Battle Report: Wars of the Republic - Romans vs Slaves

 

The Wars of the Republic rulebook has some army lists for the Late Republican Romans to take on various slave revolts.  Of course, the most famous is the 3rd Servile War against Spartacus.  The book has a scenario for the Battle of Vesuvius.  Today, we are going to continue the theme of Romans vs. Slaves but we are going to be playing a different scenario then the one in the book. The Battle of Vesuvius has some strange circumstances that made the scenario a bit unique.  Instead, we are going to play a much more straight forward, ahistorical battle.  

In the winter of 72-71 BC Crassus had assembled his army.  He marched out to face Spartacus and his army.  It is not entirely clear, but some scholars believe that the two armies met.  In the ensuing skirmish, Crassus won and this was what caused Spartacus to turn Southward.  

This turn is often seen as the beginning of the end for Spartacus and his army.  It led to the failed attempt to leave Italy to Sicily.  Then, the Slave army was hemmed in at Bruttium and only managed to escape after breaking out of a costly siege.  

There is no clear, definitive record of this battle.  In fact, it may just be local myth.  This will give us as wargamers some space to play a game where the outcome is unclear.  We only know that this "skirmish" took place after Crassus had ordered a "Decimation" of  his own men to "boost morale" of his troops. Spartacus had opted not to cross the Alps and leave Italy earlier in 72BCE.  

If you have further interest in playing out this conflict beyond what is in the Wars of the Republic rulebook, my first supplement for the game is available on the Wargame Vault.  This supplement is called Revolt!  and details the Spartacus' campaign including 15 new scenarios, more historical details, and appropriate army Lines of Battle for different phases of the campaign.  

Forces

We know a bit about how a Late Republican Roman force was outfitted.  We also know that Crassus recruited veteran troops back to the Eagles for this campaign.  Velites and Cavalry had been phased out of the legion and instead replaced mostly with auxiliary troops.  The main body was made up of cohorts instead of maniples now.  

Crassus

1 Veteran Legion - Crassus

1 Legion Regulars

1 Militia Legion

2 Light Infantry

The Slave Army was made up of mostly escaped slaves.  They were using looted weaponry and gear.  Most had little or no combat experience, and non-combatants had to move with the army.  It is estimated to be an army around 70K+ people.  Of course, many of them would not be engaged in the fighting. 

Spartacus     

1 Elite Infantry with Pila - Spartacus

1 Drilled Infantry with Pila

2 Light Infantry

1 Archers/Slingers

At this point, it is VERY unlikely anyone was still armed as a gladiator.  However, the Elite infantry will be composed of Gladiator models, and I will be using gladiator models as leaders of the other units. This is purely for flavor and one of my favorite things about the Third Servile War, I can use some of my Gladiator minis! 

Mission

We rolled for the mission and scored Recon in Force.  The Romans are the Attackers as they try to get the position of the Slave army.  In this mission 6 numbered tokens are placed face down.  The Romans need to reveal 2 Even tokens to win.  The game will last 8 turns or until 2 even tokens are revealed, or one of the opposing armies collapses. 

Set-up

Again, we used the rulebook to determine the set-up.  We are playing on a 72MU x 48MU board.  1 MU equals 1 inch.  We are using the grid system to lay out the board and randomly determined the terrain.  1-3 is the Roman side, and 4-6 is the Slave side. 

1= Walls - We used a temple

2= Swamp, Spring, Water

3= Walls- We used a temple

4= 1 level hill

5= Swamp, Spring, Water

6= Swamp, Spring, Water

We decide to connect 2,4, and 5 with a river moving through the table.  The river is fordable, but considered dangerous terrain.  There is one ford which is just difficult terrain, but not dangerous between 3 and 6.   The defenders place the tokens around the board.  We decide not to use any other complication for this battle.    

The Romans deploy from their left to right the following: The Legion Regulars are near the temple and along the road to the ford.  Next to them is light infantry, then Militia Legion, and light infantry by the riverside.  On the opposite side of the river by the circular shrine is the Veteran legion.

Romans on the left of the photo

The Slaves deploy opposite them and left to right is Light Infantry on the flank on the road to the ford.  Next to them is drilled infantry, then Spartacus and his elite infantry, archers in the shadow of the hill, and light infantry on the right flank.   

Slaves to the right

Turn 1:

Crassus and Spartacus collect their Commander's Gaze.  They both get 6 Gaze tokens, 1 for each unit and 1 for themselves as commander.  They bid for initiative.  Crassus bids 6, while Spartacus bids 3.  The Legion goes first. 

The light infantry on the river bank moves forward, and Spartacus tries to steal the initiative. The slaves do so successfully.  The light infantry on the left flank move to the ford and take cover in the underbrush of the far bank.  

The rest of the army moves forward, with the infantry closing in on the shoreline.  The archers nestle beneath the hill, and the right flank light infantry skirt along the base of it towards the edge of the board.  

Crassus is surprised by the speed in which the slave army moves into position, but he is undeterred as his Romans move up in a slow and disciplined fashion.  

Turn 2: 

Crassus again bids all 6, to the Slaves bid of 2.  Crassus gets initiative.... for now. 

The center Light Infantry moves up first and stays spread wide to cover their Legion comrades flanks.  The Militia moves forward in formation next, making way to the river bank and one of their recon points.  The Legion Regulars also march confidently down the road towards the lightly defended ford. 

Spartacus tries to interrupt, but fails. The rest of the Romans move forward, with the Light Infantry on the river side.  Crassus and his Veterans confidently move up unsupported in their Legion formation.  Their exposed flank makes a tempting target to the slave forces, but that side is only held together by Light Infantry and Archers.  

Spartacus and his troops take over.  The Slave army begins to shift towards the left flank.  The Archers move to cover the objective and pass between the hill and the river side.  The right flank Light Infantry moves to the top of the hill.  Meanwhile, on the left flank, the Light Infantry begins to cross the river at the ford, while the Drilled Infantry moves to support their crossing.  Finally, Spartacus himself moves to the river bank and on an Objective. 

Spartacus leads the way, a Thracian style Gladiator

Turn 3:

This time, Crassus has to consider his bid a bit more carefully. Spartacus bids 0, while Crassus bids 2. Crassus goes first again.  

