Battle of Philippi 42BC using Ancients Battlelines Clash

Introduction

This is game 62 in play testing my ancient rules by replaying historical battles.  They are definitely a work in progress as I again vacillate between mechanisms.  These rules now require no markers, are based of a gridded version I did previously but the movement rules owe a lot to Phil Sabin’s Phalanx game.  Games are designed to be played solo on a 50cmx30cm table and finish in under 30 minutes.   Note the 50cmx30cm – I am playing on a 60cmx60cm.  The depth does not matter greatly as just deploying the opposing sides closer to one another.  They are still at their core Ancient Battlelines Clash so still calling them ABC version 6.

 

Interlude

I have been soul searching for a while on why I am actually using my own rules to play these games.  Originally it was to create some rules that were fast and solo friendly for a small table and chronologically playing historical battles was a good way to test them.  But more recently it is the reading of and the playing of the historical battle that if more important.  I still will be using my own rules as I want something fast and very solo friendly but these historical battles will be less about the testing of the rules (although they do get tested by playing the battle scenario) and more about actually playing the battle.  So I expect the rules will continue to change, they already have gone through three major rewrites anyway!

Between this battle (done back in April 2022) and this one in September I have played about a dozen games with my 6mm forces on a 12x12 gridded table. These are using a mashup of Phil Sabin’s Phalanx for movement and my older rules for the reactions and results. 

 

Post script

This is the last outing with a variation of my Ancient Battles Clash rules.  I have been tweaking them for 12 years and after several hundred games with them I have moved to my own rules based on Phil Sabin’s Phalanx for movement and 1d6 with some simple results for combat.  The next replay is with Phalanx and then after that is the mashup. 

 

Battle of Philippi 42BC

The last battle in the Wars of the Second Triumvirate between the forces of Mark Antony and Octavian.

 Wikipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Philippi

 

Troops

Roman Second Triumvirate

Right Wing (Octavian)

3 HI, Legions

1 MC, Cavalry

1 Camp

1 Leader

  

Left wing (Antony)

5 HI, Legions

1 MC, Cavalry

1 leader

Breakpoint: 11

 

Roman Liberators

Left wing (Cassius)

4 HI, Legions

1 MC, Cavalry

1 Camp

1 Leader

 

 Right wing (Brutus)

4 HI, Legions

1 MC, Cavalry

1 Camp

1 Leader

 

Breakpoint: 11

 

 Scenario changes

Reduced the forces by about 80% and flipped the battle map (the Marsh on the left is now on the right).

 

Deployment

Deployment

Quite a different deployment to the usual battle.  There are two wings facing one another but also the flanking force of Antony’s (1 HI in my scenario on top of the hill on the left) is facing most of Cassius forces.

 

Game

Note: originally I had the narrative going back and forth between each flank.  As each flank was a distinct battle I have split the game report into Antony Vs Cassius and Octavian Vs Brutus.

Antony Vs Cassius

Antony (left) Vs Cassius (right). Antony's flanking force is on the hill

Antony advances and engages with Cassius forces on the defensive line but all locked in melee.

Antony and Cassius’s forces engage

Cassius rearguard forces advance up the hill and are locked in melee with Antony’s flank force.

Antony’s flank force is engaged by Cassius’s forces

Antony Vs Cassius sees Antony’s cavalry flank attack a legion that is destroyed, the cavalry pursue and being looting Cassius’s camp.

Cavalry helps destroy a legion and then loots the camp

Cassius routs Antony’s flanking force.

Antony flanking force is no more

The Antony holding force at the defense line is routed and some units loot the camp, others are going around.

Looting the camp

Octavian Vs Brutus

Octavian (left) Vs Brutus (right)

Octavian advances.  Brutus also advances legions only into Octavian’s legions, also now all locked in melee.  Did not charge the cavalry as that is a straight 1:1 and no advantage there, unlike the legions that is 4 legions to 3.

Brutus engages with Octavian’s legions

Octavian manages to rout an opposing legion

Routed a Brutus legion

Final moves

Antony manages to rout the cavalry unit and Octavian routs another legion.  This results in the combined Cassius and Brutus army reaching their breakpoint.

Antony routs Cassius’s cavalry

Octavian manages to rout another of Brutus’s legions

Rule changes

None.

 

Verdict

I should have done them as two distinct games on the same table as there is no interaction between the two combats.  It then could have had one side win while the other side loses.  Instead it was overall losses that saw the Liberators lose.  It was a very close game and could have gone either way.

 

This the last game played with Ancients Battlelines Clash.  They have been fun but I am have currently moved to 8x8 grids and a mashup of Phil Sabin and 1d6  combat.  So still playtesting via the Peter Sides’ scenarios, but with different rules!  They actually have similar results but less complex and still reflecting my view of ancient battles.

Battle of Munda 45BC using Ancients Battlelines Clash

Introduction

This is game 61 in play testing my ancient rules by replaying historical battles.  They are definitely a work in progress as I continue to vacillate between mechanisms.  At least for this game I used the same rules as game 59 and game60!  Games are designed to be played solo on a 60cmx60cm table and finish in under 30 minutes.  They are still at their core Ancient Battlelines Clash so are calling them ABC version 6.

This is the 2nd last game I played using rules loosely based on Ancients Battlelines Clash.  It is posted a year after I played it.

 

Battle of Munda 45BC

The final battle of Caesar against the Optimates takes place in Spain.

