30 ancient games in 30 days - games 21 to 25

Introduction

Games 21 to 25 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:

• VERCELLAE, 101 BC, Roman (Catalus) vs Cimbri
• SILARUS River, 71 BC, Spartacists (Spartacus) vs Romans (Crassus)
• PISTORIA, 61 BC, Catilines (Rebels) vs Senatorial Army of Gaius Antonius
• ADMAGETOBRIGA, 61 BC, Gauls vs Germans
• MUHLHAUSEN, 58 BC, Julius Caesar (Rome) vs Ariovistus, Chief of Sequani (Germans)

VERCELLAE, 101 BC

Catalus' legions in a punitive campaign against the barbarian hordes of the Cimbri.

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

Map: Open.

Special: None.

Roman (Catalus) (bp 2.5): 2 LDR, 2 HC, 2 HI, 1 MI.

Deploy: HC* HI (gap) MI (gap) HI HC*.

Cimbri (bp 3): 1 LDR, 2 HC, 4WB.

Deploy: HC WB WB* WB WB HC.

Deployment, Romans on the left

The Romans best chances are on the flanks, while the Cimbri is to take out the centre and hopefully the legions.  Historically the Cimbri lost and likely the same here.

Roman flanks advance, as does the Cimbri centre.  On each flank a Warband charges into the Roman legions but only succeed is disordering everyone.

Initial clash on the wings.

The Cimbri left flank Warband is routed.    The Cavalry melee of both flanks but all are disordered.  The Cimbi leader gets to flank a roman legion unit and rout it.  And a Warband manages to make it to the Medium Infantry and the Medium Infantry is routed.

The Roman Medium Infantry is routed.

The Roman legion is routed by the Cimbri leader

The Cimbri cavalry are routed on the flanks, as expected.

But then in bad luck the Roman legion unit is routed.  The Romans have lost and the Cimbri change history!

End game

Much closer than I thought it was going to be.  The Roman legion that was flanked failed the order move to turn, otherwise possibly would have survived longer. 

SILARUS River, 71 BC

Crassus attempts to crush the Spartacists slave revolt before Pompey arrives and steals victory.

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

Map: Open.

Special: None.

Spartacists (Spartacus) (bp 3): 1 LDR, 2 LC, 2 HI, 4 MI.

Deploy: LC LC MI MI MI MI HI* HI.

Romans (Crassus) (bp 3): 1 LDR, 2 HC, 4 HI.

Deploy: HC HI HI HI HI HC*.

Deploy, Spartacists on the left.

Best chance for Spartacists is on the right flank and then roll up the centre, no where else are they stronger.  The Romans are strong in the centre and left flank so should focus there.

Spartacus advances the HI on the right, Romans advance the centre and right flank Heavy Cavalry.  The Heavy Cavalry gets close to the Light Cavalry that retreat.  The Heavy Cavalry continues to advance.  The Light Cavalry fire and retreat, causing a disorder on the Heavy Cavalry. And the general with the Heavy Cavalry is wounded!  The Light Cavalry advance slightly to not retreat off the table, a Roman HI advances and forces one off the battlefield.

Roman Heavy Cavalry attempting to catch the retreating Light Cavalry

Spartacus and the 2 Heavy Infantry contact the Heavy Cavalry, the Heavy Cavalry is routed.

Spartacus and 2 Heavy Infantry about to rout a Roman Heavy Cavalry

The Roman centre contacts the Medium Infantry, one is routed and two others disordered.  Next melee another Medium Infantry is routed.  Two turns later the last Spartacist Medium Infantry is routed, exceeding their breakpoint and so the Spartacists have lost.

End game

A very interesting scenario.  I should have moved up the Spartacus Medium Infantry line so that once the Heavy Cavalry was dealt with by the Heavy Infantry they were closer to the rear of the legions.  And the Light Cavalry maybe could have advanced a little to give more room to retreat.

PISTORIA, 61 BC

Lucius Sergius Catilina's last stand.

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

Map: Open.

Special: Catlines army does not break.  Senatorial Army wins by destroying all Catiline units and killing leader.

Catilines (Rebels) (bp 2): 1 LDR, 2 HI, 2 MI.

Deploy: MI MI HI* HI.

Senatorial Army of Gaius Antonius (bp 2.5): 1 LDR, 1 HC, 4 HI.

Deploy: HC* HI HI HI HI.

