Heraclea replay with Justified Ancients take 2

Background
I enjoyed my first game of Heraclea with Justified Ancients so much that I wanted to incorporate the house rules I created into another game.  I have written up the house rules I used for this second game:

click here for the blog post with house rules

I think I will be playing a bit more of JA with this house rules.  It has currently become equal favourite rules for solo 2'x2', along with Rally Round the King (also with some minor tweaking for a 2'x2' board).
 
One thing I noticed on re-reading the rules is that chargers conform to the targets base but do not need to line up corner to corner (as per DBx and Fantasy Rules! for example).  In the example turn in the rules, there is one unit that charges and melees with two units. The issue of lining up corner to corner was something I mentioned in my Callinicum replay that I would like to get rid of.  And there it was in the rules all the time!  Of course, it may not be what the author intended, but one unit being able to combat two is certainly in the old JA forum posts as well.
 

Troops

 

Romans

4 Leves: Trained Skirmish light foot, javelin

4 Hastati/Principes: CO Trained Heavy foot, javelin

2 Triarii: CO Trained Heavy foot, high morale

1 Light Infantry: LO Untrained Light foot, javelin

2 Heavy Cavalry: LO Trained Heavy Horse

1 Light Cavalry: Trained Skirmish Light Horse, javelin

1 General with +0 order bonus

CO = Close Order

LO = Loose Order

 

Epirot

1 Hypaspist: CO Trained medium foot, phalanx, high morale

3 Pikemen: CO Trained medium foot, phalanx

1 Hoplite:CO Trained heavy foot, phalanx

1 Light Infantry: LO Untrained light foot, javelin

1 Skirmisher:Untrained Skirmisher foot, bow

1 Slingers: Untrained Skirmisher foot, sling (treat as bow)

1 Agema: LO Trained Heavy Horse, high morale

1 Light cavalry: Trained Skirmish light horse, javelin

1 Elephant: Elephant - LO medium.
1 General with +1 order bonus
  

Deployment

See deployment description and here is a photo:

Deployment - Roman at the bottom, Epirots at the top

 

Game
Romans and Epirot both advance their centre.  Triarii wheel to the right, while the right Roman Heavy Cavalry stay in place.

Agema and elephant advance

Agema (with Pyrrhus) and elephant

The pikes charge the Leves who fire and evade.

Pikes advancing on the Leves

The pike continue the charge and contact the lone Leves, which must stand and is dispersed.  The pike is forced to pursue and does so into two legionary units. The next turn the legionaries push back the pike.  Legionaries don't pursue as it make them contact other pikes.

Pike unit pursues evading Leves into some Legionaries (brown marker is disorder)

The elephants and Agema charge the heavy cavalry but things go differently - only managed a pushback.  Note with the "new" rule of not doing corner to corner alignment, I did the elephant melee first and it could not followup as it was also in contact with the other heavy cavalry.

Agema pursues pushed-back Heavy cavalry

Agema just keeps pushing Roman cavalry back.  Elephant out for a turn as fatigued so cannot charge and my "zone of control" rules prevents it from moving away.

Agema keeps pushing back the opposing cavalry

Triarii manage to charge Elephant and it flees.  Elephant manages to reform next turn.

Fleeing elephant (with a depleted, disordered and fatigued marker)

Triarii and Roman Heavy cavalry fail order rolls for next turn and cannot take advantage of the elephants leaving.  Damn.
  

The Hoplite and adjacent pike manage to pushback one Legionary unit and cause another to flee, but the other two Legionary units charge and disorder the pikes.  In the Roman turn, the Legionaries manage to cause the Hypaspists to flee.

The Blue-shielded Romans manage to get the the Hypaspists to flee.

 
Then lots of failed orders to move or reface or charge.  And lots of combat rolls that are separated by 1 that results in lots of pushbacks without much else.  Then suddenly in two turns a spate of a roll of 1 on one side and a 3 on the other.  This resulted in 4 fleeing units, which were subsequently pursued and then dispersed.  Wow.  4 turns of back and forth, and then 2 turns of death..and the Romans reach their breakpoint and the Epirot wins.

Hoplite cause Triarii to flee

The victorious Hoplites.

Victorious elephant (that had stopped fleeing) causes Triarii to flee into Hoplite and is dispersed.

Victorious elephant.

Agema causes Roman heavy cavalry to flee and after subsequent pursuit is destroyed.

Victorious Agema

Roman legionary causes Pike to flee and then after a subsequent pursuit is destroyed.

Roman Legionary and Laevinus

End game:

End of game - hard to tell but Romans started on at the bottom, Epirots at the top.

 
Verdict
With the house rules above, I really really like Justified Ancients.  It gives a fast, fun game with a lot of my interpretation of historical feel.  One day I may get some example army lists together.  For now, Justified Ancients with house rules is up there with Rally Round the King as my preferred choice for fast play ancients on a 2'x2' table.