Battle of Zama 202BC using Ancients Battlelines Clash

Introduction

This is game 45 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 the tenth and last game I managed to play in November.

Back in 2011 I set out a standard deployment to play some small table games with various rules.  It was too ambitious by attempting to represent the lines of infantry for both sides and did not really work at this small scale.  I realised this after playing two games, one with DBA, one with Rally Round the King.  So I moved onto using Heraclea that proved to be quite successful and I replayed it using about 14 different rulesets.  For this replay of Zama, the individual lines are not represented.

Battle of Zama 202BC

The battle that will decide the outcome of the Second Punic War.  Scipio meets Hannibal in Africa.

Internet links used to assist with the scenario:

http://www.soa.org.uk/battleday/2010Battlepack/

https://shaun-wargaming-minis.blogspot.com/2010/12/standard-zama-deployment-for-refights.html

https://balagan.info/wargaming-the-battle-of-zama

I also used Phil Sabin’s Lost Battles.

Troops

Roman

4 Hastati/Principes, Heavy Infantry, line relief

2 Triarii, Heavy Infantry, phalanx, elite, line relief

4 Velites, Skirmish Infantry, javelins

1 Veteran Cavalry, Medium Cavalry, elite

3 Numidian Cavalry, light cavalry, javelin

4 Numidian light infantry, light infantry, javelins, poor

Leader with Legion in the centre.

Army control ability +2

Breakpoint: 13

Carthaginian

2 Veterans Heavy Infantry, phalanx, elite

4 Spanish/Celts, Heavy Infantry

2 Skirmishers, Skirmish Infantry, javelins

2 Numidian cavalry, Light Cavalry, javelins

1 Cavalry, Medium Cavalry

2 Elephants

Army control ability +2

Leader with the Veterans in the centre.

Breakpoint: 12

Deployment

  

Romans on the left, Carthaginians on the right. 

All the Numidian light infantry are deployed uncontrolled (so cannot act until the Carthaginians come into range, which is unlikely to occur!).  They are at the leftmost edge of the Roman side.  As in the actual battle, they played no part.

Game

The Romans advance; the Carthaginians do not as with the weaker mounted flanks they do not want to lose the flanks so quickly and potentially leave the centre exposed.

The Roman right cavalry charges into the opposing cavalry.  Both disordered and locked in melee.

Roman right flank: Cavalry on cavalry action. 

The main Roman centre moves into missile range of the Carthaginian skirmishers.  Over a few missile exchanges, all the Velites retire from the field for no loss to the Carthaginians.

The skirmishers are in range.  The Velites will all retire, with no loss to the Carthaginians, in the following missile exchange.

 The skirmishing cavalry meet to exchange missiles.

The clash on the light infantry on the Roman left flank.

 One light cavalry on each side retire.

One light cavalry on each side has had enough. 

On the Roman right, the Roman cavalry get the best of the Carthaginians and the opposing cavalry is routed.  The Romans pursue.

The right flank Roman cavalry defeats the opposition.

 In the centre the legions attack the Elephant and skirmisher line. It might not go well as the Velites were completely useless in doing any damage to this line.

With the Velites gone, the Elephant and skirmish line enter into a fray with the Roman legions.

 Disorders all around, one legionary unit advances once the skirmisher unit opposing was cleared.

Everyone disordered, and the Carthaginian skirmishers are gone,

 The light cavalry skirmish: The Roman cavalry routs and the Carthaginian cavalry pursues; the free light cavalry then about faces and attacks the Carthaginian light cavalry in the rear and forces the Carthaginian light cavalry from the field.  The Romans pursue.

One Roman Cavalry is gone but while that is occurring an unopposed  Roman cavalry charges around to the flank of the Carthaginian light cavalry.

 A bit happens in the centre.  Elephants hang on, the Spanish/Gauls advance to melee with the lone Roman heavy infantry and disorder it.  The Carthaginian veterans move to face the Roman cavalry threat.

Lots going on tin the centre - Elephants still alive, one Roman unit charges the Gauls/Spanish, Carthaginian veteran infantry wheels to protect the flank from the Roman cavalry.

 An Elephant routs, The Triarii is moving to the flanks but otherwise the infantry is locked in melee along a lot of the line.

On the left, the Romans defeat the Elephant and advance.  A Triarii is moving to get onto the flanks.

 The other Elephant is routed.  The Hastati/Principes line is reformed.  The Triarii is assisting on both flanks.  The game could still go either way!  One Spanish/Gallic heavy infantry unit is subsequently lost.

The other elephant routs and now infantry is engaged along the line.  The Triarii are now shoring up the centre flanks

 Another Carthaginian heavy unit is lost.

Carthaginians are losing their heavy infantry.

 The Carthaginian Veterans manage to rout the Roman cavalry, but it is for naught.

The Carthaginian veteran infantry in melee with the Roman Cavalry.  They will subsequently win the melee.

The Carthaginians have reached their breakpoint and the Romans have won!

The end.

Verdict

I put the Carthaginian killed light cavalry with the Roman dead and so miscounted the breakpoints until the last melee when I realised my error.  A really good game and while it is at a very high level and only captures the brushstrokes of the battle it came out OK. It was a closer battle than I thought it would be - a few poor dice rolls by the Romans and it may have gone to the Carthaginians.

On another note, this is the last of the Punic War battles.  I did manage to play all 10 in a month.  I will have to try and continue to play at least a few each month as I do enjoy reading about the historical battles and then replaying them.