30 ancient games in 30 days - games 11 to 15

Introduction

Games 11 to 15 in the 30 games in 30 days using my own rule son a 40cmx40cm table with 15mm figures.  Replaying some historical battles based on some Bill Banks Ancients user written scenarios.  Details can be found at this introductory blog post: https://shaun-wargaming-minis.blogspot.com/2023/12/introduction-to-30-games-in-30-days.html

In this post are these battles:

• ALLIA River, 390 BC, Gauls vs Romans
• CRANNON, 322 BC, Antipater and Craterus (Macedonia) vs Antiphilus, (Greeks)
• THATES, 310 BC, Satyros (Scythia) vs Eumelos (Scythia)
• SENTINIUM, 295 BC, Samnites/Gauls vs Romans
• HERACLEA, 280 BC, Pyrrhus, King of Epirus vs L. Laevinius, Consul of Rome

 ALLIA River, 390 BC

Vae Victis! The Gauls under Brennus face a hastily arrayed force of Roman hoplites north of Rome.

Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Allia

Map: Hill on the Roman right with enough room for 2 units width.

Special: Chariots have no ranged missile fire.

Gauls (bp 4): 1 LDR, 2 CH, 6 WB.

Deploy: CH(no m) WB* WB WB WB WB WB CH(no m).

Romans (bp 1.5): 1 LDR, 1 HC, 2 PX, 2 LI.

Deploy: LI PX PX* LI (hill) HC (hill).

Deploy

The best chance for the Gauls is to take the hill and then flank the main battleline. The Romans don’t really have much tactically, other than take opportunities on bad dice rolls.

The Gauls advance along the line. On the Gallic right flank the chariots charge the Light Infantry that retreat and then the Light Infantry cause the Chariot to retreat.  Rather than risk losing the chariot, this flank was a stalemate after this.

Some warbands make it up the hill and disorder the Heavy Cavalry.  The Light Infantry retreats.  The chariot is supposed to flank the Heavy Cavalry but is not moving very well (failing order moves).

The attack on the hill

After a few turns, and with the chariots help, the Heavy Cavalry is routed

The centre warbands charge the Romans and disorders all around.

The charge of the warbands.

The centre warbands rout an opposing Roman unit, but the Romans do rout one of the warbands.  The Romans have lost their nerve and all flee the field.

End game

Note: the Gauls on the hill failed to move so never did get to flank the main battleline.

A slow game as all the Romans can do is sit and wait for the Gauls.  The Gauls are fairly likely to win on the hills but I they don’t, or they get better luck in the centre, it could be a win for the Romans.  They do have to be lucky though.

CRANNON, 322 BC

Lamian War.

Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Crannon

Map: Open.

Special: Greek HI are hoplites.

Antipater and Craterus (Macedonia) (bp 2): 2 LDR, 2 HC, 2 LC, 2 PX, 2 LI.

Deploy: LC HC LI PX* PX LI HC* LC.

Antiphilus, (Greeks) (bp 2.5): 1 LDR, 4 HC, 1 HI, 2 LI.

Deploy: HC HC* LI HI LI HC HC.

Deploy, Macedonia on the left

Macedonia is weaker on the flanks, but has a strong centre.  They need to win in the centre as fast as they can and hopefully destroy a few units on the flanks to reach the Greek breakpoint.  The Greeks need to hold back the centre and win on the flanks.  The left flank is their strongest and so hopefully win there and then turn inwards and flank the centre

The Macedonian centre advances.  Due to a string of 1s for activation, the Greek flanks don’t move very far.  Eventually the Greek right flank engages the Macedonians.  After a few turns of melee, the Light Cavalry is routed.  One of the Greek Heavy Cavalry is routed next turn.

Cavalry clash on the Macedonian left.

The Macedonian centre gets in range of the Light Infantry for ineffective missile but one of the Phalanxes changes into the hoplites, both are disordered.  The hoplite is destroyed soon after.

The hoplite unit is outnumbered and is lost shortly after.

The Greek left flank got moving after few turns.  The Macedonian Heavy Cavalry+leader is drawn into charging.  The subsequent melee sees both HC disordered, unluckily the Macedonian general is killed and then later the Heavy Cavalry itself is routed.

The Macedonian Heavy Cavalry, leaderless, is routed

On the Macedonian left flank the now 1:1 Heavy Cavalry clash sees the luck go the Macedonians as the Greek Heavy Cavalry is routed.  The Macedonians win as the Greeks have exceed their army breakpoint.

No end game picture

An interesting game.  The lack of movement on the flanks really helped the Macedonians.  I think the Macedonian and Greek HC should be setup further back to make it longer for the Heavy Cavalry the engage.

THATES, 310 BC

Scythian succession war.

Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_River_Thatis

Map: Open.

Special: None.

Satyros (Scythia) (bp 3.5): 1 LDR, 1 KN, 1 HC, 1 LC, 1 MI, 3 LI.

Deploy: HC LI MI LI LI KT* LC.

Eumelos (Scythia) (bp 4.5): 1 LDR, 1 HC, 4 LC, 1 MI, 3 LI.

Deploy: LC LC HC* LI MI LI LI LC LC.

Deploy, Satyros on the left

Satyros is going to have a tough time.  Stronger on right flank with the Knights but weak on the left and the centre is even.   Best bet is to try and win on the right.  Eumelos aim is to try and eliminate the Satyros left flank and then work on the centre.   Lots of missile fire will make this game a bit dependent on dice throws.

Satyros advances his right flank and centre. The alter to ensure the right cavalry cannot be flanked by Eumelos’s centre. Eumelos advances the Light Cavalry on the right flank.  Satyros then charges the opposing Heavy Cavalry +2 x Light Cavalry.  Ineffectual missile fire and the Knights disorder the Heavy Cavalry.  Eventually the Heavy Cavalry, and Eumelos, is routed.  The Light Cavalry is routed a turn later.

