Second Punic War Midgard Game

 

Armies deployed

Opposite end

Forces advance

Roman equites charge Gallic cavalry

Equites and Iberian cavalry charge and
counter-charge on the other flank

Equites are at half strength and
Iberian cavalry are winning

Equites are destroyed

Last Thursday afternoon I played a solo Second Punic War Midgard game out in the shed. The forces were the 450 points Republican Roman and Carthaginian army lists on the Mogsymakes site, with the Romans attacking. This turned out to be a very close game with the Romans doing well on their right flank while the Carthaginians did well in the centre and on the Roman left flank. The Carthaginian elephant in the centre caused problems for the Romans and was fun to use, accounting for at least one Hastati unit and wounding the Roman consul army commander! In the end the Romans just managed to win on their right flank to finish the game. The Gallic warriors only armour two, couldn't match it with the armour three Roman heavy infantry and cost the Carthaginians the game.

Equites charge Numidian cavalry on the other flank

Roman infantry charge

Carthaginian elephant in the centre causes
some problems for the Romans

Roman left flank is under threat

Romans appear to be in trouble

Iberian cavalry disengage, Numidian cavalry
follow up retreating Velites

Romans win on their right flank
to finish a close game

Carthaginian Elephants

 

Here are two more Carthaginian elephants and crew that I've just finished painting. Figures, howdah, blanket and shield transfers are by Victrix/LBM. I gave the crew shields and put the javelin holder inside the howdah so the howdah transfers could be clearly seen, it seemed a pity to obscure them!

One morning a few days ago there were about a dozen King Parrots drinking out of the gutter on the shed out the back. They're very common around here in the winter time and of the course the White Cockatoos, Galahs and Corellas have started their annual trashing of the front lawn, digging up grass roots for food.

Lake Trasimene 217 BC - Command and Colors Ancients Game

 

Initial deployment from the
Roman side along the Lake

From the Carthaginian side

Numidian cavalry skirmish on
the Carthaginian right flank

Last Tuesday afternoon I played another solo Command and Colors Ancients game out in the shed. The scenario was Lake Trasimene 217 BC, Hannibal's famous ambush of the consul Flaminius and his Roman army. The Carthaginians had six command cards, while the Romans start with two but this is increased to three, then four in their second and third turns. The Carthaginians had a good hand of cards, including two Double Time cards, but this did not play out as expected! They played the first Double Time card on the right flank and the Gallic warriors charged in to combat. The Romans fought back well and at the end of their turn had destroyed two Gallic warrior units.

The Carthaginians played the second Double Time card on their left flank attacking with their heavy and medium infantry, led by Hannibal himself. This time they managed to destroy two Roman units and with momentum advance, managed to position themselves to continue the combat. The Romans countered with their cavalry and Triarii,  destroying both Carthaginian heavy infantry units and killing Hannibal with a leader casualty check roll. The game was tied at 5-5 victory points but the Carthaginians played it safe and attacked a wounded Roman infantry unit with their Gallic cavalry on their right flank to secure victory. It was a Pyrrhic victory really for the Carthaginians with Hannibal dead.

Carthaginians play a Double Time
card - Gallic warriors charge

They play another Double Time
card on their left flank

Carthaginians win 6-5 victory points
but Hannibal is killed in combat!

Trebbia 218 BC - Command and Colors Ancients Game

 

Initial deployment from the Roman side

Carthaginians with Mago's ambush 
visible in the top left, off the table

First blood to the Romans!

Mago's ambush attacks the Roman rear

Romans Darken the Sky
destroying two units of slingers

Cavalry join the ambush

Roman right flank collapses

Last Tuesday afternoon I played a solo Command and Colors Ancients game out in the shed. The scenario was Trebbia 218 BC with Hannibal's Carthaginians fighting a Roman army, under the consul Sempronius Longus. Both sides had the same number of command cards but Mago's ambush really made it a tough scenario for the Romans. The special rules for the ambush meant any leadership card played after the Carthaginian player's first turn could be used for this. In my game an I Am Spartacus card was played, five dice rolled, two leader symbol results meant any two units of choice could be used. 

Two warrior units attacked the rear of the Roman infantry. Polybius says (III.74) the troops used in Mago's ambush were Numidian infantry and cavalry but I only read this after the game and had used Gallic infantry and cavalry for the ambush. The Romans played a Darken the Sky card and destroyed two units of slingers. Mago's ambush once launched was devastating with the Roman right flank collapsing. Despite this the Romans fought back well and it was only once a combined attack in the centre of Gallic and Spanish cavalry and infantry that the Roman centre collapsed as well. In the end the Carthaginians won a hard fought game 7-5 victory banners.

Side view

Roman centre is under pressure too

Gallic and Spanish cavalry attack

Spanish infantry join the attack in the centre

Roman centre collapses

Carthaginians win a hard fought
game 7-5 victory banners

Truceless War - Hippacritae 240 BC - Command and Colors Ancients Games

 

Initial deployment from the Rebels' side Game One

Initial deployment from the Carthaginians' side

Autaritas' Gallic warriors destroy
two Carthaginian elephant units

Carthaginian centre and right flank

Autaritas' Gallic warriors are in the thick of it again

Carthaginian infantry are nearly surrounded

Rebel light cavalry and infantry
shoot on the left flank

Navaras' Numidians finally attack

Rebels win Game One 6-2 victory banners

Last Sunday Gary, Rick and I met down at the Vikings Club in Conder for the monthly meeting of the Canberra Regional Wargame Group. We played two Command and Colors games, the scenario was Hippacritae 240 BC from the Truceless War. The Rebel mercenaries commanded by Spendius and Autaritas, fighting the Carthaginians commanded by Hamilcar and Navaras. 

The Carthaginian elephants were easy targets (only two blocks instead of four for all other units) and Autaritas' Gallic warriors were very effective. The Rebels won both games. Game one was over fairly quickly, see photos above, with the Rebels winning easily 6-2 victory banners. We swapped sides for Game Two, see photos below, and this was a much closer affair. The Rebels eventually winning 6-4 victory banners. As a real bonus I picked up these five books for $22 from the bring, buy and sell table!

 

Navaras' Numidians attack Game Two

Carthaginian centre Game Two

Carthaginian right flank Game Two

The Carthaginian elephants were an easy
target for the Rebels in both games

Carthaginian cavalry attack right flank

Navaras' Numidians shoot on
the Carthaginian left flank

Rebel hoplites retreat from shooting

Navaras' Numidians retreat severely mauled

Carthaginian infantry and elephants suffer the same
fate at the hands of Autaritas' Gallic warriors  

A desperate final attack from the Carthaginians

Autaritas' Gallic warriors destroy the remaining
elephants to win 6-4 victory banners