they managed to destroy two Roman units and with momentum advance, managed to position themselves to continue the combat. The Romans countered with their cavalry and Triarii,  destroying both Carthaginian heavy infantry units and killing Hannibal with a leader casualty check roll. The game was tied at 5-5 victory points but the Carthaginians played it safe and attacked a wounded Roman infantry unit with their Gallic cavalry on their right flank to secure victory. It was a Pyrrhic victory really for the Carthaginians with Hannibal dead.

Carthaginians play a Double Time
card - Gallic warriors charge

They play another Double Time
card on their left flank

Carthaginians win 6-5 victory points
but Hannibal is killed in combat!

Trebbia 218 BC - Command and Colors Ancients Game

 

Initial deployment from the Roman side

Carthaginians with Mago's ambush 
visible in the top left, off the table

First blood to the Romans!

Mago's ambush attacks the Roman rear

Romans Darken the Sky
destroying two units of slingers

Cavalry join the ambush

Roman right flank collapses

Last Tuesday afternoon I played a solo Command and Colors Ancients game out in the shed. The scenario was Trebbia 218 BC with Hannibal's Carthaginians fighting a Roman army, under the consul Sempronius Longus. Both sides had the same number of command cards but Mago's ambush really made it a tough scenario for the Romans. The special rules for the ambush meant any leadership card played after the Carthaginian player's first turn could be used for this. In my game an I Am Spartacus card was played, five dice rolled, two leader symbol results meant any two units of choice could be used. 

Two warrior units attacked the rear of the Roman infantry. Polybius says (III.74) the troops used in Mago's ambush were Numidian infantry and cavalry but I only read this after the game and had used Gallic infantry and cavalry for the ambush. The Romans played a Darken the Sky card and destroyed two units of slingers. Mago's ambush once launched was devastating with the Roman right flank collapsing. Despite this the Romans fought back well and it was only once a combined attack in the centre of Gallic and Spanish cavalry and infantry that the Roman centre collapsed as well. In the end the Carthaginians won a hard fought game 7-5 victory banners.

Side view

Roman centre is under pressure too

Gallic and Spanish cavalry attack

Spanish infantry join the attack in the centre

Roman centre collapses

Carthaginians win a hard fought
game 7-5 victory banners

Heraclea 280 BC - Strength and Honour Game

 

Roman and Epirote armies deployed
with the Siris River in the centre 

Opposite flank - Epirote skirmishers guard the ford

Pyrrhus' pike and Tarentine cavalry advance

Romans under Laevinus advance more haphazardly

Pyrrhus' reserve of elephants arrives on the table

Last Friday afternoon Rick, Garry and Robert came over and we played a Strength and Honour Game of Heraclea 280 BC out in the shed. The scenario was from Conquest: The Age of Alexander and Hannibal (pp.46-47) by Mark Backhouse. This is a supplement for his Strength and Honour rules published by Reisswitz Press and available as a pdf on the Too Fat Lardies' and Karwansaray websites. Rick commanded the Romans under Laevinus and Garry commanded the Epirotes under Pyrrhus. Robert and I watched the game and took photos. We were all pretty rusty with the rules as we haven't played them since earlier in the year. There were quite a few new rules too (pp.8-13), with the different troop types in the new supplement. 

The Agrianes were a tribe who formed elite skirmisher units in Macedonian armies, there's a typo in the supplement and these are spelt as Agrarians. Where the road crossed the Siris River there was a central ford of four squares width which counted as open terrain and most of the infantry combat occurred there. The Roman infantry crossed the river and got stuck in. The legions with Leves skirmish lines in tact were level pegging with the pike but once these were removed, they were down 3 to 4 in combat. The Professional Phalanx rules meant that a grind result for the pike became a push back result. It was tough going for the Romans and the setback cards steadily mounted. The Roman and Italian cavalry arrived as a flanking force on the Epirote right flank. Eventually Pyrrhus' elephants and skirmishers routed but Laevinus' Romans had reached army break point.

Roman and Italian cavalry arrive as a
flanking force on the Epirote right flank

Epirote skirmishers move to guard the flank

Romans cross the river and get stuck in

Allied Italian Legions, without access to the
central ford, are hampered by the river

Romans are pushed back over the river

Pyrrhus' elephants and skirmishers rout but
Laevinus' Romans have reached army break point

Carthaginians versus Republican Romans ADLG Game

 

View of the table from the Carthaginian side

From the Roman side

Side view

Carthaginian left flank

Carthaginian centre

Last Tuesday afternoon Craig came over and we played a Second Punic War game set in Spain out in the shed. Craig commanded the Roman defenders with Celtiberian allies and I commanded the Carthaginian attackers also with Celtiberian allies. The Carthaginians advanced and attacked while the Romans held back. There was a marsh near the river on the Carthaginian left flank which hindered movement and prevented the Carthaginians from exploiting their cavalry advantage. 

Both flanks and the centre of the two armies were engaged in combat and slowly but surely the Romans ground the Carthaginian forces down as usual. On the Carthaginian right flank a single unit of Roman allied Iberian cavalry tied up three units of Carthaginian Gallic cavalry and routed two of them. However the infantry combat on this flank went the way of the Carthaginians with the Spanish Scutarii out performing their Celtiberian rivals. In the centre and on the Carthaginian left flank combat favoured the Romans. In the end both sides were still a fair way from breaking but the Romans had the best of the encounter to claim a minor victory.

Carthaginian right flank

Roman commander

Carthaginian commander

Combat in the centre

Combat on the Carthaginian right flank

Scipio Africanus

 

Here's Scipio Africanus with an attendant releasing a dove. Another Warlord Games resin figure from their monthly Soldier of Fortune series. We have a Second Punic War ADLG game set in Spain next Tuesday afternoon, so both he and Hannibal may see action then!

Command and Colors Ancients - Lake Vadimon 283 BC

 

The Romans, Etruscans and Boii deployed

Opposite end

Etruscan light infantry suffer casualties from a retreat

Roman leves with casualties from shooting

Romans play a mounted charge
card, on their left flank

And on their right flank

Last Friday afternoon I played a solo Command and Colors Ancients game out in the shed. The scenario was Lake Vadimon or Lake Vadimo 283 BC with a coalition of Etruscans and Gauls, the Boii tribe, taking on a Republican Roman army under Publius Cornelius Dolabella. The Romans had five command cards and moved first, while the Etruscans and Boii only had four command cards. This turned out to be quite an interesting game, as the Romans despite a significant advantage in cards and troops, never really got going and most of their centre never got in to action.

Polybius provides some details on the battle:

the Boii, seeing the Senones expelled from their territory, and fearing a like fate for themselves and their own land, implored the aid of the Etruscans and marched out in full force. The united armies gave battle to the Romans near Lake Vadimon, and in this battle most of the Etruscans were cut to pieces while only quite a few of the Boii escaped.

Polybius, The Histories, 2.20.1-4 https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Polybius/2*.html

The Romans played a mounted charge card early in the game and were able to inflict casualties and force a retreat on the Etruscan light cavalry. The Boii warriors on the coalition left flank attacked, causing casualties and eventually killing the Roman legate. A double time card allowed the Etruscan infantry to attack on their right flank. After several turns of combat here the Etruscan leader and infantry emerged with a surprising but hard fought 8-5 victory.

Boii auxilia are nearly done

Roman cavalry momentum advance
on their left flank

Boii warriors attack on their left flank

Etruscans charge on their right flank

Romans are forced to retreat

Etruscans charge again

Boii chieftain and cavalry charge in the centre

Etruscan leader and infantry
win a hard fought 8-5 game