Calpurnii v Flaminii Game 4

 Game 4

Middle Republican Roman (Alec 7,400 pts) v Early Carthaginian (Michael 7,000 pts) 

Major Defence First Punic War 261 BCE (MeG Magna, 19-June-2026).

Battlefield Effects: Early Carthaginians: Terrain advantages

The Calpurnii Finally Earn Some Prestige

After three games of carefully accumulating experience, tactical wisdom, and a healthy appreciation for just how dangerous elephants can be, the Calpurnii found themselves defending Roman interests in Africa against the Carthaginians. Reports even suggested their deadly rivals, the Flaminii, were lending assistance to their opponents in the form of military advice.

This was a Major Defence scenario, which in campaign terms meant that victory was optional but survival was compulsory. All I really needed to do was avoid defeat and ensure that the Carthaginians suffered more casualties than the Romans. Easy enough in theory. History, however, is littered with Roman generals who believed something similar shortly before discovering why elephants were invented.

The bidding was perhaps the first surprise of the day. I opened at 7,400 points to command the Romans and, somewhat unexpectedly, Michael allowed me to have them. It later transpired that he had become slightly confused during the bidding process and thought he was bidding for the Carthaginians instead. Roman intelligence officers immediately reported this as the most significant Roman victory of the campaign to date.

Considering The Options

The Romans had two obvious approaches available.

The first was the sensible approach. Take lots of skirmishers, slow everything down, pepper the enemy with missiles and generally turn the game into a prolonged exercise in frustration.

The second was the Roman approach.

Take almost no skirmishers, spend the points on elite legionaries, march directly towards the enemy and trust in armour, discipline and sheer bloody-mindedness.

The first plan would probably keep the army alive.

The second plan might actually win a Prestige Point.

Naturally I chose the second.

Building The Army

The Roman army was therefore built around quality rather than quantity.

Four professional generals provided excellent command flexibility, including a talented floating commander. Six large legionary formations formed the backbone of the army, with the best units upgraded to Superior quality and all equipped with the Melee Expert characteristic. Several also gained Orb, a useful insurance policy against the inevitable cavalry shenanigans that accompany any Carthaginian army.

Support came from a single cavalry unit, some slingers, a contingent of Pedites Extraordinarii, Cretan archers and a garrisoned camp fortified enough to discourage wandering Numidian horsemen from developing ambitious ideas.

The theory was simple:

The legions would win the infantry battle.

The camp would anchor one flank.

The cavalry would try not to die.

Terrain

The pre-battle manoeuvring phase was one of those rare occasions when almost everything worked.

The Romans secured coastal terrain, complete with a substantial stretch of deep water protecting the right flank. Additional terrain included dunes near the coast, woods to the rear and a brush-covered hill on the left.

This was precisely the sort of battlefield a smaller, compact Roman army wanted.

Meanwhile the Carthaginians possessed a 'Terrain Advantages' Battlefield Effect, but with the table now looking increasingly Roman-friendly I was beginning to hope that advantage was becoming somewhat theoretical.

Deployment

Scouting quickly brought me back down to earth.

Michael comfortably won the scouting battle and deployed second.

The Roman army formed a compact block near the coastline. The camp sat beside the sea, the legionaries formed the centre, and the cavalry lurked behind the line trying to look useful.

On the left flank, the Pedites Extraordinarii and Cretan archers disappeared into ambush positions, accompanied by a convenient bluff marker.

Across the field the Carthaginians arrived in impressive numbers:

There were elephants.

There were cavalry.

There were skirmishers.

There were African spearmen.

And, somewhat unexpectedly, there were four units of Citizen Levy spearmen.

Poor-quality troops they might have been, but they inflated the Carthaginian breakpoint considerably. Michael would need to lose six TUGs before breaking. I would only need four.

Still, one aspect of the deployment looked promising.

Michael's cavalry concentration ended up on his right flank, some distance from where the decisive infantry fighting was likely to occur.

At least that was the plan.

Deployment ended as below, the Carthaginians are on the left of the picture:

Turn One

Both armies advanced.

The Romans moved cautiously.

The Carthaginians moved somewhat less cautiously.

Everyone remained broadly where military textbooks suggested they should be.

The position at the end of turn one was as below:

Turn Two

The Roman line continued forward while the left wing deliberately echeloned back.

One legion formed Orb in anticipation of future cavalry attention.

On the Carthaginian side the cavalry pushed forward aggressively and Michael exposed my bluff ambush marker on the hill, confirming that not every hidden threat on the battlefield was real.

The genuine ambushes remained concealed, for now.

The position at the end of turn two was as below:

Turn Three

The battle finally began.

A Roman legion charged a skirmisher screen. The skirmishers sensibly ran away, allowing the legion to continue into the troops behind.

Contact spread across the centre.

The results were respectable rather than spectacular. Roman commanders are accustomed to imagining that every charge will instantly recreate Cannae in reverse. Reality proved slightly more stubborn.

Meanwhile the elephants and cavalry on the Roman left continued to edge into threatening positions.

The position at the end of turn three was as below:

Turn Four

The elephants launched their attack.

An allied legion absorbed the charge with considerably more professionalism than might reasonably be expected from men confronted by several tons of angry wildlife.

In the centre the Roman veterans achieved the breakthrough I had been waiting for.

An African spear unit collapsed under pressure and its rout carried away supporting Spanish troops behind it.

Suddenly the Carthaginian centre was beginning to look rather fragile.

Elsewhere the cavalry battle remained strangely inconclusive, largely because the terrain was doing an excellent impression of a Roman ally.

The position at the end of turn four was as below:

Turn Five

By now the clock was becoming a factor.

The centre continued to generate drama.

One victorious Roman legion pursued too enthusiastically and exposed its flank. Michael immediately pounced, hitting it from both front and rear with African spearmen and citizen levies.

Fortunately Roman discipline held.

Nearby an allied legion destroyed a Numidian skirmisher unit, adding further casualties to the Carthaginian total.

On the left flank the cavalry battle finally erupted.

Both Roman ambushes appeared.

Etruscan mercenary cavalry charged a Roman veteran legion.

This proved optimistic.

The cavalry came off second best.

At that point time was called and the battle ended.

The position at the end of the turn, and game, was as below:

Post-Battle Thoughts

Frankly, things could hardly have gone much better.

The terrain favoured the Romans.

The compact deployment worked.

The cavalry threat was largely contained.

The legionaries performed exactly as intended.

My talented floating commander spent much of the game wondering why the command cards refused to cooperate, but Michael's attempt to exploit the Universal Battlefield Effect was equally unsuccessful.

Perhaps the biggest surprise arrived after the battle when I discovered Michael had drawn The Relief of Mafeking Battlefield Effect and never used it.

Had he placed a fortified position inside my deployment area the Roman battle plan would have become dramatically more complicated. Instead the Calpurnii were allowed to fight the battle they wanted.

The Romans therefore achieved exactly what the campaign required.

They survived.

They inflicted more losses than they suffered.

And, for perhaps the first time, the Calpurnii actually earned some prestige amongst their peers.

Not a triumph.

Not a crushing victory.

But definitely progress.

Result

Draw with more Carthaginian losses than Roman - One Prestige Point won by the Calpurnii.