The Light Infantry along the river bank rush forward and secure an objective marker.  They move it to Crassus' side of the board.  They then use a Commander's Gaze to throw Javelins at Spartacus' men but fall short.  Spartacus attempts to interrupt, but is unsuccessful. 

Crassus and his Veterans break into open order and re-align on the far objective, they re-form and move out.  Reforming Legion costs 1 Commander's Gaze.    Spartacus again tries to interrupt, and is successful this time.

The Slave archers pull back and fire at the Light Infantry.  The Romans take cover behind the underbrush at the river bank, but still lose 1 Courage!  However, they do not waver.  Spartacus and his Elite Infantry comrades begin to charge across the river.  The Light Infantry decides to Evade, and they drop back 2 MU.  It was unnecessary as the Gladiator's could not make it across due to the dangerous terrain.  They begin to waver, but do not loose any courage due to the difficult terrain.  A big gamble that does not look like it paid off! 

The Slaves on the right flank consolidate their position on top of the hill.  They decide they do not have the range or power to hit Crassus' Legion with javelins effectively. 

The slave light infantry on the left makes it across the ford, as the Drilled Infantry moves up behind and takes their position on the opposite bank of the river.  

The Romans take over, and the center Light Infantry rushes to the river bank and uses their last Commander's Gaze to throw Javelins at Spartacus and his men in the river.  They fail to cause any Courage loss.  

The Legion Regulars hold position by the temple, covering their flank from the Slave Light Infantry. The Militia Legion also has to hold position due to the traffic jam in front of them.    

Turn 4:

Both commander's bid 2 Commander's Gaze.  After a moment of hesitation, Spartacus decides to up his bid to 3 and wins initiative.  

Spartacus starts by moving his left flank Light Infantry away from the ford, and in a position to harass the Legion regulars if they try to force the ford.  

Next, his Elite Infantry tries to finish crossing the river.  This would bring them in contact but the Light Infantry evades away.  The Drilled Infantry move into the ford and protect the objective there.  The archers also move up to provide covering fire to Spartacus next turn.  The Light Infantry on the hill hold position.  

Crassus takes over.  The injured Light Infantry get out of the way and head to the river bank opposite the archers.  The Militia Legion than declare a charge on Spartacus and his troops.  Spartacus's troops are unable to use their Pila or counter-charge as they are wavering, but the Militia Legion have no such limitation.     

Instead of supporting their Militia Legion friends, the Roman Light Infantry begins to cross the river to try and snag the objective on the other side.  

Melee:

Spartacus and his troops are wavering, so could not use Counter-charge or Pila.  The Militia Legion did the charge and could use their Pila.  Therefore, the Gladiator's are at armor 2, as they are in difficult terrain.  The Legion is not, but is in formation. 

Spartacus uses his re-rolls and manages to inflict 1 Courage loss, and force the Militia to waver.  However, they also lose 2 Courage and are pushed back into the river with the Romans right behind them!   The Militia also used the Roman's last two re-rolls from Commander's Gaze.  

Turn 5: 

 Crassus again bids 2, and Spartacus bids 0.  Crassus goes first.  

Crassus and his veteran's march and collect the far objective.  They again break into open order, pivot to a new direction and re-form up.  

The Roman Light Infantry both jump into the river.  The right flank Light infantry are nearly across, while the left flank starts in.  They screen their crossing with a barrage of Javelins on the Slave archers, but fail to cause any disruption. 

The Legion Regulars move up and reform their position using the last Commander's Gaze.  They are out enough to tempt the Slaves into an advantageous combat, but then they can not react to the Light Infantry crossing the river. 

With that, Spartacus takes over, and is in a bit of a rough spot.  The Romans have 2 objectives.  A third will likely give them the win.  He needs to act fast to disrupt their plan.  

On the Slave left, they decide to take the bait and try to crush the Legion Regulars there.  The Drilled Infantry cross the ford, and then charge home.  The Romans have no Gaze to counter-charge or throw Pila.  The Drilled Infantry are also supported by the Light Infantry who also spend a point to charge in.

The Slave Archers use Gaze re-rolls and fire into the oncoming Light Infantry and reduce them 2 Courage, but not enough to cause them to waver.  

Melee:

Crassus decides to start with the Militia Legion in the center fighting Spartacus and his men.  Neither side makes any headway. The slaves suffer no courage loss for fighting in the river either. 

On the other side, the Slaves managed to charge and throw Pila, while the Romans could not counter-charge or throw their own Pila due to lack of Gaze.   Despite the lop-sided attack dice, both sides only lose 1 Courage.  However, the Legion begins to waver, which forces them to lose their formation.  

Turn 6: 

Neither side has lost a unit yet!  Therefore, they both have 6 Commander's Gaze. Crassus bids 2 to go first, while Spartacus bids 0. Crassus has the initiative.  

Roman Light Infantry manage to get behind Spartacus and his men and secure an objective.  With that, Crassus reveals that he has a 4 and a 6 which gives him two even numbered tokens...... and the game!  

Conclusion: 

Crassus and the Romans win. This aligns nicely with the unknown skirmish we were fighting.  In the history, this skirmish between Crassus and Spartacus is what convinced the rebel general to turn and head south again.  Therefore, a defeat like the one we saw above aligns with what may have happened in real life.  An indecisive battle that the Romans won. 

That was a great game!  It went 6 turns and no one had the clear upper hand combat wise.  However, careful maneuver, deployment, and deciding when and how to engage won the day.  In fact, no one even lost a unit before the game was done. 

My plan was to use them to rip the heart out of the weaker Roman center, while the Drilled and Light Infantry held the left flank, and the right side just stayed alive as a threat/speed bump to getting the objectives there.  The plan worked "okay"ish.  I misjudged the move across the river with Spartacus and his Elite Infantry and it was a bit too slow to stop the Romans from getting the objective on the opposite side of the board.  The rest of the plan was working as intended, but my weak center push cost me the game as my momentum was spent and I got bogged down.  From then on the Slaves and I were just reacting to Crassus' moves.  Not a great place to be. 

Despite losing, I had a great time playing this battle.  It was really fun putting the Gladiator models from Crusader on the table as my Elite Infantry and Unit leaders.  I also enjoyed the challenge of the river and ford.  This was one of my favorite tables we have fought on with Wars of the Republic  yet.    

