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

River Po 203 BC - Command and Colors Ancients Game

 

View of initial deployment from the Roman side

View from the Carthaginian side

Punic cavalry and elephants advance

Punic cavalry retreat

Elephants and a Roman cavalry unit are destroyed 

Last Tuesday afternoon Rick came over and we played another Second Punic War CCA game out in the shed. The scenario was the River Po 203 BC, also known as the Battle of Insubria, with the Carthaginians led by Mago, fighting four Roman legions led by the proconsul M. Cornelius Cethegus and the praetor P. Quintilius Varus. The Romans had the advantage in infantry but this is quite a balanced scenario to play in terms of numbers and command cards. 

The Carthaginians moved first and advanced with their cavalry and elephants on their right flank. The Romans responded by playing a mounted charge card. Once the dust settled from this the Carthaginian elephants and a Roman cavalry unit were destroyed. The cavalry tried again, the Punic cavalry routed, a leader was killed and the Roman cavalry retreated to lick their wounds. The Carthaginians then targeted the Velites light infantry with shooting and combat as they were unable to retreat through the main Roman line. The Carthaginian heavy infantry attacked in the centre led by Mago. Some lucky dice rolling by these units saw the Carthaginians win 7-4 victory banners.

Cavalry try again

Carthaginian left flank

Gallic warriors advance in the centre

Carthaginian heavy infantry attack in the centre

Carthaginians win 7-4 victory banners

Just before Easter Peter, Hans, Martin and I did a ride in the Snowy Mountains on our e-mtbs. We started at the Smiggins Hole-Guthega link road, rode down to the Guthega Power Station, up to Schlink Pass, then down to Geehi River for lunch, then up the Geehi Reservoir Road finishing where it joined the road to Khancoban, near the Geehi River campground. Here's a few pics of our ride.

Starting out on the Smiggins Hole-Guthega link road

Martin at the Guthega Power Station

Whites River Hut

 Hans and Peter riding up the road

Yabbie remains below the Schlink Pass sign

Schlink Hut

Hans free!

Martin, Hans and Peter on the descent to Geehi River

Lunch at the Geehi River

View of Watsons Crags and the
Sentinel from Olsen's Lookout

Finish where the Geehi Reservoir
Road joins the Khancoban Road

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