Battle of Cannae 216BC using Ancients Battlelines Clash

Introduction

This is game 41 in play testing my ancient rules by replaying historical battles.  The latest version of ‘Ancient Battlelines Clash’ is on its own blog page. I am play testing the rules by replaying all the Peter Sides scenarios from his Historical Battles books.  ABC is designed to finish in around 30 minutes on a 2'x2' table.

I have been slow in play testing these rules for the last few years.  For November 2019 I set a challenge to play the 10 First and Second Punic Wars battles in the book.  This battle is game 6 in the attempt.  I have actually played all 10 battles and working my way through writing them up.

Battle of Cannae 216BC

One of the famous battles from history where Hannibal deployed his troops for an envelopment manoeuvre.

Here is the Wikipedia link for the battle:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cannae

I used Lost Battles by Philip Sabin to help with the scenario.

Troops

Carthaginian

8 Gauls/Spanish, Heavy Infantry, warband

2 African veterans, Heavy Infantry, elite

2 Skirmishers, Skirmish Infantry

1 Spanish Cavalry Medium Cavalry, elite

1 Gallic Cavalry Medium Cavalry

2 Numidian Light Cavalry

Leader with the Spanish cavalry

Army Control Ability +2

Breakpoint: 15

Roman

8 legionaries, Heavy Infantry

4 Velites, Skirmish Infantry, javelins

2 Medium Cavalry

Leader with one of the legionaries unit.

Breakpoint: 10

Deployment

Game

Everyone advances on both sides.

Everyone advances.

Hannibal’s cavalry charges the Roman cavalry on his right flank.  They are disordered, but do not break.

Left flank Roman cavalry are not swept away and hold the flank.

The skirmish lines trade missiles and they all retire.  One warband is disordered and a few are motivated to charge at the legions. Everyone in melee is disordered.

The Skirmishers meet and are cleared and then the heavy infantry meet.

On the Roman right, the cavalry charges the Numidians.

Right flank Romans charge the Numidians.

The Romans are pushed back under the weight of missiles (thy rolled a 1).

But the Romans are halted by the weight of missiles! 

In the centre, a legion is lost, and so is a warband.  The Roman Cavalry on the Roman left flank hangs on.

The centre clash sees one unit lost by both sides.

The warbands charge in to close the gaps

The rest of the warbands charge in...

Carnage – two more units lost on both sides and a warband breaks through.

And two more units lost of both sides - and a warband also manages to break through.

More carnage as more units lost on both sides in the centre.  Things are not going to plan (lots of wild die rolls have seen units routing quickly).

The centre has really collapsed for both sides.

The Roman cavalry on the Roman right again charges the Numidians that flee.  The Cavlary pursue – straight into a unit of African Veterans.

The Numidian light cavalry retires and the Roman Cavalry pursues into the heavy infantry behind. The cavalry subsequently  rout from this encointer. 

The Roman Cavalry routs.  The Romans have reached their breakpoint and the Carthaginians have won!

End game.  The Roman left cavalry surprisingly held on the entire game.

Verdict

A game that did not go like history, although I can see how it could have.  The Roman cavalry hung on longer against Hannibal than normal (good dice rolls).  The warbands did really well  (rolls lots of 6’s that are good), while the legionaries rolled many 1s (that are bad).  Normally the battlelines lasts a bit longer.  If die rolls had been a little bit more average, I can see how the Roman cavalry and African Veterans would have been able to turn the flank of the main infantry battleline.