You can pre-order the rules for Wars of the Republic from Osprey/Bloomsbury Publishing here.

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Battle Report: Wars of the Republic- Romans vs. Greeks at the Book Launch

 

This battle was the main Demo table at the Wars of the Republic launch party at Gestalt Studios in Powell, Wyoming.  As such, there were a few different generals and my main role was as referee, host, and rules interpreter.  The launch party had a surprising amount of people show up looking to game, talk ancient history, talk wargaming, and talk about being an author.  Sadly, I did not get to spend as much time with everyone as I wanted to and I look forward to doing more wargaming events in the area!  

The Greeks of Pyrrhus of Epirus came to Italy to aid their fellow Greeks of Tarentum.  However, they faced a rising power in Rome.  The successor mercenary and opportunist, Pyrrhus; was looking for a way to make cash to keep bank rolling his efforts in Greece.  The situation in Italy seemed like a good way to do it!  However, the Romans proved to be stiffer opponents than Pyrrhus suspected.  After three costly victories, Pyrrhus left Italy and went to Sicily instead.  This gave control of Italy to the Romans.  

At the launch party, the main Demo table had a combined arms army of Greeks vs. Republican Romans.  Each side had about 3 generals controlling wings of the armies.  These players rotated in and out through out the battle, to give more people a chance at the game. We also had a secondary table of Etruscans and Romans, but I did not get to observe that battle much.   

Since I was hosting the event and referee, I do not have full pictures of the battle.  The following is a high-level recap. 

Forces: 

Greeks of Pyrrhus of Epirus

Center: 

War Elephants

Silver Shields 

Bronze Shields

Right: 

Heavy Cavalry

Light Hoplites

Archers

Left: 

White Shields

Peltasts

Light Cavalry

Republican Romans

Center:

Triarri x2

Hastati

Right: 

Hastati

Principes

Velites

Left: 

Hastati

Principes

Velites

Mission:

The game had no complications and was a simple pitched battle.  

Set-up: 

The table had a dangerous river on the Roman right/Greek left with an impassable temple on the opposite shoreline.  A road slanted across the center of the board.  On the Roman left/Greek right there was a difficult field, and on the Greek side a Difficult forest. 

The Greek line stretched across the board from left to right it was: 

Peltasts, Light Cavalry, White Shields, Bronze Shields, Silver Shields, War Elephants, Heavy Cavalry, Light Hoplites, and Archers.  The Archers and Light hoplites were deployed in the woods.  

The Romans formed up in their typical checkerboard fashion.  Hastati were the front line, with off-set Principes on the edges, and off-set Triarri in the rear.  Each flank had a unit of Velites.  The Velites were near the river on the right, and approaching the field on the left.         

The Battle Overview

Both sides cautiously moved forward, with the Greeks often willing to let the Romans win initiative and not bothering to interrupt.  The Roman Velites crossed the river on the right and approached the Greek Flank, protected by the Peltasts.  The Velites on the left took to the fields.  

The Romans sent a Hastati unit supported by Principes forward on the left, along the road.  Meanwhile, the Greek Light Cavalry roamed out ahead of the Phalanx units as they closed.  

Soon, the Heavy Cavalry and War Elephants rushed forward and contacted the approaching Hastati.  Their initial charge hit hard, but not hard enough.  The Light Hoplites moved up to support on the edge, but they got bogged down by skirmishing Velites.  However, the Greek Archers put them to flight with a barrage of arrows.  

The Light Cavalry, seeing the wall of Roman shields quickly darted back behind their own lines.  Meanwhile, the Peltasts and Velites skirmished along the river banks, trading javelins.  

The Principes moved up to support the forward Hastati on the left, and soon the battle was joined by the Greek Light Hoplites too.  It became a swirling melee and neither side was gaining the upper hand. 

The swirling melee soon drew in the Silver Shields on the flank, and the Greek LIght Cavalry darted around and hit the Romans in the rear.  Meanwhile, the rest of the Phalanx faced across the field and held the rest of the Roman line in place.  

With heroic efforts, the Roman Hastati and Principes managed to fed off the Greek shock troops, but at the cost of their own lives!  The Roman left flanks was shattered, but the Greek main shock arms were also routed in the melee!  With the ensuing Collapse tests, the Greek Peltasts and Archers fled the field of battle.  No longer eager to fight.

This tore the heart out of the Greek army.  However, they still had a formidable Phalanx.  The Roman Velites crossed the river and attacked the inexperienced Greek White Shields in the flank.  The Greeks responded, and were able to throw off the attack, but were left wavering and battered.  The Velite were routed, but the rest of the Roman army stayed strong.    

The last Greek phalanx charged forward, and were met by a counter-charge by the Roman line.  The experienced Roman troops led, with the Hastati on the edges for support.  There was a mighty clash, but the Greek pike blocks were thrown back and disorganized into a wavering mob.     

The Greek Officers surveyed the field, and decided to fall back and leave the field of victory to the Romans.  

Conclusion

The Romans were victorious.  As can happen in ancient battles, the Greeks over-committed on their initial thrust, and did not have the reserves to exploit the gap made on the flank.  Some of their best units were relegated to "support" roles instead of leading the attack.  The formidable Roman meatgrinder did their job and clever use of supports ensured that they had the manpower late in the game.   

Overall, many of the generals had never played a wargame before, but quickly understood the basics of the game, tactics of the period, and how the rules worked.  They enjoyed the battle and were wondering when the next one would be.  

The quick reference guide began with the Most Important Rule of Wars of the Republic.  Have Fun and help everyone else have fun.  Overall, I would say the Most Important Rule was met!  

You can pre-order the rules for Wars of the Republic from Osprey/Bloomsbury Publishing here.

Become a Patron and get access to all the cool stuff, a peak behind the curtain of Blood and Spectacles, and early-access to playtest games!  

Blood and Spectacles Patreon! 

You can follow Blood and Spectacles Facebook page or Instagram for more fun! 

Check out the latest publications and contact me at our Blood and Spectacles website

Or purchase all out games at the Blood and Spectacles Publishing Wargames Vault Page! 

