Hydaspes replay number 2 - Justified Ancients

Introduction
This is the second game of four replaying the Battle of Hydaspes with different rulesets.  Go to this post for background, troop descriptions, deployment and comparison to the other 3 rules.


The battle report is a bit more detailed than I would do normally do just for a report, but I needed the detail as to who did what as it helped to write the rules comparison.  There is a lot less than I originally wrote left...


The Game
Alexander will be rated as a +2 General, Porus a +0.  Generals can move independently but for now, as per RRtK, Alexander is with the Companions, Porus in a lead elephant.
 
Horse archers move up (with a +2 general, they pass the move order automatically) and fire at the opposing Cavalry and Chariot. Goods rolling sees both pushed back.  Firing needs a 6 to deplete the cavalry and will never deplete the chariot (needs a 7).
 
The cavalry and chariot charge horse archers (pass order).  Horse Archers fire and evade and fatigued.  Note that in Justified Ancients, the cavalry and chariot would be fatigued too, but if a charger does not hit home, my house rule is the charger is not fatigued.
 

Archers fire, evade and fatigued (green markers)

The tactic I used in the RRtK replay for the horse archers will not work in JA - the horse archers cannot wear down the left mounted Indian flank. But the effect is similar in that they are screening the Macedonian Heavy cavalry.
   

Indian move battleline forwards and the Macedonians do as well.  It seems to be moving so slow!  They are moving 1/2 the speed compared to RRtK (move distances in RRtK are quite large).  And also cannot do same thing as in RRtK where advance with just elephants - each elephant needs an order roll.

Battlelines getting closer

Only one elephant successfully passes a charge order, contacts 2 skirmishers and they evade.  The left chariot and battleline all successfully pass order check and advance and fire at a few skirmishers.

 

A view of the Indian left and opposing pikes

Horse archers are back in front of the Indian left flank mounted but cause no damage (with firing on a die roll of 6 they can deplete the cavalry).  The Indian cavalry and Heavy Chariot charge (successfully!) the horse archers who evade.  The horse archers evade through the gap between Companions and pikes.
 

Horse archers retreat between Cavalry and Hypaspists

 
There is a bit of elephant charge and retire and some Macedonian skirmisher pushback from archer fire.  A centre elephant charges some skirmishers that fires and evades.  The fire has no effect so the elephant continues into a phalanx.  The phalanx flees and the elephant pursues, recontacts and destroys the phalanx next turn in melee.
  

Phalangite unit fleeing from a pike.

  
After failing charges tests, Porus finally passes charge test, gets to a skirmisher that fires and evades and Porus is pushed back by the fire. Ah well.

Archers firing pushed back more skirmishers and exposes most of the phalangites.  Skirmishers interpenetrating the pikes do not effect the pikes but skirmishers are depleted.  In my house rules skirmisher foot only take one depletion.  So gone.

The Macedonian battle line starts moving up.
 
Elephant Vs hypaspists: Tie.

Elephant in combat with Hypaspists

  
The Elephant that pursued the fleeing pike and destroyed it:

Elephant destroys pike and pursues - like a knife through butter

Skirmisher Vs Elephant with Porus: Elephant pushed back.

Elephant and Porus in melee with recalcitrant skirmishers

Hoplite Vs Elephant: Hoplites pushed back and disordered.

Elephant and Hoplites in melee

A turn of little happening is almost a lull in the battle - a few failed orders, firing has little effect but an elephant did destroy a depleted pike unit.

The left side of the Indian battleline

  

The right side of the Indian battleline

The Macedonian horse archers fire and deplete the cavalry (a 6 - finally).
The Macedonian battleline move up to contact archers where possible.  The archers all stand and fire but it does not help - four archers flee.

The Macedonian right - Hypaspists in the lower centre.

The Macedonian left - Hoplites are the lone lead unit.

The Indians then failed every move or charge order roll, except Porus that charges in. Even though there were not moves, there were a lot of combats - four archers units dispersed.  Porus was pushed back.

Field of battle - Indian lower, Macedonians at the top - archers and pikes are lost on both sides.  Heavy Cavalry to the top left have not yet entered the battle

Then the Hypaspists vs elephant sees the elephant dispersed.Porus and another elephant both cause there respective phalanx unit flee and in subsequent melee cause them to disperse.

My 3 year old son helping me move the Macedonian cavalry (yes, the game is in a map drawer)

 
The Companion and heavy cavalry charge the opposing Indian mounted.  The Indian cavalry flees and dispersed as already depleted (it was depleted by the horse archers - so they were very useful after all).
 
Combats go back and forth for another turn - then a peltast gets a elephant in the flank, and the elephant is dispersed; and Companions and the heavy cavalry destroy the heavy chariot.  This means the Indians have lost 50% of their forces, and so it is a Macedonian win.  It was close, as the Macedonians were only 2 units away from 50% as well.
 

End  of game - a lot of units went by the wayside in a rush. Indians table edge to the bottom, although most Indian units are scattered about in the centre

A fun and fast game.