Satyros Knight in melee with the Heavy Cavalry and Eumelos

On the other flank, the Eumelos Light Cavalry move into missile range of the Heavy Cavalry.  The Heavy Cavalry charges rather than sit under a hail of arrows.  The Light Cavalry fire and retreat.  The Heavy Cavalry continues into the Light Cavalry but the Heavy Cavalry is disordered.  This is not great news as the Light Cavalry can now perform some 1:1 melees.  They do so and the Heavy Cavalry is routed.  The Satyros left flank is now clear.

The Light Cavalry about to rout the Heavy Cavalry

It is now a race to see who can roll up the centre first.  The Satyros Knights does it first.

Satryos Knights attacking the flank of the centre battleline.

The Satyros left side of the battleline moves up to engage the opposing battleline to ensure it is kept busy.   Ineffectual missile fire as mostly facing Light Infantry.  The Eumelos right flank Light Cavalry, leaderless, fail to take advantage of their position to engage the battleline.  The Knights continues into the Medium Infantry and routs it.  The Eumelos army flees the field and Satyros has won.

End game

Interesting game, full of Light Infantry and Light Cavalry.    The rules seem to hold up well with the Light Cavalry interaction.  Missile fire makes for a slightly longer game but only by a turn or too.  Mainly due to the firing retreat results rather than disorders in melee.

SENTINIUM, 295 BC

Decisive battle for control over the Apennine peninsular.

Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Sentinum

Map: Open.

Special: Chariots have no ranged missile fire.

Samnites/Gauls (bp 4.5): 2 LDR, 1 CH, 2 HC, 3 WB, 3 MI.

Deploy: HC MI MI* MI WB WB* WB HC CH (behind the HC).

Romans (bp 4): 2 LDR, 3 HC, 5 HI.

Deploy: HC HI HI HI* HI HI HC HC*(at the rear on the right).

Deploy, Samnites/Gauls on the left.

The Gauls best chance is the left side – WB and the Chariots and Heavy Cavalry should be able to defeat the opposition.  The Samnites need to hold back – they should eventually lose to the Romans.  The Roman need to focus on their right flank which is the strongest and defeat the Samnites as quick as possible.

The Allied side advance the Gallic Warbands and the Chariots.  They make contact and disorders all around.  A warband is lost in subsequent melee.  The Gallic Heavy Cavalry moves to protect that flank.  The Gallic chariot is routed in a bit of bad luck (1:1 melees are a gamble  each has a 1 in 6 chance of routing).

Gallic Battleline.  A warband and the chariot is lost shortly after this.

The Romans advance the right side of the legions (to protect the Heavy Cavalry flank) and also the Heavy Cavalry.   The cavalry units clash and locked in melee.  The Roman general flanks the Samnite Heavy Cavalry and the latter is routed.

Samnite cavalry flanked.

A Samnite unit is lost after being flanked by the Heavy Cavalry.  An another warband is lost in another 1:1 attack against the legions where they rolled a 1.   The allies have exceeded their army breakpoint and lose the battle.  The Roman win and suffered no losses. 

No end game picture.

While it may seem one sided, the Romans should have suffered more losses, the odds were even in a lot of places, just that the Allies rolled badly all the time!

HERACLEA, 280 BC

Pyrrhic victory.

Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Heraclea

Map: Open.

Special: None.

Pyrrhus, King of Epirus (bp 3): 2 LDR, 1 EL, 1 HC, 1 LC, 3 PX, 1 HI, 1 LI.

Deploy: LC LI PX* PX PX HI EL HC*.

L. Laevinius, Consul of Rome (bp 3): 1 LDR, 2 HC, 1 LC, 4 HI, 1 LI.

Deploy: HC HC HI HI HI* HI LI LC.

Deployment, Epiriots on the left

I have played this scenario many many times.  It is Pyrrhus’s to lose.  Pyrrhus’s left light flank is evenly matched by the Roman right.  His right flank is strong and normally takes out the Roman cavalry.  The centre is slightly stronger than the Romans legions but can go either way.  The Romans only chance is to hope for slightly favourable luck in the centre and hold back everything else.  If the Roman cavalry hang on long enough, or actually take out the elephant or the Heavy cavalry, this will really help.

Both sides advance.  Elephants and the Heavy Cavalry smash into the Roman Heavy Cavalry.  The Heavy Cavalry is disordered but - oh no! - Pyrrhus has taken a wound and out of the battle.  And next turn a roll of 6 sees the HC lost as well.

The elephants and the Heavy Cavalry+Pyrrhus attack the Roman cavalry.

The centre battlelines clash!  Disorders liberally dished out.  But then next turn, disaster – two ‘6’s see two disordered phalanxes routed. 

The battleline with 2 phalanxes lost!

With three units and Pyrrhus routed, the Epirots have lost.  The Romans win!

End game

Wow.  In all the games of Heraclea I have never seen a loss as bad as this.  Lucky die rolling by the Romans (and bad rolling by Pyrrhus) saw them win with no losses.

Halfway!

 Ok, 15 of 30 games; halfway though.  I am struggling a little from gaming fatigue but enjoying the games.  Getting out the figures that have not seen play for years is great. The fatigue is more from finding the time.  Most of the games have been played in 3 to 6 time slots of about 5 to 10 minutes each. Some early games were in one go.  Writing does not take too long, neither do the games. Combined this with thinking on tactics, I am looking at about 40 minutes per game.  The writing is long form notes and each game does not take more than 5-10 minutes to tidy up.