  

Battle Report: Wars of the Republic- Romans vs. Socii

 

Between 90-87 BC the Republic was riven by an internal war.  The Socii were the Italian allies that had fought with Rome in the previous 200 years and helped Rome conquer the Peninsula.  The Italian peoples wished to become full Roman citizens, but the Romans themselves refused.  In response, several tribes and city-states broke of and formed a new confederation called Italia.  They quickly raised their own armies and had 120,000 men in the field, and split between the North and the South.  

The Romans responded with a series of diplomatic efforts and raising troops of their own.  Their goal was to hold out until troops from the provinces, deployed overseas, and client kingdoms could return to Italy.  In addition, their diplomatic efforts were intended to keep the revolt from spreading.  

In the North, the Socii were led by the Marci people who were joined by 7 other tribes.  The Romans were led by Consul Publius Lupus.  The Marci and the Socii had the advantage early in the war and they pressed it on both fronts.  The initial engagement in the North had an Italian general named Presentius engage with a subordinate of Lupus named Prepenna.       

We really only know the results of this engagement, so there is plenty of scope for us as Wargamers to play it out.  In the history books, Prepenna loses and is forced to withdraw with relatively heavy casualties.  This gives the Socii momentum early in the war and on the Northern front.  However, it was far from the end of the fighting. 

Forces

An interesting aspect of the Social War was that the Italians were very familiar with and had adopted the Roman war fighting techniques.  Therefore, the battle was that of similarly armed and equipped foes.  The Italians had been integrated into the larger Roman military for close to 200 years at this point since the end of the Samnite Wars.  

Prepenna's Romans- Triplex Acies

2 Hastati

1 Principe- Prepenna

1 Triarri

1 Skirmisher

Presentius' Italian Socii - Triplex Acies

2 Hastati

1 Principe

1 Triarri - Presentius

1 Skirmisher

Both armies are using the Triplex Acies army list for a Roman army, since the Socii and Romans used the same military structures at this point.  

Mission

The Romans are the attackers as they try to get 10+ points across the board and off the other side.  The game lasts 8 turns.  That will be a tall order!  

We randomly determined the scenario using the rules in the booklet.  We also got a complication of Bad Weather.  This makes the ground soggy to reduce movement, and improves defenses against shooting attacks due to rainfall and mist. 

Set-up

Today's battle is on a 72 MU by 48 MU board.  The forces are along the long board edges.  We set-up terrain per the rules.  

The Roman side is grid 1-3, and Socii are 4-6. 

Grid 1= Swamp

Grid 2= No Terrain

Grid 3= Hill

Grid 4= No terrain

Grid 5= Hill

Grid 6= Walls

The Romans deploy their Skirmishers by the hill, with the rest in Grid space 2.  The Hastati are leading with the Principes and Triarri behind.  

Romans

The Socci have their Triarri behind the hill, Principes over by the ruins, and the Hastati and skirmishers out wide on the right.  The skirmishers are covering the no terrain flank.  All units that can are formed up into Legion.  

Socii

Turn 1:

Both sides have equal Commander's Gaze at 6.  The Romans bid 6, while the Socii bid 2.  Romans go first.  The Romans bid 2 and get to go first.  

Move:

They begin by spending a point to skirmish and getting their skirmishers up on the edge of the steep hill.  The rest of the war-machine starts to rumbled forward.  At one point, the Socii try to interrupt but fail the roll-off.  The Romans finish up their move.  

The Socii begin to march forward to meet the Romans and stop them from getting across the board.  The right Principes move out first, and head towards the gap between the steep hill and the rock pile.  The Triarri are in phalanx and grind towards the rock pile hill before them, it looks like they will get there before the Romans.  The hastati stay in open order and move forward toward the Roman Left.  The Skirmishers move up and try to get to the Roman flank.  

Melee:

None

End:

None

Turn 2:

Both sides collect their Commander's Gaze and prepare to bid.  They both have 6 tokens.  The Romans again bid 2, and the Socii bid 0.  The Romans are in a hurry to get across the board.  

Move: 

The Romans begin moving forward again.  Their skirmishers use a Commander's Gaze to rush across the top of the hill.  After the Roman left Hastati move forward, the Socii try to steal the initiative.  They fail.  As the Romans continue to move forward, the Socii try a couple times to steal the initiative but fail each time.  Eventually, the Romans have all moved.  

The Socii Principes move up to fill the gap between the two hills.  They snap into Legion to protect themselves from a Javelin barrage.  The Triarri move to the base of the rocky hill.  The first Hastati unit moves forward aggressively and also snaps into formation.  The skirmishers and last Hastati unit move up in open order.  

Melee:

None, yet.

End:

Nothing

Turn 3: 

The Romans and the Socii collect their Commander's Gaze but neither side bids for initiative.  The roll-off goes to the Socii.  

Move:

The Socii Triarri break formation and climb to the top of the rocky hill directly in front of the Roman advance.  They dare the Romans to try and take the hill from them.  The Principes and Hastati move up to support them, but are careful not to overstretch themselves.  The second Hastati unit is carefully positioned to support their first Hastati unit, but stays in open order.  The Skirmishers try to fil the gap between the battle line and the swamp.  

The Romans then use the mobility of the Legion and they all scoot to the left, and they form a column of advance that is headed straight through the Socii Hastati in Legion.  The Roman Hastati lead the way with the Principes and Triarri in support.  The second Roman Hastati unit is placed to block the Socii Triarri and Principes.  The Roman skirmishers run off the hill and move behind the Socii Principes to the edge of the ruins.  Are they heading for the board edge, or setting up for a rear attack? 

Melee:

None.  Next turns looks like when the big show will start. 

End:

None

Turn 4:

Both sides collect their Commander's Gaze tokens.  It looks like they may need them for charges, counter-charges and other combat related reasons.  Both sides still have 6 a piece.  The Romans bid 2 to go first, while the Socii also bid 2.  Both sides consider upping their bid, and the Romans upgrade it to 3 to go first.  

Move:  

The Roman skirmishers move into the ruins and threaten the rear of the Socii Principes.  

With a war cry, the Roman Hastati charge into the Socii Hastati across from them, with the Principes supporting their attack.  The Socii are game, and they counter-charge.  The second Socii Hastati unit also elects to support their fellows.  Then the Socii steal the initiative and the Socii skirmishers also charge into the flank of the main point of attack.  