Deployment, Catalines on the left.

The Catilines have to hang on for 8 turns (length of the game).  It will take four turns for the HI to reach the Roman army.  The Catilines could about face, retreat one turn, about face again.  Except this takes 3 turns and the Heavy Cavalry can be there in 3 turns.  If they roll a 1 in any of those turns they cannot move.  So maybe not.   Game will come down to dice rolls I think.

Roman army advances and makes contact.  A few disorders.

The battlelines clash.

In subsequent melee the Medium Infantry are lost but a legion is lost as well.  The Heavy Cavalry charge for leader to leader combat and the rebel leader dies.

Heavy Cavalry slams into the flank of the rebel leader.

A rebel HI flanks the Heavy Cavalry and two turns later they are themselves flanks and rout.  However, that took 9 turns and so a victory for the Rebels.

End game – the last rebel Heavy Infantry routs next melee.

I thought it would go better than that for the Romans. 

ADMAGETOBRIGA, 61 BC

Barbarian battle: Gauls vs. Germans.

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

Map: Open.

Special: None.

Gauls (bp 2.5): 1 LDR, 1 HC, 1 LC, 4 WB.

Deploy: LC WB WB WB* WB HC.

Germans (bp 3): 1 LDR, 1 HC, 2 LC, 5 WB.

Deploy: LC LC WB WB* WB WB WB WB.

Deployment, Gauls on the left.

The Gauls are weaker everywhere.  All the Germans need to do is hopefully win the centre with greater numbers.  The Gauls just need to exploit weaknesses if they occur.

The Gauls advance the right flank Heavy Cavalry and the opposing Light Cavalry retreat.  The centre warbands advance, as does the opposing German warbands.  The Gauls get close enough to trigger possible charges by the Germans, hoping one or two don’t and so get a local advantage.  All the Germans charge into melee. Every single warband is disordered. 

Clash of the warbands.

The German Light Cavalry are stuck near the end of the table and the Heavy Cavalry charges.  One manages to retreat and disorder the Heavy Cavalry with missile fire.  The ensuing combat sees the remaining Light Cavalry disordered and later is routed.

Cavalry clash on the Gallic right flank

For four more rounds all warbands remain locked in melee (that is 19 melee rolls none being a 1 or a 6).  But then the Germans roll three 1’s out of 5 melees – bad news as 3 warbands rout, including the leader.  This means the Germans have exceeded their breakpoint and rout!

End game

The Germans only had a slight edge.  And the cavalry Vs lnfantry was always going to take a while. With the Light Cavalry refusing to engage as well. Normally infantry clashes are resolved a lot sooner!

MUHLHAUSEN, 58 BC

Battle by the Rhine.  Also known as Battle of Vosges.

Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Vosges_(58_BC)

Map: Open.

Special: None.

Julius Caesar (Rome) (bp 3): 2 LDR, 2 HC, 4 HI.

Deploy: HC HI HI* HI HI HC*.

Ariovistus, Chief of Sequani (Germans) (bp 3.5): 2 LDR, 2 HC, 5WB.

Deploy: HC WB WB* WB WB* WB HC.

Deploy, Romans on the left.

The Romans have an advantage on the right flank with the Heavy Cavalry and leader.  They should be able to withstand the initial warband charge but the Germans have two leaders compared to only one for the Romans so it will be chancy on which side wins the centre.

Romans advance along the line.  The Germans advance their infantry.

The Roman right flank cavalry clash goes in favour of the Romans where at first the enemy Heavy Cavalry is disordered, then routed.

Roman Heavy Cavalry charges the German Heavy Cavalry

The warband line, at 5 units long refuses to move. The Romans get to within the warbands charge range and obligingly only 3 of the 5 decide to charge the line (so the German line is fragmented).

German line fragments

This is actually a good thing for the Germans as a few Roman units are disordered o the fresh German can charge in and receive the charge bonus.  The two that held back were the leaders so extra bonus in combat.  Two Roman legions are routed.  Next melee a German leader is lost when disordered. Bad news for the Germans though as the Heavy Cavalry turns onto the flank of the German warbands. However the Heavy Cavalry fails to followup.   Along the line another warband is routed by the Roman legion with the leader.

Roman Heavy Cavalry on the flanks.

The Germans have reached their breakpoint and flee the field.  The Romans have won!

End game.

A close game.  An interesting scenario can could see a few replays.