 Wikipedia entry:

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

 

Troops

Roman

Romans

4 HI (swords) elite

3 MC

2 LI

Breakpoint: 8

 

Latienus (Optimates)

Latienus’s troops

5 HI (swords)

2 MC poor

2 LI

Breakpoint: 8

 

Scenario changes

Reduced the number of units, and also added 2 Light infantry to Caesar’s side.

 

Deployment

Romans on the left, Latienus on the right

Game

The Caesarean side big chance is the left flank and equal chance in the centre.  Will advance the left flank and centre into attack.  They do this.  The Caesarean side generally comes off worse –Latienus’s forces have a first turn advantage of being uphill.

Clash in the centre (from the Optimates point of view)

The Caesarean left flank charge in.  Latienus’s LI routs, as does Latienus’s cavalry.

Caesarean left flank in combat

The Caesareans loses a legionary unit.  The left Caesarean cavalry charges a Latienus legion unit in the flank and it is destroyed.

Caesarean cavalry charges into the flank of the opposing battleline

Another two rounds of melee in the centre and the rebels are holding on, just.  But then they quickly lose two legionary units and their army flees the field.

End game

Rule changes

None!

 

Verdict

Another short game that was fun.  I am still toying with rules with no disorder markers and grids so will see whether I stick with these or the gridded rules. I do find they are similar to play and not hard to move from my own gridded rules to non-gridded rules, and vice versa.

Battle of Thapsus 46BC using Ancients Battlelines Clash

Introduction

This is game 60 in play testing my ancient rules by replaying historical battles.  They are definitely a work in progress as I continue to vacillate between mechanisms.  At least for this game I used the same rules as game 59!  Games are designed to be played solo on a 60cmx60cm table and finish in under 30 minutes.  They are still at their core Ancient Battlelines Clash so are calling them ABC version 6.

This is the 3rd last game I played using rules loosely based on Ancients Battlelines Clash.  It is posted a year after I played it.

 

Battle of Thapsus 46BC

In Tunisia, Caesar engages the remaining Optimates forces gathered against him.

Some internet links of interest:

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

https://prufrockian-gleanings.blogspot.com/2017/11/thapsus-refight.html

https://www.commandsandcolors.net/ancients/maps/78-caesars-civil-war-49-45-bc/352-318-thapsus-46-bc.html

Troops

Roman (Caesar)

Caesarean Romans

3 HI (swords) elite

4 HI (swords)

2 LI, elite (elite to represent anti-elephant tactics)

2 MC elite

1 Leader

Breakpoint: 12

 

Roman (Pompey)

Pompeian Romans

5 HI (swords)

5 HI (swords), poor

1 Medium infantry

2 LI

4 MC

2 LC

2 Elephants, poor

1 poor leader

Breakpoint: 20

 

Scenario changes

Reduced the number of units to fit into a 2’x2’ space.

 

Deployment

Deployment

Game

Caesar advances just the flanks.  The Pompeian right flank falls to move, the centre advances (best chance to win in the infantry clash) and the left flank enters into combat with the Caesar’s right flank

First blood on the Caesarean right flank

The Pompeian light infantry manage to disorder Caesar and his cavalry and then retire from the field.  The anti-elephant light infantry inflict a disorder on the elephant before being destroyed.  The Caesarean cohorts behind advance and rout the elephant that depletes the Pompeian cavalry behind them.

Caesarean left flank engages

On the left flank, Caesar’s units did not do as well – both sides Light infantry did nothing before routing, but the Caesarean cohorts did deplete the elephant.  In the next round of melee the elephant routs. The cohorts pursue straight into the Pompeian cavalry.  The Pompeian cavalry inflict 2 depletions on the cohorts (heavy infantry require 3 depletions before routing, most other units are 2)

Caesar’s flank cohorts pursue into the opposing cavalry but take a lot of damage

Back on Caesar’s right flank, Caesar and the cavalry and cohorts charge into the enemy cavalry. One Pompeian cavalry is routed.  This is the same on the Caesarean left flank (one Pompeian cavalry unit is routed.).  But in a later melee the Caesarean cavalry is routed.

Caesar’s left flank

Finally the Pompeian battleline clashes in the Caesarean one.  The Caesarean line has not moved on the assumption that they will not come away as well from the clash.  So they have waited for the Pompeian lines to engage.  Disorders here and there.

View of the main battleline from Caesar’s side

On the Caesarean right flank Caesar’s forces have defeated the opposition.

Caesarean right flank is now Caesar’s.

Overview

On Caesar’s left flank the Caesarean forces are overwhelmed and that flank belongs to Pompey.

It is now a race to see which flanking cavalry makes it first to the battleline to make a difference to the combats going on there.

The flank cavalry form each side race to the centre

Caesar makes it first.

Caesar in the rear of the Pompeian battleline

He routs one of them in contact (can only inflict damage on one unit per melee)

The Pompeians then get their chance to melee and roll really badly.  Pompey is wounded as his unit routs. 

The battered battleline

This is enough for the Pompeian side to reach their breakpoint and flee the field.  Caesar’s side was only one legion away from their breakpoint as well.  It was a close game!

End game

Rule changes

None.

 

Verdict

My rules have survived playing twice with no changes. I do enjoy them.  They are a little different but I like them.  Admittedly only two games but hey, it is keeping my interest!

I have been leaning on the last few years to try and minimise the units on the table.  This game had a lot of units, mainly as I could not see how to do the battle justice without deploying so many different units into the battlelines.  Looking ahead to the next few battles Thapsus seems to be an exception and I can get back to much smaller battles.