The Socii Principes move up and threaten the Roman Hastati in front of the rocky hill, while the Socii Triarri hold their ground.  Play turns back to the Romans.  The Roman Triarri breaks into open order and makes for the gap between the melee and the swamp.  

Melee: 

The two sides collect their attack dice and attack.  The opening volley of Pilums from both sides make them all more vulnerable.  However, neither side rolls particularly well and both sides only lose 1 Courage and the battle bogs down into a stalemate.  The Socii even used Commander's Gaze as re-rolls and failed to make a bigger dent.  Those Legions are tough as nails!  

End:

None.  However, the Socii commander begins to see the Roman strategy and realizes he may not be able to respond in time.    

Turn 5:

Both commander's collect their Commander's Gaze tokens and consider the strategy for this turn.  The Socii commander sees that the Romans have made a gap to exploit and that he may not be able to get to the Romans in time.  Neither side bids any Commander's Gaze for initiative, and instead there is a roll-off.  The Socii win.    

Move:

The Socii Triarri slowly try to get back off the rocky hill they were on top of.  The terrain slows them down.  Then, the Socii Principes charge into the Roman Hastati, who counter-charge.  The Roman Triarri continues their race around the edge of the Melee in the center.  The Roman skirmishers use a Commander's Gaze to skirmish throught the ruins and make for the board edge.    

Melee:

The Socii decide to start with the Melee in the center between the pair of Socii Hastati and skirmishers versus the Roman Hastati and Principes.  It is a brutal fight where all the re-rolls possible get used.  At the end of the day, the Romans are routed, while the Socii are reduced to 1 Courage.  Ouch!  That will put a spanner into the Roman plans.  The Socii push the Romans back 2 MU before breaking them.

The Hastati vs. Socii Principe fight is a stalemate as neither side can get the advantage.   

End: 

The Triarri see their comrades run away from the main fight.  However, they are unphased and try to continue their mission.  

However, the Romans losing their two units and their Commander will force a Collapse test on all their remaining units. The Roman skirmishers fail and run for it, leaving only the Triarri left.  Things look pretty grim for the Romans now.  

Turn 6: 

The Socii get 6 Commander's gaze to the Roman 2.  The Socii bid 3, to guarantee they can track down and catch the fleeing Triarri with one of their units.  The Romans bid 0.  

Move:

The Skirmishers move out of the way of the Socii Hastati units to attack the Roman Triarri.  The Romans then interrupt and win the roll-off.  They move the Triarri forward, and with their last Commander's Gaze snap them into Phalanx to prepare for battle.  

With all Roman Movement done, the Socii take over again.  The closest Socii Hastati unit re-aligns, forms up and charges into the Roman Triarri with a hail of heavy javelins.  The Romans can not Counter-charge as they are out of Commander's Gaze tokens.  The second Socii Hastati unit re-adjusts to prepare for a follow-up charge next turn.  

The Socii Triarri move back to defend the board edge from any break-out units.  

Melee: 

The Socii decide to start with the Principe and Hastati battle between the hills.  Both sides trade blows, and with a few re-rolls manage to both lose 1 Courage in the fight.  The Romans are pushed back 1 MU, but neither side starts to waver.  

Looking towards the Socii board edge

In the Hastati/Triarri battle the initial charge is powerful enough to reduce the Romans 2 Courage, with no loss to the Socii.  The Romans are again pushed back 1 MU.  The Romans stay steady.  

Looking towards the Socii board edge

End:

No action is needed yet. 

Turn 7: 

The Socii still have 6 to the Roman's 2.  Neither side bothers to bid for initiative as the Roman forces are all caught up in Melee.  Better to save the Gaze tokens for re-rolls. The Socii win the roll-off.  

Move: 

The second Socii Hastati unit charges into support the first in their fight with the Triarri.  Meanwhile, the Skirmishers move towards the Principe/Hastati battle to try and get a rear charge on the Romans there.  The Socii Triarri fall back to the board edge and prepare to go where needed.  The Socii commander is feeling pretty confident right now.  

Melee: 

The Principe fight starts the Melee phase.  The two sides bash at each other, but make no progress.  No one uses any re-rolls on this battle.  

The Hastati and Triarri fight is next.  The Socii Hastati inflict 1 more Courage loss, bringing the Romans to 2 Courage left.  The Romans fight back, and also reduce the Hastati 1 Courage and reducing them to 2 as well.  Both sides stay steady and do not waver.  There is no pushback.  

End: 

Nothing at this point.  

Turn 8- Final Turn

It is a replay of Turn 7 as the Socii get 6 Commander's Gaze to the Roman 2.  Neither side uses any for initiative, and saves them for re-rolls in melee. Socii win the roll-off again. 

Move: 

The Socii skirmishers manage to charge into the Roman Hastati rear in the Principe fight.  Ouch! 

The Socii Triarri are content to wait and see what happens next and hold their position.  

Melee: 

The Socii start with the melee between the hills as the Skirmishers have now charged into the battle there as well.  Using re-rolls the Socii manage to reduce the Roman Hastati to 0 Courage.  The Romans fail to reduce the Principes any further.  The Hastati are turned around to flee. 

The Roman Triarri are caught in their own life and death battle.  Both sides hack and thrust at each other with vigor.  The Hastati lose 1 Courage down to 1, while the Triarri also lose 1 Courage down to 1.  Neither side gives any ground and they stay steady.  

End: 

The Triarri can not see the fleeing Roman Hastati, so no test is needed to waver.  However, the Triarri do need to take a Collapse test looking for 5+.  They pass with a single 6 as a success.  They will be able to stage a fighting withdrawal and act as a rearguard for their fellows.

Conclusion

The Socii handily defeat the Roman forces, as the Romans failed to break any units through to their objective.  

Breakthrough is a tough mission without any Cavalry!  My plan as the Romans was to use my Hastati to tie up enemy units, and then use my Triarri to run around the flank and get into the backfield.  It almost worked BUT the main attack was routed two turns faster than I expected! I expected my Roman Hastati and Principes to last at least 1 turn longer than they did in the center melee.  That caught me off guard, and their rout led my Skirmishers to fail their Collapse test.  There went my most likely unit to get off the board.  Plus, it freed up several enemy units to envelope my Triarri.  I almost had those Socii, as their reserves were out of position if that center Melee would have help 1 to 2 more turns.       

Oh well.  My opponent's plan to use their skirmishers to collapse my flank with a flank attack worked, and mine did not.  It was interesting to see the match up between two identical armies.  The terrain placement and mission objectives became critical in this scenario due to the matching army lists.  

This battle did not go down to the last dice roll, and was pretty much over after turn 5.  The battle I was basing this one on historically, the Romans also lost to the Socii.  This left the North front in a tough position as the Socii had the advantage there after the Roman defeat.  It would be fun to play a Social War campaign of linked games as both sides were evenly matched and traded off victories and defeats in equal measure.  Perhaps a supplement, basis for a campaign day locally, or just a linked set of games?  Who knows.  

You can pre-order the rules for Wars of the Republic from Osprey/Bloomsbury Publishing here.

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Battle Report: Wars of the Republic- Romans vs. Achaean League

 

Shortly after the Fourth Macedonian War, the Greek Acheaen League rose up against Rome.  This war was one of defiance after Rome's high-handed treatment of the League during the 3rd and 4th Macedonina War.

The Roman's took hundred of hostages from the League and refused to return them or even entreat the ambassadors sent to secure their release.  In addition, populist generals were elected to the Achaean League leadership on a platform of reforms and taxation that would be counter to Roman interests.  Finally, Rome's efforts to reduce the size of the League by severing several cities and limiting the size of the League.  These three issues were politically unbearable to the Acheaen League and war was decided upon.  

It is unlikely that the Greeks had any hope of beating the Romans.  After all, the Romans had just defeated the much larger Macedonians and the Seleucid Empire.  However, it was a war of defiance.  It is best known for two key battles, the Battle of Scarpheia and the Battle of Corinth.  There may have also been several smaller skirmishes that were unrecorded.

The outcome was the total defeat of the Acheaen League.  As punishment, Rome complete destroyed Corinth, killed all the men, and sold the women and children into slavery.  All of the cities wealth was looted and sent back to Rome.  The Greeks were no longer a force in the Eastern Mediterranean after this cataclysmic defeat. 

Today, we are going to be playing one of those unrecorded skirmishes and battles.  As the Romans closed in on Corinth, Critolaus tried to break the oncoming encirclement in order to keep the war going.  Today, we will play out this encounter.  

You can order the Wars of the Republic rules here.  

Forces:

It is an excuse to put my Lorica Hamata wearing Romans up against some of my painted Greeks for Men of Bronze.  I am excited to be using two fully painted armies instead of my infamous Paper Templates like last time these two armies met on my wargame table.   

Roman Triplex Acies- Praetor Matellus
1 Skirmisher
1 Triarri
1 Principes- Praetor
2 Hastati

Rival City-States- Critolaus of Megalopolis
2 Drilled Hoplites- 1 with General
1 Militia Hoplites
1 Light Infantry- Peltasts
1 Skirmisher- Psiloi

Set-up
This was completed using the rules laid out by the rules in the booklet.  The board is 72 x 48 MU with an MU being 1 inch.  The board was divided into 6 grid spaces and terrain rolled and placed using the chart.  The Players took turns rolling and placing terrain, with the player being able to place the terrain anywhere they wished in the grid square.

This system led to the following set-up.

Grid 1 is the Roman right, 2 Roman center, and 3 is Roman left.  Grid 4 is Greek left, 5 is Greek center, and 6 is Greek right.

Grid 1- No Terrain
Grid 2- Stone Walls
Grid 3- Stone Walls
Grid 4- Hill
Grid 5- No terrain
Grid 6- No terrain

The Greeks are deployed from left to right in the following way; Peltasts, Drilled Hoplites (Critolaus), Drilled Hoplites, Militia Hoplites, Psiloi.  None of the Greeks are in Phalanx.  

The Romans are from their left to right; Skirmishers, Triarri, Hastati, Principe (Matellus), Hastati  The Hastati are in Legion behind the walls.  The Principes are also within the walls, but in loose formation. 

 

Mission

We also randomly determined the scenario and came up with a Breakthrough scenario where the Greeks are Attackers.  The Greeks are trying to exit the opposite side of the board with 10 Points of units, while the Romans are trying to stop them.  The game will last 8 turns, until the Greeks get 10 points off the board, or either army Collapses.  

Both armies will have the Hungry and Thirsty complications apply to them at the start of the game. The Roman Principes and the Greek Psiloi are suffering from Hungry and Thirsty Complication. (5+ Attack rolls) 

Turn 1:

The Romans and Greeks collect their Commander's Gaze tokens, 7 for the Greeks and 6 for the Romans.  The Romans bid 3 to the 2. 

Move: 

The Romans start by moving up their Hastati to "man the walls" at the edge of the ruined hamlet.  

The Greeks then manage an Interrupt and take over.  The Peltasts move up on the Greek left, with the Psiloi moving up on the Greek right.  The Greeks take shelter behind the hill.  Then, the Hoplite units move forward in loose formation.  

The Greeks have all moved, so play turns back to the Romans.  The Principes move up and start emerging from behind the walls to challenge the Greeks approaching.  The Triarri also move forward, with their flank being covered by their own Skirmishers. 

Melee: 

None

End:

None

Turn 2: 

Romans and Greeks collect their full Commander's Gaze as no one has lost a unit yet.  The Greeks bid 3 to the Roman 2.  Greeks move out first.  

Not much changes in their strategy as they push forward across the board.  One of the Drilled Hoplites lines up on the Principes and snaps into Phalanx formation for a Commander's Gaze point. The Militia Hoplites drift over to the hill, while the Psiloi use an Arete Point and climb to the top.  The Romans do not try to interrupt and let the Greek strategy play out.    

The Roman Triarri sees an chance and aggressively moves towards the Militia Hoplites and then snap into phalanx, with their flank covered by Skirmishers.  The Principes move out beyond walls and also snap into Legion. 

Melee: 

None

End:

None

Turn 3: 

Much like last turn, they all collect their Commander's Gaze, and the Romans bid 2 to the Greek 3.  Greeks move out first. 

Move: 

The Greek left flank moves forward along the edge aggressively.  The Drilled Hoplite on that flank also moves diagonal in loose formation to line up on the Hastati behind the wall and snap into Phalanx formation.  The Psiloi on the hill use a Gaze and skirmish across the top of the hill to prepare to rain down Javelins.     

The Romans The successfully interrupt.  They use the maneuverability of the Legion to move the right flank Hastati over the wall and then back into Legion.  The left side Hastati also shuffle sideways to the center of the ruins.  The Principes shuffle sideways to line up with the Drilled Hoplites in formation.

The Triarri moves forward towards the Militia Hoplites, with the Skirmishers covering them on the flank still.  They skirmishers us a Commander's Gaze point to throw Javelins at the Greeks on the hill, but even with re-rolls fail to cause any Courage loss.  The cover of the hillside was useful.    

The Greeks let the Romans do all their movement before taking over.  The Militia Hoplites see the danger of the approaching Triarri, and snap into Phalanx of their own.  The Drilled Hoplite in the center of the board squares off with the Prinicpes and also snaps into Phalanx formation. 

Melee: 

None

End:

None

Turn 4:

Both sides collect their Commander's Gaze tokens and consider their bids.  Both sides bid 3, and neither wishes to up their bid.  A roll-off comes up with the Romans going first.  

Move:

The Hastati on the right moves sideways to block the approaching Light Infantry from getting off the board.  The Principes also slide that direction to square off with a Drilled Hoplite unit cleanly.  The last Hastati unit moves up to the walls in the wreckage. 

The Roman Skirmishers charge up the hill towards the Psiloi.  The Greeks choose to Evade.  However, it is just not enough despite a good Evade roll.  The Skirmishers manage to catch the Greeks.  

The Triarri also choose to charge the Militia Hoplites.  If they are broken, it leaves the Greeks flanks open.  However, their charge comes up short!  This leaves the Triarri out of formation and wavering in front of the enemy! 

With all actions taken, the Greeks take over.  The Militia Hoplites can not miss the opportunity and charge into the Roman Triarri.  In addition, the Drilled Hoplites next door break into loose formation and charge into the Triarri flank as a support unit. 

On the Left Flank, the Light Infantry is blocked by the Hastati, but they close and throw Javelins to no avail.  The last Drilled Hoplite unit moves closer to the Principes, but does not charge.  The Greeks are out of Commander's Gaze tokens. 

Melee: 

The Roman's start with the Triarri combat.  The Romans are rocked by the ferocity of the Greek attack and reduced 3 Courage, and then fail a Discipline check and lose 1 more.  They are wavering at 1 Courage and pushed back 1 MU.  

The Roman Skirmishers also reduce the Psiloi 1 Courage and lose 0 in return due to the Greeks being Thirsty and Hungry.  The Psiloi do not waver, but are pushed back 3 MU to the edge of the hill top.  

End:

None          

Turn 4:

Both sides collect their Commander's Gaze.  No side has lost a unit.... yet.  Therefore, both sides need to consider their bids for Initiative.   At this point, my opponent noticed that I did not deploy my Archer unit!  Woops.  They graciously allowed me to treat them as being impacted by the Delayed Deployment complication from the rule book.  There is no way they will make it across the board, but they still might do.... something?  Anyway, the Romans bid 4, to the Greek 2 so They get to go first! 

Move:

The Roman Principes charge into the Drilled Hoplites while the Greeks use Commander's gaze to Counter-Charge!  The Greeks then try to steal the initiative from the Romans, but fail on the roll-off. 

The Romans use their last Commander's Gaze for the Hastati on the right to charge into the Greek Peltasts/Light Infantry in front of them.  Those guys are not going to be getting off the board unless they get some help from somebody. 

The Hastati on the left struggle over the wall, and end up free of terrain.  They are still in Open Order though.  

With no other movement, the Romans cede the turn to the Greeks.  The Archers make their reserve roll and come onto the board..... finally.  There is no other movement. 

Melee: 

The Romans decide to start with the melee on the Roman Right between Hastati and Peltasts.  A battle the Peltasts can not win!  The Romans cause the Greeks to Waver and push them back 1 MU, reducing them to 2 Courage left.  

Next, we go to the Hungry and Thirsty Principes vs the Drilled Hoplites.  The Principes Pila barrage hampers the Hoplites defenses.  However, both sides lose 1 Courage as the Hungry and Thirsty hampered the Principes attack! 

The Triarri fight desperately for their life in the center.  They fail to injure the Militia Hoplites and are shattered by the combined Militia and Drilled Hoplites.  That leaves a big hole in the Roman lines.  Can the Greeks exploit it?  

The skirmisher battle on the hill is indecisive.  

End:

The Roman Triari rout!  Freeing up the Drilled and Militia Hoplites.  The Roman Hastati watch them flee, but their courage holds and they get ready to fill the gap.  

Turn 5:

With the loss of the Triarri, the Romans are down to 5 Commander's Gaze.  The Greeks still have 7.  The Greeks bid 2, to the Roman 0.  Greeks go first. 

Move:

The Drilled hoplites scramble back to face the Hastati and snap into Phalanx.  The Militia Hoplites make a bee line for the board edge in their formation, but they may not make it in time, while the Archers follow them.  The Greeks have no more moves, so cede it back to the Romans.  

The Hastati on the left form back up into a Legion and start shifting to the left to try and block the exits.     

Melee:

The Greeks decide to start on the Hill, with the Skirmisher fight. Despite being Hungry and Thirsty the Greeks give as good as they get.  Both sides lose 1 Courage and start to Waver. 

Next the Greeks go to the far left side of the line.  Here, the Hastati blow through the Greek Peltasts and scatter them.  The Greeks are pushed back 1 MU, and then turn to flee.  

Finally, In the Principe vs Drilled Hoplite fight, re-rolls come fast and furious.  However, the Hoplites have the advantage to the Hungry and Thirsty Principes.  They manage to reduce them 1 more Courage! However, Matellus sees the Hastati best their foe, and tells his men to hold on just a bit longer.  Help is on the way! 

End:

The Greek light infantry hoofs back to Corinth.  The Archers and Drilled Hoplites in the center see them flee, and they begin to waver!

Neither side needs a collapse test yet.  

Turn 6:

Both sides have lost 1 Commander's Gaze due to casualties.  Romans bid 0, to the Greek bid of 2.  Greeks go first again.  

Move:

The Greeks start by rallying, re-directing and re-forming their Drilled Hoplites in the center.  This puts the Hastati on the Roman left in a bit of a pickle.  They have to choose who they want to try to stop getting off the board.  The Romans respond by using a Gaze and stealing the initiative! 

They decide to Charge the Drilled Hoplites, who promptly counter-charge! 

On the Roman right, the Hastati there also break formation and then charge into the flank of the Greek Hoplite and Principe battle. Ouch!  The Romans have no further movement, so the Greeks take over again.  

The Archers stay wavering, but pass a Discipline check to move.  They head for the gap in the Roman line.  The militia Hoplites lead the way forward.  

Melee: 

The Romans have the Initiative, and choose to start with the Principe Battle. It is a swirling battle, and the Hoplites lose 1 Courage and start Wavering.  However, the Principes also lose 1 Courage and are reduced to 1 Courage!  The Romans step back 1 MU.  The 5+ "To hits" from the complication is really impacting the Romans today! 

With no Commander's Gaze left for re-rolls, the next battle is on the hill. Stalemate.  

In the Hastati and Drilled Hoplite battle, both sides roll poorly and their is another stalemate.  

End:

None

Turn 7:

The Romans have 5 to the Greek 6 Commander's gaze tokens.  Neither side bids for initiative, instead saving their Gaze for re-rolls.  Greeks win the roll-off 

Move: 

The archers pass a Discipline Check and make for the bboard edge.  The Militia Hoplites also break formation and run for the back line and safety.    

Melee:

The Greeks start with the Principes fight.  They smell blood in the water as a victory there will force a Collapse test for the Romans.  Both sides put everything they have into this fight!  The Hoplites lose 1 Courage.  They were wavering and lose formation, so they can not quite get the hits they need, despite using several re-rolls!  The Greeks are pushed back 2 MU this time! Have the tables turned? 

The Hoplites in the Greek middle hit the Hastati with an unexpected intensity that drives the Romans back 1 MU, and they start to waver! 

The Skirmisher battle on the hill continues to be indecisive.  

End:

None

Turn 8: 

Both sides are in this to win this!  The Romans have 5 to the Greek 6 in Commander's Gaze.  The Greeks bid 1 to 0 to go first.  They win the initiative.  

Move:

The Militia Hoplites runs to safety, but they are 3 MU short of the board edge!  With that, it is clear that the Greeks need to force the Romans to Collapse if they wish to win.  Can the Romans hold out?  

The Archers use a Gaze to Rally, and then charge into the Melee with the wavering Hastati.  Burning those Gaze for this instead of re-rolls may cost the Greeks later.  We will see.  

Melee: 

To heighten the suspense, the Greeks choose to start melee with the Skirmishers on the hill.  Stalemate still.  Being in difficult terrain has made that battle indecisive.  

The Greeks then go to the Principe battle.  This looks like the decisive point of the battle.  There is a flurry of re-rolls, and once the dust settles and the combat is cleared, both sides are left routing from the field.... along with their commanders!  

The Hastati in the center are wavering and buffeted by the desperate Hoplites and their allies.  The Romans lose 1 courage, but barely hold on.  They get pushed back 2 MU and have 1 Courage left.  

End:

Both sides need to take a Collapse test as their Commanders have been routed from the field. For the Greeks, the Skirmishers on the Hill that are Hungry and Thirsty stay in the fight, as does the Drilled Hoplites in the center of the Greek line.  The Archers and Militia Hoplites collapse and flee the battle.  

The Romans make their tests.  Their skirmishers decide to call it a day, and break.  The last Hastati unit hangs-on, valiantly holding off the Greeks for a Roman win! 

Conlusion

The Romans manage to beat back the Greek attempt to break out from Corinth.  Instead, the Roman's keep closing the net and closing in on the Achaean League's stronghold.  This looks like the end is near for the Achaean League.       

Well, that was a battle to the last dice rolls. That is the way it should be.  

Forgetting my archers may or may not have been a big deal in the end result. Who knows?  That is one of the disadvantages of doing these games in stages.  I write up the general idea, scenario, and forces a few weeks or days before I actually get to play them!  Sometimes, things get lost in the transition from game set-up to board... in this case an entire unit!  Woops.  

Once the battle got underway, I started to ask myself why I took such slow units? I really needed some  Cavalry to scoot across the board and escape!  I ultimately had to get 10 points off, so that is probably 2 units at least.  Once I smashed through the Triarri, I thought I had a chance to do it.  Ultimately though, my break through units were too slow!  Who would have thought that Hoplites were not the best unit to "break out" with!  That missed Triarri charge almost cost the Romans the game.... almost.

The added mobility of the Roman units in the horizontal was very important in this game.  Their ability to stay in formation and scoot sideways allowed them to fill holes and cover gaps as they appeared.  The improved mobility of the Maniple over the Phalanx helped the Romans get where they needed to be, before they needed to be there.    

The complications played a big part in the battle today.  I am convinced the only reason the Principes lost was because they were suffering from "Hungry and Thirsty".  They were having a tough time scoring 5+ on the attack.  Even with some help, they were struggling and made this game closer than it should have been.  

One thing that will "trouble" some gamers out there is that some units alone simply can not hurt a Roman unit in Legion.  They can not score 4 hits to cause 1 Courage loss.  In this game, once the Hastati came to grips with the Greek Peltasts/Light Infantry there was no way the Greeks could win that fight.  As the designer, I am completely okay with this!  The trick is to use combinations of units to support in the attack in order to get the dice you need.  Plus, sometimes tying up a unit is just as important as being able to kill them.  In this game, if the Light Infantry had lasted 1 turn longer, it would have changed the outcome in the Principe fight completely and probably led to a Greek victory.  It is not always about damage output to be effective. 

The Roman Skirmishers did their jobs admirably and tied up my fastest unit for the entire game.  I should have helped them out to free them up, BUT even if they got off the board that would only have been 2 points out of 10.  

Ultimately, I lost a tough battle it the final battle. There were lots of "What if" moments and key decisions that led to the eventual defeat.  These decisions were both strategic and tactical in nature.  It gave me a lot to think about how to approach a Break Through scenario like this in the future.  Overall, fun was had by all and that is the most important thing! 

You can pre-order the rules for Wars of the Republic from Osprey/Bloomsbury Publishing here.

      

  

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